Metro Moves Further into Downtown's SoFA District

Metro Newspapers has purchased a 4,200 SQFT building at 380 S. First St., right in the heart of Downtown San Jose's SoFA district. This is a space that has been vacant for 10 years.

Metro was actually one of the companies that helped make SoFA what it is today (it used to be San Jose's red light district). The area has hit a positive trajectory as of late. Jazz-oriented Cafe Stritch launched last year, Parque De Los Pobladores Park was greatly expanded, work started on the SoFA Market venue which will house multiple small eateries and shops, and a massive residential project called The Pierce is about to break ground (with a great design). I'm looking forward to seeing what SoFA will be like a few years from now.

The New Metro HQ will house 30 staff members and is going to be designed to easily accommodate events and temporary art galleries. Metro does a bit already (they are a First Fridays stop), but this new space will be arranged with that in mind from the beginning.

Source: SVBJ

Lick Observatory Council's Letter to the Merc

The iconic Lick Observatory is in danger of being shut down following the end of UC funding in 2018. The Lick Observatory Council has launched a campaign to find the support needed to keep it in operation. Below is a letter that was written to the Mercury News:

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Lick Observatory's work deserves support

Writing on behalf of the Lick Observatory Council, we strongly urge the University of California to reconsider its unwise decision to end all funding for Lick Observatory. Lick science remains vibrant, with programs to discover Earth-sized, potentially habitable planets and to develop technology enabling ground-based telescopes to see more sharply than the Hubble Space Telescope. More than 100 UC astronomers and students use Lick each year for groundbreaking research.

Lick is also a unique educational resource for the Bay Area. Thirty-five thousand people visit annually to tour the telescopes, hear lectures by renowned astronomers and behold the universe through the eyepiece of the great refractor.

We are committed to keeping this gem alive and thriving. Our vision is compelling: a working observatory and major science education center for research, outreach and inspiration. We invite the university to support and partner with us in this quest.

Would you like to help save Lick? Learn more at www.ucolick.org/SaveLick/ .

James A. Katzman

Member, Lick Observatory Council Saratoga

Team San Jose Promo Video

Check out this well-done video that highlights a lot of San Jose's positives for tourists:

Saturday Stats: San Jose Named One of 10 Cities That Could Run out of Water

Not all the Saturday Stats are positive. The Weather Channel highlighted 10 US cities that could run out of water, and calls San Jose "one of the most water-stressed areas anywhere in the U.S." We are at high risk of water shortages, especially on top of multi-year droughts like we had between 205 and 2007. Other cities that made the list include El Paso, Miami, Lincoln (Nebraska), Salt Lake City, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and Atlanta.

Sources: The Weather Channel, Hat tip to Bel

Column of Air @ The Citadel and Motif

Column of Air is a new local musical duo consisting of David Sosa and artist Andre Hart. They just finished recording their first EP and have two shows lined up over the next few days. The first will be at The Citadel Art Gallery on January 18th, which will also be showcasing Andre's paintings (you can see a preview of these below) and feature poetry and theatrical performances.

They will also be playing at Motif in Downtown San Jose on January 20th along with an assortment of other musical acts in a show called Pixels. This event is 21+ and is all about the freedom of expression through sound.

Column of Air Facebook Page
RAW artists - Column of Air Page

Another Costco Coming to South San Jose

An empty 76-acre Edenvale site near Highway 85 and Great Oaks could become the site of another Costco. This is land that used to be part of the IBM/Hitachi campus. In addition to the massive wholesaler, there would be 260,000 SQFT of new office space, ~50,000 additional SQFT of retail, and 720 housing units. The city of San Jose plans for this to eventually become and urban village connected with mass transit.

One surprising side benefit of this development project is that $10 million would go towards the new San Jose Earthquakes Stadium. The money would be used for upgrading the stadium, including an upgraded seating system and riser, and a terra-cotta finish.

Source: SVBJ

Johnny Cash's Tribute Show is Coming to the Montgomery Theater

James Garner's critically acclaimed tribute to Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three is coming to Downtown San Jose on January 18th. In addition to performing hits like "Ring of Fire," "I Walk the Line," and "Folsom Prison Blues," Garner will recount stories about Johnny Cash and his band. So you get both the songs and the story behind the songs.

Tickets for James Garner's Tribute to Johnny Cash are available at SanJoseTheaters.org and range from $31-46.

Virident Moving from Milpitas to San Jose

Virident is a storage company that specializes in flash-based technologies that are used in data centers. They have decided to move their headquarters from a 30,000 SQFT space in Milpitas to 68,000 SQFT at 1745 Technology Drive in San Jose. The building used to be part of the old Brocade campus before they moved to @First.

Virident will bring with it over 100 employees, along with the potential to house nearly 300 in the new space. While the main reason for the move was to have room to expand, I like how a company executive also mentioned it was "closer to amenities employees may be looking for."

Source: SVBJ