San Pedro Holiday Market today

There are only a few days left until Christmas, but there are still many opportunities to buy gifts--especially from local entrepreneurs. The San Jose Downtown Association, City of San Jose, and SJMADE are hosting a holiday market at 60 N. San Pedro Street today in the heart of San Pedro Square. There will be over 20 vendors including:

• Ceramics By Jane
• Maco Decor
• Kyla Camille Candles
• Genevieve Inspired
• AJNA California
• Voyager Leather Crafts
• Yours Truly, Mary Anne
• The Hungry Sloth
• Kawaii Glass Co
• Charlotte Truffles
• SoyFeliz
• Love Through Letterpress
• Jale
• Peachisekai
• Thousand Skies
• A Jar of Pickles
• The Herbal Alchemist
• Dandekie

The event will run from noon to 6pm and you also get 90 minutes of free parking at the Market & San Pedro Garage, conveniently located next to the event.

For more info, head over here.

Gifts given to the City of San Jose

I learned a little history at SJ Today about some of the philanthropic gifts San Jose has received over the years. The big one is Emma Prusch Farm Park, which was an 87-acre dairy farm donated to the City of San Jose in 1962. If you were wondering why this valuable piece of land has been protected for so long and hasn't been chopped up to become apartment buildings, Prusch stipulated that it needs maintain it's rural character as part of the donation. To see other big San Jose donations, hit the source link below.

Source: SJ Today

Data center would be used to warm and cool proposed Downtown San Jose high-rises

Westbank and PG&E are forming an unconventional partnership. Westbank wants to build a project that would include 4,000 total residential units and three data centers. 

Data centers use very large amounts of energy and require vast heating and cooling systems for those stacks of computers. The idea would be to use an underground system that could recycle excess energy from the data centers to provide heat and hot water to neighboring buildings. A similar thing can be done for cooling. PG&E believes that three data centers could potentially fuel 200,000 homes.

The three data centers would need about 200 MW of energy, and are expected to be used for AI. PG&E believes that new approaches like this could could help trim monthly expenses and lead to more affordable energy systems.

If this moves forward, construction for the first data center will begin within 12 months with the goal being completion in 2027. The second would be targeted for completion in 2028 and the third in 2029.

Source: SVBJ

New Downtown San Jose Artwork

Our friends at West Coast Artworks have several new canvas prints available featuring Downtown San Jose. I especially like the two new ones below. 

One highlights the MIRO towers, San Jose City Hall, and the Bank of Italy building. The other is a unique shot of the SoFA district starting with The Pierce and Sparq. In fact, that is probably the view that many will get from San Jose's newest luxury apartment building, The Fay.

I have purchased several of these prints and love them. They are always conversation starters for guests.

To see all of the new artwork, including those that ship in time for Christmas, head over here.

Caltrain's double tower project in Downtown San Jose moves forward

Caltrain is planning to partner with a developer to build a 15-story and 16-story tower on 3 acres right in front of Diridon station in Downtown San Jose. To goal would be to help kickstart other projects and transit ridership in the area.

The project would come in at 1.1 million SQFT of commercial space--yes commercial and not residential. Most developers today are switching to residential as quickly as possible given the state of the commercial markets, but it sounds like Caltrain is taking a bold long-term perspective on this investment.

The development would also blend in retail and entertainment venues as well as a once acre publicly accessibly open space and plaza. Ironically, four levels of underground parking for 792 spaces would also be built as part of this transit-oriented-development.

Currently there is no ETA for when construction would begin but San Jose has just approved the required permits. The ball is in Caltrain's court.

Source: The Mercury News

Keystone Marriott construction update

San Jose is in need of more hotel rooms, especially with the former Fairmont Annex tower now being used as SJSU housing and both the World Cup and Supper Bowl coming to the San Jose Metro in 2026. One of the few active hotel projects currently underway is a new Keystone Marriott near Diridon Station at 495 West San Carlos Street in San Jose

The project is close to both Downtown San Jose and Midtown. The hotel is eight stories and will have 176 rooms, each with a full kitchenette. Two cool features are a courtyard in the middle of the hotel on the fourth floor and a penthouse-level indoor-outdoor lounge with a bar and BBQ pit.

It'll be branded as a Townplace Suites hotel (part of the Marriott family) and is expected to be complete in early 2025. Below the render you can see a recent construction photo with the scaffolding starting to come down.

Source: SJNewKid from Skyscraper City, SFYIMBY

Hobee's Restaurant and Beer Garden is now open in Downtown San Jose

San Jose's newest Hobee's sits in a blue Victorian that used to be Ludwig's German Table. It also has one feature that no other Hobee's has, a beer garden. This element of the menu will open in 2025, but diners can already enjoy the breakfasts and coffeecakes that Hobee's is known for.

The current seating capacity is 65 on the inside and up to 140 outdoors. The new location is planning to play a strong role in the community and is already getting repeat customers and regulars.

Hobee's Restaurant and Beer Garden is located at 261 N. Second Street and is currently open from 8am to 2pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Those hours should expand in 2025. 

Source: The Mercury News

Outdoor Adventure hub coming to Santa Clara/North San Jose area in January

AVE Santa Clara, at 2240 Calle de Luna, is setting a new standard for apartment living in Silicon Valley with its launch of the AVEnture Hub. Offering first move-ins in January 2025, residents get free access to an array of outdoor gear—from bikes to kayaks—encouraging exploration of our local amenities.

Lea Anne Welsh of AVE explains, "It's about enriching life with nature's playground." The hub includes:

• Varied Equipment: For all adventure types.
• User-Friendly App: For gear scheduling.
• Social Space: To connect and plan adventures.

Steve Edwards from Ensemble Investments adds, "We're making outdoor adventures accessible and communal."

Beyond the adventure hub, AVE Santa Clara boasts luxury amenities and is steps from Clara’s Junction. With 311 units, both furnished and traditional, it's redefining Silicon Valley living. Applications are open at AVE Santa Clara's site.