Outdoor Adventure hub coming to Santa Clara/North San Jose area in January

AVE Santa Clara, at 2240 Calle de Luna, is setting a new standard for apartment living in Silicon Valley with its launch of the AVEnture Hub. Offering first move-ins in January 2025, residents get free access to an array of outdoor gear—from bikes to kayaks—encouraging exploration of our local amenities.

Lea Anne Welsh of AVE explains, "It's about enriching life with nature's playground." The hub includes:

• Varied Equipment: For all adventure types.
• User-Friendly App: For gear scheduling.
• Social Space: To connect and plan adventures.

Steve Edwards from Ensemble Investments adds, "We're making outdoor adventures accessible and communal."

Beyond the adventure hub, AVE Santa Clara boasts luxury amenities and is steps from Clara’s Junction. With 311 units, both furnished and traditional, it's redefining Silicon Valley living. Applications are open at AVE Santa Clara's site.

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.

New restaurant taking shape near Levi's Stadium

Levi's Stadium is going to attract tons of attention to Silicon Valley over the next couple years with events like the Super Bowl and World Cup. Unfortunately, there are very few food and hang out options walking distance to the stadium, which also creates a traffic nightmare as people have little reason to stick around after games and events. Clara's Junction appears to be the first compelling option, at least until Related's multi-billion dollar mixed used projects across the street gets going.

What used to be a Carl's Jr. will become a 18,000 SQFT indoor/outdoor social space complete with a restaurant and over 20 beers on tap. Clara's Junction will also have craft cocktails, lawn games, fire pits, a pit BBQ and a taco truck.

The project couldn't come a moment too soon. In addition to games and events, 4,500 residential units are being built in the immediate area. There is tremendous opportunity to build some great restaurants both here and in North San Jose a couple blocks away.

Source: SFGATE

Levi's Stadium is getting $200M in upgrades before hosting both the Super Bowl and World Cup

Two of the largest sporting events in the world are coming to Levi's Stadium in 2026: the Super Bowl and multiple World Cup games. In fact it will be the only stadium to ever host both of those events in the same year. The 49ers and Levi's Stadium have recently announced major upgrades to the stadium--which originally cost $1.3 billion to build over 10 years ago.

It will get the largest 4K display in the entire league coming in at 13,000 SQFT. The stadium will also get a new LED field lighting system that will brighten playing surfaces for primetime games. Stadium and club areas will have a refreshed look and feel, and some of those upgrades will be in place this season.

Also part of the upgrade list is faster WiFi with 1,300 new access points as well as improved cellular services with new 5G systems by Verizon. The main concourse will get cashierless food and beverage stands to speed up service. There will be two new open-air patio bars and 120 remodeled luxury suites.

The total cost clocks in around $200 million. 90% of that will be financed by the 49ers and 10% will be from the Santa Clara Stadium Authority.

Source: San Jose Inside

VTA will get $5 billion from Federal Government to extend BART to Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara

Yesterday a huge step was just taken to secure BART's subway and four station extension to Little Portugal, Downtown San Jose, Diridon (Downtown West), and Santa Clara. The Federal Transit Administration has made a commitment of $5 billion towards the BART SV Phase II project. This was the second largest financial commitment of all time to a single transit project.

The total cost is still $12.7 billion. Nearly $5 billion will be funded by taxes and the state will also chip in nearly a couple billion. The VTA believes they have now secured nearly all of the required funds and closing the remaining gap is within reach.

The estimated completion of the long-awaited project is now 2037. During construction, the project is expected to support 75,000 jobs.

Source: VTA

New mixed-use project with a beer garden opening soon near Levi's Stadium

Finally, 49ers fans will have a place in easy walking distance to hang out before and after games. A new mixed use project on Tasman will feature a Food & Beverage Garden that repurposes an old Carl's Jr. into an indoor bar with local beers, wines, and cocktails. The indoor/outdoor concept will feature food trucks and outdoor games like bocce ball and corn hole.

The residential building behind the beer garden will have 311 luxury apartments in an eight-story building, 100 of which come fully furnished. It also features a two-story fitness center, yoga studio, bike share, a resort-style pool, fire pits, and gaming lounges. 15,000 SQFT of retail will also be available in the ground floor of this building which are separate from the 14,000 SQFT beer and food garden with games.

The beer and food garden is set to open in a few months, just in time for the 49ers season.

Source: LinkedIn, Ensemble

 

Free Comic Con at the Santa Clara Central Park Library

What more appropriate place is there to host a ComicCon than a library? Well, perhaps a place that actually publishes comics. In any case, the Central Park Library in Santa Cara is hosting a free ComicCon on Saturday, October 12th.

The event will bring together local artists, comic book shops, cosplayers, and games for a full day of celebration. There will be panels, signings, anime screenings, vendors, crafts, and tons of special guests. They are still building out the full agenda, but some of their guests and vendors are already listed here.

It's rare to have access to events like this for free. If you're interested you can RSVP here.

Source: City of Santa Clara Bulletin

Levi's Stadium to host Six (!) World Cup matches in 2026

Levi's Stadium is going to have an amazing year in 2026. Not only are they hosting Super Bowl 60, but they will be hosting six World Cup games. Five will be group-stage matches and one will be a round of 32 match.

The first group stage match at Levi's is scheduled for June 13 and the round of 32 match will be held on July 1st.

Unfortunately, the US National Team will not start their journey at Levi's. They have two group-stage matches in SoFi Stadium in LA and another at Lumen Field in Seattle. Mexico and Canada will also play their initial group-stage games in their home countries. So that means all of the first five games will involve teams outside of North America. The benefit is the sheer amount of International tourism that will come to the San Jose metro for the game. 

2026 is shaping up to be a great year for sports fans in Silicon Valley!

Source: SVBJ

The South Bay is looking for more action from Super Bowl 60 than it received from 50

San Jose had a lot to gain from Super Bowl 50. There were major events throughout Downtown San Jose, including the SAP Center, San Pedro Square, and Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Hotels saw a huge boost. Plus most of the costs and risks were covered by Santa Clara.

Now for Super Bowl 60 in 2026, the South Bay is looking to better capitalize on the event. Of the $240 million of estimated economic impact to the Bay Area during the last Bay Area Super Bowl, San Francisco got a whopping 57% of that amount, San Jose scored 12%, and Santa Clara only got a sliver at 7%.

Fortunately, the numbers might swing more in the South Bay's favor the next time around. Several San Jose leaders are looking at way to attract more of the attention (and revenue) related to Super Bowl 60. Ideas include undercutting SF for major hotel events, host simultaneous music festivals, food festivals, tech showcases, charity events, and so on. 

It may also help that San Francisco's brand has been in decline with high levels of crime, homelessness, and squalor on city streets. However, it's never good to benefit from someone else's suffering. If your read the source article, the president of the Bay Area Host Committee believe by working together the pie will grow larger verses trying to compete with one another. That seems like the ideal perspective for maximum returns. We also have to do a much better job of marketing the assets we already have, and there are many.

It's a fascinating read. What do you think San Jose and Santa Clara should do to keep more Super Bowl dollars near the stadium where the game is actually held?

Source: San Jose Spotlight

Updated photos of the tallest buildings in Santa Clara

Santa Clara is growing up. The Tasman East area at the border with North San Jose and Alviso is going to have several new mixed-use residential towers go live well before Super Bowl 60. Gillynova from Skyscraper City has a ton of new photos of the development in the area.

These are the first residential high-rises in Santa Clara (besides a SCU dorm) and feature surprising amenities like rooftop pools. The towers are 238 and 219 feet tall. There is also a new midrise housing building which you can see below.

There are plans for even more towers in the future courtesy of Related Co, who also wants to build hotels, offices, and an entertainment complex right in front of Levi's Stadium.

Source: gillynova from Skyscraper City

New details for University Station near Caltrain and SCU

A new development spanning 451-475 El Camino Real will add 406 units to our housing pool. The location is across the street from Santa Clara University and a five minute walk away from Caltrain and a future BART station. Like Valley Fair, it actually spans across both San Jose and Santa Clara.

The project will be a mix of apartment buildings and townhomes on 11 acres of land, specifically 298 apartments and 108 townhomes. 82 of the 406 units will be designated as affordable housing.

The four-story residential buildings will replace two-story offices and two parking structures. There will be no impact to the small retail center next to Caltrain, the hotel, nor the South Bay Historical Railroad Society building.

Currently there is no ETA, but the latest project drawings are below.

Source: SF YIMBY

CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 - Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia to play at Levi’s Stadium next summer

Levi's Stadium is already going to be part of the World Cup in 2026, but there is another huge soccer event coming to Silicon Valley next year. Last week, the South American Football Confederation carried out the draw for the group stage of CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 which takes places in the US this year. Levi's Stadium is going to get two really big games.

On June 22nd, the national teams of Ecuador and Venezuela will face off. Then on July 2nd it will be Colombia versus the nine-time Copa America champions--Brazil. Brazil has also won the World Cup five times, more than any other country.

This will be a tremendous event that will bring a significant amount of tourism to the San Jose metro and is a great amenity for the many soccer fans all around the Bay Area. Tickets go on sale in January and you can learn more over here. The full press release is below.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - On Thursday December 7, the South American Football Confederation carried out the draw for the Group Stage of the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™️, which will take place from June 20 to July 14 next year in the United States. Based on the results of the draw, Levi’s® Stadium will host Ecuador vs. Venezuela on Saturday, June 22 and Brazil vs. Colombia on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. Brazil is a nine-time champion of CONMEBOL Copa América. 

 

This competition promises to be an unforgettable spectacle for football lovers around the world, with 16 participating teams divided into four groups and 32 exciting matches. 

 

The world’s oldest national teams tournament returns to the United States eight years after the Centenario edition. A great tournament that also featured six CONCACAF teams, as guests, and which this time has confirmed the participation of the home team, Mexico, Panama and Jamaica, with two slots yet to be decided.  

 

These two places will be decided by the play-off matches between Canada and Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica and Honduras on March 23, 2024. 

 

A total of 14 stadiums in the United States will host the exciting matches, four on the West Coast, five in the Central Region and five on the East Coast. The opening match will be played on June 20 in Atlanta. 

 

The Group Stage will be played from June 20 to July 2, the quarter-finals from July 4 to July 6, the semi-finals on July 9 and 10, the third-place match on July 13, and lastly, the Final on July 14 at the Hard Rock Stadium, with a capacity of 65,000 spectators. 

 

According to the dynamics of the competition, two groups will play in the west and central areas of the country, and two groups in the east and central areas. The competition will move eastwards, with the quarter-finals being played in the west and central regions, while the semi-final and final will take place in the east. 

 

In the history of champions of the CONMEBOL Copa América™️, Uruguay and Argentina, with 15 trophies each, dominate the ranking followed by Brazil with 9, Peru, Paraguay and Chile with 2 conquests, while Bolivia and Colombia have won once the tournament that began in 1916. 

 

Fans who want to experience the matches of the greatest edition of all time can register their interest at www.copaamerica.com. 

 

CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™️ 

The CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™️ will be played in the United States and includes 10 CONMEBOL teams and 6 CONCACAF guest teams. In this edition, this traditional tournament will be organized by both confederations. 

 

The 6 Concacaf teams qualify through the Concacaf Nations League 2023/24. The already known representative teams from North, Central America and the Caribbean are the United States, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama. The other two Concacaf participants will be confirmed after a Play-In between Canada vs Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica vs Honduras. This Play-In will take place in March 2024. 

 

In the 48th edition of one of the continent’s most important competitions, this will be the second time in the tournament’s history that it will host 16 teams – having hosted the same number of teams in its 2016 edition, also held in the United States. Teams that have won 10 World Cup titles from FIFA™️ and the biggest stars in world football will take the field for 32 matches in this edition of the tournament in June and July 2024. 

 

Tickets for CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™️ will be made available starting in mid January. Signup at www.copaamerica.com to be part of an exclusive presale opportunity before the public on-sale. 

  

Rocking the Continent 

The CONMEBOL Copa América™️ has an incredible power, it can make everything move, emotions vibrate and hearts soar. 

 

It makes the flags fly, the nets tremble, the stands, and the stadiums shake. Its history makes the whole continent proud, and our football beats with a united force. 

 

This competition has the power to bring out the best version of who we are: football, history, joy and passion. 

 

#RockingtheContinent 

  

Facebook: /copaamerica 

Instagram: @copaamerica 

Twitter: @copaamerica 

Tik Tok: @copaamerica 

YouTube: /copaamerica 

 

About Levi's® Stadium 

Named Sports Facility of the Year for 2015 by Sports Business Journal, Levi's® Stadium is home to the San Francisco 49ers and serves as one of the world’s most technologically advanced and sustainable sports and entertainment venue. The $1.2 billion venue consists of 1.85 million square feet and 68,500 seats, including 175 luxury suites and 9,000 club seats, and was designed by HNTB and built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. It is a multi-purpose facility with flexibility that has allowed it to host a wide range of events – including international soccer, college football, ice hockey, motorsports, concerts and various civic events – since opening in 2014. The venue is also expandable for major events such as 2026 FIFA World Cup, WrestleMania 31, Super Bowl 50 and the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Levi's® Stadium is owned by the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, a public joint powers authority established to provide for development and operation of Levi's® Stadium to ensure the stadium serves the goals of the City of Santa Clara. For more information, go to LevisStadium.com. 

Santa Clara approves plan to rebuild its former Downtown

63 years ago, Santa Clara had a Downtown area that was nearly completely destroyed. Eight blocks by Santa Clara University were leveled to make way for Franklin Mall and high-density housing that never materialized.

Now, the city of Santa Clara has approved a new plan that would restore Santa Clara's original street grid while creating three new public spaces and a retail shopping experience. The area was originally zoned to support 129,300 SQFT of new commercial space and 396 more residential units than it has today. The new plan would allow for 1,071 units and a whipping 729,620 SQFT of commercial space. Buildings would still be capped at seven stories.

If you look at the map below, the new plan would involve tearing down several existing buildings, including Park Central Apartments (which are quite old and in need of renovation anyway). I would not expect a brand new Downtown to materialize any time soon, the city is just setting the vision and up-zoning the area to encourage and support developers to create a future Downtown where the old one once existed. You can see see remnants and information related to the original Downtown in Franklin Mall.

Source: SVBJ

Luxurious 21-story residential high-rise proposed for Tasman with a surprise amenity on top

Tasman East by Levi's Stadium has been on a roll lately. Santa Clara's two tallest buildings are almost complete and already another high-rise is being proposed for the area right across the street from them.

Tasman East, Parcel 11 is a 21-story apartment complex that would have 198 homes, 310 automotive parking spaces, 110 spots for bike parking, and easy access to VTA Light Rail and the numerous amenities coming to the Levi's Stadium area this decade. The building is 218 feet tall with 3,000 SQFT of retail on the ground floor

There will be two amenity areas. On the 6th floor podium there will be an outdoor fitness space, yoga patio, and private patios. The second one will have something special. 

I was really hoping that San Jose would have the first swimming pool on top of a high-rise in the Bay Area (I'm looking at you Tribute Hotel next to the Four Points Downtown). However, if this moves forward it will not even be the first, but the second--in Santa Clara. The proposal has an epic penthouse amenity deck with a full pool, hot tub/spa, cabanas, and outdoor dining. Given our amazing South Bay weather and high cost of living, this is one luxury we should see a lot more of in proposed residential projects to help justify those big bucks. If you're wondering where the first high-rise pool is, it will be at the Tasman Senior Housing tower across the street.

As for the apartments themselves, there will be 28 studios, 87 one-bedrooms, 61 two-bedrooms, 15 three-bedrooms, and seven penthouse units. The average size of the units will be close to 1,000 SQFT.

Long-term, there could be up to 11 projects like this one with around 4,500 apartments total. This is just the beginning and the skyline is already surprisingly different around Tasman than it was just a few years ago.

Source: SF YIMBY

SJMADE Holiday Fair 2023 - Largest Holiday Craft Fair in Silicon Valley

SJMADE's flagship event is back on Nov 24th and Nov 25th (Black Friday and Small Business Saturday). This free event has over 425 vendors, mostly made up of artists, makers, and local entrepreneurs. This year there isn't a single empty space, every booth is spoken for. Last year it took me over two hours just to quickly walk through and look at every vendor.

Concessions are available outside Halls C & D and additional on-site food and drink concessions can be found near the main entrance outside Hall A. The first 1,000 attendees each day will also get a door giveaway, which is always an item not available for purchase.

Admission is free, parking is free, it's open to all ages and runs from 11am to 7pm each day at the Santa Clara Convention Center (5001 Great America Parkway). There is also a VTA Light Rail stop right outside the event. To see the full vendor lineup and a map--which you'll probably need--head over here.