SJC International expansion taps the brakes

We have become accustomed to a steady stream of positive news regarding San Jose International Airport. Over the past couple years, ridership and new routes have ballooned. In fact, we have overtaken Oakland as the Bay Area's #2 airport.

However, there has been a recent contraction in International routes. Perhaps we grew too quickly and have to adjust the pace.

Aeromexico is stopping service to Guadalajara (it is also pulling out of four other airports). Earlier in the summer, Air China also stopped the twice weekly flight to Shanghai and Lufthansa cancelled their flight to Frankfurt Germany. Guadalajara is still serviced by both Volaris and Alaska Airlines (it's also a really cool city with amazing food and culture worthy of a visit). Here is the updated list of international routes out of SJC:

• Asia
• Tokyo (ANA)
• Beijing (Hainan)
• Shanghai (Air China)
• Europe
• London (British Airways)
• Frankfurt (Luftansa)
• North America
• Vancouver (Air Canada)
• Guadalajara (Volaris, Alaska Airlines, Aeromexico)
• Cabo San Lucas (Alaska Airlines)
• Mexico City (Volaris)
• Morelia (Volaris)
• Zacatecas (Volaris)
• Leon (Volaris)

While unfortunate, perhaps this gives us the opportunity to consider more popular routes between tech centers. Seoul, Bangalore, Tel Aviv, and Dubai would bring a ton of value to San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Source: SVBJ

"State of the Downtown" speech by Scott Knies

Below is a speech by the President of the San Jose Downtown Association, delivered at the October 12th Annual Meeting. It provides a great perspective on where we are today and the key opportunities and risks going forward for Downtown San Jose

“State of the Downtown” speech by Scott Knies

October 12, 2018 

San Jose Downtown Association Annual Meeting

The Momentum Moment: Downtown San Jose’s West Side Story 

In the past 12 months, more than a billion dollars’ worth of downtown property has changed hands. Led by Google, Jay Paul and Gary Dillabough, this massive investment by the private sector is more than half of what the San Jose Redevelopment Agency spent downtown during three decades. It is the surest sign yet of a different direction for San Jose’s center city. 

Yet that new direction depends on who you ask. 

Is this finally San Jose’s moment for its downtown to realize its potential as a vital and beautiful urban community? Is this our time to firmly root San Jose’s unique advantages of diversity, innovation and climate into downtown physical, cultural and social spaces? 

Or, if you adhere to the narrative generated by savvy organizers holding prayer vigils, City Hall marches and protests outside Google’s Mountain View headquarters, the proposed development on downtown’s westside represents every real and existential ill of Silicon Valley: gentrification, high rent, lack of housing, income inequality, bad traffic, not enough union labor. 

While the media may give more attention to protesters, the hearts and minds of most San Joseans support Google’s arrival downtown as we figure how best to embrace the opportunities and rise to the challenges this intense growth will bring. We have to do it right! This new blueprint for urban infrastructure must be planned better, be more interesting inside and out, and be more inclusive than anything San Jose has done before. We have an extraordinary chance to create a city within the city – a model of the future; one that inspires civic pride by putting people ahead of buildings and cars; in providing a positive environment for jobs, homes, recreation, health and joy; and how it prototypes solutions to societal issues like affordability, climate change and the unhoused. 

Is that too large a vision to put on the back of downtown – especially the 250 acres on the westside? We think not. This is San Jose’s moment. 

The vision became exponentially larger 16 months ago when Google’s plans for downtown went public: they were buying up parcels paralleling the Caltrain tracks with the potential to design and build an urban tech district the likes the world has yet to imagine. The antithesis of the Apple Spaceship in Cupertino, Google sees a daisy chain of next generation green buildings integrated into a city street grid enhanced by digital technology and connected by lots of public spaces – sidewalks, plazas, paseos, creek trails, cricket fields, dog parks, playgrounds and bike lanes – and the Dancing Pig sign.

With the Diridon depot train station roughly the midpoint of its acquisitions, Google is assembling land that could accommodate 8-10 million feet and support 20,000 jobs. Buildings could stretch from Auzerais Street on the south to Julian Street on the north, connected by the aforementioned public spaces such as bike paths, a liberated Los Gatos Creek and new streets. Ultimately occupying about 50 acres on the westside, Google has already goosed the promise of downtown higher than any other big plans in the recent past, like the Palladium pipe-dream during the dot-com era, or the Oakland A’s stadium from the prior decade. 

I spoke about Google’s downtown plans last Friday at the Capital Club and when I finished one of the first questions was “where is the westside of downtown?” The westside is a very large area roughly between the Caltrain tracks on the west, Highway 87 on the east, the Union Pacific tracks on the north and Interstate 280 on the south. It includes the Delmas Park neighborhood, Little Italy, Guadalupe River Park and most notably the train station and SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks. The city developed a land use plan for 250 acres on the westside years ago that didn’t anticipate the intensity of Google’s urban campus. Even though the current specific plan doesn’t come close to the densities now being considered and has to be redone, along with environmental work, the overall vision for the westside is solid: San Jose needs jobs; put the jobs where the transit modes all come together in an area large enough to incorporate offices, all types of housing, entertainment, open space and link it impeccably with the downtown core.

This last point is crucial to the Downtown Association as well as Google and city leaders. The connections today between the westside and core leave much to be desired. Highway 87 is a formidable barrier and the handful of east/west streets that pass under the freeway all have different problems for bikes, scooters and pedestrians, more so after dark. Think about mobility a decade from now with tens of thousands more residents and employees downtown. Google alone is expecting to generate 8,000 bike riders a day. Downtown streets will have to change. What role will embedded pavement technology play? Is Park Avenue our best east-west link? Or should we develop an entirely new connection reserved for bikes and pedestrians-only – say, an extension of Post Street?

The private sector is not the only one investing billions in downtown’s future and contributing to the current momentum. The BART subway extension and Caltrain electrification are essential public infrastructure projects finally breaking ground while high speed rail and Diridon depot planning are underway.

First, a big shout out to the Valley Transportation Agency Board of Directors and VTA General Manager Nuria Fernandez for their leadership in helping secure the single bore option for construction of BART. You may recall, this was headed to a heavyweight fight between VTA and BART – BART wanted twin bore construction that would dig up five blocks of Santa Clara Street for years. Then on deadline, in April, BART agreed to the single bore! San Jose usually punches way below its weight in Bay Area power tussles. I cannot recall a bigger regional win for our community. 

The impact of the single bore decision was immediate. Instead of facing paralysis on Santa Clara Street for seven years while blocks were torn up, several key properties transacted – including three corners of First and Santa Clara Streets. Investors saw buildings, tenants and businesses could now survive the BART construction while planning ahead for when the trains arrive downtown, which VTA says could be as soon as 2027.

There will be two downtown BART stations: one beneath Santa Clara Street between Market and Third Streets; and the other on the westside connected to the current Diridon depot. That is the mega-station where all the transportation modes intersect. I hope as we design the station as befitting its future stature we will rename it San Jose Central Station – still keeping the Diridon name attached to the historic, brick depot. 

One of the most significant, and under the radar, achievements of the past year was the four-party agreement on the planning for San Jose Central Station. High Speed Rail, VTA/BART and Caltrain were in separate silos designing their own rail systems – and this disconnect was most apparent where all their systems converged downtown. Now working together, with the City of San Jose, the four entities signed an agreement, each one contributing funds, towards joint planning of San Jose Central Station. 

I believe this transit planning agreement is most important for how High Speed Rail might ultimately work in our city. BART was always underground in a subway and Caltrain was always at-grade on their existing rails, but High Speed Rail preferred an alignment in an aerial viaduct with tracks 75 feet above the ground! It would be another Highway 87 barrier on the westside and the Downtown Association has consistently opposed the aerial monstrosity. Now there is another alignment on the table, as part of a City-generated option and representative of the new four-party collaborative spirit between the transit agencies. It is still early in the process to see how this slightly elevated above ground alignment works for the San Jose Central Station, high speed rail operations and the overall community, but anything other than the aerial overpass will be an improvement. 

I would be remiss not to mention how parking fits into the transportation equation. The Downtown Association supports the Sharks lawsuit against VTA for not planning a single parking space for the two downtown BART stations. We understand this is a transitional time. We are in-between a future where autonomous vehicles and flying cars will forever change cities, and the present day – where automobiles are still the San Jose way. Rather than completely stop building parking spaces, let’s balance the realities of today with the dreams of tomorrow. We already see this happening with automated parking stacks, garage floors designed so they can be converted later to other uses and hotel proposals with only offsite parking. We must not put downtown at a competitive disadvantage because we subjugated the automobile too far ahead of market. 

Another significant planning action in the works is the downtown airspace study addressing the current city practice of requiring building heights below what the Federal Aviation Administration allows. The study’s technical analysis was presented to a City Council committee last month with several options, including going up to the FAA heights. Since there are already many tall buildings in the downtown core, this could result in up to 35 additional feet depending on where the site is located. On the westside, however, the tallest building is the arena at 110 feet. The FAA allows 225 feet at the arena, so the potential doubling of height on the westside is THE most substantial opportunity as the City Council considers the big picture for downtown, the airport and San Jose itself.

Even though we’ve been debating height limits since 2007, I realize this will be painted by some as a Google move when in fact it benefits the entire downtown and goals for density, jobs and housing near transit. If the heights are not raised, Google and other developments on the westside will have shorter, wider buildings that take up larger footprints of land thereby leaving less room for parks, plazas and the people-centric spaces that make urban centers more memorable and livable.

The potential of doubling building heights on the westside is a once-in-a-generation decision and the decision-makers should treat it as such. We already have heard from Google they are willing to fund reasonable community benefits for their project but how will the rest of downtown be treated? How will the city regulate this potential height gain and the increased values it represents for both land owners and the community? Will it be treated as another fee – like housing projects pay now for parks; or an as infrastructure assessment district to help fund, say, new streets linking the westside and core? And what does the community receive for the additional height? One percent for art funds? Public space projects, lighting and landscape? Architectural enhancements such as something other than flat rooftops? We look forward to the discussions ahead as the growth of downtown and complete terra forming of the westside has opened up a new suite of policy topics and future planning.

The immediate consideration in front of us is the public sale of the former redevelopment lands to Google. The city formed a Station Area Advisory Committee, with the unfortunate acronym of SAAG, to vet community interests, wishes and demands. As the SAAG process winds down, the decision on the sale heads to the City Council in December. These 23 acres of city-owned and former ballpark lands are a critical milestone in our own downtown San Jose West Side Story. As I mentioned earlier, there are different views on the deal. Some are convinced Google will take more than it gives to San Jose. Others see a strong, global-minded partner reinforcing a civic vision for density, jobs, less traffic and smart growth. In looking at the westside’s 250 acres, there’s plenty of room for affordable housing, and the opportunity to develop new types of living spaces in a mixed-use, walkable downtown that welcomes it. Don’t underestimate your voice in this matter. Please consider attending the City Council meetings and speak. I am often asked what can be done to help. Here is your chance to help.

We’ll update you with the when and where of the hearings. Please connect with our social media platforms, talk to me, any Downtown Association staff or one of the 15 volunteers who are going to follow me up to the podium this morning. Each will give you a little summary of what they have been up to the past year in their community involvement with downtown and this organization. We’ve got three other boards, a bunch of committees, there’s numerous city commissions and task forces – so many ways to get plugged in with your neighbors, peers, public servants, and fellow downtowners. Join in the journey as we create, together, a magnificent public life in downtown San Jose.

Thanks for your attention and enjoy the rest of the meeting. 

Content 10.5: Dine

Content Magazine is launching their latest issues on Wednesday, October 24th at 7-9:30pm. The venue is Camino Brewing Company near Downtown (718 S. 1st Street). Subscribers get free admission and a free drink. For more info, read the event description below or head over here to RSVP.

Join us at Camino Brewing in downtown San Jose as we celebrate the release of Issue 10.5 “Dine.” 

Prost to our 40th issue in print with some of the best people in the South Bay. Hear original music by 10.5 featured musician David Brookings and Marissa Muraoka. Listen to Needle to the Groove San Jose spin vinyl, and see art by Claudia Blanco, Nicolas Echeverri, Yourhomeboy Harv and Shannon Knepper. There will also be interactive installations, as well as food and beverages for sale.

$10 cover at the door for all non-subscribers (includes a copy of issue 10.5 Dine). 

Content subscribers, 10.5 features, and 10.5 contributors will receive free entry for them and a guest, plus one complimentary drink ticket to kick off the night ($27 value). If you are not a subscriber but would like to receive subscriber benefits at this Pick-Up Party and 5 more throughout the year, subscribe at - bit.ly/6issues. 

We hope you are able to join us!

Thank you event partners: Camino Brewing Company, Garden City Construction, Silicon Valley Asian Art Center, Mach 7 Sound, Massive Act Inc, and Needle to the Groove San Jose.

Sobrato wows with proposal for "Bock 8" Downtown

The Sobrato Organization has been sitting on a prime 1.5 acre parking lot at the corner of Market and San Carlos for eight years. This was once earmarked for a three-tower condo project that failed to get off the ground. Sobrato's proposal is single 600,160 SQFT tower designed to look like four individual buildings.

The modern glass tower would be 17 stories high with most being dedicated to office space. Thankfully, there will be 19,600 SQFT of retail on the ground floor. Parking will be on floors two through six, which also adds more Downtown parking supply for evenings and weekends.

Floor plates will reach an impressive 50,000 SQFT, perfect for tech companies. Even more interesting are two rooftop gardens. One will be on the 14th floor and span 10,400 SQFT while the other will be on the 15th floor and clock in a 12,700 SQFT. Finally, San Jose is making better use of high-rise rooftops with proposals like this--two highrise hotels in the pipeline also feature penthouses with amenities like pools, restaurants, and green space.

Currently this will be a spec project without a specific tenant in mind. There is no specific timeline for construction--let's keep our fingers crossed that this will move forward soon.

Source: SVBJ

PWSJ 2018 Honors San Jose’s Historical “Speed City” with 10+ New Murals, Public Art Installations, Music Exhibitions, and More

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Oct. 9, 2018 – POW! WOW! San Jose 2018 ushers in its second annual week-long arts and culture festival spotlighting street art and music in Downtown San Jose on October 17-28, 2018.

This year’s festival is inspired by San Jose’s long history of activism and local cultural pride. Fifty years ago, San Jose State University track stars John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists at the 1968 Summer Olympics to show solidarity with those fighting for human rights. This year’s festival will honor this source of local pride, and artists will showcase their talent and passion for their art and culture throughout the week.

“While the Silicon Valley is traditionally known for its innovation in technology, the City of San José is an equally rich community of culture, art and music,” said Council member Raul Peralez, San José Council District 3. “Working with POW! WOW! San José, we are thrilled to turn San José into a city-wide artists’ canvas, showcasing art in action and transforming our City alongside the community.”

2018 MURALISTS

POW! WOW! San Jose 2018 is honored to welcome the following artists who will share their talents throughout Downtown San Jose and surrounding San Jose neighborhoods.

SILICON VALLEY AND BAY AREA ARTISTS

San Jose: Sean Boyles, Drew Flores, Abel Gonzalez, Ivan Gonzalez, J.Duh, Frances Marin, Harumo Sato, Nikkea Takagi, Roan Victor

San Francisco/Peninsula: Apexer, Knits for Life, t.w.five

Oakland/East Bay: Felicia Gabaldon, Illuminaries, Skinner, UrbanAztec

VISITING ARTISTS – U.S.

Hawaii: Cory Taum

Los Angeles: Shrine, Woes

New York: How and Nosm

San Diego: Spenser Little

VISITING ARTISTS – INTERNATIONAL

Canada: 123KLAN

Iran: ICY and SOT

Japan: Dragon76

South Korea: Sixcoin

BUSINESS + ART JOIN TOGETHER

Pride in San Jose’s rich culture is not unique to the organizers of POW! WOW! San Jose. Many businesses throughout the Silicon Valley are supporting the festival through donations of supplies, lodging and funding. With the help of organizations such as Visit San Jose, a Community Partner, and The Silicon Valley Organization that represents over 1,400 businesses in the Bay Area, art in action will come to life during the festival.

“POW! WOW! San Jose continues to bring both businesses and community together to create a world-class event that showcases the heart of Silicon Valley,” said Matthew Mahood, President & CEO, The Silicon Valley Organization. “A city’s art and culture serves as its identity and offers its residents a way to connect. The SVO and our members applaud the work POW! WOW! San Jose is doing to showcase our city’s greatest strength: our diversity.”

2018 festival sponsors include: Cresco, Eastridge Center, Google, Hawaiian Airlines, Hyatt Place, Iguanas Burritozilla, Kelly-Moore Paints, Knight Foundation, City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), The Silicon Valley Organization, Visit San Jose, and more.

“As a local business headquartered in the Bay Area, we take pride in the beauty our paints can bring to the world in the hands of artists – whether those artists are homeowners, teachers, or muralists like those sharing their talents through POW! WOW! San Jose,” said Jasmine Hatch, regional learning and development specialist - South Bay, Peninsula and Central Coast, Kelly Moore Paint Co. “With our contribution of paint for the murals, we are thrilled that Kelly Moore will have a direct tie to the remarkable works of art that will live on in our City.”

Honey Harvest Celebration at the Fairmont San Jose

Did you know that the Fairmont San Jose has about 40,000 honeybees on its rooftop?

To celebrate this year's harvest, the Fairmont's Lobby Lounge has a special 'Honey Harvest Menu' throughout this weekend from Friday, 10/19 through Sunday, 10/21, 5pm-10pm each day.

Here's a picture of the pear tart with goat cheese ice cream, which I had the good fortune to recently sample.

For additional info., visit the Fairmont SJ dining page or check out my recent blog post for additional photos and descriptions of the special menu items.

Wednesday Wishlist: Halloween in the Park (Part XI)

Keeping with San Jose Blog tradition, in October we have a "wishlist" post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.

Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

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The largest draw to Downtown San Jose for many years now has been Christmas in the Park. It has continued to grow year after year and brings in visitors from all over the Bay Area. It's economic impact is substantial and helps keep many Downtown businesses and restaurants alive.

What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:

• Animated Halloween Displays
• Created by local artists
• Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
• Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
• Halloween Lighting
• Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
• May be possible to use new programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
• Halloween Food
• Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Food trucks
• Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
• Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
• Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
• Home decor/crafts like candles
• Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
• Costumes
• Zombie/Halloween make-up station 
• Halloween-themed Carnival Games
• Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
• A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
• Interactive Art
• Subzero/ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
• Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
• Pumpkins
• Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
• Pumpkin carving station for families. 
• Pumpkin carving contest.
• Costumed Entertainers
• Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
• Haunts / Mazes
• Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
• Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
• Potential Events
• Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
• Zombie Crawl
• Dia De Los Muertos Events
• Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
• Horror Movie Trivia Contest
• Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
• Costume Ball

Inspirations:

• Candle Lighters
• Pirates of Emerson
• The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze (photos below)

The new San Jose Light Tower is moving forward

San Jose is a city that has been in search of an internationally recognizable landmark for quite some time. Fortunately, a grassroots organization has come together with a mission to do just that. The San Jose Light Tower Corporation (SJLTC) is a nonprofit with the goal of building a world-class iconic structure that will represent our city for generations.

The project is broken down into four phases, and is surprisingly far along.



Phase 1 - Launch the Documentary: The Light Between Two Towers 

FUNDED. This exciting film by Thomas Wohlmut ties the historic San Jose Light Tower (built in 1881) to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It has been in the works for 8 years and will finally be complete in 2019. The film will be part of the promotional campaign for building a new tower that will represent the San Jose of today and tomorrow.

The Light Between Two Towers - Trailer from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.



Phase 2 - Site Selection 

FUNDED, IN PROGRESS. The Light Tower Corporation initially evaluated six different sites in Downtown San Jose. When seeking city council support earlier this year, they received unanimous approval from all 11 seats. Now, we have a final candidate and that is the Arena Green (photo below). This location would highlight San Jose's flagship park and would be easily accessible from the SAP Center and Diridon Station, which is destined to become the busiest transit hub on the West Coast. It would also sit in the middle of some 10+ million SQFT of new development that will be built over the coming decade or two.

By December 4th, the City Council will decide whether or not to approve the location. The odds are looking quite good so far.

Phase 3 - Idea Competition

FUNDED. This one is hot off the press. On Sunday the San Jose Light Tower Corporation held a fundraiser to launch this next stage, an international competition to find the best design concept for the tower. It does not have to look like the 1881 historic tower, in fact it may not look like a traditional tower at all. As a wild futuristic example, the tower could be made out of drones. We are in the innovation capital of the world, it should be creative and reach a bit into the future.

The goal of the fundraiser was to secure the remaining $300,000 required to launch the competition. It may have helped that four (!) San Jose mayors were in attendance, but the goal was nailed.

Phase 4 - Construction

TBD. After the design competition, we will have some idea of what will be included as part of the project and what the costs will be. The preferred location supports a structure up to 150 feet tall, but there may be ways to add virtual height such as with creative lighting or projections. As soon as any new details are available, we'll provide updates ASAP. If you are interested in contributing to this exciting project, you can donate over here.

A New Iconic Monument for San Jose from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.