VTA board green lights Eastridge Light Rail extension

Finally, the Eastridge Light Rail extension is officially approved. The project will extend VTA Light Rail from the Alum Rock Station to the Eastridge Transit Center, which is 2.4 miles further down Capital Expressway.

The total cost will clock in at a whopping $653 million, which is $122 million over the original budget. This amount will be covered by the VTA's debt reduction fund.

There is one nice silver lining. The extension is expected to be completed 350 days faster than originally estimated. Trains should be running to the new station by 2028.

Source: SVBJ

How much income you need to comfortably afford a San Jose home

Imagine you have just moved your family to San Jose and want to comfortably afford the average mortgage. We're not talking about a luxury home, but your average detached tract home in a San Jose suburb. How much income would you have to make?

Are you ready? $454,296. Almost half a million dollars.

San Francisco requires less, but a still astronomical $339,864 of annual income.

This number is expected to come down in the future with interest rates, which would also increase the supply of homes for sale. In the mean time, we should be doing everything possible to increase the amount of housing available.

Source: NBC Bay Area

Estimated BART costs go up again

If you thought $12.2 billion was astronomical for a 6-mile, 4-station extension... I don't have good news. The Federal Transit Administration now thinks the project will cost $12.8 billion and the timeline will be extended to 2037. Reasons behind the cost increase are primarily the volatility of labor and supply costs.

13 years is a long time. We might be living in a post-AGI word (artificial general intelligence) where costs for design and construction could be significantly lower than expected or perhaps new transit options will arise that were not feasible in the past. While I have voted for the BART extension every single time, the consistent increase of cost estimates and timeline adjustments is concerning.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose's Super Micro is being added to the S&P 500

Super Micro is an IT solutions provider heavily involved in AI infrastructure. The company saw sales double in Q4 over the previous year to $3.66 billion. 

Their stock has exploded, rising nearly 1,000% in the last 12 months. Super Micro's new market cap has qualified it to join the S&P 500 on March 18th, replacing Whirlpool. This has added yet another boost to the stock price.

It's great to see yet another local company doing extremely well.

Source: SVBJ

Daylight saving time is in effect right now ⏰

Reminder to check your offline clocks today and adjust as needed. I tried to generate an AI image for daylight savings in San Jose, and below was the least terrifying option. AI still has a long way to go when rendering letters and numbers.

Anyway, enjoy the 7:11pm sunset time today!

New public art added to the front of the Children's Discovery Museum

A piece of art called "Civic Stage Set" by David Bottini now welcomes visitors to the Children's Discovery Museum in Downtown San Jose. The sculpture has spent the last 30 years on Park Avenue in front of Parkside Hall which was once San Jose's main convention center (fun fact I wasn't aware of).

Now that major construction is taking place at Parkside Hall to make way for a new high-rise project, the piece has been given a fresh coat of paint and moved to it's new permanent home. It looks right at home and fits in with the aesthetic of the Children's Discovery Museum perfectly.

Source: The Mercury News

Get #DTSJLucky for St. Patrick's Day (Mar 8-17)

Today the #DTSJLucky the Leprechaun Hunt kicks off until St. Patrick's Day on Sunday, Marth 17th.

The more you find, the more you can win. Enter for a chance to win gift cards to downtown San Jose businesses when you post a selfie with Lucky, tag @sj_downtown on Instagram or @sjdowntown on Facebook and include #DTSJLucky, or submit your photo with the submission form.

 

Also, earn 2 extra entries when you post or submit a photo of you participating in the Shamrock Run!

Pro tip: use the Lucky the Leprechaun map at sjdowntown.com/dtsjlucky

Winners will be announced every day on @sj_downtown's stories starting on March 11, with a grand prize valued at $250 for the person with the most entries.

A Photo Night in Japantown

Multiple Japantown venues are coming together to showcase photography culture in San Jose. A Photo Night in Japantown was created to gather folks to check out really cool photography and get to know local photographers. It's a mix of solo shows, group shows and photo experiences.

The event takes place this Saturday, March 9th from 4-7pm across the following Japantown venues:

Locations:

1. @empire7studios 

2. @cukui 

3. @coldwater.sj

4. @headliners 

5. @lannynguyenphotography 

6. @thecoterieden 

7. @paradoxbarbers 

8. @knowfuturegallery