New renders of "DIRIDON" project

Trammell Crow's iconic mixed-use project at Diridon station has a slightly updated look and a name change. Now it is called "DIRIDON" instead of #Diridon. This is a critical project in Downtown San Jose as it is next to what will eventually become the busiest transit station on the West Coast. DIRIDON is of commensurate scale--it clocks in at a whopping 940,000 SQFT of office space, 325 apartments, and 35,000 SQFT of retail.

The office space will be built across two massive (wide not tall) towers with giant floor plates and tall ceilings. A tech company would be able to nab about 80,000 SQFT of contiguous floor space thanks to connectors between the towers. The ground floor of the towers will have the retail, restaurants, and gathering spaces. The historic Water Company building will probably be turned into a restaurant as well.

The 325 apartments will reside in a 10-story tower next to the office buildings. There will be about 4,500 SQFT of retail on the ground floor of this tower. A cycling shop was mentioned in the article as a potential use of that space given the proximity of the Guadalupe River Trail. Parking for all three towers will primarily be underground.

Trammel Crow is planning to build this speculatively without a confirmed tenant and construction could happen as soon as the second half of 2016 (yup, this year!).

Source: SVBJ

Rockage 5.0

Rockage 5.0 is a three-day celebration of retro gaming and indie music. The event was previously hosted at SJSU's Student Union; however, this year they are taking over Downtown San Jose. The event will be dispersed across several venues such as Cafe Stritch, The Ritz, SoFA Market, and of course the AFK Gamer Lounge. One admission gets you into all of the venues.

There will be over 100 classic arcades and pinball machines as well as classic console games. You'll have over 18 live bands and DJs as well as all sorts of events, food, drinks, tournaments, and vendors. All ages are welcome except for events at The Ritz (21+).

It all goes down this weekend from March 11-13th. Events run from 4pm-2am on Friday and Saturday and 4pm-midnight on Sunday.

For more information and to get tickets ($30 for a 3-day pass), head over here.

LINKS:
website: http://rockageSJ.com/
twitter: http://twitter.com/rockageSJ
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rockageSJ
FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/212253359119989/

LIVE MUSIC LINEUP (updated 2/24):
Super Soul Bros. Bit Brigade 
Kirby’s Dream Band
Druniverse 
Fartbarf
Hawk Jones
Vector Hold 
Cola
Nick Reinhart Of Tera Melos
Sweet Peaches
Super Videogame Remix Live w/ VJ Bildo
Viking Guitar
Continuum Kingdom
Survival Guide
Bonnie & The Bang Bang
DJ Cookye
Vic Viper
DJ Bit
Rayza House

SPECIAL EVENTS:
3/12 Rocket League Social at AFKgg Gamer Lounge
3/13 Ubsey Movies: Earthbound Film Fest at AFKgg Gamer Lounge

SCHEDULE:
Friday: Gaming starts at Cafe Stritch, SoFA Market and Metro Newspapers at 4pm. Music starts at 7pm at Cafe Stritch and SoFA Market.

Saturday: AFKgg Gamer Lounge opens at 11am for the Rockage Rocket League Social w/ Kirby's Dream Band and more. Gaming starts in Cafe Stritch, Metro Newspapers and The Ritz (21+ only) at 4pm, music starts at 7pm.

Sunday: AFKgg Gamer Lounge opens at 11am for the Ubsey Movies: Earthbound Film Fest w/ special guests and more. Gaming starts at Cafe Stritch, Metro Newspapers and The Ritz (21+ only) at 4pm, music starts at 7pm.

VENUE INFO:
Cafe Stritch (374 S. 1st St. 408-280-6161)
The Ritz (21+ only) (400 S. 1st St.)
Metro Newspapers (380 S. 1st St. 408-298-8000)
SoFA Market (387 S 1st St. 408-642-5270)
AFKgg Gamer Lounge (163 W. Santa Clara St. 408-766-0235)

Rockage 5.0 art by Other Life Art / David Canavese
CONTACT: Looking to help out with rockage 5.0? rockageSJ@gmail.com

Rockage 5.0 FAQs

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?

This is an ALL AGES event. You need to have valid ID to enter The Ritz, 21+ only. 

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

Caltrain Diridon Station, VTA Light Rail, VTA Bus. Parking: $5 after 5pm on weekends in various garages (San Pedro, 2nd Street), FREE street parking after 6pm and on Sundays.

What can/can't I bring to the event?

Cosplay is great, but no weapons please.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?

RockageSJ@gmail.com

Is my wristband transferrable?

Wristbands are non-transferrable.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No, just a valid ID. 

What is the refund policy? 

Sorry, no refunds.

Where can I eat?

SoFA District in Downtown San Jose has many amazing spots to eat. All of our venues will be serving food, except for Metro Newspapers and The Ritz.

Will single day passes be sold?

Cafe Stritch and The Ritz will have single day tickets at the door the day of each show. These tickets will get you into multiple venues for one day.

WHEN

Friday, March 11, 2016 at 4:00 PM - Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 11:30 PM (PST) - Add to Calendar

WHERE

Cafe Stritch, The Ritz and more - 374 S 1st St San Jose, CA 95113 - View Map

San Jose's Skybox Security raises $96M in private equity

Skybox is a cybersecurity business that has been around for 14 years. They help customers manage and analyze threat data and prioritize risks. Some of the largest global banks, telecoms, and energy providers user their solutions.

Skybox has raised a whopping $96 million in their latest financing round, which is more than double all of the funding the company has ever received in the past. The company is profitable but likely will not go public for another couple of years.

Currently Skybox has 120 employees and they are looking to add up to 50 new hires in 2016. Their headquarters is at 2099 Gateway Place, near the airport.

Source: SVBJ

"Monterey Highway" at Seeing Things Gallery

Lost San Jose's Josh Marcotte has a new body of work called "Monterey Highway" that goes on display today at Seeing Things Gallery (751 West San Carlos Street). Josh spent a year documenting 30 miles of Monterey Highway in his own unique style. The road has a juxtaposition of old motels, neon signs, and empty storefronts as well as brand new housing projects and big box stores. Josh set out to "capture the spirit and identity of this road, and its place in the ever shifting landscape of Silicon Valley."

There is an opening reception for the new work tonight from 7pm to 10pm. To see some of these photos online as well as Josh's other collections, head over to the Lost San Jose website.

Another office campus planned for North San Jose

I have already lost track of how many office projects are proposed in North San Jose, they just keep on coming in. Lincoln Property Co. is teaming up with Gemdale Corp. to make one of those projects a reality. Midpoint@237 consists of four new office buildings off of North First Street just past 237 (going towards Alviso). The buildings would total up to 415,000 SQFT and be between two to three stories with 40,000 SQFT floor plates.

While they are not as tall or dense as I would hope for a 2016 project in San Jose, it will bring more tax dollars and jobs into the area. Next door there are also plans for up to 564,000 SQFT of advanced manufacturing space--perfect for a company like oh, let's say Apple or Tesla.

Construction is expected to begin next quarter with completion expected in the third quarter of 2017.

Source: SVBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: Lucas Museum in San Jose

Who would have thought it would be so difficult to get approval to build a $700 million cultural museum? George Lucas wants to build a stunning museum to house his collection of both digital and populous art. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few Star Wars relics in there as well. He is going to pay all of the costs of building and stocking the museum and just needs a location.

His first attempt was to build the museum in San Francisco on the Presidio. After years and back and forth, SF's ridiculous over-regulation killed the deal. Next, he looked towards his wife's hometown of Chicago. He nabbed a great location on the waterfront but a group of NIMBY's called "Friends of the Parks" are doing everything possible to kill the project. Now it looks like Oakland is putting their hat in the ring if Chicago falls through.

If George Lucas wants to build a $700 million museum as a gift to the world and all he needs is a great location, San Jose should get in on the running as well. There are several locations in or near Downtown San Jose that would work, as well as Kelly Park. I'm sure we could arrange to give him total creative freedom in exchange for having another world class museum in San Jose. These are the types of projects that will help elevate San Jose's culture and brand to the next level--we should be doing everything possible to bring a museum like this to San Jose!

TechShop finds a new Downtown San Jose home

TechShop is a workshop for do-it-yourself types and craftspeople will all sorts of cool tools and resources (like a laser cutter). The current home of TechShop at the corner of 300 South 2nd Street is up for sale and will likely be torn down by the purchaser to build a multi-story housing or office project. Fortunately, TechShop already has found a new home a few blocks away at 38 S. Second Street. This is the former site of Zanotto's, which has sat vacant for years.

The new space clocks in at 20,000 SQFT, which is about 15% larger than the 17,000 SQFT they have today. That extra space will go towards a larger wood shop and more conference rooms and storage spaces.

Construction at the new location will take three months and the move is expected to take place in early fall. After they move, another key gap in Downtown San Jose's retail scene will be filled and highly active. I hope that they place some of the cooler workstations by the windows so people walking by can see what TechShop's craftsman (and craftswoman) are working on. It will definitely bring some much needed vibrancy to this street.

Source: SVBJ

Cinequest Film Festival starts tomorrow!

One of the highest-rated film festivals in the world will be transforming Downtown San Jose from March 1st to March 13th. 700 artists, innovators, and film-makers will be at the event and overall attendance is expected to top 100,000. Here are some of the highlights to look out for this year:

• Cinequest's Future of Film Showcase
• "My. Invincible" - the world's first film entirely show in Barco Escape, an immersive three screen format where the movie literally wraps around you [Josh: I saw the Maze Runner with this setup and it was a really neat experience].
• Virtual Reality Experiences - there will be a Virtual Reality Lounge where attendees can test out the latest VR film experiences.
• Opening Night Screening and Celebration
• Tomorrow at 7:15pm, Galvin Hood will present his new thriller called "Eye in the Sky" staring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Iain Glen, Barkhad Adbi, and Aaron Paul. The event will be at California Theater and includes both pre and post-show festivities.
• Maverick Spirit Awards
• These award bold, visionary, and creative forces. Previous recipients include J.J. Abrams, Kevin Spacey, Rosario Dawson, Harrison Ford, William H. Macy, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sir Ian McKellen, Neil Gaiman, Alec Baldwin, and Sir Ben Kingsley.
• This year's recipients are James Franco, Rita Moreno, and Robert Hawk.
• Notable Premiers and Star Performances (Cinequest features 129 World and US premiers)
• Helen Mirren (The Queen, Trumbo), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Die Hard), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) in Eye in the Sky (Opening Night)
• Geoffrey Rush (Shine), Ewen Leslie (Sleeping Beauty), Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Anna Torv (Fringe), Odessa Young (Wonderland), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) in The Daughter (Closing Night)
• Alyson Stoner (Step Up), Bill Engvall (The Bill Engvall Show) in Mr. Invincible
• Kevin Smith (Clerks), Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen), Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange), and Rob Epstein (Howl) in Film Hawk
• Rita Moreno (West Side Story) in Remember Me
• Gordon Getty (Composer and Subject) in Gordon Getty: There Will Be Music
• Clea Duvall (Argo, American Horror Story) in Heaven’s Floor
• Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds, Rush) in Colonia
• Jason Ritter (Parenthood) in Embers
• Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), and Lucy Boynton (Miss Potter) in February
• Annette O’Toole (Smallville) and John Glover (The Good Wife) in We Go On
• Comedians Dana Carvey, Bob Saget, Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams in The Comedy Club
• Sally Field (Forrest Gump), Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer) in Hello, My Name Is Doris
• Daphne Zuniga (Spaceballs), Joely Fisher (Ellen), Michelle Hurd (90210), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy), Nick Court (The Last Ship), Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Jonathan Slavin (Better Off Ted), Devon Graye (Dexter), and singing legend Connie Stevens in Search Engines
• Grant Rosenmeyer (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars) in Temps
• Aly Michalka (iZombie), AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs), and Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers) in Weepah Way for Now
• James Franco (127 Hours), Ed Harris (Pollack), Amber Heard (The Danish Girl), Jim Parrack (True Blood), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) in The Adderall Diaries
• Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Fluke) producer on The Brainwashing of My Dad
• Penelope Cruz (Volver) in Ma Ma
• Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Hairspray) and Amber Heard (The Danish Girl, Hidden Palms) in One More Time
• Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea, The House of Mirth) director of Sunset Song
• Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets), Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars), Emily Osment (Cyberbully), Kyla Kennedy (The Walking Dead), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Elisabeth Röhm (The Client List), and Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) in Love Is All You Need?
• Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Marion Cotillard (Inception), James Franco (127 Hours), Ricky Gervais (The Office), Paul Giamatti (Straight Outta Compton), Bud Cort (Pollack), Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo) in The Little Prince
• Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets) and Kerry Norton (Battlestar Galactica) in ToY
• Closing Night Screening and Celebration
• At 6pm on March 13th the film festival will culminate with the US premier of Simon Ston'es "The Daughter" featuring Geoffrey Rush, Wewn Leslie, Paul Schneider, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv, Odessa Young, and Sam Neill.

For more information, schedules, and tickets, head over to the Cinequest website.