Market Gateway Tower in SoFA!!!

Look at what just returned from the grave! Back before the recession of 2008, there was a tower proposed for the triangular area where Market St. and First St. come together in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District. Currently there is a parking lot, a dry-cleaner, and a few single-story retail buildings on the site. I thought this project was gone from good, but Robertee from the SJ Development forum found a new permit application as well as some killer renderings for a potential tower on 470 S Market Street!

The project would be 255 feet tall, 23 floors, and contain 275 residential units. There would be BOTH market-rate and affordable housing and each would be completely separated. In fact, there is no point where the different unit types even touch one another. They even have different lobbies and elevators.

The Market Gateway Tower would have a swimming pool 70 feet above ground, which would be Downtown San Jose's highest swimming pool (perhaps even the highest in the Bay Area). On the bottom of the building would be a large retail pad for an art gallery, theater, or traditional retail. There would also be a smaller retail pad ideal for a restaurant. One cool item to point out is that the building appears to maintain the facade of several existing structures currently on the block. Above the retail would be five levels of parking.

I really, really hope this happens. SoFA has gotten some serious momentum this year and it will only get more after The Pierce is completed. Market Gateway Tower would be a game-changer for the area!

Source: San Jose Development Forum

1st Official San Jose Mini Maker Faire!

History San Jose has recently announced that they are launching San Jose's first Maker Faire event. The event will celebrate and showcase inventors, tinkerers, builders, crafters, and other creatives. Instead of trying to describe it in any more depth than that, I'll let the one minute video below do the work.

The inaugural San Jose Mini Maker Faire will take place on Sunday, September 6th from 10am-6pm at History San Jose. For more information (or to register as a "maker") head over here.

The Dancing Cat is Extending Its Stay in San Jose

Cat lovers of Silicon Valley, you can rejoice. The area's first pop-up cat adoption lounge, The Dancing Cat, is extending its stay!

The lounge, run by Ann Chasson and Mary Rubin, will be extending its stay for 6-8 weeks funded by several donations courtesy of San Jose City Councilmembers Raul Peralez, Pierluigi Oliverio, and Ash Kalra in addition to donations from several individual community members.

“The Dancing Cat brings together communities, and serves as an inventive business model that creatively reuses blighted space and provides an important service. I encourage residents of San Jose to visit the Dancing Cat right now so we can help it become a permanent local business in District 3.” - Councilman Raul Peralez, City of San Jose Council District 3

The other day I made a reservation to visit the lounge with a friend. I already have a cat at home, but I wanted to check the place out for myself as well as play with the kitties! I had a great time taking photos of all the cats and gorgeous decor.

When you walk in you sign a waiver in a little foyer room (blocked off so the cats in the other room don't make a break for it.) Then you're granted access to the lounge! And wow.. what a wonderfully decorated space. Modern decor, white walls, and beautiful pops of color fill the room. There is a long picnic table in the middle of the room and couches and chairs at the end. Cat toys, trees, and other lounge-y spots fill the nooks and corners so the cats have plenty of places to sit as well.

You are free to bring in food and drink for yourself, or you can purchase a soda, have a cup of tea or coffee (I spotted a Keurig brewer - so maybe you can just bring your own cups if you wish!)

The building itself used to be a liquor store, so there are a series of glass doors that used to be the fridge. Each glass panel holds wonderful cat-themed paintings done by the group over at The Arsenal.

There is no need to rush to hang out with the cats either. Bring a book or your laptop, sit down and just hang out. The idea isn't to just pet/play with the cats here, it's also a cafe/lounge atmosphere. The day we went there was a mix of people, a couple sat on the couch and hung out with a sleepy kitten. Several older teens sat in a group on the floor and played with an older cat (while they stalked the spot on the couch near the kitten - that was amusing to say the least.)

While we were there, two cats were adopted! Rhett and Butler went to a happy home together. And that's the great thing about this place - people are able to hang out with these cats and kittens in a home-like environment to get to know them. Since opening on May 21, nearly ALL of the cats at The Dancing Cat, have been adopted - this includes typically difficult to adopt cats like senior cats, black cats, and bonded pairs.

The Dancing Cat is open from noon to 6 pm Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours on Friday and Saturday.  A limited number of people are admitted to the space at any one time in order to maintain a comfortable environment for both people and cats. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a spot online at www.thedancingcat.org.  The Dancing Cat collects an admission donation of $10 per hour and $5 for children under 10 years of age. A limited number of walk-ins can be accommodated as space allows.  

Saturday Stats: San Jose Metro is the Hottest Job Market in the US

According to new government statistics, the annual growth rates for total payroll jobs in Santa Clara County are up a staggering 6.1% year-over-year. This makes it by far the largest percentage gain in the country. The only metro that even came close was San Francisco/San Mateo, which posted a 4.9% gain. 3rd place was Orlando at 4.3% followed by Riverside up 4.1% and finally Dallas rounding out the top 5 at 4.1%.

Source: Siliconbeat

Scott's Seafood Launching Rooftop Lounge

Perched above a seven story parking structure, Scott's Seafood has the best view for any public restaurant in Downtown San Jose. To make full use of the location, they built an amazing outdoor patio with a giant fireplace and slick lighting. It has become one of my favorite hidden gems Downtown.

Starting this week, Scott's is turning the outdoor patio into a lounge complete with music, bottle service, and a late night food menu. The fun starts at 9pm and continues until at least midnight on weekends. This will provide yet another late night entertainment option in Downtown San Jose, and it will be on the classier side of the scale.

Scott's Seafood is located at 185 Park Avenue (park anywhere in the structure and take the elevator to the very top). For more info, follow their Facebook Page.

Thinkbiggersanjose is Expanding Content!

Mark from Thinkbiggersanjose--my favorite San Jose blog besides this one--has recently moved to One South Market in the heart of Downtown San Jose. He and his wife are coming from a traditional house with a back yard, and he's going to chronicle his transition from suburban living to full on urban-ness in San Jose. You can read his first post over here.

While we are talking about Thinkbiggersanjose, Mark also has a new post welcoming the "Awesome Foundation." This is a grassroots foundation that funds one awesome project a month (examples he gives are a 40 person hammock or creating an outdoor courtyard learning space for kids). Check out his post over here. To submit ideas and learn more about the San Jose Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, head here.

Xactly Hoping to Raise $75M in IPO

Xactly--located in Downtown San Jose--has filed for an IPO with the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: XTLY). This would make it the second Downtown tech company to IPO this year. Apigee was the first and Intacct could be next in line later this year.

Xactly provides software and services that helps companies manage compensation for their sales teams. It's a hot market and they have been growing very quickly. Their revenue has grown 68% to $61 million over the last three years.

After the IPO comes to fruition, that will bring a lot more dollars into the local economy as most of their employees live in the South Bay. Hopefully some will decide to move Downtown and help keep the amazing momentum going!

Source: SVBJ

June 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Property owners, business owners, and residents are generally satisfied with Downtown conditions based on the annual PBID survey:
• 76% see an improvement in cleanliness year-over-year
• 45% see an improvement in safety year-over-year
• 70% see an improvement in image year-over-year
• 89% are satisfied with overall condition of Downtown
• 93% approve of Groundwerx clean teams
• 77% approve of Groundwerx ambassadors
• 92% approve of beautification projects
• 71% approve of tree maintenance
• 3 Shows at Music in the Park! Advance tickets are $10 at http://www.musicintheparksj.com
• June 18th - Freshlyground (Afro-pop), Sister Carol (Reggae), DJ Robert Rankin
• July 17th - P'al Bailador, Julio Bravo y su Orquesta Salsador (Salsa)
• August 28th - Grammy Award winners Los Lonely Boys (rock 'n' roll), J.C. Smith Band
• Dine Downtown is returning for a 7th Year from June 19-28. Three course meals start at $20/person at dozens of Downtown San Jose Restaurants. For the first time, several eateries (including Curry Pundits, The Fountain, Take One Pizza, and Tengu Sushi) will have lunch specials.
• The BIG Lunch is a new program starting 11:30am on June 24th where you can grab lunch from a nearby restaurant, head to Paseo de San Antonio, and have a communal lunch break with fellow Downtowners. There will be music, drawings for prizes, and many restaurants will have to-go lunch specials.
• San Jose and the NHL have agreed to extend their contract, meaning the Sharks are guaranteed to continue playing at SAP until at least 2025. The Barracuda will also start playing in SAP this Ocrober (Sharks affiliate from the American Hockey League).
• A city advisory committee recommended SJSU manage the former Rep Theater. SJSU is asking for an initial five-year contract and if all goes through the Theater could be back in operation by the Fall.
• Team San Jose is getting $5.7 Million to rehabilitate the Convention Center, Center for Performing Arts, California Theatre, City National Civic, and Montgomery Theatre.
• The Children's Discovery Museum is getting $350,000 for a new sculptural fence to allow for more exhibit space.
• Creative Marketing Concepts (a SF firm) opened a South Bay location at 15 N. Market St. with an on-site studio.
• St. James park is getting a full calendar of events this summer:
• Mon, Wed, and Fri from noon to 1pm starting Jun 29 - Yoga, games, soccer, and food trucks
• Tues from 6:30-8pm starting Jun 29 - Informal music, poetry, and spoken word nights. Some nights will have food trucks.
• Thur from 6:30-8pm starting June 25 - Signature performance series with professional musicians.
• Sat afternoons, Jun 27, Jul 25, Aug 22, and Sep 19 - Drum circle and dancers
• The City of San Jose will also dedicate an events coordinator to St. James Park for year-round programs. 

To read the full newsletter, click here!