Saturday, December 17, 2016

Saturday Stats: "Wealthy" San Jose renters grew by 32% in 2015

We ranked 7th in the nation when it comes to highest growth rate for "wealthy" renters. I put wealthy in quotes because the study is using $150,000/year of household income as the definition of wealthy. If you have a family in San Jose and your income is at that level between two working adults, you probably don't consider yourself wealthy.

In any case, San Jose now has 21,000 high-income renters (15% of the total renter population in San Jose). This number is increasing much faster than high-income homeowners. I don't think that is a good thing since it likely means fewer people can afford to purchase a home in the area. To read the full report, check out the source link below.

Source: RentCafe Blog


Friday, December 16, 2016

SoFA Market now validates parking

Just like I was a proponent of the San Pedro Square Market, I am huge fan of the SoFA Market on the other side of Downtown San Jose. It is a lot smaller than the SPSM, but is also more intimate and less crowded. Inside you'll find craft cocktails and beers, ramen, poke, gilled burgers, gelato-pops, coffee, smoothies, and soon thin-crust pizza. The SoFA Market is also addressing the biggest detractor to visiting.. parking. You can now get validated parking from all of the vendors in the SoFA Market.

If you have never visited this market or haven't visited in a while, now is a great time to check it out. The SoFA Market is located at 387 S. 1st street, across from another great place--Cafe Stritch.



Wednesday, December 14, 2016

LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil Contest

I have attended every major Cirque du Soleil show that has come to San Jose since Varekai and have yet to be disappointed. Their shows are a creative mix of acrobatics, storytelling, and comedy. LUZIA, the latest touring show to come to San Jose, is an ode to the rich and vibrant culture of Mexico. Here is the official description: "LUZIA takes you to an imaginary Mexico, where light quenches the spirit and rain soothes the soul."

San Jose shows will begin on February 9th at the Taylor Street Bridge and continue until March 19th. It may sound like there is plenty of time to get tickets, but weekends sell out far in advance and I would recommend booking your seats as soon as possible. If you can afford it, the VIP "Tapis Rouge" tickets take the experience to the next level with a stellar assortment of food and wine before the show and during intermission, along with the best seats in the house. There are also backstage tours that I have yet to try, but sound quite interesting. You can see all of the options and available seats over here.

My tickets have already been purchased months ago, but the good news for you is that Cirque du Soleil has offered us a pair of tickets to give away!

The contest is open right now and the only requirement is that you are at least 18 years old. Just follow the instructions in the widget below to participate. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Norman from San Jose for winning the tickets!

LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil Contest



Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Christmas in the Park

Downtown's top tourist attraction is in full swing and seems better than ever. New to Christmas in the Park this year is a 40ft miniature version of San Jose's Electric Light Tower outfitted with a mesmerizing LED light show. Several of the displays have also been repaired and upgraded thanks to generous donations. Another thing I noticed is that there are many more street vendors than in previous years, and the bacon-wrapped hot dog stands smell amazing.

Chirstmas in the Park is open every day from 9am to midnight. I recommend parking in the Safeway lot to avoid traffic--it's only two blocks away. For more info, head over to the Christmas in the Park website.


Monday, December 12, 2016

December 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:
  • The San Jose MarketCenter is expanding by 8,000 SQFT. New tenants include Blaze Pizza and Wells Fargo. There is still one 2,369 SQFT space remaining to be leased. The expansion will also include some much-needed additional parking.
  • Several political measures will impact Downtown San Jose:
    • Measure A will help reduce the homeless population.
    • Measure B provides funding for bringing BART to Downtown and repairing roads.
    • Measure F will help recruit more police officers and improve security.
  • Cubamex Sandwiches is now open at 325 S. First Street.
  • Rookies Sports Lodge will open this month in the former Billy Berk's location at 99 S. First.
  • Divine Wineries has moved into the space at 40 Post formerly occupies by Sherman Cellars and Red Light Wine Room.
  • TechShop San Jose has raised the $1 million needed to rehabilitate the former Zanotto's space on Second Street for TechShop machinery and is on track for a Spring 2017 opening.
  • SJDA offers funding for creative ideas that activate public spaces--if you have one email sjda@sjdowntown.com.
  • On Dec. 18, up to 5,000 runners will participate in the TiVO Santa Run Silicon Valley, which benefits both Downtown Ice and Christmas in the Park.
To read the newsletter, click here!


Friday, December 9, 2016

Content Magazine 9.0 Pick-up Party and 5th Anniversary next week

My favorite San Jose magazine is celebrating its fifth year with a free event next Tuesday, December 13th at Art Object Gallery (592 N. 5th St., San Jose).

Music will be provided by Wax Moon, Cado Dos Santos, Mardi Morillo, April Gee, and Steely Nash. Snacks and light bites will be provided by Michi Sushi, The Cookie Boys, Manresa Bread, and the Mount Hamilton GrandView Restaurant.

Content Magazine subscribers will get a complimentary beverage and holiday gift bag along with their issue. If you are still not a subscriber, head over here.

They are also partnering with Toys for Tots on this event. It is encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child in need (age range is 0-16).

The event will run from 7pm-10pm and street parking is available as well as a city lot on 6th and Jackson.


Thursday, December 8, 2016

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

San Jose BART Station - latest updates

San Jose is just one year away from finally being connected to BART. Below is the latest update from the VTA, which is responsible for the extension to Silicon Valley. Both the Milpitas and San Jose stations should be open in late 2017. Watch the short video below for construction photos and details.




Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Inside San Jose's BriteLab

First off, let me say that I have really missed Nathan Donato-Weinstein's articles in the SVBJ. I am thrilled to see him writing again in the SJ Economy blog.

He recently visited BriteLab, a high-tech South San Jose manufacturing company that makes everything from 3D printers to electric skateboards. The 55,000 SQFT space is a startup incubator that helps new companies bring their products to market. BriteLab provides product-development, design, engineering, manufacturing, and support services. Currently BriteLab employs 75 people, but they are planning to grow to 150.

For all the details, check out Nathan's article over here.

Source: SJ Economy


Monday, December 5, 2016

Santana Row 'Capstone' building is officially under construction

Development in the Santana Row neighborhood will likely never be fully complete, but the last major project with an official Santana Row street address is now underway. '700 Santana Row' will provide a bookend to what is one of the most successful mixed-use developments in the world.

The 284,000 SQFT premium office building will be located at the very end of the row next to the CineArts movie theater. The offices feature 13-foot ceilings, expansive floor plans, and a 15,000 SQFT garden terrace on the roof. The ground floor will have a signature plaza that will be open to all.

Parking will be available in a new parking structure that will also be open to the public during evenings and weekends. Thankfully, Santana Row will be offering shuttle service to Diridon Station as an alternate transportation option. The total cost of the project is expected to be between $205-215 million and completion should wrap up by Q3 2018 according to the SVBJ.

The full press release is below. Thanks to Ron Heckmann for sending this in.






Federal Realty Starts Construction on 700 Santana Row, Headquarters-Quality, Large-Floorplate Office Building Anchoring Iconic Santana Row

284,000 square-foot Class-A Office Building in Silicon Valley’s premier urban neighborhood
designed to attract burgeoning Silicon Valley firms

San Jose, CA (Dec. 1, 2016) -- Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) started construction today on 700 Santana Row, a 284,000 square-foot office building set on a signature plaza with a sweeping design that anchors the end of Santana Row, Silicon Valley’s iconic mixed-use neighborhood. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo joined Federal Realty executives and other local officials to commemorate the ground breaking.

The state-of-the-art, eight-story structure at Santana Row at Olsen Drive features 30,000 and 48,000 square-foot floorplates, modern architecture and headquarters-quality office space with concrete construction, which gives the building distinctive design qualities compared to traditional Silicon Valley office buildings. 700 Santana Row follows the highly successful 500 Santana Row, a six-story office building on an adjacent site fully-leased to Splunk Inc. in 2015 with occupancy slated to begin next month. The project cost is estimated at $205-$215 million.

"700 Santana Row is a ‘capstone’ building that takes full advantage of being the visual book-end to Santana Row, which has become one of the most popular live-work-dine-shop environments in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. No other office building will have this unique, commanding location,” said Jan Sweetnam, Federal Realty’s Western Region Chief Operating Officer.  “We’ve designed the building with a concrete structure and loft-like feel more often found in San Francisco’s SOMA district and other urban centers. 700 Santana Row will feature expansive natural light with tall, market-leading 13-foot ceilings and open floor plans, which in turn will provide companies with high-productivity, collaborative workspaces for their employees.”

Ready for tenant build-out in the third quarter of 2018, 700 Santana Row will also feature a three-per-thousand dedicated parking ratio and a 15,000 square-foot roof-top terrace and garden with majestic views of Santana Row, the San Jose skyline and distant foothills.  Shuttle service will take Santana Row office tenants to nearby Diridon Station for Caltrain and VTA light rail service.

“And unlike the congested 101 corridor,” Sweetnam added, “Santana Row is located directly off of Interstate 280 in close proximity to residential neighborhoods and office parks in San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and throughout Silicon Valley.”

“The on-site amenities and walkable environment that Santana Row offers has become a recruiting and retention tool for Splunk, Experian, Si-Bone and the other companies located here,” said Jeff Berkes, President-West Coast for Federal Realty Investment Trust.

Newmark Cornish & Carey is the leasing agent for the project.  700 Santana Row has been designed by WRNS Studio of San Francisco, and Devcon Construction is the general contractor.

Santana Row’s world-class amenities include 50 shops, 30 restaurants, a 215-room boutique hotel offering extensive full service conference facilities, two parks and multiple plazas with outdoor seating and free wifi, 615 rental homes and 219 privately owned condominiums.

For more information on leasing at 700 Santana Row, contact Randy Gabrielson, Todd Shaffer, or Tracey Solari of Newmark Cornish & Carey at 408.727.9600.  Or visit http://theofficesatsr.com/building/700-offices/


About Federal Realty

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 96 properties include over 2,800 tenants, in approximately 22 million square feet, and over 1,800 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 49 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.FederalRealty.com.