December 2011 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Half a million people are expected Downtown for Christmas in the Park. This year has a few upgrades and new promotions such as:
• A fully working train for kids that goes around the park.
• An $11 pin that provides discounts at 30 different restaurants.
• Downtown for the Holidays Hotel Packages [finally, they should do this for other Downtown events as well]
• Holiday Hat Trick pass, which includes passes for Downtown Ice, the San Jose Museum of Art, and The Tech.
• Two Key Zoning Changes are being pushed:
• 1.) Remove the requirement that all ground floor space Downtown must be retail. This will allow offices to fill in some of the empty storefronts.
• 2.) Full-service hotels with more than 75 rooms would no longer need a conditional use permit to have a drinking establishment and live music in the hotel.
• Arts Council Silicon Valley and 1stAct Silicon Valley launched LiveSV.com to provide consumers a way to share what's new and unique in the Silicon Valley arts, culture, and entertainment scene.
• The San Jose Public library has been awarded the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Services (first city library in California to receive the award).
• Starting Jan 1, plastic bags are banned from all San Jose stores (restaurants exempt) and paper bags will cost 10 cents. People are encouraged to bring re-usable bags.
• 4 New Eateries Opened:
• Liquid on 32 S. Third
• Uncle Bernie's Chicken & Fish on 30 E. Santa Clara
• Grace Deli & Cafe on 303 Almaden
• Zeytoun American & Mediterranean Grill on 185 Park

To read the full newsletter, click here!