Happy Halloween 2024! 🎃🦇👻

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween tonight! If you have a favorite neighborhood for trick-or-treating please post it in the comments here or on X. I'll toss out Willow Glen as high on the list.

Also, please be sure to check out our wishlist post for Halloween in the Park!

San Jose's Little Italy gets updated benches

A nice little placemaking touch has been added to the benches alone the Guadalupe River Park in Little Italy San Jose. The freshly painted benches now feature the colors of the Italian flag. The work was all done by volunteers and add a bit more character to this part of the park.

Source: The Downtowner

22 happy hour deals in San Jose

SJtoday is back with periodic posts and they have a list of several great happy hour deals across San Jose. My favorites on the list are EMC Seafood (get the phenomenal uni pasta while you're there), Dr. Funk, The Table, San Pedro Social, Meso, Lazy Dog, and MINIBOSS (pictured). All of those have great food to go along with libations. Check out the full list in the source link below.

Source: SJtoday

PG&E is partnering with developers to expedite electrical work

PG&E is collaborating with developers and policy makers in order to power developments faster and help cut down the time it take a new project to be able to house residents. This includes improving turnaround time to schedule electrical connection, having centralized support, and providing interim power solutions.

The results so far include a 26% increase in the number of connections in the South Bay from 2022 to 2023. By streamlining process, they are hoping to sever 30% more customers in 2024 than 2023. For more details, head to the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

Community Development Partner's first San Jose housing project

A new 160-unit housing project has been approved in East San Jose by Community Development Partners. All of the units in the five-story building would be designated as low-income.

The units include 15 permanent supportive housing units and 25 units for Veterans. There will be a mix of plans ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. Amenities include a community room, bike and car parking, a community kitchen operated by San Jose's own Veggielution, and a communal outdoor courtyard.

Recently the company was awarded $4M from the California Department of Housing to help move this project along. This will be CDP's first project in Santa Clara County.

Source: Community Development Partners

San Jose Mayor Mahan's plan to revitalize Downtown

Mayor Matt Mahan wrote a guest post for the Silicon Valley Business Journal highlighting his plans for Downtown San Jose. The overall goal is not just to rebound from the pandemic but to rebrand and reimagine what Downtown should be and that is the Downtown of Silicon Valley--not just San Jose.

His plans include working towards ending homelessness in San Jose, improving safety, improving the pedestrian experience (such as closing San Pedro St. to cars and potentially closing Post St.), encouraging public art, and providing incentives to attract more high-rise development. 

It's well worth reading the article linked below to understand where the ship is being steered. Personally, I've never felt more optimistic about Downtown San Jose.

Source: SVBJ

New Residential Project approved for 210 Baypointe Parkway in North San Jose

A much-needed residential community has been approved in North San Jose. The plans include 42 townhomes and over 290 apartments in a seven-story building. 17 units would be designated as affordable housing. 

Part of the project would include a public paseo connecting to Casa Verde Street and the ground-floor apartments and townhomes would line that paseo. Amenities include a work-from-home space, plazas, and bike rooms. 84 parking spaces would be built for the townhomes and 332 spaces for the apartments. There would also be 146 bike parking spaces.

The site of the project is on E. Tasman Dr., a couple blocks away Light Rail and near multiple tech campuses in North San Jose. On site right now is a one-story industrial building that is 40 years old on a total land area of 4.83 acres. 

Source: SF YIMBY

Restaurant Gish

The Silicon Valley food scene continues to deliver numerous high-end options, but the downside is ever-increasing costs heading towards insanity. Restaurants like The French Laundry and SingleThread easily cost upwards of $500 PER PERSON. Wine tastings to go along with that fancy meal can easily cost upwards of $100 per person on top of that. That is why I was thrilled to find a great fine dining option that won't break the bank. It's called Restaurant Gish.

One of the reasons why the prices are not super high is that the area around it is not pretentious at all. The restaurant is in a nondescript Santa Clara strip mall facing an alley. It's one of the last places you would expect a fine dining establishment. It feels like you're going to a speakeasy.

Inside the ambiance is modern yet homely. Deciding on what to eat is simple, there is a single menu with 4-5 courses that changes each month. When I went it was $79 for 4 courses with an excellent wine pairing for $47. There was also an optional extra course if you were really hungry.

Everything was exceptional from start to finish, including the service. I might just become a regular.

San Jose State University planning Campus Village 3 Towers

SJSU already has 40,000 students, staff, and faculty and many of those are now living in Downtown San Jose. Now the university is planning it's next steps in allowing as many people as possible to live close to the campus. This is a tremendous challenge given the insane cost of housing in Silicon Valley.

SJSU drafted a new master plan that would house 20% of full-time students on or near campus. They already made some big strides this year by converting the former Fairmont Annex to student housing. When walking around a couple weeks ago I noticed that the students were adding far more vibrancy to the area.

The next big step will be Campus Village 3. This project will add 1,000 beds in a 12-story residence hall along with dining commons and a welcome center. SJSU will also turn the Alquist site from a three-story building to a high-rise rental property for faculty and staff.

Now that SJSU is skyrocketing up college ranking, I'd only expect more pressure in the future to accommodate more students as the university moves away from a commuter-school stigma. SJSU's best days are yet to come.

Source: SVBJ

El Cabron Kitchen & Cantina

The Downtowner has a plug for El Cabron this week, which is one of Downtown San Jose's newer Mexican restaurants. It has a fun vibe and central location close to Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Below is the description of the restaurant in the newsletter:

"Looking for great food, fantastic vibes, and a true taste of Downtown San Jose’s vibrant energy? El Cabron Cantina & Kitchen is the place to be! Known for its authentic Mexican cuisine, craft cocktails, and an atmosphere that buzzes with excitement, this lively spot has quickly become a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

What sets El Cabron apart isn’t just its mouthwatering dishes—it’s the electric mix of fun, flavor, and community spirit. From casual diners to foodies seeking something special, everyone is welcomed with open arms, adding to the dynamic pulse of downtown.

Ready to experience it for yourself? Head over to El Cabron Cantina & Kitchen and see why it’s quickly becoming one of Downtown San Jose’s hottest spots. Whether you're looking to grab a bite or simply soak in the energy, this is the place to be!"

El Cabron Kitchen & Cantina is located at 155 W. San Fernando and open until 1:30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Source: The Downtowner

Funny Face House and The Throw Ups playing at The Caravan

The Caravan in Downtown San Jose is hosting a night of weirdo art and loud rock and roll today featuring local San Jose artists: Funny Face House Lawnmower Band and the chaotic energy of The Throw Ups. It’s a free show, but bring a can of soup for their food drive, and they'll donate a box to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Come rock out for a cause and experience a night of wild live music.

The Caravan is located at 98 Almaden Avenue.

New Museum proposed for the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

San Jose residents Marcella and Gary Gulmon are leading an effort to develop a permanent fairgrounds history museum to celebrate the 80-year history of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The museum would be placed inside the 1949 State House Replica which is located within the fairgrounds. San Jose was the capitol of California between 1849 and 1851. The California State House replica was built to honor that.

The museum would display fairgrounds historical collections year-round. The Gulmon family is passionate about collecting, preserving, and documenting fairgrounds history.

It certainly is important to understand our roots and farming heritage. Long before we were Silicon Valley, we were the Valley of Heart's Delight. Some of the best farmland in the country, is actually here. Hopefully they will be able to open the museum soon.

Source: The Mercury News

Augustine will be Santana Row's newest high-end restaurant

Bacchus Management Group has run several Michelin-starred restaurants including The Village Pub in Woodside, Selby's in Atherton, and Spruce in SF. They also launched one of the most popular restaurants in Santana Row two decades ago--Pizza Antica. Now they are opening a second restaurant at Santana Row called Augustine.

The new restaurant will focus on family-style Mediterranean cuisine and encompass 8,000 SQFT along with a 3,000 SQFT patio space. They actually tore down the front of the building and moved the entrance back 25 feet to make the patio even larger and give the restaurant an indoor-outdoor feel.

It will have a cocktail lounge, a large bar, two dining rooms, a reservation-only cocktail bar (could it be another speakeasy?) and options for private dining. Pricing will be around $80 for a two-person dinner, but I'm assuming that is without alcohol.  

The goal is to open by end of the year at 377 Santana Row, a spot formerly occupied by Sino that has been vacant since 2020. I can't wait to try it out!

Source: SVBJ

Eos & Nyx is getting closer to opening

The most highly anticipated new restaurant and bar in Downtown San Jose right now is Eos & Nyx. This is being done by the same owners of Miniboss, Paper Plane, Still O.G., and Alter Ego. It's a flagship two-story restaurant and bar in the building that used to house Camera 12 (Urban Putt is in there as well).

I was walking by and not only was there furniture, but they were testing the mechanical system on the 2nd floor that opens the windows. Look at that glorious patio space on the ground floor! 

It was supposed to open this year, but that might still be a bit of a stretch. Below are the spy shots followed by the latest renders.

VTA's old campus will become housing

What will become of the old VTA office space when they move into the shiny blue tower at 488 South Almaden in Downtown San Jose? They currently have over 200,000 SQFT of space in North San Jose. It turns out that the 17-acre campus at 3331 North First Street will likely become housing. 

The VTA is not planning to sell the property after moving into it's new home. Instead they are planning to ground lease the land for transit-oriented development projects. VTA has not announced which developers they plan to work with.

The property could support up to 1,300 new homes and the location is in the Golden Triangle near thousands of San Jose tech companies. 

In order for this project to move forward, VTA will have to move into it's new home first. This isn't expected until 2026.

Source: SVBJ

VTA moving workers into one of Downtown San Jose's nicest office buildings

The shiny blue tower at 488 South Almaden (forever in my mind as the Sobrato Tower) has a new owner. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) has chosen it as it's new home. They had previously been looking for up to 500,000 SQFT to lease with an option to buy.

The 17-story tower has 379,000 SQFT and stunning views of Downtown San Jose. I attended an event on the penthouse floor many years ago and at the time it was by far the nicest office building I had ever been to.

The VTA has taken advantage of a challenging office market with over 3 million SQFT of office space up for grabs in Downtown San Jose. This purchase will certainly make a dent in office vacancies when VTA workers move in around 2026.

The new office space will be just minutes away from two VTA Lightrail Stations and several bus routes.

Source: SiliconValley.com

San Jose approves tax breaks to help fill empty office space

Downtown San Jose like most places is struggling to fill up empty office space. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve a new policy to help entice companies to lease up vacant space.

Any business with at least 2,500 SQFT that signs up for a four year lease or longer will be exempt from paying city business taxes and fees for at least five parking permits for two years. It's a step towards helping bring more people to Downtown San Jose and filling up about 3 million SQFT of available office space.

There have been some positive news in Downtown's commercial real estate scene. More on that tomorrow.

Source: San Jose Spotlight

San Jose's Annual Harvest Festival

Today is Pumpkins in the Park, an annual tradition that brings thousands of people to the Guadalupe River Park in Downtown San Jose to enjoy family-friendly activities.

There is a large pumpkin patch, inflatables, lawn games, vendors, food trucks, and live music. This year the trucks are El Viejon, Cali Cool, Fire & Slice, and Akita Sushi.

The event runs from 10am to 4pm at Discovery Meadow (180 Woz Way, San Jose). It's right next to the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum.

For more information, head over here.

San Jose City Hall Block Party on Thursday, Oct 17th

Dozens of businesses around City Hall will be participating in the last Downtown San Jose block party for 2024. This is an up and coming area that is starting to get a lot of traction. Rollati, one of my favorite Downtown restaurants, is located in this district as well as the new and unique Paleta Planeta.

The event will feature live music, tons of food, over 100 local makers & artists, tours of new businesses, and activities for the whole family. Ground zero will be right in front of San Jose City Hall.

The event runs from 5pm to 9pm and there is free parking for 90min in city-owned garages or free parking all night on metered spaces after 6pm.You can also easily take Light Rail to the Santa Clara Station and walk two blocks.

San Jose Fry's Electronics will become a tech hub

The beloved Fry's Electronics on Brokaw road finally has a new destiny. Super Micro Computer, which is headquartered in San Jose, wants to build a 333,400 SQFT manufacturing and tech center in its place. This would be part of a future tech hub replacing the Fry's store and office building.

Fortunately, they would keep the Mayan facade from Fry's and somehow incorporate it into the project. The total project could encompass a couple million SQFT, but it could be years or decades before that comes to fruition.

Source: The Mercury News

Cisco is consolidating San Jose offices at Santana Row

After acquiring Splunk in 2024, Cisco is now working on consolidating office space. While the company has 30 buildings across its North San Jose campus, you could argue that their flagship building is sitting at the end of Santana Row. 

Cisco is planning to close four buildings at 3750 Zanker Road and 260, 300, and 350 East Tasman Drive and moving those lucky employees to the former Splunk headquarters at the Row in mid October.

The space--which I'm assuming was already pretty nice to begin with--is also undergoing a renovation. The best way to encourage people to head back into the office is to make the office an amenity. The location will certainly help here.

Source: SVBJ

Porsche is setting up shop at Santana Row

Santana Row made history as the very first location for a Tesla Store. It disrupted the entire auto market with a direct-to-consumer model and a buying experience similar to an Apple Store--perhaps because the person responsible for Apple Stores was behind the initial Tesla Store concept. Several auto makers followed suit including Lucid and Polestar which have similar stores across the street in Valley Fair. The Santana Row Tesla Store has also become so popular that it significantly expanded it's original square footage into a neighboring retail pad a few years ago. 

Now traditional automakers are getting in on the action. Porsche is opening their very first Porsche NOW concept at Santana Row.

The store will enable visitors to interact with the Porsche brand in a lounge-like environment and tinker with one of Porsche's electrified models such as the Taycan or Macan Electric. This would make sense given San Jose is the largest market for electric vehicles per capita of any large city in the US.

The Porsche NOW store is located near Hotel Valencia at 355 Santana Row and had their soft opening last week.

Source: SVBJ

African American Cultural Center with housing proposed in San Jose

The African American Cultural Center is being proposed at 2001 The Alameda, right before San Jose turns into Santa Clara as you head away from Downtown San Jose. The project raised $3 million in funds August last year and another $4.1 million in federal funding this March. In total they have already raised $30 million.

The center is designed to serve as a hub for education, music, theater, dance, science, athletics, and business. The building itself will have meeting halls, banquet facilities, youth development facilities, a library, museum gallery, senior and youth programs, child care, a theatre, and even some retail.

Now there is also a major housing component to this project as well. EAH Housing is planning to build about 150 units, 135 of which would be affordable. 12 to 15 of the units would be for-sale condos. EAH Housing is a nonprofit that has already developed 107 properties and 8,700 residential units.

There is no ETA as a bit more fundraising needs to be completed, but this looks like a great mixed-use project for San Jose.

Source: SiliconValley.com