First Satellite US Patent and Trademark Office on the West Coast to be Located in San Jose!

I was really hoping that this would happen. In fact, I even emailed the person scouting for locations of the US Patent Office to suggest he look at Downtown San Jose. The US Patent and Trademark Office is officially making San Jose's City Hall their official home!

They will be taking 40,000 SQFT across two locations, the 14th floor and the second floor of the wing. That should be enough for 18 patent judges' offices, 60 patent examiners, public conference space, collaboration space, and support staff.

To attract the patent office Downtown, the city gave them a sweet deal. Two years of free rent, Operational Expenses for the next four years, and market-rate rent for the next six years. However, since this space was not being utilized, the opportunity cost of making this deal is close to nothing and the upside is huge.

Everyone in the West Coast that wants to file a patent would be coming to Downtown San Jose to do so. This also puts high demand on the immediate area for services to cater towards patent-filers, such as legal services, research firms, etc. Large companies start may even start considering Downtown as a location for their Intellectual Property teams. It definitely won't hurt our vacancy rates, that's for sure. There are not many office submarkets that can brag about having a US Patent Office within walking distance.

This is a well deserved win for the top patent-filing region in the country, if not the world!

Source: SVBJ, Hat-tip to Bob

Harvest Festival: Handmade Black Friday Shopping

The Harvest Festival is coming back to San Jose this weekend at the newly remodeled San Jose Convention Center! I had the opportunity to check this out last year and it completely exceeded my expectations. There are so many vendors here, it will blow your mind. This year's event will feature over 24,000 different items--all handmade in the US--including original art, clothing, jewelry, gourmet food, and photography. If you are planning on doing Christmas shopping this weekend, these are gifts with a lot more character than what you would typically find in the mall. Live music and a Kid's area will also be in the mix.

Fore more information you can read the press release below or visit their website over here.

~~~

Black Friday, the Handmade Way

San Jose Harvest Festival Offers Over 24,000 Handmade Arts and Crafts Right in Time for the Holidays

(San Jose, Calif., October 18, 2013)--- This Black Friday, many people are looking for great deals and unique gifts for their friends and family without the stress and hassle of visiting a crowded mall. Shoppers will find all that and more at the San Jose Harvest Festival, happening November 29 - December 1 at the San Jose Convention Center.

The San Jose Harvest Festival is the largest indoor arts and craft shows on the West Coast and was recently rated among the top 200 craft shows in the country.  The show offers over 24,000 handmade arts and crafts, including jewelry, original art, clothing, specialty foods, holiday decor, and more.

Attendees can meet the artists who created each item sand even get purchases personalized. Items available range from affordable $5 stocking stuffers to upscale, fine jewelry worth thousands of dollars. The Grand Prize, which will be awarded at the end of the show tour, is a beautiful Randy Polk designed ring and bracelet with Mother of Pearl, diamonds and orange sapphires, valued at over $5,000,

Throughout the weekend, the Harvest Festival offers fabulous live entertainment, including performances from Cash Tribute featuring James Garner. Playing the hits of the famed "Man in Black", Cash Tribute treats audience members to a glimpse into the life and music of Johnny Cash.

New this year to the strolling entertainment is the group Le Jazz Hot. This popular Bay Area gypsy Jazz group will use their traditional Jazz style with classic Holiday favorites, serenading attendees the moment they enter the show.

Gingerbread on the Go will co-host the KidZone and will feature take-and-make gingerbread cookie projects. Nature of Art for Kids, an eco-friendly company offering non-toxic art supplies for children, will also be participating in the KidZone offering crafts using "green" and upcycled materials. Plus, kids of all ages can enjoy live entertainment from Scott Land, an expert marionette performer who is known for his work on the film Team America: World Police.

The official charity of the show is Humane Society Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization committed to animal welfare in every facet. Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) will receive half of the proceeds from shopping bag sales and all of the proceeds from the bag and parcel check.

Loaves and Fishes, a San Jose based non-profit  organization which serves free, nutritious meals to the working poor, families, homeless and seniors, will be the food donation partner for the show. Anyone who brings a monetary or non-perishable food donation to the show will receive $2 off their admission.

What:             The San Jose Harvest Festival® Original Art and Craft Show

When:             November 29-Dec.1st

Where:            San Jose Convention Center (150 W. San Carlos St, San Jose CA  95113)

Hours:            Friday: 9am – 6pm, Saturday: 10 am – 6pm, Sunday: 10 am – 5pm

Cost:              Adults: $9, Seniors (62+): $7, Youth (13-17): $4, 12 & Under:  Free

Info:                For tickets and information, please call 1-800-346-1212or visit www.harvestfestival.com

ABOUT THE HARVEST FESTIVAL ORIGINAL ART AND CRAFT SHOW®:

The Harvest Festivals began 41 years ago in San Francisco as a destination for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade products. Today, the event has grown to encompass nine shows in the state of California and Nevada, continuing its tradition of only featuring arts and crafts made in the United States.  Each exhibitor is subject to a rigid jury process to be selected as an artisan, ensuring a rich diversity and high quality of all products sold. The Harvest Festivals are owned and managed by a Western Exhibitors.

City of San Jose Pushing for a High-Rise Next to The Tech

The City is looking for a developer to come in and build a mixed-use high-rise where the Parkside Hall is currently situated. The location is stellar, close to many of the amenities Downtown. Ideally this would be either an office or residential high-rise sitting on top of retail. Given that the office vacancy Downtown is still quite high (around 20%) and residential is on fire, my guess is that this project will end up being our 6th or 7th apartment tower to move forward in this latest development boom... assuming of course they find a developer willing to take it on. Another potential option is a residential/hotel hybrid (like the St. Regis or Four Seasons in San Francisco).

The only downside I see here is The Tech losing Parkside Hall, which is used for special exhibits such as Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. Perhaps they could utilize our newly expanded convention center instead?

Source: SVBJ

Happy 236th Birthday San Jose!

Today the Peralta Adobe will host an event to commemorate San Jose's birthday, which is actually on November 29th. Just head on over to the San Pedro Square Market area between 12pm and 4pm to participate!

~~~

Happy Birthday San Jose!

Starts: Sunday, November 24th 2013 at 11:00 am
Ends: Sunday, November 24th 2013 at 4:00 pm

John and Stone Shield

Sunday, November 24th, Celebrate San Jose’s 236th Birthday at the Peralta Adobe Historic Site!  Meet members of Founding Families, and take tours of the Peralta Adobe and Fallon House.San Jose or El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadelupe, the first Pueblo of California, was founded November 29, 1777.  Come have a slice of birthday cake and help celebrate!Learn about life in early San Jose through hands-on activities and story telling.  Enjoy live music, dancing and children’s hands-on activities!   Food is available throughout the San Pedro Market.Location: Peralta Adobe-Fallon House Historic Site
General Admission is free
Activity Tickets are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5

Hours:  12pm – 4pm

Tours of the Adobe and Fallon House start at 12:30 pm; 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Children’s tours start at 1:00 pm; 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Children’s tours are for ages 3 – 8 years old.

Tours are on a first-come, first-serve basis. History San Jose Member are free. $8 per adult, $5 for seniors and students with a valid ID. Children five and under are free.  Please purchase tickets in front of the Peralta Adobe.

Rappel From the Side of the Downtown San Jose Marriott!

Shatterproof is a new national organization dedicated to fighting childhood addition to drugs and alcohol. They are kicking off their first event in San Jose with a bang. Those that raise enough money for this organization will get the incredibly rare chance to rappel off of the nearly 300 foot-tall San Jose Marriott in Downtown San Jose on December 5th. Rappelling experience is not necessary and you can find out more about this "Rise Above Addiction" event by clicking this link.

~~~

Date: December 5, 2013

Location: San Jose Marriott, San Jose, CA

How to Participate

To join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event, you must be over 18 years of age, weigh less than 300 pounds and commit to raise $1,000 from your family, friends and co-workers.  Once you’ve hit your fundraising goal, you'll be eligible to rappel from the tallest building in San Jose, the San Jose Marriott, on December 5. Before your big moment, you'll have a training session with the expert rope specialists from Over the Edge.

Fill out the form on the right to get started!!!

Please see our FAQ page for more information.

Centerra & KT Properties Towers

Jeff Arko sent in a couple new pics yesterday of our up and coming Downtown projects. The Centerra crane is already being assembled as you can see in the top picture. Below that is a notice for KT Properties' dual tower project across the street from the San Pedro Square Market. He also mentioned that One South Market's concrete columns are getting up to the second floor.

It has been quite a while since we have had a crane in the air Downtown, and in a year we may have 9 or 10 of them (One South, Centerra, KT Properties (x2), New Courthouse, The Pierce, Post Tower, Hampton Inn, Symphony Apartments)!

Snow Park in San Jose?

It is not everyday that you hear about an organization proposing to turn a former landfill site into an all-year-round snow park... in San Jose. This would be the first such synthetic snow park in California and even though I am not a skier or snowboarder, it sounds awesome! Depending on how well the fundraising goes, the slope cold be anywhere between 200ft long and 100ft wide and 800ft long and 220ft wide. You have to check out the 60 second video below.

The project would cost between $1 and $18 million to build and include retail and restaurants on-site. The snow park would be constructed near 101 and Capital in the Evergreen area of San Jose.

To contribute to the project, just head over to the Bay Area Snow Park Kickstarter page over here.

Source: Kickstarter, San Jose Forum

Hotel Valencia Makes the Conde Nast Gold List

The Conde Nast Traveler Hotel Gold List highlights the top hotels in the World. Only 29 hotels were selected in California (these are more rare than Michelin Stars at Restaurants), and Hotel Valencia was the sole Silicon Valley hotel on the list. To put that in perspective, of ALL the hotels in San Francisco only the St. Regis was included on the list.

Other Bay Area hotels that made it were the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Lavender and Vintage Inn in Yountville, Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma and several in Napa (Auberge du Soleil, Bardessono, Calistoga Ranch, Solage Calistoga).

Source: SVBJ, Conde Nast