San Jose Now Has the World's Largest Recycling Plant

Republic Services has begun operations on a massive 342 acre recycling complex in Milpitas, which is actually sitting on land annexed to San Jose. The facility can process a staggering 110 tons of recyclables each hour across four different processing lines: residential single-stream materials, commercial single-stream materials, commercial dry recyclables, and commercial wet recyclables. The recovery rate is expected to be greater than 75% on the commercial lines and 95% on the residential lines.

The system is highly automated--although the video below does show people picking out specific items. There is also an area for composting and the recycling byproducts are being used to generate electricity for San Jose waste management facilities in the area. It all ties into an aggressive "Green Vision" for the city, and considering we have more greentech jobs than anywhere else, this seems entirely appropriate.

Bixby Spending $52.5M to Buy and Upgrade Office Complex

Bixby has purchased four buildings in San Jose for just under $30M. These are located off of Trimble Road at Trimble Technology Park and total nearly a quarter million square feet. They are planning to put $23M into renovations which include new lobbies, roofs, mechanical systems, exteriors, a 16,000sqft expansion, and an outdoor living room with fire pits, kitchen, and couches.

After the renovations are complete, this will become a nice spot for either a flagship tenant or four smaller companies that want to expand or relocate to San Jose.

Source: SJBJ

TurningWheels for Kids Annual Big Bike Build Produces Over 2k Bikes!

Last Saturday in downtown San Jose, many (MANY) volunteers got together for the annual TurningWheels for Kids Big Bike Build.

If you're not familiar with TurningWheels for Kids, it is an organization born from the mind of Susan Runsvold, a nurse at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. She wanted to make sure that every child had the opportunity to receive a cool, exciting gift at Christmas - an experience she wasn't always sure she'd have as a child growing up. She came to the realization that receiving a bike all your own, a brand new one, is one of those memories every child should have the opportunity to have.

You can read more about the history of TurningWheels, but the bottom line - their mission, is to continue to provide underprivileged children with bicycles year-round. So each year just before Christmas, volunteers and groups from all over the South Bay come together and assemble donated bikes.

At my previous job, I had the privilege to work with Sue and her team on promoting TWFK. I absolutely love what they do so I wanted to make sure to stop by the Big Bike Build to take some photos and see everyone. It's such an amazing scene! It's like watching a bunch of elves getting the toys ready for Santa!

Some facts from this year's work:

• 2,650 bikes were built on Saturday (plus 493 a week before in Livermore)
• Distributed over 300 bikes this year to two pediatric clinics
• 2012 has had the highest distribution yet - 3,443 bikes!
• TWFK provides bikes to organizations for distribution such as: City Team, EMQ, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, Bay Area Rescue Mission, Richmond Fire Department, Santa Cruz County sheriffs, Sacred Heart and many others!

The last few years, in the middle of the build, CEOs and local celebrities and supporters make their way to the main stage to participate in the Great Trike Race! They hop on adult-sized tricycles and race around a track in the middle of the convention center. It's great fun to watch and no doubt, fun to race! You need to watch out for Sharkie though, he's a sneaky one!

Sharkie and Valley Medical Center Foundation's Executive Director, Chris Wilder make the first turn during the Great Trike Race!

This year's winner was Barry Arata, a local fireman who won the title in 2010 but lost it to Josh Thomson of Strikeforce in 2011.

Many thanks to this year's title sponsor, DPR, for their generous donation of $60,000! Other wonderful sponsors like the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Cisco, Therma and many more helped support TurningWheels for Kids.

If TurningWheels for Kids sounds interesting to you, they could use your help. This year, 4,700 bikes were requested (via organizations, groups, etc) but there were only 2,600+ to give. Donations are how they're able to purchase bikes and helmets for the kids. If you'd like to read more, please check out their website and their 'What You Do Matters' Campaign for more information.

~ Jennifer Bullock OwYoung

December 2012 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Starting Dec. 15th, Downtown Ice is expanding its daily hours to 11am - Midnight.
• The inaugural Santa Run Silicon Valley is Dec. 16th and is limited to 2,000 runners (only a few hundred spots left). Proceeds will benefit Downtown Ice and Christmas in the Park.
• The Mexican state of Jalisco is opening a business incubator, school, cultural center, and art gallery at 320 S. First St. in a 9,000sqft retail space. Entrepreneurs setting up their businesses in the US and Mexico will be able to utilize part of this space.
• At the corner of 3rd and Santa Clara, Freddie J's is getting a facade improvement. Next door Grub Shack--an Asian Fusion / Hawaiian restaurant--is doing its soft opening.
• San Jose Rock Shop now has a retail store selling musical instruments at 30 N. Third St.
• Flowers by KLEE Design opened at 28 N. First St. #702
• Agave Mexican Grill replaces El Sabroso at 17 S. Fourth St.
• Groundwerx installed two rows of decorative LED lights totaling 8,100 feet on South First and South Second streets [Josh: saw these, they look great!]

To read the full newsletter, click here!

SJDRA 2012 Holiday Party

Happy 12/12/12 =) Tomorrow is the annual San Jose Downtown Residents Association party. This event is a great way to meet people committed to Downtown and learn how you can help to make it a better place. You do not need to live in Downtown San Jose to join and the cost is only $15 for a year membership. This grants you free access to the Holiday Party and various other perks throughout the year. For tomorrow, there will be music, free parking, a raffle, and delicacies from Little Chef, 19 Market, Mezcal, Crepe Paris, Muchos, Robee's Falafel, and On a Roll. For more info check out the flyer below or click here to sign up.

Symphony Development Nabs Parcel Across from City Hall

A key chunk of Downtown land has been sold to Symphony Development for $4.25M. This sits right across the street from City Hall and encompasses 61,650 sqft. Currently this space is vacant with the exception of a car wash. This site hosted a few events like the San Jose Green Showcase a while back.

The purchaser is planning to build a high-rise housing development of about 12 stories, likely with retail on the ground floor. The housing could either be market-rate rentals or targeted at students. However, it is still so early in the process that plans can change.

Given the proximity to the airport, they could go to at least 20 stories here, maybe even 25. I'll take any new development Downtown, but I did wish Symphony was planning to shoot a bit higher in their initial plans.

Source: SJBJ

Montalvo Winter Camps: Spies & Clowns!

When my cousin and I were really little we liked to play a game we simply called "Spy." Every kid does this so I'm sure you can relate. We snooped around and "spied" on our family. We'd hide in painfully obvious locations, whisper about the person we were spying on and then giggle just loud enough to completely give away our awesome hiding spots.

Maybe my cousin and I would have been better spies if we had been sent to Spy Camp, but that option didn't exist for us.

It is, however, available for your kid!

Montalvo Arts Center, thanks to their Youth Scholarship Program, offers fun camps for kids this coming February.

"Taught by top arts instructors from around the Bay Area, these camp sessions encourage the creative process and give campers an opportunity to engage their bodies and their minds in challenging, thought-provoking fun, all the while making new friends."

SPY CAMP Monday, February 18 - Friday, February 22, 2013 9am-12pm (Ages 10-13) 1-4pm (Ages 6-9) Master the finer points of espionage and challenge your mind at this adventure camp! After exploring Montalvo's grounds and designing a 3D map of the property, students will learn about secret "languages," riddles, and other methods of encryption to create an alphabet that only their special team knows.  In addition to Spy Camp, Montalvo is also offering Circus Arts Camp! Now -- adult clowns I can do without, honestly. But cute little kid clowns are awesome! CIRCUS ARTS CAMP Monday, February 18 - Friday, February 22, 2013 9am-12pm (Ages 6-9) 1-4pm (Ages 10-13) Come join the circus! In a fun, safe, and challenging environment, students will dabble in the circus arts of juggling, tumbling, pyramid building, rolling globe, and more. Circus Arts train both the body and the mind, and help build self-confidence, discipline, coordination, and a great sense of humor. These classes are filling up fast, so if you are out buying gifts for the holidays or upcoming birthdays, register now! Registration price per class is $175 (members: $160), not including a $20 materials fee or $20 non-refundable registration fee. Montalvo coordinates a scholarship program for students who would not otherwise be able to attend. For more information on how to apply, please visit www.montalvoarts.org/programs/scholarships.

ANA (All Nippon Airways) Moves to San Jose

Well, the ANA news continues to get better and better. Their five-times-per-week direct flight between San Jose and Tokyo kicks off January 11th on a brand new 787 Dreamliner. Now they have announced that they are going to move from the San Francisco area to Gateway Place in San Jose, very close to SJC. This is a positive sign that if things go well with this flight they may double down on San Jose and add more routes and flights. There is already talk of making the direct flight to Tokyo 7 days a week instead of 5 in the summer.