The 9 largest rental developments completed last year in San Jose

San Jose's development efforts are focused more on jobs than housing these days, but lets not forget how much housing is still built in San Jose each year. In 2015, the 9 largest rental projects in our city added 2,317 new apartments to San Jose. To see which projects made the list and take a peek inside each of these developments, head to this blog post.

Source: RENTCafe

The Blue Door Opens at Westgate Center

New restaurant/bar offers American fare with Greek and Mediterranean flair

San Jose, CA – Familiar comfort food and dishes elevated for the sophisticated palate are on the menu at The Blue Door Restaurant and Bar at 1520 Saratoga Ave. at Westgate Center.
The restaurant opened in early February and serves an extensive menu of American classics, often with a touch of Greek flavors, accompaniments and ingredients, a nod to the owners’ heritage and food traditions.

The Blue Door features favorites such as meatloaf, pastas, steaks and burgers, all with signature touches. For diners searching for more innovative choices, the restaurant serves such dishes as grilled salmon with mustard greens, braised short ribs with orzo and mizithra cheese and a kale and quinoa salad with Parmesan-sunflower seed cracklings.

Five dining areas are designed with unique features and coloration, creating experiences that range from cozy and family-friendly and to quietly intimate. The 7,500-square foot space seats 170. An outdoor patio accommodates 80 more diners.

A bar area serves cocktails, beer, wine and small bites, including vodka-cured salmon bruschetta with tzatziki, tomato and pickled onions, lamb sliders and soutzoukakia--lamb meatballs in spicy garlic tomato sauce.

“The Blue Door Restaurant and Bar is a new and exciting addition to Westgate Center,” said Collette Navarrette, Director of Marketing for Westgate Center. “The sunny outdoor patio, modern and elegant interiors and comprehensive menu offer the community a vibrant culinary experience."
The owners  are restaurateurs Sylvia and Peter Foundas whose family members are longtime Bay Area restaurant entrepreneurs, immigrants from Greece in the 1950s. The Foundas restaurants include the Pinecrest Diner, an institution in San Francisco, and the Boulevard Café in Daly City.

The restaurant was inspired by the warmth and beauty of Costa Navarino, one of the Foundas’ favorite resorts in southern Greece.

Blue is the color associated with the country’s flag and waters and the blue door is especially significant: wives of fishermen painted their doors blue believing it protected their husbands from harm as they went to sea and would bring them home safely.

The Blue Door Restaurant and Bar
Address: 1502 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129.
Executive chef: S. Michael Alsop

Opened Feb. 8, 2016. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fri. and Sat: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Website and menu: thebluedoorrestaurant.com
Phone: (408) 866-4176

StartOrganic is expanding corporate organic vegetable gardening programs in the Bay Area

StartOrganic is a vegetable gardening service based in San Jose. Their first major corporate project was at PayPal's San Jose headquarters, offering weekly gardening lessons for employees and a vegetable farm right on the PayPal campus. I love the concept and hope more companies will offer similar programs. How cool would it be to start seeing organic vegetable gardens on the roofs of corporate buildings in San Jose? Check out their full press release and video below.

SAN JOSE, CA
StartOrganic Vegetable Garden Service announced today they are expanding their popular Corporate Organic Vegetable Gardening Programs, after their tremendous success with the Corporate Organic Vegetable Gardening Program at PayPal’s Headquarters in San Jose. Presently in its fourth year, the Program is StartOrganic’s most extensive corporate garden to-date with weekly gardening lessons for PayPal employees covering topics such as pest control, plant selection and spacing, as well as monthly workshops. It features 30 raised organic vegetable garden beds with 24 maintained by PayPal employees, under the guidance of StartOrganic, and 6 beds are used as demonstration gardens and maintained by StartOrganic. Other gardens StartOrganic has designed, consulted, built and maintain include the Saratoga Elementary School, The Forge at Santa Clara University, The Studio by Angi – Salon and Boutique, West Valley Community Services, La Mesa Verde/Sacred Heart, and the YMCA Saratoga.

“The number of benefits a corporate garden can provide is just incredible,” said StartOrganic Co-Founder Josh Levine. “For example, the PayPal Employee Vegetable Gardening Program lets employees grow their own produce on their lunch break or free time for their personal use or to share with co-workers. The gardening skills we teach the employees, they then use in their own home gardens to teach their families and neighbors, thereby improving their neighborhoods. It’s also a fantastic team-building exercise that allows employees to get outside and have an experience completely different than their daily routine,” concluded Levine.

“The PayPal Employee Vegetable Gardening Program has allowed us to showcase the huge health benefits of eating organic vegetables versus grabbing something from a vending machine,” said StartOrganic Co-Founder Troy Smothermon. “Employees are healthier because of their eating habits, but they also get personal satisfaction from growing their own food, not to mention the mental benefits of getting outdoors and away from their cubicle allowing them to positively re-charge. A corporate gardening program is the perfect way for a company to attract and retain happy, healthy and productive employees,” stated Smothermon.

Corporate gardens are an inexpensive way for companies to stimulate employee engagement. As a part of the program, StartOrganic offers company-wide vegetable gardening workshops which benefit all employees. Excess organic produce grown by the employees is used in company cafeterias, providing a truly localized food experience. StartOrganic will work with any company or organization to create a custom corporate garden program with the space available and unique needs of the employees. From consulting, designing, building, maintaining and training – the vegetable garden service facilitates the entire process and operation of the Employee Gardening Program. For more information about StartOrganic’s Corporate Organic Gardening Programs visit http://startorganic.org or call 408-888-1903.

About StartOrganic StartOrganic was founded in 2011 by local Bay Area residents, Josh Levine and Troy Smothermon. The company has developed many school gardens, community gardens and corporate organic gardens. StartOrganic’s goal is to empower and educate people throughout the South Bay Area by helping them to grow their own organic produce and build sustainable local food systems. For more information visit http://startorganic.org or Like them on Facebook.

Sprouts@Brokaw updates

North San Jose is going to get a much-needed 145,000 SQFT retail center at the corner of East Brokaw and Oakland. Last month we found out that two of the anchor tenants would be Sprouts Farmers Market and Ross (in fact they are calling the project Sprouts@Brokaw). It looks like they have now pretty much leased the whole project. Here is the full list of tenants so far:

• Anchors
• Sprouts Farmers Market
• Ross
• Homegoods
• ULTA
• Retail/Amenity
• Sleep Train
• Wells Fargo
• Banfield Pet Hospital
• The Joint Chiropractic
• Restaurants
• The Asian Box (second location South of Mountain View)
• Yalla Mediterranean (first in the South Bay)
• Poke Love 
• The Habit Burger Grill
• MOD Pizza
• Rubio's
• Jersey Mike's

I have to say that I'm pretty surprised at the restaurant options so far--in a good way. Three on the list will be the first location for that restaurant in San Jose. Even though they are all fast-casual, it is a terrific food lineup for the location. Across the street you also have Koja Kitchen, which is the only brick-and-mortar location in Silicon Valley for what has to be one of the best food trucks in the Bay Area. I feel like in general San Joseans are demanding more unique and higher-quality food options, and that is definitely a great thing.

Source: SVBJ

The Tech opens nation's first interactive bioengineering exhibit

San Jose, Calif.,  — The Tech Museum of Innovation will empower visitors to play, tinker and design with the building blocks of life in BioDesign Studio, a new exhibit opening Friday, March 18. The exhibit will feature the nation’s first museum biotinkering space and an interactive exploration of how biology is technology.

“BioDesign Studio is an experience like no other,” said Tim Ritchie, president and CEO of The Tech. “This is a space where visitors of all ages can gain a deep understanding of their own power to use synthetic biology to solve big problems, like food security and climate change. We’ll be inspiring the next generation of biotech innovators.”

BioDesign Studio features five stations that break down heavy concepts, empowering visitors to play with DNA while nurturing their own ability to design and create with biology. “The people who need to solve the huge problems we face with global food and health 15 years down the road are the same people who will visit this exhibit right now,” said Romie Littrell, the exhibit’s developer and a leader in the DIY Bio movement. “It all begins with making them feel like biology is fun and interesting.”

Visitors will use lab equipment to create their own mix of colorful DNA; learn about genetic traits by “coding” the pattern of a bear’s fur; use computerized blocks to build new creatures and release them into a digital world to interact with other beings; explore how bioengineering could impact the future; and do hands­on activities in the BioTinkering Lab.

The BioTinkering Lab will, over time, play host to citizen science projects as well as drop­-in activities like creating mushroom bricks, in which visitors transform wood particles that would have been sent to landfills into sustainable building materials using mycelium.

“The world is really just starting to tap into the amazing potential of mycelium for manufacturing,” said Anja Scholze, biotech experience designer at The Tech. “We love giving our visitors a chance to explore something so fresh.”

Planned to last for 10 years, the exhibition, like biology itself, will evolve. The $5 million exhibit was made possible by several generous foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Franklin and Catherine Johnson Foundation.

For more information: thetech.org/biodesignstudio

Big changes coming to Santana Row's Park Valencia, including churned-to-order ice cream

Park Valencia is one of the most popular public spaces in Santana Row. Even though it is barely over a decade old and has already received multiple upgrades, it is currently undergoing a major renovation that will make a very nice plaza even nicer. Below you can see a drawing of what it will look like after the renovation.

The grass turf in the middle will be replaced, additional landscaping will be added, and new cafe tables and seating areas will be installed throughout the park. One of the biggest changes will be a new interactive playground for kids, complete with a miniature climbing structure, "lizard-skin" turf, and four new sculptures (one of which you can see below). The sculptures are designed for children to touch, sit on, and play with.

Two brand new kiosk buildings around 600 SQFT each will be added, allowing for even more food options in the area. One of those will be filled by Smitten Ice Cream, an artisinal churned-to-order ice cream shop using high-end ingredients from local farms. They use a proprietary machine that churns out ice cream within minutes after being ordered--you can't get ice cream any fresher than that. Only six other locations exist and they are all highly rated on Yelp. I can see long lines for this one, especially on warmer days.

The renovated Park Valencia will be ready in time for Summer. Smitten Ice Cream is expected to open late Summer.

San Jose, CA (March 16, 2016) – Over the last decade, Park Valencia has proven to be a popular, social gathering hub for the community.

“As Santana Row has evolved into a vibrant and bustling neighborhood, it’s time to refresh and enhance its appeal for our residents, employees, visitors, shoppers and retailers” said Collette Navarrette, Director of Marketing at Santana Row. “We have watched the evolution of Park Valencia over the last decade and in particular what our customers value when they visit this plaza. They want to have fun, eat and spend time with their friends and family. This is not just a makeover, we are reinventing Park Valencia to deliver a better place for our community to connect.”

The transformed plaza, opening this summer, will expand its lineup of places to dine with two new food merchants including Smitten Ice Cream, an artisanal ice cream shop expected to open in late summer. Smitten will offer its cult-favorite frozen treats from classic flavors like TCHO chocolate and Cookie Dough with Pretzels and Chocolate Chips to more innovative seasonal flavors like Strawberry White Balsamic and Nectarine Crisp, in addition to its selection of creative toppings and fun sundaes.  Smitten is known and loved in the Bay Area for its made-to-order scoops that use only the best ingredients from nearby farms and purveyors. The ice cream is made using Smitten’s patented machine, which churns the smoothest, purest and creamiest ice cream in minutes before your eyes.

The lively and family-friendly atmosphere of Park Valencia make the perfect new home for Smitten. The 600-square foot shop will be a walk up ice cream bar surrounded by plenty of outdoor seating, a dynamic fountain and a kid’s playground. In addition, Maggiano's Little Italy will unveil a new and expanded outdoor patio, bringing the energy from Park Valencia to patio diners.

Kids of all ages will love the interactive playground with a tot-sized climbing structure, mounted in a brightly-colored "lizard-skin" turf. Four lifelike chameleon sculptures will look as if they’re lounging in the new "Chameleon Oasis," fountain. The stunning pieces, made by renowned artist Ron Holthuysen of Scientific Arts Studio, are low to the ground and designed for children to play on and touch. The chameleons are modeled after four unique species found in different parts of the world and range in size from two feet in length to more than six-feet long. Holthuysen is best known for sculpting the catcher's mitt and Coca-Cola bottle at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. He also made the learning sculptures at the San Francisco Zoo and San Jose's Rotary PlayGarden. New café tables and seating areas will be added and the popular grass turf will be replaced.

From upscale dining at Maggiano’s Little Italy and Roots and Rye to gourmet cupcakes at Kara’s and made-to-order ice cream at Smitten, there's something for everyone in Park Valencia. Kids will love the dynamic play elements and fountain, and adults can unwind while enjoying live music on the entertainment stage. The new park will be bright and inviting, offering a dynamic and unique experience for the community to adore.

10 things only local San Joseans know

Check out this short local's guide to San Jose from a student's perspective. Only two of the items on the list cost money (assuming you own a bike), which is completely understandable given how tight budgets are when you are in school. I consider myself to be pretty thorough when it comes to exploring San Jose, yet have personally only done five of the ten items on the list. Check out these 10 "hidden gems" right over here.

Thanks to Christopher Escher for sending this in!

Saturday Stats: San Jose metro has the best job growth in 2015

Private sector jobs in the San Jose area grew by a staggering 4.8% last year. That is enough to beat out every other metro in the United States by a significant margin. Texas usually dominates these rankings, but Austin came in second with 4.4% growth in 2015. San Francisco and New York did not make the top 10. The only other California metro on the list is Riverside at #7.

Average private sector job growth for the nation is 2.3%, meaning San Jose grew its job market at more than double the national rate. I hope the growth can continue for a at least another year or two. The tech market is beginning to cool a bit, but there is still huge potential for job growth in the area.

Source: SVBJ, Headlight Data