Ginormous San Jose Tech Campus Approved!

A campus of ten--yes ten--seven story buildings was just approved last week and is going to break ground this year where Bay 101 now sits. The project will span 2 million SQFT and employ up to 10,000 people. Whichever company occupies it will instantly become the second largest employer in San Jose next to Cisco. The company was not announced yet, but we know it will be a tech company, it's on the Fortune 100 list, and they already have some presence in Silicon Valley. My best guess is either Microsoft or Amazon.

The total cost to build out the campus will be at least $700 million. Another interesting fact is that the entire approval process for this mammoth project took only six months. The City of San Jose really fast-tracked this one and hopefully they will continue to keep up this pace for future development.

Source: USA Today, SocketSite

DTSJ.info IndiGoGo Campaign

A new community events website focused on Downtown San Jose is looking for crowdsourced funding to get off the ground. The mission of the project is better connect people, places, and events in our City's core. Matt Spergel, the proprietor of DTSJ.info, also believes that this project has the potential to improve Downtown's image, bring more people Downtown, strengthen the community, and encourage new culture.

The perks for contributing to the campaign sound pretty great. They range from chocolate bars and t-shirts, to snacks at a variety of Downtown restaurants, invites to the launch party (complete with magicians, DJs, and laser beams). High rollers can even get a private dinner Downtown with Al Alcorn (the inventor of Pong), Lee Felsenstein from the Homebrew Computer Club, or even Daniel Kottke (Steve Jobs' hippie friend).

Please have a look at the DTSJ.info campaign over here. Let's support these projects that will help make Downtown a better place!

DTSJ final from Matt Spergel on Vimeo.

History San Jose Yard Sale Next Month

History San Jose is throwing Yard Sale in the Park on Sunday, April 27th from 10am to 2pm. Admission will be free to the public that day. Everyone is invited to host their own table, but the deadline to register is April 1st. History San Jose will even have their own booth with books and an assortment of items.

There will be food available (including Treat ice cream at O'Briens Cafe) and live music by Fiddle Road. For more info, check out the release below.

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History San José to Host Yard Sale in the Park

Free Admission to History Park

Sunday, April 27, 10 AM to 2 PM

(Deadline to register for a booth is April First – No Fooling)

 

San Jose, CA – February 24, 2014 --- Springtime is house-cleaning time. Right? Well, right, with a little incentive. History San José will host a SpringYard Sale in the Park. It has been said that one person’s junk is another one’s treasure. So start cleaning.

 

The public is invited to host their own table and sell their wares at the Yard Sale in the Park at History Park, in Kelley Park, on Sunday, April 27 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Host your own booth of used lamps, grandma’s china, toys, and anything else taking up space at home. Booths of wares will be positioned inside the park. The deadline to register for a booth is April 1st --- no fooling.

 

“We love to host events in our own back yard at History Park,” said Juanita Lara, Director of Events of History San José. “The Yard Sale in the Park is a great venue because we have a 14-acre ‘backyard.’”

 

Even History San José’s Collection Center is getting in on the action. There will be an HSJ book booth, offering duplicate, unuseable, or deaccessioned books for sale, as well as an assortment of other items.

 

As always, food will be available for purchase, and O’Briens Café in the Pacific Hotel will feature San Jose own’s Treat ice cream. Live music by Fiddle Road and other food vendors will be a part of the Yard Sale event.

 

Registration must be received by April 1 --- no fooling; booths for non-members are $20 each; booths for members and affiliates of HSJ are free. Entrants must register to sell, and provide their own equipment, tables, chairs, canopies, etc.  Register by contacting Juanita atjlara@historysanjose.org or calling 408 918-1045.

 

Memberships are available from $50 by contacting Michelle Powers atmpowers@historysanjose.org or 408 521-5016.

 

“The Yard Sale in the Park is better than a garage sale, a block sale, or sitting in your own driveway, added Alida Bray, President and CEO of HSJ. “It’s fun!”

 

For more information call 408 287-2290 or visit www.historysanjose.org

History Park is located at 1650 Senter Road, between Phelan and Keyes at the south end of Kelley Park in San José, CA  95112.  For GPS tracking, History Park is at 635 Phelan Road in San José, CA  95112.

 

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About History San José: 

History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology. 

History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112      408.287.2290

 

Website:  historysanjose.org

Facebook: /historysanjose

Twitter: @historysanjose

Blog: historysanjose.blogspot.com/

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History Park at Kelley Park is located at 1650 Senter Road, between Phelan & Keyes in San Jose. For GPS mapping use 635 Phelan Avenue. City parking is available for $6.  For more information visithistorysanjose.org or call 408 287 2290.

Potholes Along Foxworthy Avenue

It's clear we need to do some repairs on our streets, but it looks like someone took matters into their own hands to warn drivers of road conditions =). The sign below when up on Foxworthy between Meridian and Ross Avenue.

Saturday Stats: SAP Center Infographic

Check out the infographic below courtesy of Realtor.com that compares the SAP Center in San Jose to the average house in America.

San Jose Patent Office May Nab Retail Space

We already know that the US Patent and Trademark Office is taking up both the 14th floor of the San Jose City Hall and the second floor of the wing. However, it looks like they want even more space. The Patent Office has their eye on a 5,500 SQFT retail space on the first floor of the Council Wing. This space has been vacant since 2005.

The Patent Office would use this for public facing activities, which could help bring more activity to the area. It would have made a nice spot for a cafe as well, but I'm not going to complain. We want to advertise as much as possible that we have a satellite US Patent and Trademark Office in San Jose--the only one on the west coast!

Source: SVBJ

February 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• A Downtown San Jose Street Life Plan is being developed to guide PBID investments over the next 10 years. The plan encourages social interaction, is pedestrian friendly, will enhance the image and brand of Downtown, and will amplify pride in the community. 
• Business licenses taken out within the Downtown Business Improvement District increased from 2,050 to 2,112, showing that more businesses are locating Downtown.
• The San Jose Museum of Art has launched an online database of its permanent collection of more than 2,400 works of art. You can access these at collection.sjmusart.org.
• The Downtown First United Methodist Church across from City Hall held an open house and its first worship celebration on Jan. 12th.
• Koji has remodeled and reinvented itself as Nomikai on 48 S. First St.
• CREAM opened on Feb 1st at 27 Post St.
• Ozu Sushi is now open at 86 S. First St. in the former Smile Sushi location.
• The Louisina Bistro is open at 19 N. Market.
• Curry Pundits is open at 30 E. Santa Clara St., Suite 130.
• MUJI has started carrying a variety of Japanese snacks such as cookies, chips, crackers, candy, chocolates, teas, and coffees.
• The City Department of Transportation intends to install 1,200 Smart Meters in the Downtown core by the end of March. Eventually users will be able to pay using their phones or download an app that will direct them to unused spaces.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

On The Cusp Pop-up Shop @ Black & Brown

Shona Sanzgiri is a writer/editor from San Jose that has been commuting between New York and here for the last six months. He's trying to bring some elements from New York over here in a variety of projects. His latest one is a pop-up shop at Black & Brown on the Alameda  featuring the work of clothing designers, artists, photographers, and writers from both NYC and SJ.

Some of the items will include limited prints, photographs, clothing, accessories, and random curios & tchotchkes from places like Bombay's Thieves Bazaar, a photo-book by Diane Keaton, a napkin Harmony Korine once drew on, etc.

The pop-up shop will be open for two weeks starting March 22nd. The opening reception will run from 5pm to 8pm tomorrow and feature food & refreshments by Dena Cooks (Tunisian Table, America's Test Kitchen). For more info you can check out the On The Cusp website.