Wednesday Wishlist: Amazing Architecture, Even with Height Limits

It has been a while since I have done a Wednesday Wishlist, but when I saw this building design in the development forums it blew my mind and I had to share. The best part is something like this is entirely doable within Downtown San Jose's height limits. Check out the design of the PARKROYAL Hotel in Singapore.

Source: San Jose Development Forum, Freshome Design & Architecture

EPIC NEWS! Downtown San Jose Getting a SECOND San Pedro Square Market!

Downtown San Jose has been having a pretty good year so far. The restaurant scene is exploding, high-rises are breaking ground, MUJI opened, the convention center expansion is almost done, huge new festivals are being planned, and now this...

I consider myself to be pretty plugged in to what's going on Downtown, but I can honestly say that I did not see this one coming. Reading this news in the Business Journal today was like getting a surprise gift you were not expecting for Christmas.

AEDIS Architecture and Planning is building a small project similar to the San Pedro Square Market in the SoFA District! The project will clock in at 7,500 SQFT, will have an artsy vibe to be consistent with the SoFA area, and will contain around 10 food and retail vendors! There are already four potential vendors and they really want to secure a bar, wine bar, or beer garden to be one of those 10. None of these will be large chains, all will be unique independent shops like the San Pedro Square Market. Integrating an art gallery is another possibility.

Not only will it front South First Street, but there is also an interior courtyard that will be part of the project. Above the retail will be a new 9,000 SQFT office (which is also being partially sublet). This is all located at 371-387 South First across the street from Cafe Stritch and Anno Domini. Launch is targeted for November. 2013 keeps getting better and better for Downtown!

Source: SVBJ

One South Market

Thanks to all those that came out to the Market Beer Co. to celebrate the ground breaking of One South Market! Hope you guys enjoyed the beers, I know I did. For those skeptical on whether our celebration was premature, here is the official press release from Essex properties which came out on Friday (good timing eh? ;)

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - May 31, 2013) - Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESS), announced today the purchase of a land parcel and commencement of construction on an apartment community located in downtown San Jose, California. The twenty-three story property will contain 312 homes and approximately 6,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The Company expects the community to cost approximately $145 million and will begin leasing in the spring of 2015.

The Company has entered into a co-investment partnership with an institutional investor for the development of the community. The Company will have a 55% interest in the venture and will earn customary management fees and may earn a promoted interest.

Each home will have luxury finishes and floor to ceiling windows. Amenities at the community will include a lap pool, rooftop sun deck with BBQ area, state-of-the-art fitness center, Wi-Fi lounge, and clubhouse. The site is located in the heart of downtown San Jose near high paying jobs, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and public transportation. Several commercial developments are underway or planned, as the city is seeking to incentivize employers to locate downtown. In addition, there are plans for a BART station across the street from our community which will connect downtown to San Francisco. One South Market scores 97 out of 100 on walkscore.com.

About Essex Property Trust, Inc. Essex Property Trust, Inc., an S&P 400 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages apartment communities located in highly desirable, supply-constrained markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 166 multifamily properties with an additional 9 properties in various stages of development. Additional information about Essex can be found on the Company's web site atwww.essexpropertytrust.com.

Free WiFi for Downtown San Jose Small Businesses

As many of you know, Downtown San Jose was recently blanketed with the fastest outdoor public WiFi system in North America. The one problem is that it does not work very well indoors. Fortunately, there is a new program that will help Downtown businesses connect to this network.

The tagline for this program is "Create a Job, Get Free WiFi."  Any Downtown employer that hires just one new person in the next few months or opens shop Downtown will receive new indoor boosters to connect to the "Wickedly Fast" WiFi network.

Personally, I think this is a great direction and is the type of thinking needed to help Downtown small businesses succeed. Hopefully we will see more creative ideas like this in the future to promote job creation in San Jose's core.

Source: Sam Liccardo Newsletter

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #10 Market Nationwide for Job Growth

Employment in San Jose is up 1.3% since the recession (versus 0.4% for SF), the unemployment rate has fallen 1.1% over the last year, and it has ranked among the top cities in job creation with a Gallup Job Creation Index score of 23. These stats have led to San Jose being ranked as the #10 market for job growth in the US. Why not #1 you ask? The total unemployment is still somehow 8.2%. It is falling fast, but is still higher than most of the other cities on the list. Here is the top 10:

1.) Orlando
2.) Houston
3.) Denver
4.) San Antonio
5.) Louisville
6.) San Francisco
7.) Austin
8.) Columbus
9.) Seattle
10.) San Jose

Source: SVBJ, CreditDonkey

Patxi's Pizza San Jose Location Now Open!

A new restaurant featuring both Chicago-style deep dish and thin-crust pizzas is now open at Crescent Village in North San Jose. This is far from your typical cookie-cutter chain pizza place. It has an innovative Pic-a-Pie system that lets you order a Chicago-style pizza without having to wait the typical 35min for it to bake, and since it is Silicon Valley of course you do this on a tablet. They have 3-wheel delivery bikes that will transport residents of Crescent Village to and front the restaurant and also be used to deliver pizzas. Various "green" elements have been used in construction including salvaged wood from Cal Memorial Stadium and antique furnishings. There is also a full bar and out door seating. Sounds like a great addition to the area! For more info, check out the press release below:

Update: Pic-a-Pie and 3-wheel bikes are coming soon.

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Today partners Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz and William Freeman announce the much-anticipated opening of their ninth Bay Area location, their first in San Jose.

Patxi’s Pizza (pronounced PAH-cheese. ‘t’ before ‘x’), one of the most loved pizza restaurants in San Francisco, opens their first San Jose location tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21 at 11 AM in the new resort-style mixed-use apartment complex at Crescent Village at 3350 Zanker Road, Suite 30, San Jose, CA, 95134.

Says Freeman of the opening, “We’re thrilled to bring Patxi’s to San Jose—we feel like the area is really underserved in terms of dining. Plus, what goes better with the tech industry than pizza? We think our customers coming from the tech space in particular will enjoy the launch of our Predictive Pizza Ordering System, Pic-a-Pie, not to mention ordering our pies for delivery to their offices or getting out and enjoying happy hour with coworkers. We think Patxi’s will be a great addition to the neighborhood.”

COMING SOON: Patxi’s San Jose is excited to introduce special 3-wheel style delivery bikes that will be used to transport residents of Crescent Village to and from the restaurant. Patxi’s will also use these alternative, green modes of transportation to deliver hot, fresh pizzas to the Crescent Village residents.

The Restaurant

Upon entering the space, in the  newly constructed resort-style mixed-use complex, guests are welcomed to an inviting space with a rustic, yet contemporary atmosphere.

• Industrial-style chrome lighting fixtures, exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood coupled with the warm color scheme and inviting floor plan bring a rustic yet modern feel to the 80-seat dining room.
• Salvaged wood from Cal Memorial Stadium at UC Berkeley (c. 1923) was used to create the custom bar- and table-tops created for Patxi’s by local Berkeley furniture purveyor, The Wooden Duck.
• Antique mirrors hang above the full bar with seating for 11, making it the perfect locale for a casual lunch with friends, intimate after-work drinks or a company happy hour, and includes handicapped seating.
• An open kitchen window invites guests to watch as their pizzas and small plates are handcrafted to complete the dining experience. Guests who enjoy dining al fresco will delight in the open patio dining space for 20.
• For guests’ convenience Patxi’s and the new Crescent Village offer complimentary underground parking.

The Menu

Patxi’s menu features a standout family of pizzas and an array of salads and small plates. Says Executive Chef / Partner Patxi Azpiroz, “Here at Patxi’s we happily renounce stovetops, deep fryers and freezers. Instead we prepare all of our dishes using fresh ingredients, sourced locally when possible.”

• Patxi’s is perhaps most famous for their flagship Chicago-style Stuffed Pizza: a deep dish pizza with a layer of crust on the bottom, followed by toppings and cheese, all covered by another thin layer of dough, and topped with homemade sauce.  The stuffed style is also available with a whole-wheat crust.
• New to the family, and introduced after much testing in 2012, the Thin Crust Pizza, made with extra fine, imported ‘00’ flour and hand-pulled to perfection is a new take on a traditional Italian style pizza crust.  Whole-Wheat and Gluten Free options are available for the thin crust pie.
• The menu features chef-tested pizza topping combinations and a Create Your Own Pizzaoption, where guests can create their own pizza with myriad fresh toppings, four styles of mozzarella and over 30 different meat and veggie toppings. With vegan cheese and crust, and gluten free crust options, there is sure to be something for every diner.
• Pic-a-Pie – COMING SOON!

Patxi’s San Jose location will soon be offering the Pic-a-Pie™ Predictive Pizza Ordering System—a proprietary, patent-pending algorithm that allows guests to enjoy Patxi’s signature Chicago-style Stuffed Pizza without the 35-minute window of time it typically takes to bake. The Pic-a-Pie™ system allows guests to Pic their Pie from a queue of near-ready pizzas shown on a sleek tablet. Pic-a-Pie™ offers guests a fast, fun and easy alternative to waiting for their pizza. Guests can “claim” their pizzas when dining in or when calling in carryout-out or delivery orders. More information available upon request.

In addition to pizza, Patxi’s features an array of small plates great for sharing including the Burrata Bruschetta, featuring creamy burrata cheese, basil pesto, and tomato confit, served with warm focaccia; and the Meatball, which is inspired by a long-time Boston-Italian family recipe and features sustainably raised beef and a Chicago-style Italian sausage braised in a house made tomato sauce and topped with basil and Grana Padano cheese.

In lieu of dessert, Patxi’s offers honey for the “bones” or crust of the pizza—the perfect way to enjoy those last remnants of crust after the meal.

Guests can also enjoy fresh salads and beverages including a full bar. Complete menu is here. Photos available upon request.

PATXI’S PIZZA LOCATIONS

San Francisco

Fillmore: 3318 Fillmore Street San Francisco, 94123, 415.345.3995

Hayes Valley: 511 Hayes Street San Francisco, 9410, 415.558.9991

Irving: 822 Irving Street San Francisco, 94122, 415.759.9000

Noe Valley: 4042 24th Street San Francisco, 94114, 415.285.2000

Campbell: 1875 South Bascom Ave, Suite 405 The Pruneyard Shopping Center, 408.559.0700

Palo Alto: 441 Emerson Street Palo Alto, 94301, 650.473.9999

Lafayette: 3577 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, 94549, 925.299.0700

San Jose: 3350 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA, 95134

Livermore: 2470 1st St, Livermore, CA, 94550

Denver

Cherry Hills: 3455 South University Boulevard, Unit B, Englewood CO, 80113, 303.783.2000

Cherry Creek: 185 Steele Street, Denver, CO, 80206, 303.331.1000

ABOUT PATXI’S PIZZA

www.patxispizza.com

Founded in 2004 by two friends, entrepreneur Bill Freeman and pizza expert Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz, Patxi’s Pizza offers authentic Chicago- and Italian-style pizza, featuring two distinct, handcrafted styles of dough, four types of mozzarella and over 30 different fresh meat and veggie toppings (ingredients sourced locally whenever possible).  Patxi’s Pizza (pronounced pah-cheese) is privately owned and operated with a total of 11 locations between the San Francisco Bay Area and Denver, CO. Patxi’s Pizza was ranked #84 by Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Hire Power Companies of 2012 and named among the Top 10 “Most Life-Changing Pizzas” of 2012 by Esquire Magazine.

Through its 52 Weeks of Giving program, Patxi’s donates a portion of its profits to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to education and children’s health and welfare – totaling over $141,000 in donations to date.

Empire Seven Studios Announces New Mural on 8th and Empire Streets

Japantown has received yet another cool mural! Bay Area artists Poesia & Sam Rodriguez have partnered with Empire Seven Studios to paint a mural on 8th and Empire Streets. The mural took a week from conception to completion and shows human figures in motion within a complex intersection of geometric shapes and bold colors. Both artists are known for their work as graffiti artists and various methods of layering and manipulating textures. The goal of this mural is to beautify the neighborhood and to build a connection through public art to bring communities together.

Source: Empire Seven Studios

San Jose Greek Festival this Weekend!

One of the largest ethnic festivals in the South Bay is going down this weekend, and we have a free pass for you! The San Jose Greek Festival is a celebration of Greek food, music, and culture and takes place outside St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 1260 Davis Street. The event actually runs three whole days starting this Friday.

There are a couple of new food items this year, including a vegetarian gyro. Greek is not always the most vegetarian-friendly cuisine around, but rest assured you will have some great options this year if you don't eat meat. For those that do, you can never go wrong with the lamb! Another new item this year is an olive medley that will be served at the Greek wine and cheese booth.

To get in for free, either print out the blue flier below or load it up on your phone at the festival entrance. To learn more about the festival, just click one of the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJGREEKFESTIVAL 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sjgreekfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjgreekfestival