New airline for dogs flying out of San Jose International Airport

You read the headline correctly. BARK Air is a new airline flying out of SJC that caters to those travelling with dogs (and deep pockets). Flights are through a charter company with Gulfstream G5s, twin-engine business jets. That means you fly through San Jose Mineta International's Private terminal.

Instead of going in a crate, travelers and pets are greeted an hour before their flight by a concierge that helps get your pet ready for the flight in a spacious cabin. That includes providing things to help dogs stay calm like pheromone sprays, music, and scented refreshment towels. You also get a "just in case" bag filled with calming treats, leashes, poop bags, etc. 

On the flight itself, dogs get served water or bone broth during ascent and descent to ensure they don't experience discomfort due to change in cabin pressure. That's followed by BARK-branded treat, snacks and surprises throughout the flight.

Currently only two routes are offered: SJC to Chicago or New York. However, first class service equals first class prices. Each one-way ticket for a pet plus their owner is $6,000 for Chicago and $6,500 for NYC. 

BARK Air also serves LA, London, Paris, Phoenix, and Miami.

Source: KRON4

Día de San Juan Salsa Fest on June 21

Yet another new music festival is coming to Downtown San Jose this weekend. The inaugural Día de San Juan Salsa Fest is a collaboration between San Jose Jazz (SJZ) and the nonprofit cultural organization MACLA.

The festival will feature three great regional bands: Latin Rhythm Boys, Orquesta Taino, and La Mixta Criolla. In addition to the live music there will be salsa dance lessons, a DJ, and of course food and drinks. It all goes down in Parque de Los Pobladores, across the street from MACLA in Downtown San Jose's artsy SoFA District.

The event is free and runs Friday, June 21st from 5-10pm.

CaliBunga Waterpark San Jose officially opening June 29th!

What was once known as San Jose's Ranging Waters is being reborn as CaliBunga Waterpark San Jose starting on Saturday June 29th. The park is located inside Lake Cunningham Park and features over a dozen water attractions. It'll be open from 11am-6pm every day until August 7th and then open weekends through September.

They have upped the food options with in-park Food Trucks like Los Tres Hermanos and El Bombero 408. Best of all, they are planning a new restaurant and wine garden that will be open year-round! That is a great way to utilize space that would generally be empty most of the year. The restaurant will also have live music and an event space.

Tickets start at $28 for Twilight Admission (after 3pm). General admission starts at $53 and season passes start at $65. You can also rent cabanas with locking storage and food service. For more info, head to the CaliBunga website.

Affordable homes proposed for Monterery Road in Central San Jose

240 homes will be built built on an empty lot on Monterey Road near Senter Road, 237 of which would be designated as "affordable" one-bedroom units. Amenities would include a clubhouse, laundry rooms on each level, bicycle storage, a basketball court, dog park, picnic area, and a BBQ area. The color scheme looks a lot more interesting than many affordable projects, which tend to just be beige or gray boxes.

$70.9 million of construction financing has been closed, funding a good chunk of the $119 million proposal.

Construction is expected to begin this year at 4300 Monterery Road and it will take about two years to complete the project. 

Source: The Mercury News

Google might bring an affordable housing project to Downtown San Jose

Google still has one foot in the door for their ambitious Downtown San Jose plans. A mixed-used project with millions of square feet of office buildings in a neighborhood now dubbed "Downtown West" have been put on hold, but Google has continued some of their projects to build culture and vibrancy around the new district. Now it looks like they might move forward with an affordable housing project where an old Orchard Supply Hardware store once stood (San Jose company btw).

Earlier this year they razed a building at 720 West San Carlos and now they are evaluating building an affordable housing project on this site. If there were to move forward, it would signal that Google is still serious about investing in Downtown San Jose. If they return to the original plan, up to 20,000 employees could be working in of the capital of Silicon Valley. The economic impact and cultural impact would be significant, especially considering Google has some of the highest median salaries of any company on Earth.

Source: The Mercury News

 

BART to Silicon Valley Phase 2 construction officially begins

After decades of planning, the 2nd phase of BART's extension into San Jose (and Santa Clara) is underway. Construction has started in Brokaw Road in Santa Clara and is expected to create 75,000 jobs.

Phase 1 opened about four years ago with the Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose station. Phase 2 will be much more complicated as it requires a subway to be built for three of the stations and will utilize a tunneling method that has been done in the United States. Impact to Downtown San Jose and local businesses should be much less using this method over traditional "cut and cover" subway construction.

The 2nd phase is expected to cost $13 billion and be ready for use in 12 years. The initial estimate was a price tag of $4.4 billion and an opening in 2026. Hopefully there will be some ways to reduce cost and expedite the timeline in the near future.

Source: The Mercury News

San Jose Pride Block Party on June 22nd

The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and Silicon Valley Pride are hosting a free block party on June 22nd from 12pm to 4pm at the Arena Green West (N Autumn St.) in San Jose. The event includes live music and DJs, food, wine/beer, a drag show, and resource booths. Yet another fun event in Downtown San Jose!

New housing project near SoFA gets funding

166 apartments (164 of which are designated as affordable units) are slated for 802 South First Street just outside the traditional boundaries of Downtown San Jose. The site is just south of Highway 280, a few blocks away from SoFA. The six-story building also includes 1,500 SQFT of ground-floor retail. 

The project will cost nearly $100 million. Fortunately, PNC is willing to finance $66 million of that between a construction loan and bridge loan. The rest will be mostly made up by state-backed financing.

The goal is to kick off construction by September with an expected completion date of 2026.

Source: The Mercury News