San Jose wants to allow more business outdoors

In order to maintain social distancing while slowly reopening the economy, San Jose officials would like to allow more businesses to utilize sidewalks, parking lots, and streets. This will help businesses that will have to drastically limit the number of patrons inside, especially restaurants.

Currently, over 46,000 restaurant workers have lost their jobs in Silicon Valley. The industry has been devastated and many restaurants will be closing their doors for good. It's expected that restaurants will reopen with no more than 25-50% of their previous interior capacity, so any change we can make to cushion further blows to the industry I'm sure will be greatly appreciated.

City officials are also trying to offset application costs and provide quick-build infrastructure. These include barriers and potted plants.

Hopefully some of the changes will become permanent so that we can have more al fresco dining and retail in the community when all of this is over.

Source: SVBJ, San Jose Inside

May 2020 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month.

The MAY 2020 Downtown Dimension is now available.

In this edition:

• As part of the process for Diridon Station Area Plan planning, city transportation staff disclosed a proposal that would close the northbound off-ramp from Highway 87 onto Santa Clara Street, much to the surprise of many key stakeholders.  The purpose of the plan update is to include Google's Downtown West (DoWe) proposed development. 
• BART and VTA have decided to take one step backward to move forward on how it will dig BART tracks underground through downtown San Jose.  The big tunnel idea has been scrapped in favor of the original idea to place stacked tracks through downtown, which requires a smaller, less-costly dig.
• Business survived the second month of shelter-in-place by giving themselves a pep talk.
• SJDA plans to open its Friday Downtown Farmer's Market June 5, 10 am-2 p.m.
• Groundwerx management answers questions about cleaning and keeping downtown safe during shelter-in-place.
• Urban Community and Swenson keep buying property downtown.
• A new scooter company moves in.
• The popular From the Archives feature summarizes downtown highlights 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years ago.

Other ways to stay connected to Downtown:

The Downtowner Online continues to be sent out on Wednesdays.  This weekly email features downtown businesses including virtual events and ways to support downtown. Subscribe

SJC moves ahead with expansion despite downturn in travel

Before COVID-19, San Jose International was one of the fastest growing airports in the country. To keep up with demand, 8 temporary gates were added to Terminal B, and a major expansion plan was put into motion to create 14 new permanent gates, a 300,000 SQFT hotel with 330 room, and 5,300 new parking spaces.

As traffic was down 97% at the airport compared to last year, I think most people assumed the expansion plans would be on hold. However, the San Jose city council unanimously approved the plans.

Eventually, things will get back to normal. When they do, it is better to build in a downturn then when resources are extremely expensive. It's clear that Silicon Valley isn't going away anytime soon and our abundance of work-from-home-friendly tech jobs means we will likely recover faster than other parts of the world. The airport is a critical resource for us, and I'm glad we're still going ahead with this important long-term investment.

Source: The Merc

April 2020 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month.

The APRIL 2020 Downtown Dimension is now available.

In this edition:

• Downtown businesses cope with a pandemic as losses mount during shelter in place. This month's lead story covers the thoughts and emotions of business owners, and how businesses plan to continue serving their customers and keep their commitment to employees.
• Other stories include:
  • Groundwerx during shelter-in-place
  • SJDA's plan of action
  • San Jose State University's course of events
  • San Jose City Council action
• Downtown news not pertaining to COVID-19:
  • ADA compliance grant available
  • Bus stops removed from San Fernando Street
  • Two property acquisitions 
  • Two new businesses

Other ways to stay connected to Downtown:

The Downtowner Online continues to be sent out on Wednesdays.  This weekly email features downtown businesses including virtual events and ways to support downtown. Subscribe

3.8 million SQFT office campus proposed in North San Jose

Bay West Development has proposed a 3.8 million SQFT office project at the former Fry's Electronics headquarters in San Jose (550 E. Brokaw Road). This would be one of the largest office projects of any kind in Silicon Valley, second only to what Google is proposing in Downtown San Jose.

The configuration would be seven large buildings and two parking structures, enough for 10,000 employees. The buildings would cap out at about eight stories or 120 feet. Unfortunately it does not appear like there is any attempt to make this a mixed use project combining residential and retail, but there is plenty of that in the area already.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Goes Virtual

Searchlight San Jose has a great post about how San Jose businesses are now providing virtual experiences. Great America has virtual rides, Happy Hollow is providing photos and Zoom backgrounds, History San Jose is posting historical artifacts (including a terrifying Chuck E. Cheese animatronic). Museums like the SJMA, The Tech, and the Winchester Mystery House are doing virtual tours.

When it comes to shopping, SJMade has put together a very cool online storefront designed like a 16-bit video game. All of the items sold here are made by San Jose craftsmen.

Head over to Searchlight San Jose to see the full list of virtual experiences to keep you entertained for the next for weeks.

"Human" by Sunny State

As the week heads to a close, let's wrap with one of the creative ways San Jose artists are coping with social distancing. The band Sunny State recorded a special version of their song "Human" in response to the COVID-19 crisis using videoconferencing software. It's a cool song with relevant lyrics, recorded locally.

For more info and to hear more of their music, head over here. You can watch the special performance of "Human" below.

Two massive 20-story towers proposed Downtown

KT Urban has submitted plans for Woz Way Offices, another epic office project in Downtown San Jose. It consists of a whopping 1.8 million SQFT split between two towers at 280 Woz Way. One of them is a giant wall similar to Adobe's 4th tower and looks like multiple high-rises combined together.

The project architect and designer stated that the only place in Silicon Valley where a tech company can physically scale their business and have access to transit is San Jose. Hopefully the momentum can survive the current crisis as it appears that developers are finally coming around to seeing Downtown's potential.

The project would also feature an impressive 30,000 SQFT of outdoor terraces across four floors, and 6,000 SQFT of retail (a bit light for a project this size). Parking will consist of four-levels both above and below ground, enough to handle 1,215 cars.

If all goes well, the project could break ground as early as 2021.

Source: SVBJ

Supporting the Downtown SJ restaurants that are still open

There are still many great Downtown restaurants (and even some bars) that are still serving customers with curbside pick-ups, to-go orders, and partnerships with delivery services like Doordash and Uber Eats. The San Jose Downtown Association has put together a handy list of the places that are still open for business. By patronizing local restaurants in these tough times, we can help ensure they will still be around later this year. Here are a few of my favorites on the list:

• Back-A-Yard - hands down one of my favorite restaurants. They are even featured in the Michelin Guide as one of San Jose's 8 Michelin Recommended restaurants. Try the oxtail, plantains, and corn festivals
• Good Karma - vegan cafe with Good Karma and GREAT beers. This was San Jose's first real craft beer hangount. Even if you're not a vegan you'll find quality food with rare libations to wash them down with.
• Pizza Flora - same owner as Good Karma--I'm a total carnivore and was blown away at how good these pizzas were. Seriously I would have never guessed these were vegan, and again the beer selection here is phenomenal. 
• Henry's Would Famous Hi Life - I don't think this needs any elaboration, one of our staple BBQ joints.
• Terke's Germania - another Downtown staple serving up quality German eats and beers by the liter.
• Hapa Musubi - one of our most popular new additions to the food scene. I have visited this place three times and they were completely sold out of everything twice. Great musubi's that go well beyond the classic SPAM musubi (although they have that too).
• Ludwig's German Table - Downtown's newer German spot. Love the Schnitzel and Pretzels here. Looking forward to sitting in their outdoor patio again one day.
• Silicon Valley Capital Club - this is a very notable restaurant on the list as it's a private club that you normally have to be a member of to dine in. They have curbside pickup and to-go orders for both members and non-members while restaurants are locked down.
• Enoteca La Storia - one of my favorite Italian spots. Great pastas and pizzas. They are a bit light on proteins but are the ultimate spot to get your fix of delicious carbs.
• HoM Korean Kitchen - inexpensive yet super delicious Korean eats, and it's open late.
• Haberdasher SJ - not only can you get cocktails to go from my favorite bar Downtown, but they also have chicken pot pies, snacks, and the best cookies I've ever had... Honey jack bacon sugar cookies. I ended up going through the entire bag of like 16 cookies in one day.
• Cafe Stritch - American comfort food classics. You'll have to supply the Jazz music yourself at home though.
• 71 Saint Peter - high-end Mediterranean grill. Great date night option.
• Miniboss - a great bar, restaurants, and arcade. You can get cocktails and Korean fusion food to go, but will have to provide your own video games these days.
• Original Gravity - aame owners as Miniboss. San Jose's first purpose-built craft beer spot with a great selection of sausages and fries accompanies by homemade sauces.

There are also some great cafes on the list like Academic Coffee, Paper Moon, and Voltaire Coffee House.

To see the list of the 70+ Downtown San Jose restaurants that are still serving up meals to go, head over here.

SoFA Music Festival: Shelter in Place Edition

One of San Jose's top music festivals is going on with the show this weekend. The special "SIP" edition of the SoFA Music Festival will feature 7 hours of live music across 15 different channels with over 100 bands. Instead of dancing in Downtown San Jose, you'll be dancing in your living room. At least the beer and wine will be slightly less expensive than your typical festival ;).

The SoFA Music Festival organizers aren't holding anything back. There will somehow be virtual vendors, merch tables, and a live painting stream to bring the artsy vibe of SoFA into your home. Music will range from jazz, alternative, hip hop, pop, folk, metal, punk, ska, reggae, funk, soul, blues, and mash up DJs. Check out the full set list over here. It's also a true community event built by the community (and it's free). As just about every other live music event in San Jose has been cancelled this year, let's give them our full support!

The party starts on Sunday, April 26th at 2pm and continues until 9pm. Participate over at sofamusicfestival.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofastreetfair

Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2894760980602555

Instagram: @sofastreetfair #sofastreetfair 

Day-of Schedule: https://sofamusicfest2020.sched.com