100 affordable homes proposed for Willow Glen

A project split across 520 and 544 West Alma in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood could bring over 100 affordable homes to San Jose. 

91 of these homes would be near the Highway 87 and Alma Avenue interchange. The first floor of the five-story building would be amenity space and parking while the apartments would span the upper four floors.

At 544 West Alma, there is an abandoned restaurant and large surface parking lot. Here developers would like to build 99 affordable apartments near the banks of the Guadalupe River. Part of the project would even include restoring areas adjacent to the Guadalupe River so that it can be integrated into the project.

Source: The Mercury News

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + SubZERO - June 2024

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back with exhibits across multiple galleries in three different districts. Everything is open from at least 5-9pm. Participating venues include ANNO DOMINI, the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, MACHU PICCHU, San Jose Jazz, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

It all goes down on Friday, June 7th. As usual admission is free and all ages are welcome. Click here for a preview of featured art! Below is a map with all of the galleries to check out across all three different districts.

This month is also SubZERO which overlaps with the Festival and continues tomorrow from 5pm to 11pm. SubZERO features dozens of vendors and artists, live music across multiple stages, and a beer garden with local breweries. You won't want to miss it!

Updates on 28-story high-rise next to San Jose's City Hall

We might have been the first website to publish the renders below for an ambitious new high-rise on a the current site of a Lee's Sandwiches across from City Hall. It has 529 residential units as well as 21,000 SQFT of retail or restaurant space and 12,100 SQFT of office space.

As I speculated, the top floors are more than just amenity space for residents. There are two bars planned for the northern tower (!!) which is the one right on Santa Clara street. This would be an outstanding amenity and the first public penthouse space of its kind in Silicon Valley.

The smaller southern tower would have a lounge at the very top as well, but likely only for residents.

Of the 529 residential , we now know that 348 would be one-bedrooms, 114 would be two-bedroom units, 63 would be studios, and there would just be four three-bedroom units. The swimming pool would be on the 5h floor podium along with a dining area. If built, this would be one of the most interesting pairs of towers Downtown.

Source: The Mercury News

San Jose student housing tower with a stunning penthouse

A 25-story tower with 210 residential units is proposed for 439 South Fourth Street, a kitty corner away from SJSU. The 274-foot tall building would cater towards SJSU students and faculty. The exact breakdown is 63 two-bedroom, 21, three bedroom, 84 four-bedroom, and 42 five-bedroom (!) units.

Amenities would include a pool, gym, dog park, community rooms, study rooms, office space, and a shared rooftop area with breathtaking views. It is great to see developers finally try to fully utilize penthouse space in San Jose with shared amenity space. We have amazing views in Silicon Valley, you just have to get high enough to take it all in.

The site currently has a 30-unit apartment building and a single-family house converted to commercial uses.

Source: The Mercury News, SVBJ

More details on proposed Diridon Station improvements in Downtown San Jose

Diridon Station is planning a major transformation in the coming years (and perhaps decades) as it become the Grand Central Station of the West Coast and boy is there a lot to unpack here. First let's start with the good news. Service will be expanded across the board. Caltrain will triple their service from 4 trains an hour during peak times to 12 in each direction. Capitol Corridor will go from 6 trains a day to 11. ACE is planning one extra train. VTA Light Rail will increase service by 50% and buses by 12%. TAMC will add 4 trains a day to/from Salinas. Last but very much not least, High Speed Rail will have 4 trains per hour in both directions.

So far so good. There are three proposed alignments for the future station improvements. Elevated tracks, at-grade, and stacked. Below are some of the key comparisons and a few renders.

And now the bad news... the cost. Transportation transformation does not come cheap. These improvements are estimated to cost between $2.5 and $13 BILLION dollars. Those are today's dollars, not 2040 dollars factoring for inflation. Also, this doesn't even include BART which is a separate project.

To put the ridiculousness of those costs into perspective, the entire cost of San Jose Mineta International Airport's Terminal B is $1.8 billion in 2023 dollars. The cheapest proposal is more expensive than half of our airport!

The most expensive proposal for one station would build an airport two times the size of SJC. That one station would cost more than the entire four-station BART subway from Berryessa to Santa Clara. It is a completely stunning cost, and not in a good way.

Source: Diridon Join Policy Advisory Board

U.S. News ranked San Jose 4th in quality of life

A ranking earlier this year called San Jose a diverse area with an innovative spirit. U.S. News rankings of top places to live put San Jose in 4th place. The study looked at general satisfaction, crime, health care, quality of education, and average commute times. Our city was only beat out by Ann Arbor, Boulder, and Madison.

Source: Yahoo News

Second installation of Sharks mural in East San Jose

A new mural has been commissioned by the San Jose Sharks called "Recuerdos de Este" or "Memories of the East." The 35-foot mural is inspired by other East San Jose public art displays and is one of a seven-mural project sponsored by the Sharks Community Connections Project and Local Color.

You can find the colorful mural at the Latino Business Foundation at 1652 Alum Rock.

Source: SVBJ

SJMADE FEST June 1-2

SJMADE's most popular event of all time is returning this weekend on June 1st and 2nd at History Park San Jose. SJMADE FEST features over 250 makers, artists, designers, chefs, backers, crafters, and small businesses. For food, there are over 50 food trucks and vendors... a staggering amount for any event.

There are some other surprises there like a Kitten Lounge, K-Pop Plaza with live dance performances, and door prizes. The event is completely free which also makes it a great opportunity to check out History San Jose. It runs from 11am to 6pm on both days and is both kid and dog friendly (leashed). For more info, the full vendor list, and parking suggestions, head over here.