VTA News - BRT Artwork and Real-time Bus/Light Rail Info

There were a couple nice tidbits of information related to VTA improvements in Sam Liccardo's latest newsletter. The first is a partnership between VTA and the City of San Jose to add localized artwork to 20 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations when they go online. Read the excerpt below for a listing of some of the stations:

"Several of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Bus Rapid Transit stations will be getting enhancements  with public art thanks to a collaboration between VTA and the City of San Jose. 20 stations in all (most including an east/west bound) which will feature vibrant color and unique designs. The artists and each local community collaborated to capture each individual community's spirit. The designs range from informative to whimsical. The art project is in its 'design/development' stage and the stations receiving the art enhancements will include: The Arena (SAP Center), Santa Clara, City Hall, 17th, 24th, King, Jackson, Alum Rock, Story Road, Ocala, Eastridge."

The second bit of news is that VTA now provides their riders with real-time information on where buses and light rail trains are, so you'll never have to guess whether you missed a train or when the next one is arriving. Again, more details below:

"VTA has created a series of four videos to help our customers use their real-time information app for bus and light rail. These real-time information tools tell you when the next bus or train will arrive, which means you don’t have to carry a paper schedule, can anticipate bus arrivals in between published stop times, and can estimate when you’ll arrive at your destination.

Each describes how to access real-time information using a different tool: by calling 511 on your landline or cell phone; visiting m.511.org or 511.org on the Internet; or downloading the TransLoc mobile app for real time light rail information. The TransLoc app for real-time light rail information is also very popular. For more information visit VTA Realtime."

Erik's DeliCafe Moving HQ to San Jose!

Erik's has always been one of my favorite chain deli's. I don't know if its the sprouts or the mason jars, but there is something about this place that seems to have more character than you typical sandwich shop (especially in their Downtown San Jose location with historic photos plastered all over the walls). The company was founded in 1973 in Scotts Valley and now has over 30 locations. Wanting to get closer to where the action is and scale up, they have decided to move over the hill to The Alameda right outside Downtown San Jose.

By moving their HQ to San Jose, they believe it will be easier to attract potential franchisees. They are also looking for corporate locations, very similar to what Specialties has been doing. Also in the plans is to remodel many of their stores with more modern interiors, support in the kitchen for panini sandwiches, and at the front of the house online ordering.

I think Erik's DeliCafe is a welcome addition to San Jose and I hope they find all of the success they are looking for.

Source: SVBJ

Happy Mother's Day!

If you woke up this morning and are still trying to figure out what to do for Mother's Day today, the San Jose Food Blog has some good recommendations over here. Congrats and Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there!

5 Year Anniversary of TSJB, San Jose Population Hits 1 Million!!!

Today marks this blog's fifth anniversary, which is quite a long time in the local blogosphere! I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I decided to pull up the very first post from May 10th, 2009:

Born and raised in San Jose, I've had the opportunity to witness this city's amazing transformation from a midsized suburban town into the 10th largest city in the US, the capital of Silicon Valley, and a incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship. The goal of this blog is to highlight new developments in San Jose as well as to visually show a side of the city that many people haven't seen before.  Major changes are underway, and there hasn't been a better time to be a San Josean. Cheers to the future!

I still stand by this statement today, but I have to admit that this really doesn't tell the full story on the blog's origins. Five years ago it was estimated that San Jose broke one million residents. I thought this was a cause for celebration, but I noticed in a couple of online forums when the news broke out instead of congratulating San Jose, the city was getting berated. Posters complained about San Jose's lack of culture, development, and downtown area. In essence, the theme was that San Jose did not deserve to be a city of a million people. Of course, the guys from Skyscraper City and I quickly rose to the challenge and vehemently defended our city. However, I didn't think that was enough. I wanted to prove to the world that San Jose is already a great place and it is developing and innovating at a rapid pace. That was the real impetus for the blog.

When the official census numbers came out a year later in 2010, San Jose did not hit the million mark in population. The figure came out to only 945,952 residents, definitely a disappointment.

Fast forward to 2014. San Jose is again estimated to have hit the million mark, except this time it is an official government statistic and will almost certainly stick by the time the 2020 census comes around. The exact figure released by the California Department of Finance is 1,006,892 residents.

This time the reaction is quite a bit different. There is very little negativity or mockery coming from the news, and even a few San Franciscans have offered congratulations on online forums. It you look at the San Jose of today, it is very different than five years ago. Downtown is booming. The restaurant scene has exploded, multiple cranes are up for major projects, the San Pedro Square Market is bringing people from across the Bay into the area, the convention center is expanded, and I have never seen so many people on the streets over the weekends. As far as infrastructure goes, San Jose is getting BART in a few short years, it will be the core of a new and extensive Bus Rapid Transit system, and Light Rail is going to get several improvements and a new line. In terms of pro sports (a big draw), over the last five years two major stadiums were approved in the area and are well under construction: the Earthquakes stadium at the edge of Downtown and the $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium less than a mile away from San Jose's border. Both will have a big impact on tourism and the area's brand. Lastly, over the last half decade millions of square feet in office have been added with several million more to come. San Jose has become a clear choice for large tech companies that need a large amount of space as well as startups looking for a more urban atmosphere and public transit.

The last five years have had their ups and downs, but I think we are hitting this marker on a very high note. The next five years are going to be much more exciting and I can't wait to see where we'll be in 2019.

Hope you all have a great weekend, Cheers!

Photo by LastLightBender

Reboot:music Live! Tomorrow at The Tech

The Tech will be hosting unique musical event tomorrow in conjunction with their new "Reboot:music" exhibit. Several world-class electronic musicians will be performing beside the largest exhibition of interactive and collaborative digital music installations ever created. To get a feel for some of the performances, here are a handful of Youtube videos featuring the artists.

Reboot:music Live!

Saturday, May 10

7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Admission $20

This event is 21 and over only. 

The Tech Museum of Innovation brings you a world-class lineup of live electronic musicianship, staged amid the largest exhibition of interactive, collaborative digital music installations ever created. Unleash your inner musician and immerse yourself in a new world of musical performances led by revolutionaries who are redefining the intersection of humans and machines.

Panel discussion with the artists moderated by ANI starts at 7:00 p.m. 

Performances by:  

• Daedelus
• Jeremy Ellis
• Onyx Ashanti
• Author & Punisher
• Daniel Bekman

Engage with instrument builders, fellow music enthusiasts, and creative tech luminaries. Inspire your creative spirit with 16 interactive installations in our REBOOT:music exhibition. REBOOT:music Live! is the ultramodern experience that you won't want to miss.

Contributing Curators: LoveTech

Walmart Grocery Store Will Anchor Monterey Road Shopping Center

Yet another Walmart Neighborhood Market is coming to San Jose. This one will be a 50,000 SQFT anchor store at the new Sun Garden Center on Monterey Road. It is expected that it will open in Q4 of this year.

This location is near Spartan Stadium and the Plant Shopping Center. Sun Garden will also have space for a 44,576 anchor store and 4-5 smaller retail spots for restaurants or banks.

Source: SVBJ

The National Hispanic University is Shutting its Doors

After 30 years of educating first-gen college students with Latino backgrounds, The National Hispanic University is shutting down in 2015. It is the only private institution of its kind west of the Mississippi. The closure is due to financial issues and you can read the full story over at the source link below.

Source: NPR, Hat tip to Tim Reed

Sourisseau News: Air Corps

In the latest installment of the Sourisseau News you can get a nice areal view of San Jose in 1930. Have a look using the two minute video embedded below.


Air Corps from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Orchard Park Coming to North San Jose

The New Home Co. is building a 239 home community in North San Jose called Orchard Park. The development will consist of a variety of townhomes, flats, and courts (homes surrounding courtyards) ranging from 1,600 to 2,150 SQFT. You can pretty much forget any new single family homes going up anywhere North of Downtown, all of the new housing is going to be much higher density from now on.

Orchard Park is a master planned community that will feature both a new 1-acre park and a 2-acre river path which will be an extension of the San Jose Coyote Creek Trail. There will also be a community center with a bocce ball court, community room, and dining areas. The project will be close to the new Berryessa BART Station and just two miles away from SJC.

They should have a sales office with model homes near the intersection of Old Oakland Road and East Brokaw Road up soon. Prices will start at $700,000 and I have a feeling they will go pretty quickly.

Sources: Commercial Property Executive, SVBJ

Couple of New One South Market Shots

Below are a couple of new wide angle One South Market shots courtesy of Jeff Arko. Most shots of One South are taken from Santa Clara Street, but these were taken just north of Santa Clara in the parking lot between Market and 1st. One South is really helping fill the skyline from this angle and still has at least six more floors to go before being topped off. I can't wait to see this building when it's done, especially at night when the LEDs are on. I added a couple of renders for reference on what this will end up looking like.