Equinix Building Data Center in South San Jose

Xilinx has recently sold a 34-acre site in Edenvale to one of the largest operators of data centers in the US, Equinix. The company is planning to build a brand new data center in the area bound by Santa Teresa, San Ignacio Avenue, Via del Oro, and Great Oaks Boulevard. This will be the first major new construction project in the area in years.

There seems to be some downside since a data center won't bring as many jobs as a traditional office building. However, the project will bring much-needed property tax dollars to the City of San Jose while having a minimal impact on traffic and infrastructure... not a bad deal at all.

Source: SVBJ

Weimers Emerging Artists Awards - Call for Artist Submissions

The Leigh Weimers Emerging Artists Awards is a program of the Rotary Club of San Jose created with seed funding from the Spirit of San Jose award committee. The Spirit of San Jose award was created to recognize individuals for their contributions to and support of the City of San Jose, its economic growth, its arts and its community. Leigh Weimers was the first recipient of the award. Additionally, the program receives funding from Rotary Club members, friends of Leigh Weimers and the Knight Foundation Endowment of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Artists in all genres may apply for this award. There is a minimum $5,000 unrestricted cash prize, and three winners will be invited to show their work and/or speak at a lunch meeting at one of the world’s largest Rotary Clubs.

For more information or to apply, please visit: http://weimersawards.com/apply


Weimers Emerging Artists Award - Call for Artist Submissions from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Apigee Officially Filed for an IPO

Downtown San Jose company Apigee has officially filed for an IPO (they will be trading under the Nasdaq ticker "APIC"). The company makes tools to manage and support APIs (Application Program Interfaces). They are the fifth-fastest growing tech company in North America and currently have a valuation of over $700 million. In 2014 they moved from Palo Alto to Downtown San Jose, a big win for our city that is only made more significant by this IPO. Hopefully, Apigee employees will use some of their new riches to contribute to the local community.

Source: Silicon Beat

All Cities in Santa Clara County Merging Into One Mega-City!

In 1998 the was a major amalgamation of all cities surrounding Toronto into one single "mega-city" with shared infrastructure and consolidated government. This model not only reduced the average cost of government services to residents, but it allowed an acceleration of development and urbanization. It appears that city leaders from the 15 Santa Clara County cities have been secretly meeting for years to discuss the possibility of doing something similar in Santa Clara County. A major announcement is expected to be made later this week!

Specifics are still sparse, but you can find more info on this breaking story over here!

Din Tai Fung Coming to Valley Fair

World-famous dumpling house Din Tai Fung has chosen their first (and perhaps only) Bay Area location... and it's not in San Francisco. Din Tai Fung is opening a flagship 8,200 SQFT restaurant in Valley Fair (next to J. Crew). There are only five of these restaurants in the US, three in the LA area and two in Seattle. When the Seattle one opened up, the lines to get in there were three hours long.

This is yet another big win for Valley Fair, which like it's neighbor across the street is bringing in multiple world-class stores and restaurants. This is likely only the beginning since they are about to start on a $600 million expansion that will make it the largest mall in Northern California come 2017. The expansion includes a 150,000 SQFT Bloomingdales, an ultra-premium home store called Pirch, a luxury movie theater, and a Santana Row-style outdoor restaurant/lounge area.

Source: SVBJ

237 at First Office Project Begins Construction

South Bay Development is moving forward with a 615,000 SQFT speculative office project in North San Jose at the intersection of Highway 237 and North First Street. Speculative means that they are building this without a specific tenant in mind. These types of projects typically only get built when the office market is on fire. It's a common practice in Palo Alto and Mountain View, but unfortunately there have not been many "spec" projects moving forward in San Jose. Perhaps that is about to change.

Construction is now beginning on the first phase of the $100 million project, which is broken across four buildings that will be six-stories or so each. South Bay Development acquired the land from Cisco three years ago. The project will also include some of the fun amenities that tech workers have come to expect such as outdoor space with volleyball, basketball, and bocce courts. 237 at First should be completed by June 2016.

Unfortunately there is no retail incorporated into this project, but the @First shopping center is just down the street and a new 150-room Homewood Suites by Hilton will also be built nearby. Now that office vacancy in all of Silicon Valley is below 10% and asking rents have increased 25% over the last four years, it won't be long before more of the surrounding vacant land is filled up.

Source: SVBJ (Subscription Required)

Another Slick City Hall Photo

Cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum has found yet another cool Downtown San Jose photo. This one is by Alejandro Gomez:

The New Eastridge 24 Hour Fitness Opens Today

The eagerly anticipated 24 Hour Fitness at Eastridge Mall is finally open. The huge 38,000 SQFT gym includes stat-of-the-art equipment, a U-shaped indoor pool, a sauna, and a steam room.

Come join the Grand Opening Celebration is today from 9am to 2pm and you can take a tour, participate in exercise class demonstrations, or get a personal health and fitness consultation. Additional details are in the press release below.

New 24 Hour Fitness® Eastridge Super-Sport Club Opens In
“The Silicon Valley Capital”

SAN JOSE, CA – March 19, 2015 – In the shadow of its San Ramon corporate headquarters, Eastridge Center will become home to a new 24 Hour Fitness club which opens to the public later this month, in the heart of the newly remodeled section of the lifestyle shopping mall. The community is invited to the official Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, March 28, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., 2200 Eastridge Loop, Suite 1428, San Jose.

The new club’s knowledgeable staff springs into action on opening day sharing the benefits of functional fitness for prospective members—taking special note of the “Live, Work & Play,” message that defines the city of San Jose. Early birds will arrive first, eager to break in the new club’s state-of-the-art equipment and experience its amenities before the Grand Opening festivities officially begin.  During the Grand Opening itself, kids and families can explore the club and activities that enhance the ability to “live, work and play.”  Club tours, group exercise class demonstrations, including Zumba®, are scheduled throughout the day.  Guests are also encouraged to make an appointment for a personal health and fitness consultation—an enlightening and valuable ingredient to charting a successful fitness journey.

“Our Super-Sport will become a hub of fitness, health and wellness resources for San Jose residents where they live, shop and play,” said Tony Cigliutti, Club Manager.  “We’re thrilled with the opportunity to introduce our talented health and fitness team to the community and share how easy it is to incorporate fitness into everyday life.”

The new, modern club design features nearly 38,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment and amenities to help members stay active and healthy all year-round. Features include:

• A U-shaped indoor pool, sauna and steam room
• Cardio, strength and functional training equipment
• Full schedule of Cycle and Group X® classes
• Personal training services*
• Kids’ Club
• Towel service

To experience the new gym, download a free guest pass from 24hourfitness.com.

*Additional fees apply

About 24 Hour Fitness
Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness is a leading health club industry pioneer, serving nearly 4 million members in more than 400 clubs across the U.S. For more than 30 years, the company has been dedicated to helping members change their lives and reach their individual fitness goals. With convenient club locations, personal training services, popular group exercise classes and a variety of strength, cardio and functional training equipment, 24 Hour Fitness offers fitness solutions for everyone.