Religious Center Will Open in San Jose October 10
A new community services hub is set to debut at the former Downtown College Prep site on Monterey Road.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Commercial
Live Poll
Do you support converting shuttered school facilities into multi-purpose community service centers in your area?
The 123 Christian Community Center will officially open its doors on October 10, 2026, at 1402 Monterey Road in San Jose. The site, which previously housed a high school, was acquired by a religious nonprofit through a $12 million ground lease agreement.
Why it matters
The center repurposes a significant educational property that has sat vacant since Downtown College Prep closed in 2025 due to financial instability and declining enrollment. The new facility aims to centralize regional outreach by housing 10 different ministries on the campus.
The property includes a 75,000-square-foot primary building and a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium. The nonprofit secured the lease until 2067, and the campus will host 10 distinct ministries.
The players
Peter Pau
He is the real estate investor who led the acquisition of the buildings and parking sites for the nonprofit.
San Jose Unified School District
This is the local public education agency that retains ownership of the land where the center is located.
CBRE
This global commercial real estate services firm acted as the broker for the ground lease deal.
Downtown College Prep
This former high school operator previously utilized the site before closing due to financial struggles.
The details
Peter Pau spearheaded the acquisition of the buildings and parking infrastructure, while CBRE brokered the lease agreement with the San Jose Unified School District. The site previously served as a lumberyard for Southern Lumber until 2015 and later as a high school beginning in 2017.
Timeline
Southern Lumber operated at the site until 2015.
Downtown College Prep ceased operations in June 2025.
The nonprofit acquired the ground lease on August 20, 2026.
The grand opening is scheduled for October 10, 2026.
Culture Shift
This conversion highlights a broader trend of repurposing defunct educational facilities into multipurpose community hubs as school districts contend with declining enrollment. The project follows the pattern set by the national trend of repurposing vacant school facilities for community service use, marking a significant transition in land utility for the San Jose area.
Residents in the surrounding neighborhood may see increased activity at the long-vacant Monterey Road site once the 10 ministries begin daily operations. The facility will likely alter local traffic patterns and provide new resources for the local community that have been unavailable since 2025.
The takeaway
The transformation of the former high school site illustrates how non-educational organizations are stepping in to utilize surplus public land. Future planning should account for the long-term nature of this lease, which secures the site for community use until 2067.
Further reading
For additional context on real estate shifts in the region, visit San Jose Commercial.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Jose Mercury News.
Live Poll
Do you support converting shuttered school facilities into multi-purpose community service centers in your area?
