San Jose Development News [Archive]

mr_storms

May 2nd, 2006, 05:18 PM

Adobe in talks to buy downtown San Jose lot
PARCEL CALLED IDEAL FOR COMPANY
By Jon Ann Steinmetz
Mercury News

The last downtown property big enough to support an Adobe-sized office campus may find a familiar buyer: Adobe itself.

Adobe Systems, downtown San Jose's most visible high-tech company, is in negotiations to buy some or all of a 5.5-acre parcel of land owned by the San Jose Water Co., according to individuals familiar with the talks. The site is across from the HP Pavilion on West Santa Clara Street.

If a deal is consummated, it would set in motion the first new office construction downtown in years, on the only remaining land large enough for multiple towers. And it would surely please the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, which has had limited success luring major technology companies downtown since it gave subsidies for Adobe's headquarters to the tune of $35 million in the mid-'90s.

``It was awfully fortuitous to subsidize that particular user,'' said real estate broker Mark Ritchie of Ritchie Commercial, which specializes in downtown property. ``Look at how many companies have come and gone, and Adobe has prospered. It's one of the all-time Super Bowl rings of RDA performance.''

The water company couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday. A spokesman for the software company, which announces its quarterly earnings today, would say only that ``we don't have anything we can say publicly about our real estate plans.'' Adobe specializes in digital document software and graphic design programs.

But sources say the water company would like to have Adobe develop the parcel, most likely for a fourth tower a stone's throw from Adobe's three-tower, million-square-foot Park Avenue headquarters that houses 2,300 employees.

Former Mayor Tom McEnery called Adobe ``the likeliest suspect'' because few companies are growing enough that they'd need up to a million square feet of new space.

``That's the rumor I've heard, and it certainly makes sense,'' he said. ``It's a great piece of property, and I'm sure all of us would like to see some buildings on it, and it couldn't be any better than Adobe.''

The land is the eastern portion of an 8-acre site on the east and west sides of Delmas Avenue put on the market last year by SJW Land Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly traded SJW Corp. That parcel is zoned for more than a million square feet of office and commercial use, while the 2.5-acre parcel on the west side of Delmas is zoned for 325 high-rise residential units and up to 15,000 square feet of retail.

The San Jose Sharks have an intense interest in the future of the property because of parking issues. The Sharks also had been rumored as a potential buyer, but Executive Vice President and General Counsel Don Gralnek said that's not the case.

``That property has provided an important supply of surface parking to the arena,'' he said, ``and we hope that whoever the new owner is, that parking will be made available to the arena.''

The last office built downtown was Sobrato Development's 17-story tower at 488 Almaden Blvd., completed in late 2002 and never occupied.

arturo

May 2nd, 2006, 08:23 PM

I must say I'm impressed by the quick turnout on this thread. Go SJ!
Does anyone know the status of 8 San Fernando? Last I heard it was on hold/cancelled.
Also, does anyone know what's going on at Almaden Blvd/Santa Clara? They seem to be tearing some stuff out.

robertee

May 2nd, 2006, 11:57 PM

From the SF thread:

High-rise condos next at the Row
Sharon Simonson

On the heels of its spectacularly successful sale of residential condominiums at San Jose's Santana Row, Federal Realty Investment Trust is asking the city to increase its allocation of housing units at the 42-acre site to 1,600 -- a 33 percent increase from what it is currently allowed.

The move is being viewed favorably by city staff, says Acting Planning Director Joe Horwedel. The city has wanted to increase housing counts on the property for some time, he adds.

At least some of the units are likely to be included in two additional high-rise towers the city is also encouraging for the site. Those towers would be limited to 120 feet or roughly 12 stories, Mr. Horwedel says.

The city has contemplated various locations for the two towers at the development, all generally on the western half of the property closer to Winchester Avenue. Nothing has been settled yet.

The new housing entitlements are not expected to supplant plans for another 125,000 square feet of retail at Santana Row or a proposed 191-room hotel, Chief Executive Don Wood told analysts during a Feb. 22 conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and year-end 2005 results.

However, the company is exploring a change from hotel to retail, possibly with housing on top, at a site at the development's main entrance from Stevens Creek Boulevard, Mr. Horwedel says.

The parcel, now a surface parking lot, is likely one of the most valuable remaining on the property, according to Green Street Advisors of Newport Beach, which tracks Federal Realty on behalf of investors. The site is considered appropriate for one of the two 120-foot towers, as well, city staff says. By way of comparison, the building that now houses the Hotel Valencia at Santana Row is 105 feet high.

Meanwhile, Federal has announced plans to sell two small sites with entitlements to develop 400 housing units. The company expects to put them on the market in the next 30 to 60 days. It will offer the land and development rights unpriced, a customary practice. Mr. Wood said he expects to receive top dollar for them.

"Santana Row is well-recognized in the Bay Area as a successful destination from the standpoint of home buyers and retailers. (So) it would seem to me that the values would be extremely aggressive," Mr. Wood said. He declined to offer any indication of what the actual sales prices might be.

Both sites are positioned immediately behind existing buildings east of the development's central roadway, which is also named Santana Row.

Chip Macdonald, a land-broker and principal with Santa Clara's CPS Commercial Property Services, says he would not be surprised to see as many as 20 bidders for the properties.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some home buyers might not like Santana Row because there is a lot going on, but it's a unique, upscale living environment that few, if any, other developers have created in Santa Clara County," he says. "It's got a great mix of retail services and restaurants, and it's well-located relative to the workplace and larger community."

Whatever developers acquire the land could clearly capitalize on those strengths, he adds.

The two properties offered for sale are 1.5 acres and 2.1 acres, says Jeffrey S. Berkes, Federal's chief investment officer. The company has the right to put 170 units on the smaller piece and 240 units on the larger, though how the development is ultimately configured -- including possibly fewer homes -- would be at the discretion of the buyer, Mr. Berkes says. Neither site is contemplated for the high-rise towers as both properties have height limits of 90 feet.

Federal intends to maintain a fair amount of final development control, whoever buys, Mr. Berkes says.

The land-sale announcement follows news from Federal that through Feb. 13 it had closed sales on 152 of the 219 condominiums it earmarked for disposition in 2005. Another 30 of the condos are under contract. It expects to sell out in the next several months.

In a statement of earnings released Feb. 21 for its fourth quarter and all of 2005, Federal increased its estimated gross sales proceeds from the condos to $150 million. The company said as recently as October that it expected to receive $135 million.

The rest of the article: http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/02/27/story3.html?t=printable

Project to help jazz up SOFA
THEATER AND CENTER FOR ARTS IN WORKS

Posted on Wed, Feb. 15, 2006
By Janice Rombeck
Mercury News

San Jose's plan to cultivate a South First Street arts district moved forward Tuesday with selection of a builder, who will be required to provide space for two arts groups on the ground-floor of its housing units.

The city council gave unanimous approval to the redevelopment agency to work out a $5.55 million deal with SummerHill Homes, which will buy two plots of city-owned land on South First Street.

SummerHill plans to tear down the buildings on the site and replace them with an 18-story condominium tower with a theater on one corner, and a six-story housing complex with an arts center on another. The developer would give the theater and arts center back to the city after the project is built.

Ninety luxury lofts would be sold in the tower, and 50 condos would be sold in the complex across the street. SummerHill also developed the housing in Georgetown and Mariani Square in San Jose.

The SOFA area where the project is planned is home to the California Theatre, the Museum of Quilts and Textiles and the future site of an expanded San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art.

The buildings at South First and William streets are now leased by San Jose Stage Company and MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana), which are expected to move into the new buildings. The theater company would be able to nearly double its seating in the new state-of-the-art venue. MACLA would also double its space to run visual, performance and literary arts programs.

``We're bursting at the seams here,'' said Tamara Alvarado, executive director of the 17-year-old organization that supports more than 50 small arts groups.

Cathleen King, executive director of the Stage Company, echoed the remark.

``We've pretty much maxed out in this building,'' she said of the 7,000-square-foot theater that was once a tire service center. ``There are a lot of standard technical elements this theater doesn't have access to.''

The Stage Company and MACLA would help design the new theater and the arts center, complete with a gallery, small theater and classrooms. The city's redevelopment agency is expected to help the groups find a temporary home during construction. Guerrero's Market, which shares a two-story building with MACLA, would be relocated.

San Jose in the past few years has created many projects that mix housing with retail, but this is the first that combines housing and arts features. Most ground-floor designs are devoted to shops or offices.

SummerHill is expected to build the theater and arts center, and the non-profits would be responsible for improving the interior.

Housing developers plunge into North First redevelopment
Sharon Simonson

A city of San Jose plan to transform its North First Street industrial corridor into a 21st century community with housing, shops and next-generation office buildings is showing signs of being more than a paper-bound dream.

Housing developers ranging from San Jose's Barry Swenson Builder and The Riding Group to Palo Alto's Essex Property Trust Inc. have filed applications with the city to build approximately 4,000 condominiums and apartments in the area, mostly proposed as mid- and high-rise structures.

At the same time, the plan has yet to prove itself as a magnet for new business, one of its main reasons for being. So far one company -- San Jose's Cadence Design Systems Inc. -- is exploiting the new standards, seeking permission to build 208,000 square feet next to its existing 800,000-square-foot Seely Avenue headquarters.

Much is at stake for San Jose in the remake of its Northern district. Without doubt, North San Jose has been the county's most significant concentration of industry, attracting global companies such as eBay, Cisco Systems and many others. Its companies also have been major tax producers for the city of San Jose, often subsidizing city redevelopment efforts downtown.

But in the past several years, the North San Jose corridor has lost cachet as companies have fled the valley, taking about 200,000 jobs with them. Last year, the area narrowly missed marking its fifth consecutive year of rising vacancy in its predominantly office/R&D buildings. Those buildings ended 2005 at nearly 30 percent empty, according to research from commercial real estate expert Jim Beeger of Cornish & Carey Real Estate. That dismal performance is not limited to North San Jose in Silicon Valley, though it is among the region's worst and compares particularly unfavorably to markets such as Palo Alto, where vacancy is less than 10 percent, and Mountain View, where Google has ignited a leasing boom.

Most of the 5,000-acre region has low-slung, one- and two-story office and R&D buildings. City and industry sources generally agree that about a quarter of those buildings are obsolete. The new development plan adopts standards aimed at producing an environment for urban living that would be more attractive to commerce. The policy generally does two things: It opens the possibility to develop 285 acres of industrially-zoned land for housing, and it allows land owners to develop their parcels more densely.

Residential real estate is in steep demand in the valley today and is the most valuable type of property, selling far in excess of $5.5 million an acre at highly desirable locations. Increasing a property's development capacity boosts its market value but allowing greater density makes it cheaper per square foot for a company to develop the land.

The bulk of the seven applications, two of which are preliminary and designed more to seek city reaction to an idea rather than to map out a hard-and fast-proposal, were filed in the final three months of 2005. San Jose City Council approved the North First Street re-do only last summer.

The 4,000 unit count does not include any new housing that might go on North First Street's 16.5-acre Hyatt San Jose site at Old Bayshore Highway. In July, the Business Journal reported the Hyatt property was being eyed as a redevelopment site for multiple high-rise housing and hotel towers. Only a sketchy set of drawings with limited detail have been filed with the city at this point on that project, staff says.

Councilman Chuck Reed, whose district includes much of North San Jose, says he is not at all surprised the housing developers have jumped as fast as they have.

"There is no piece of dirt in San Jose without housing developers circling it to see if they can use it," Mr. Reed says.

At the same time, he says, their interest "validates at least part of the assumptions on which the North First Street planning is based -- that there is enough housing demand to drive the plan forward and to provide money for the infrastructure."

Hundreds of millions of dollars of roadway improvements are to accompany the build out of the new plan from new U.S. 101 exchanges to miles of new neighborhood streets.

Key, however, to the plan's success, is whether businesses will follow the housing, Mr. Reed adds.

Housing developers will not be allowed to build unbridled. A legally required environmental review of the entire project is premised on the completion of both housing and industrial development in four phases. In the first, the city won't allow more than 8,000 homes to be built until there is also 7 million square feet of industrial space going up. The pattern continues up to a maximum of 32,000 new houses and enough new workspace to house about 85,000 workers.

North First Street property owner Russell Filice says the city may have hit a home run with the plan.

"I think it's a tremendous move. In the future, high-rise living is going to come to this valley. People my age and young people don't need houses with yards, and, with traffic the way it is and a trolley right out front... San Jose is becoming a real city," he says.

Mr. Filice and a partner own three acres immediately across from the Hyatt Hotel site where Barry Swenson hopes to put up two or three towers with 450 condominiums. A 1980 multi-tenant office building of about 60,000 square feet occupies the site. Mr. Filice says he is happy to keep it or to see it redeveloped as planned.

:)

surrill

May 3rd, 2006, 12:08 AM

this was an article from last yr on sj biz journal.....sorry if its been posted in the frisco thread, but since we got our own thread here we go...

Hotel to be site of condo tower
At 30 stories, it would be city's tallest
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - July 29, 2005by Brad Berton and Andrew F. Hamm

The owner of one of Silicon Valley's largest and most-recognized properties -- the resort-style Hyatt San Jose near the Mineta San Jose International Airport -- is in talks to transform his 16.5-acre holding into a mixed use residential complex that would blend a hotel with as many as six high-rise condominium towers.

At least one of the envisioned towers would soar toward the full permitted height of 305 feet, making the 30-story towers the tallest buildings in San Jose.

Manoucher "Manou" Mobedshahi, who has owned the lushly landscaped Hyatt at North First Street and Old Bayshore Highway since 1997, says no agreement has yet been struck, but brokers working on the deal confirm exclusive negotiations are underway with a buyer.

"We would be handling the hotel business; we don't know about the condo business. That would be handled by someone else," Mr. Mobedshahi says.

Jim Schmidt, vice president at Cornish & Carey Commercial in Santa Clara, declined to identify the front-running bidder but says most of the numerous interested parties, including one now working with Mr. Mobedshahi, evaluated the property on the basis of redeveloping at least a portion of the property for residential use.

"If they can do that, there's no question the financial value is significantly greater than maintaining the property as a hotel," say Tom Callahan, CEO of hotel advisory firm PKF Consulting's West region in San Francisco.

Mr. Schmidt and C&C senior sales associate Mark Russell have been overseeing the property's marketing efforts on behalf of the ownership group known as Manco Partners, which is headed by Mr. Mobedshahi. While Mr. Schmidt won't reveal the top bid, he said Mr. Mobedshahi's original asking price was $100 million.

Mr. Mobedshahi would neither confierm nor deny that price, but says no deal is imminent. He says it would take at least three years to get the necessary permits together once a deal is struck to begin construction.

"It's all market-driven," Mr. Mobedshahi says.

In 2001, Manco Partners submitted plans to the city of San Jose to build an 30-story office complex on an empty four-acre section of the Hyatt property. That plan fell apart when Silicon Valley office vacancy numbers went from 2.5 percent to 16 percent today, according to figures from CB Richard Ellis. Other surveys have put that number at over 20 percent.

_____the rest of the article can be found on the biz journal.

surrill

May 3rd, 2006, 12:10 AM

$1 billion vision for San Jose
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - February 17, 2006by Andrew F. Hamm and Timothy Roberts

A fledging group of cultural enthusiasts is lining up support for a $1 billion-plus plan to transform downtown San Jose into Silicon Valley's sports, entertainment and cultural mecca.

The "Creative Urban Center" plan being put together by 1stAct Silicon Valley is backed by leaders of most cultural arts entities in the city. The plan -- which presumably would rely on a bond issue and require a public vote at some unspecified date -- is designed to have a little bit of something for everybody, including new baseball and soccer stadiums, a new concert hall and art museum as well as a bevy of renovated theaters for every taste.

With San Jose being the (nation's) 10th-largest city, there is no reason why we shouldn't be a ... destination," says Connie Martinez, executive director of the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose and co-chair of a 1stAct subcommittee putting the finishing touches on the plan.

The proposal, scheduled to be presented to the public by June, is being put together with financial backing from Adobe Systems, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, among others.

Among the projects in the planning stages are:

An expansion of The Tech Museum with a veritable theme park of interactive simulations and games on the site now occupied by Parkside Hall.
Construction of separate state-of-the-art stadiums for professional baseball and soccer and a renovation of Spartan Stadium.
An upgrade of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center that would make the area now covered by a temporary tent into permanent exhibit space.
Construction of a new music center and a $35 million upgrade of existing downtown theater venues.
Relocation of the San Jose Museum of Art to the old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library site on San Carlos Avenue.
The subcommittee hopes to have a first draft computer-imagined PowerPoint presentation put together by April that will show what San Jose would look like with its makeover complete. Projects will be added and/or dropped and the presentation fine-tuned with an eye toward a public unveiling in June.

"It will look very good. The question is how do we (finance) it," says Dan Keegan, executive director of the San Jose Museum of Art, who is working with Ms. Martinez on finishing the proposal. "Right now, money isn't the emphasis. It's really about the vision."

The idea of making downtown San Jose a "destination center" is not a new one. The San Jose Redevelopment Agency's push to get more restaurants and clubs downtown, the introduction of the San Jose Grand Prix, the Jazz Festival and Cinequest and the push to build high-rise condominium towers have all fed into the idea of developing a "critical mass" of people to turn downtown San Jose into a thriving entity.

However, despite some successes, downtown San Jose has had its share of failed visions.

Most prominent is the $1 billion Palladium Co. downtown renewal project, which envisioned retail, housing, hotel and office development. It never got off the drawing board partly because of unrealistic expectations and a changing economic landscape. The proposed BART extension into San Jose faces an uncertain future due to funding woes while the San Jose McEnery Convention Center tried and failed to get funding for an $320 million permanent expansion project

arturo

May 11th, 2006, 10:01 PM

Okay, here are some things that may inspire further postings :)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/DTHighRise.jpg<br>

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/High_Rise_Housing.gif

mr_storms

May 11th, 2006, 11:58 PM

nice list

612bv3

May 21st, 2006, 01:03 AM

8 East San Fernando
http://www.rockgroupdevelopment.com/images/8_east_sanfernan.jpg

The bigger the better.

http://www.msechman.com/somsanjose/somsanjose1_1000.jpg

mr_storms

May 23rd, 2006, 01:11 AM

ooooooh thats a really nice looking render

IRAZU

May 24th, 2006, 10:28 AM

NICE BUILDING!!!

Greetings from Willow Glen to all in this subforo!

mr_storms

May 24th, 2006, 07:03 PM

Residential vs. industrial
CITY PLANNING STAFF RECOMMENDS AGAINST PROJECTS THEY SAY WILL ADD HOUSING AT EXPENSE OF BUSINESS
By Deborah Lohse
Mercury News

In what could become an important test of San Jose's commitment to preserve land for industry, city staff planners are recommending against a proposal to build up to 1,150 housing units on 23 acres surrounding the Goodwill Industries warehouse near Japantown.

The planners fear that if housing is permitted there, pressure will mount to allow nearly 100 additional acres of land stretching from the Seventh Street Goodwill site to Highway 101 also to become residential. Together, that 123 acres would represent about 12 percent of the land the city has set aside for ``light industry.''

``It sets the dominoes in motion,'' said acting planning director Joe Horwedel.

Horwedel asserts that the city can't afford to lose land for industries that support other businesses, such as auto shops for taxi companies, drilling services for construction businesses, or glass or plastic suppliers, which now populate the area around Commercial Street between Fifth and 10th streets.

``These kinds of jobs are critical to the long-term economic health of the city,'' said Horwedel.

Tuesday, the city council officially accepted a memo describing the planning department's effort to recommend an early denial to the Goodwill site project. The memo also recommended early denial to another proposed project that would turn 30 acres along Old Oakland Road between Brokaw Road and Schallenberger Road into housing.

Today, the city's planning commission will consider those recommendations. Then, on June 13, the city council is scheduled to vote on whether to grant the denials or ask the planning department to continue analyzing the two projects for formal consideration perhaps later this year.

Rare move

The planning department has rarely recommended such early denials, said Horwedel, but now wants to apply this shortcut to avoid spending too much time on proposals that seem to clearly run afoul of city policies, he said. However, if the city council orders the staff to continue evaluating such proposals, they will do so.

A number of city council policy edicts in recent years have called upon city leaders to preserve industrial land because it brings in the jobs and sales taxes needed to help pay for city services.

But San Jose has not been able to stand firm against such conversions in recent years, planners and observers agree, partly because it doesn't have an up-to-date general plan for the city. The document is something politicians, developers, neighborhoods and others hammer out to reach agreement on the overarching planning policy of the city. State law stipulates it should be updated every 10 years.

Instead, the council for years has been granting piecemeal exceptions to the now 14-year-old general plan, slowly chipping away at land that years ago was set aside for light industry, heavy industrial use or office parks.

Campaign effect

This year's mayoral campaign could be complicating matters, too. Some longtime development experts note that candidates -- who often get the majority of their contributions from developers -- are usually loath to turn down big projects during campaign season. William Lyon Homes, which hopes to build homes at the Goodwill site, has donated $500 each to candidates Cindy Chavez and Dave Cortese. Kevin Ebrahimi of Lyon did not return a call for comment on the project.

Chavez, whose district includes the Goodwill site, said she hasn't decided anything on Goodwill. But she's concerned about whether the project is being denied before neighborhood residents or surrounding businesses have had a chance to weigh in. She said she wants to ensure that any project there fits in with other goals for the area, such as adding more retail stores.

Mark Lazzarini, managing principal with DAL Properties, which is working with Lyon Homes on the Goodwill project, said he believes that a workable compromise can be reached with city planners that includes housing.

Still, some residents in nearby Japantown intend to speak out against adding more high-density housing at the Goodwill site, saying their area is becoming saturated with cookie-cutter townhomes and rental units.

``People are really getting tired of continued development that's all the same,'' said William Lambson, chairman of the Japantown Neighborhood Association. He said traffic, crime and parking have all worsened alarmingly since new housing has come in.

Incompatible plan

Separately, planning officials are not recommending the Oakland Road project because they say that site -- stretching from the southwest corner of Brokaw and Old Oakland roads to an area across the street from San Jose Municipal Golf Course -- is ideal for a ``big box'' retailer such as Costco or Home Depot. But the proposed project for 600 housing units and 50,000 square feet of retail space is ``not consistent'' with San Jose's goal to ``improve its jobs/housing balance,'' said the planning department.

Developers of that project, including the Riding Group and Morley Brothers, believe it complies with the city's current goals for that area, and they have sent each council and planning-commission member lengthy packets making their case.

Principals and spouses affiliated with the Riding Group and the Morley Brothers have given money to candidates Chavez, Cortese and Chuck Reed.

surrill

May 25th, 2006, 12:46 AM

does anybody know whats going on with north san jose??? last i heard, the county and city had settled their differences. when can we expect some action there?

arturo

May 25th, 2006, 02:01 AM

Glad to see they aren't recommending housing near Japantown anymore. When will the learn it needs to be near public transportation, and housing above ground-floor retail?! I just wish City Hall made the approval process for good projects simple and quick. Errrr.

*NOR CAL*

May 25th, 2006, 07:30 AM

So it's not San Jose, but anyone got some news and pictures on the 101-85 interchange. (Hey, it's still in Santa Clara county) I believe it's almost finished now.

mr_storms

May 25th, 2006, 10:04 PM

So it's not San Jose, but anyone got some news and pictures on the 101-85 interchange. (Hey, it's still in Santa Clara county) I believe it's almost finished now.
the carpool to carpool ramps opened on wednesday, about time!

surrill

June 9th, 2006, 03:41 AM

looks like its Chavez V.S. Reed in November.

vadin

June 12th, 2006, 02:42 PM

S.J. FACILITIES EXPLORE SHARING OLD LIBRARY SITE
By John Woolfolk
Mercury News

San Jose's art museum, housed in a former 19th-century post office, wants more room. So does the city's convention center -- so badly that it put a tent over a parking lot to create more space.

Now officials who run those institutions are exploring a joint solution they say would be a first: Replace the city's former main library with a building nearly four times the size, and have it serve as a new, expanded art museum and an extension of the adjacent San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

``If you can imagine the idea of walking through a newly expanded Museum of Art, and that was the entrance into the convention center -- we just think it could be a very exciting prospect,'' said Dan Fenton, president of the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The plan would expand the art museum space, triple the convention center's ballroom space and create a unique gathering spot that would give San Jose an edge in the hot competition for convention business.

``A convention center that's an art museum is going to be a draw, as opposed to plain-vanilla space,'' said Paul Krutko, San Jose's economic development director. ``This is an example of the kind of creativity you get in Silicon Valley, just like we were the first in the country to do a joint library with a university.''

Tripling the museum's size also would allow it to showcase ``blockbuster'' exhibits like the avant-garde paintings of Marc Chagall recently displayed in San Francisco, said Executive Director Dan Keegan.

The concept involves constructing a 320,000-square-foot building that would cover both the former library site and the plaza in front of the convention center, between the Marriott and Hilton hotels along Santa Clara Street. The museum would get 225,000 square feet of space and the convention center 95,000 square feet, of which 50,000 square feet would be shared between the two.

A decision on whether to pursue the project isn't expected until late fall, after museum and convention bureau officials figure out how much it would cost, whether they could raise enough money through donations and a hotel tax, and how joint operation would work.

But it could prove vital to San Jose's economy. Convention visitors are the city's biggest source of hotel business, spending about $200 million a year locally, according to a 2005 San Jose State University study. But the convention center is struggling amid intense competition from other cities.

``It's critically important,'' said Kim Walesh, San Jose's assistant director of economic development. ``San Jose and the South Bay aren't major destinations for tourists, so the convention center here is even more important to our economy because we rely more on business travel.''

The stage for the expansion proposal was set in 2003, when the city and San Jose State University christened their new, jointly run Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library at Fourth and San Fernando streets.

In early 2004, museum officials approached the city about using the five-story, 85,000-square-foot former main library as an expansion site for a proposed International Center for Art and Technology they hoped to open this summer. The new center would have featured electronic ``new media'' art and use technology to present more traditional art forms.

But after researching that idea, they concluded the result would still fall short. Museum officials say they need about 250,000 square feet to become a world-class destination like the 225,000-square-foot San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which opened 11 years ago.

Taking over the old King library would give the museum a combined total of just 163,000 square feet, and it would mean operating on two sites, inconveniently divided between the old library and the museum's current location at Market and San Fernando. The museum still would suffer from what Krutko called ``mid-size-itis,'' and eventually require a bigger site.

So earlier this year, museum and convention bureau officials began talking about teaming up. If the idea goes forward, the museum would leave its current location and the city would find a new tenant for the historic post office building that was built in 1892, though fundraising for its restoration would continue.

The convention bureau says the McEnery center, built in 1989, needs to be renovated, expanded and distinguished from its competitors.

After the narrow defeat of a 2002 ballot measure that would have provided $370 million to expand the McEnery center by raising San Jose's hotel tax from 10 percent to 14 percent, the convention bureau last year erected a $6.77 million expansion tent on an adjacent parking lot. Called South Hall, it added 80,000 square feet, and the bureau hopes some day to convert it to permanent building space. Still, they say it's not enough.

What the McEnery center needs most is more ballroom space, which businesses use for general meetings, breakout sessions and banquets, said senior sales manager Joe Fuentes. The proposed project would allow the McEnery center to add two 40,000-square-foot ballrooms.

Kristen Clemens, spokeswoman for the Destination Marketing Association International, which represents convention and visitors bureaus, said she had not heard of any convention center-art museum combinations, though she added that they don't track such things. But she said convention bureaus nationwide are trying harder to differentiate themselves.

``It's all about figuring out what your destination experience is,'' Clemens said, ``what you offer your visitor that's unique.''

vadin

June 14th, 2006, 12:35 AM

San Jose mulls extending high-rise incentive
CITY'S AFFORDABLE-UNIT EXEMPTION HELPED BRING HOUSING TO DOWNTOWN
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

Meri Simon / Mercury News
City Heights is the only housing project so far on track to meet the deadline for the affordable-units exemption deadline, June 30.
More photos
Three projects relying on affordable-unit exemption
San Jose mayoral candidates Cindy Chavez and Chuck Reed both want to give developers a break by extending a program that encourages high-rise housing downtown.

The two-year program, set to expire June 30, could come up at today's council meeting.

Under the program, high-rise developers who obtained building permits by that deadline could win exemptions from the city's requirement that 20 percent of the units sell for less than market rates.

But just one project, City Heights at Julian and San Pedro streets, is clearly on track to meet the deadline.

Chavez and Reed were not willing to say how far out they would be willing to extend the program. But Reed said he planned to discuss the issue.

``The waiver was to try to jump-start the process for residential high-rise projects and that's exactly what happened,'' Reed said. ``Unfortunately, two years is not long enough.''

Chavez also credited the program with delivering results.

``Two years ago we had zero projects coming forth to the council. Now we have one under construction, three in the immediate pipeline and 10 in some stage of development,'' Chavez said. ``I think waiving the requirement is part of the reason for these projects.''

City staff is now weighing the merits of setting a goal for the number of high-rise units that could be exempted, rather than another time-sensitive deadline, said John Weis, deputy executive director of San Jose's redevelopment agency.

``The program has been successful -- we have 697 units -- but we'd like to have more,'' Weis said.

The program was conceived as developers of San Jose's first condo towers weighed how to cushion the financial risk. Lenders were reluctant to underwrite high-rise projects in a city that had no track record with them. And in the two years since then, building costs have only gone up. The program waives the affordable-units requirement, and puts the first two years of a project's tax revenue into a fund for affordable housing.

Well-known developer Barry Swenson said builders must borrow more money on projects that have an affordability component, and it drives up the price of the market-rate units.

``It does hurt you with your lenders,'' said Swenson. His company, Barry Swenson Builder, is the developer of the City Heights project.

The city is trying to attract more residential housing downtown, in its goal to develop a vibrant city core. But the cost of setting aside units for people making less than the median income was scaring builders off.

``It's a challenge to get more people living in downtown San Jose,'' said Chavez, who represents downtown residents. ``We can't subsidize retail indefinitely.''

To be granted the waiver, a project had to be at least 12 stories high and located in a 10-block-by-10-block district bounded by Highway 87, Interstate 280, Fourth Street and the Union Pacific railroad tracks. And the building permit application had to be filed by June 30 of this year.

Two high-rise developments have applied for foundation, but not building, permits.

City staff has now recommended that a foundation permit be considered as meeting the requirement because at that point the developer must commit money to build the project.

Removing the affordability requirement assured the construction of at least one of the projects currently in the pipeline, a 328-unit project at 38 N. Almaden.

Without the waiver, ``it wouldn't pencil out financially for the ownership,'' said Kevin Sauser, an architect with Ankrom Moisan of Portland, Ore., working for Almaden Tower Ventures. ``They would not make as much money, and it's hard to recoup your costs.''

The Almaden project came under scrutiny when it went up against a height requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration for buildings in the flight path of Mineta San Jose International Airport. Eventually the developers received approval to build to 228 feet.

``You will see more projects go forward if the affordable housing requirement is waived,'' Sauser said. ``We've got one on our desk that is dependent on this waiver for a project of similar size to the other.''

In the report to the council, redevelopment agency staff noted that San Jose exceeds the state's requirements for the number of affordable housing units. As of April, the city had 4,270 units compared with almost 2,100 in 2001, according to an analysis by Keyser-Marston Associates.

``We've built more affordable housing than any other city in the state of California in the last seven years,'' Chavez said.

That record gives the city leeway to consider extending the waiver, Reed said.

Swenson said he had to borrow $40 million of the $50 million needed to build the 124-unit City Heights project. Lifting the affordability requirement made it much easier to finance.

``The waiver really helps. It made the project possible because the lenders are so scared to death,'' Swenson said.

mr_storms

June 14th, 2006, 06:38 PM

San Jose mayoral candidates Cindy Chavez and Chuck Reed both want to give developers a break by extending a program that encourages high-rise housing downtown.

The two-year program, set to expire June 30, could come up at today's council meeting.

Under the program, high-rise developers who obtained building permits by that deadline could win exemptions from the city's requirement that 20 percent of the units sell for less than market rates.

But just one project, City Heights at Julian and San Pedro streets, is clearly on track to meet the deadline.

Chavez and Reed were not willing to say how far out they would be willing to extend the program. But Reed said he planned to discuss the issue.

``The waiver was to try to jump-start the process for residential high-rise projects and that's exactly what happened,'' Reed said. ``Unfortunately, two years is not long enough.''

Chavez also credited the program with delivering results.

``Two years ago we had zero projects coming forth to the council. Now we have one under construction, three in the immediate pipeline and 10 in some stage of development,'' Chavez said. ``I think waiving the requirement is part of the reason for these projects.''

City staff is now weighing the merits of setting a goal for the number of high-rise units that could be exempted, rather than another time-sensitive deadline, said John Weis, deputy executive director of San Jose's redevelopment agency.

``The program has been successful -- we have 697 units -- but we'd like to have more,'' Weis said.

The program was conceived as developers of San Jose's first condo towers weighed how to cushion the financial risk. Lenders were reluctant to underwrite high-rise projects in a city that had no track record with them. And in the two years since then, building costs have only gone up. The program waives the affordable-units requirement, and puts the first two years of a project's tax revenue into a fund for affordable housing.

Well-known developer Barry Swenson said builders must borrow more money on projects that have an affordability component, and it drives up the price of the market-rate units.

``It does hurt you with your lenders,'' said Swenson. His company, Barry Swenson Builder, is the developer of the City Heights project.

The city is trying to attract more residential housing downtown, in its goal to develop a vibrant city core. But the cost of setting aside units for people making less than the median income was scaring builders off.

``It's a challenge to get more people living in downtown San Jose,'' said Chavez, who represents downtown residents. ``We can't subsidize retail indefinitely.''

To be granted the waiver, a project had to be at least 12 stories high and located in a 10-block-by-10-block district bounded by Highway 87, Interstate 280, Fourth Street and the Union Pacific railroad tracks. And the building permit application had to be filed by June 30 of this year.

Two high-rise developments have applied for foundation, but not building, permits.

City staff has now recommended that a foundation permit be considered as meeting the requirement because at that point the developer must commit money to build the project.

Removing the affordability requirement assured the construction of at least one of the projects currently in the pipeline, a 328-unit project at 38 N. Almaden.

Without the waiver, ``it wouldn't pencil out financially for the ownership,'' said Kevin Sauser, an architect with Ankrom Moisan of Portland, Ore., working for Almaden Tower Ventures. ``They would not make as much money, and it's hard to recoup your costs.''

The Almaden project came under scrutiny when it went up against a height requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration for buildings in the flight path of Mineta San Jose International Airport. Eventually the developers received approval to build to 228 feet.

``You will see more projects go forward if the affordable housing requirement is waived,'' Sauser said. ``We've got one on our desk that is dependent on this waiver for a project of similar size to the other.''

In the report to the council, redevelopment agency staff noted that San Jose exceeds the state's requirements for the number of affordable housing units. As of April, the city had 4,270 units compared with almost 2,100 in 2001, according to an analysis by Keyser-Marston Associates.

``We've built more affordable housing than any other city in the state of California in the last seven years,'' Chavez said.

That record gives the city leeway to consider extending the waiver, Reed said.

Swenson said he had to borrow $40 million of the $50 million needed to build the 124-unit City Heights project. Lifting the affordability requirement made it much easier to finance.

``The waiver really helps. It made the project possible because the lenders are so scared to death,'' Swenson said.

kiddorbitz01

June 18th, 2006, 03:05 AM

So it's not San Jose, but anyone got some news and pictures on the 101-85 interchange. (Hey, it's still in Santa Clara county) I believe it's almost finished now.Its in Mt View, and yes its in Santa Clara County

mr_storms

June 27th, 2006, 04:49 PM

http://www.mercurynews.com/images/mercurynews/mercurynews/14907/222228084131.jpg
Saying hi to high-rises
LUXURIOUS LIVING DOWNTOWN? S.J. COUNCIL MAY GIVE OK TONIGHT
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News
San Jose will be on its way to offering the high life to urban sophisticates if the city council agrees tonight to sell a prime downtown property for two 25-story luxury condominium towers.

The $28.6 million price tag for 1.5 acres of city land -- the site of a Market Street parking lot between the Fairmont Hotel and the Hyatt Sainte Claire -- could be the richest premium ever paid downtown.

``Looking at it just on a square foot basis, that will probably be the record price in downtown San Jose,'' said Scott Knies, executive director of the city's downtown association.

Developer Urban West Associates of San Diego casts it as a vote of confidence that the city is ready for high-rise luxury, which does not exist in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco and Oakland. Even though the real estate market is slowing, the company said it feels comfortable pricing the 460 units at about $500,000 for a 600-square-foot one-bedroom, and up to $2 million for an 1,800-square-foot penthouse unit.

The council is expected to approve the sale. Urban West expects to break ground on the project, called City Front Square, at the end of 2007. It plans to finish the project before 2010.

Mike Kriozere, Urban West's general partner, said the price of the land ``is related to what you can do on that site. You wouldn't pay that much to build a single-family home, but if you can build high-rise residential, it's not too much money to pay.''

Urban West, which is also building the 55-story One Rincon Hill tower at the foot of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, beat several other bidders after the city solicited proposals for the site in 2004. Kriozere said his company won the right to develop because he figured out what to do with Casa Del Pueblo, the site's low-income senior development, and agreed to pay what may be a record price for what is called Block 8.

The city's redevelopment agency was unwilling to sell the prime parcel for less than top dollar.

``It is the best residential location in Silicon Valley,'' said John Weis, deputy director of the city's redevelopment agency, ``not the second best and not the third best.''

Before Urban West could build its towers on what is now a parking lot -- an effort it expects will cost $300 million -- it had to find a new home for 200 residents of the deteriorating Casa Del Pueblo. The housing project was built 30 years ago by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In a complicated transaction that began five years ago, the developer worked with HUD and the building's owners, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 428. They decided to build a new home for the seniors next door at an estimated cost of $80 million, and demolish the current structure. The city would contribute $6.6 million to that effort.

Urban West agreed to partner with Preservation Partners Development of Manhattan Beach, a company specializing in below-market housing, to construct the new 288-unit building for the seniors on First Street, near the current building at 200 S. Market St.

The seniors can't wait.

In the current building the roof leaks and elevators frequently break down, forcing residents to walk as many as 12 flights of stairs, according to Shuling Liu, Casa Del Pueblo's social services coordinator. Not only will the new units be larger, the project will offer 50 more units for low-income residents.

Liu said the news that the new building is going up next door -- instead of across town -- was welcome. Now everyone wants to know when will construction start and when they get to move.

``The majority of the seniors are thrilled,'' she said.

Ron Lind, president of Local 428, said the union will still manage the senior building even though it will need to find new union offices. ``It was a very complicated process with all the different players involved,'' he said. ``It took awhile for all the pieces to fall into place. But it will be a much better facility for folks who live at Casa Del Pueblo.''

Kriozere, who has built high rises in Chicago, San Diego and now San Francisco, described himself as a cherry picker. He said he was considering a site near St. James Park when he walked over to Caesar Chavez park and wondered about the vacant corner across the street. He discovered the site belonged to the city, which had been hoping a high-tech company would build its headquarters there -- but that dream went up in smoke after the tech wreck.

The developer believes San Jose is ripe for the luxury market. Other developers, including CIM, Mesa and Barry Swenson Builder, are making the same bet.

Santa Clara County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country, he said, with a sophisticated, highly educated, highly paid population. Yet it is devoid of luxury housing that doesn't include a lawn.

``If they want luxury housing, which they do, what has been afforded to them is a single-family home, 4,000 to 7,000 square feet,'' Kriozere said. ``But if you're 30 or 35 years old, making a lot of money, don't have kids and if you don't want a great big home, there's nothing but moderate housing. That's all there is.

``I'm talking about high-rise, stuff that costs up to a couple million for a unit.''

Kriozere, whose company is building One Rincon Hill, said he was ``floored'' when 340 of 400 units in the tower sold during a 10-day period last week.

``There's a lot of four-story buildings in San Jose. They have no views or amenities that people who are successful are looking for,'' he said. ``We'll have 24-hour doormen, a health club, Internet hook-ups, luxury appliances, Bosch, subzero refrigerators, granite -- the whole thing.''

Not too bad, but then just about anything is an improvement over a parking lot

arturo

June 27th, 2006, 09:23 PM

Did someone say "bigger is better?!"

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/font.gif

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/side.gif

Notice the renders offer somewhat distinct designs for the project (I prefer the latter design because it's more modern, whatever that means). Also, what I assume to be the senior housing on the second render looks awesome...lucky seniors!

612bv3

June 28th, 2006, 09:22 PM

I'm glad they're getting rid of that parking near the Fairmont. I saw alot of parking lots in the downtown area when I visited San Jose, and they were free!!!

mr_storms

June 29th, 2006, 01:59 AM

not only are they making a good looking building, theyre going to actually have a LARGER parking lot..the beauty of multi-story structures. Does anyone (specifically arturo I guess) know whats planned between 1st and 2nd south of santa clara? Its currently a surface parking lot but theres a sign up that signs some company (forgot name) has applied to build a residential/commerical project there...

arturo

June 29th, 2006, 05:54 PM

I assume you're referring to the parking lot on S. 2nd? That's going to be the Fountain Alley project. Here's what the SJ Redevelopment Agnecy has to say about it:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/fountain1.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/fountain2.jpg

I think they want to build something about 180' in height (see Post #23), but we'll see if they let them.

Silicon Francisco

June 30th, 2006, 12:05 AM

do you mean yeeeeee haw?

"Yeeeeee" is a SF Bay area term us cool people use, like "hyphy" (hyper fly) or "thizz" (high on methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/font.gif
I want to know more about this alleged "luxury" building, is it approved. This could be big! Those ridiculous hill-dwellers will have to come downtown, then they will demand luxury shops... and wow downtown is gonna expand.. then there will be more luxury highrises... then they will take Mineta airport out and they can build them as tall as the want!!!!!!!1!!!!!!1 :eek2: :runaway:

612bv3

June 30th, 2006, 12:40 AM

^^That's a big dream you got there. Mineta San Jose will stay there for atleast another 20 years.

mr_storms

June 30th, 2006, 02:06 AM

yes arturo, that was the one I was talking about. Thanks. And it will take a while to get more people downtown. The biggest blunder the city ever made was not getting santana row downtown. That place is so lively for 20+ hours a day, it would have been huge downtown

surrill

June 30th, 2006, 04:46 AM

[QUOTE=Silicon Francisco]"Yeeeeee" is a SF Bay area term us cool people use, like "hyphy" (hyper fly) or "thizz" (high on methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

QUOTE]

i smellz ya pimp skillit! let the weoplez know how tha yay keeps it P.I. with our thizzbonics...
scrapers, stunnas, ghuda, grapes and rippers!!!......thaz how we do...keep sponsorin tha soil......yadadadig??????

Silicon Francisco

June 30th, 2006, 07:16 AM

o fo shigidies wuz crackalackn thizz or die ~all gravety on that shiet all day- juss marinatin up in the free to san jo fa sho keepin that bammer shiet out cuddi yaddadameanz~?!!

vadin

July 6th, 2006, 08:01 PM

City, SJSU ink joint facility deal
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - June 30, 2006
by Andrew F. Hamm

Modernizing the antiquated Spartan and Municipal stadiums is a major goal of a new joint development agreement between San Jose State University and the city of San Jose.

The school and the city have agreed to devise a plan that will encompass more than 300 acres and includes the stadiums, SJSU's South Campus, Kelley Park, the Story Road Landfill and the Logitech Ice Center, which is owned by San Jose and operated by Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, the business arm of the San Jose Sharks.

"The main question is, 'If we had $50 million, what would we do with it?" says Tony Valenzuela, SJSU's associate vice president for facilities, development and operations.

Part of that could include $25 million in Measure P monies approved for recreational facilities by San Jose voters back in 2000. That money would be used exclusively on $15 million for a multi-field softball complex and a $10 million soccer complex for youth and adult sports leagues. The city has not been able to find a home for the two planned facilities. It could be used as part of SJSU's desire to develop more modern recreational facilities for its students.

"San Jose State has the land. There is very little land to do this stuff nowadays," says Dean Munro, executive director of the San Jose Sports Authority. "People have waited six years for these projects. I hope they are able to expedite the process."

Paul Krutko, director of San Jose's Department of Economic and Development, says everything will be on the table once talks begin later this summer.
"We're going to develop a plan, then figure out how to fund it," he says.
Among the topics up for discussion during an anticipated two-year study includes turning the 73-year-old, 30,000-seat Spartan Stadium into a modern sporting facility.

While the school spent $4 million on Spartan Stadium renovations in recent years, including $300,000 upgrading the grass field and drainage system, the stadium is in desperate need of a modern sound system, a video scoreboard, better concession stands and new seating, among other things. Others have thought bigger, including tearing down the east side stands and replacing them with something similar to the more modern western stands, only with modern luxury boxes. That would include widening the field to better facilitate soccer matches.

Major League Soccer has said it would return professional soccer to San Jose if it could build a new soccer stadium. The Oakland Athletics have exclusive rights to a Bay Area MLS franchise and have talked about building a new soccer stadium in downtown San Jose or Fremont. But nothing has been decided.

Meanwhile, the 5,000-seat Municipal Stadium is in desperate need of more modern facilities for the Class A San Jose Giants of the California League. The San Jose Giant's parent team, the San Francisco Giants baseball club, has been threatening to pull the team out of the 64-year-old stadium for several years now. However, San Francisco recently signed a new, two-year affiliation deal with the San Jose franchise that runs through 2008. But the stadium needs a new clubhouse, better lighting, modern dugouts and other facilities.

Jim Weyermann, president of the San Jose Giants, says his club needs a plan in place for Municipal Stadium by 2008 that it can take to the San Francisco ball club if it wants to retain its affiliation with the Giants.
"The Giants are interested in player development. That means batting cages, clubhouses, indoor tracks, that sort of thing. We are interested in fan development. That means better concession stands, seating, that sort of thing," Mr. Weyermann says.

The San Jose Giants ownership group has pledged to participate financially in improving Municipal Stadium, Mr. Weyermann says, although exact dollar amounts haven't been discussed.

"It will need to be a public-private partnership. We understand that," he says.

Other projects envisioned include a multi-level parking structure on Logitech Ice Center's existing parking lot, a new practice field for San Jose State's football team and a new dual-use field for the soccer, lacrosse, rugby, field hockey and other sports.

"We don't have any money to do any of this -- yet," Mr. Valenzuela says.
The new development effort is designed to build on the success of the $170 million Martin Luther King Jr. Library that opened in 2004 and is jointly owned and operated by SJSU and the city of San Jose.

Some of the potential funding for the South Complex area would mirror how the Martin Luther King Jr. Library was funded.

The library was funded in part by San Jose Redevelopment bonds, state California State University bonds and individual donor money. Also on the table is a student surcharge fee on state tuition, similar to how San Jose State helps fund its 5,000-seat Event Center.

Other funding sources that have been suggested include tax money generated by a shopping mall or other group of retail stores to be built within the planning area.

Any funding project would have to be approved by the San Jose City Council and possibly city voters as well as the CSU Board of Trustees.

San Jose State's Athletic Department is on the verge of hiring a management firm for Spartan Stadium. Athletic Director Tom Bowen recently interviewed SMG Management Co. and Global Spectrum Inc., both of Philadelphia, for a two-year, $500,000 contract. A deal is expected to be announced shortly.

Andrew F. Hamm covers sports management for the Business Journal. He can be reached at 408-299-1841.

surrill

July 7th, 2006, 02:41 AM

arturo

July 7th, 2006, 08:37 PM

i take it you've never had the bbq at muni stadium! it's so good that it alone is reason enough to save the stadium!! but the stadium is actually pretty cool and should not be torn down like every other old thing in this valley. i like it the way it's kinda dirty and maintains has that old-time feel.

vadin

July 8th, 2006, 12:58 AM

why spend money modernizing municipal stadium.?? they should focus on getting the A's over here, even though chances are it wont happen.. or they should just tear that dump down along with Spartan Stadium and try to lure the niners or raiders here with a brand new football stadium....aint no territorial rights there......screw minor league ball!The money needed to update municipal stadium is a drop in the bucket compared to what would be needed to build a new major league stadium. I doubt any investment in Municapal stadium would have any affect on the city's ability to get the A's. There's no harm in giving it a facelift, and if the A's do decide to come and a new MLB ballpark is built, I'm sure we can find other great uses for the modern Municapal stadium.

Spartan Stadium, although it's old and doesn't have modern amenities, is a great venue to watch a game. It badly needs some major updating to bring to 21st century standards, but as the old saying goes: "there's no need to throw the baby out with the bath water." Spartan Alum's like myself would miss the old place.

surrill

July 8th, 2006, 02:55 AM

[QUOTE=arturo]i take it you've never had the bbq at muni stadium! it's so good that it alone is reason enough to save the stadium!! but the stadium is actually pretty cool and should not be torn down like every other old thing in this valley. i like it the way it's kinda dirty and maintains has that old-time feel.[/Q

never tried that bbq....tried the one across the street from kelly park at that little market...its pretty good...the best in town is the joint on oakland rd!! that place rules!!!

metropolismayor

July 8th, 2006, 08:02 AM

I'm not sure I've ever seen any plans for the lot behind the old Camera One on First St, across the street from the California Theatre. Its the parking lot bound by First, San Carlos, Second, and San Fernando. Anyone heard of anything. Its an awful lot of space.

arturo

July 10th, 2006, 09:31 PM

The info that follows is not definite- they are just ideas being thrown around. But the ideas are the same: ground floor retail; high-rise housing; underground parking. The development of this block will likely depend on the success of the CIM Central Place project...

I've also included some preliminary ideas on the block east of this block. You'll notice very similar ideas.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_1.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_2.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_3.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_4.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_5.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_6.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_7.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/SOFAnewplan_Page_8.gif

mr_storms

July 11th, 2006, 03:43 AM

where do you get all these gems?

metropolismayor

July 11th, 2006, 08:00 PM

Thanks, Arturo. Impressive!

arturo

July 11th, 2006, 09:13 PM

I know we all love renders!

Plaza @ Almaden:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/arialmodified_638.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/ground_639.jpg

200 Park @ Park/Almaden
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/448863.jpg

metropolismayor

July 12th, 2006, 05:30 AM

My understanding is that the Sobrato building across the street still stands empty because of the weak corporate . Still, I like them, they look nice. But then again the city always builds business towers with nothing else of interest around them, like restaurants and shopping--look at the dead zone around the Adobe towers.

kiddorbitz01

July 12th, 2006, 05:51 AM

awesome!!!

Silicon Francisco

July 24th, 2006, 05:01 AM

Wouldn't that be interesting if downtown and the skyline extended across Stevens creek, up to Milpitas and just anywhere that isn't an office park *Cough* Cisco City */Cough*

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/arialmodified_638.jpg
Eh, good enough.

mr_storms

July 25th, 2006, 11:55 PM

wow...thats substantial. Theyd have to put the stands for the san jose grand prix somewhere else, though :)
it looks like what weve been calling the heritage is now official 360 residences
360residences.com

Silicon Francisco

July 26th, 2006, 01:11 AM

Wouldn't that be interesting if they put the seats on the tops of the buildings, I mean they are all the same (short) height. What if they built a whole new city on the rooftops, connected by bridges and containing little shops and restaurants on the roofs.

arturo

July 26th, 2006, 09:44 PM

Wow, the 360 Residences website is soooo pretentious. I love it! I hope they sell...

metropolismayor

July 28th, 2006, 08:31 AM

When I first read this, I thought "Wow, leaders in San Jose with actual vision!" But I haven't heard anything else about it. Anyone got any news?

Posted on Sun, Feb. 26, 2006

NEW VISION FOR DOWNTOWN S.J.
PRO SPORTS PLAY BIG ROLE IN TRANSFORMATION
By Deborah Lohse
Mercury News

A group of San Jose arts leaders is creating its own masterpiece this summer: an ambitious visual rendering of what downtown San Jose would look like if a combination of arts, culture, sports and entertainment projects were brought to life.

The 2-year-old group, 1stACT Silicon Valley, hopes to spark San Jose's civic leaders into action by portraying the vision of a bustling downtown, not only with a revamped Museum of Art and an expanded Tech Museum, but a new baseball stadium and soccer arena.

``If you look at cities that have made huge transformations, it started with conversations like this one,'' said Connie Martinez, executive director of the Children's Discovery Museum.

High-profile groups including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and David and Lucile Packard Foundation are throwing their weight behind 1stACT's multi-pronged mission. Besides the visual rendering, the mission includes recruiting more CEOs to support the arts and involving San Jose State University in more of the city's arts and culture.

Martinez is a leader of a nine-member 1stACT subcommittee that's formulating what it sees as an arts- and entertainment-centric vision for downtown. The members have dubbed their vision the Creative Urban Center.

The subcommittee's members, including representatives from the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Downtown Association and the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, have been gathering artists' renderings and updates on city or private downtown projects that are in the works or under discussion. They will meet in April to select which projects should be included in their master plan, which they hope to unveil in June.

``We're in the visioning stage,'' said Daniel Keegan, executive director of the San Jose Museum of Art and member of the 1stACT subcommittee.

Vision comes first

For now, the subcommittee isn't planning to tackle the pivotal issue of how to pay for these projects -- which could run many hundreds of millions of dollars, based on past projections -- or how to get them passed by voters, the city council or other city agencies.

``We're unencumbered'' by such considerations, Martinez said. ``You can't sell a vision until you've got it.''

The group also intends to depict numerous planned downtown high-rise residential projects, as well as BART stations in downtown and at the Diridon Caltrain station. Among the proposed high-rise projects they will probably feature are the 22-story Almaden Tower behind the Hotel De Anza; the 401-residence, mixed-use tower at Third and San Fernando streets; and the Park View Towers at St. James between First and Second streets.

``We're building on all the great things the city has in motion,'' Martinez said.

Kim Walesh, assistant director of San Jose's office of economic development, has been working with the group, keeping it apprised of the status of city-overseen projects likely to be in the rendering. Walesh said the city welcomes the efforts of 1stACT to harness the collective power of most of San Jose's arts and cultural groups.

``To go to the next stage, what really great cities do is they bring private dollars and philanthropic dollars in, in a big way,'' Walesh said. ``That's what we haven't done.''

Funding issues

Since the burst of the dot-com bubble, many San Jose arts groups and organizations have struggled to find sustained funding from both the public and private sectors.

So far, the group expects the following projects to be featured in its imagined cityscape:

• An 18-story condominium tower and nearby six-story condo building at South First Street. The tower would house the San Jose Stage Company as well as luxury lofts. The smaller building will eventually be home to a new arts center and gallery for MACLA, a Latino arts and cultural group.

• An enhanced Tech Museum of Innovation, which its executives hope someday to expand onto the current site of Parkside Hall, adding more multi-use areas and room for interactive high-tech exhibits.

• An expanded San Jose McEnery Convention center, with the current 80,000-square-foot temporary tent-like structure replaced with a permanent addition.

• An expanded or relocated Museum of Art at the site of the former Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

• A major league soccer stadium downtown. The 1stACT subcommittee hasn't figured out the exact location, but said its research suggests that sports stadiums need to be part of any vibrant downtown.

• A major league baseball stadium -- long coveted by Mayor Ron Gonzales -- south of the Diridon Caltrain station near HP Pavilion.

• Renovations to several downtown theaters and arts facilities.

Strength in numbers

Martinez said she is compiling a list of potential artists, architects and urban designers who could set this grand vision to paper. Once complete, it will be presented to numerous San Jose and area business, arts, entertainment and civic groups.

Other arts leaders commended the effort by 1stACT to build strength in numbers.

``I've never seen anything that links all of this together and is sort of a coherent plan,'' said Stephen McCray, chairman of San Jose's arts commission.

While he applauds 1stACT's mission, McCray acknowledges that proponents of these projects will face a tough battle for funds in a time of dwindling budgets and declining charitable contributions of all kinds.

``There's no question that that is the key,'' he said. ``The vision is going to have to be really attractive to get people to endorse funding mechanisms to pay for it.''

Once there's a vision to rally around, said Martinez, then the hard-core discussions about how and when the various projects can be accomplished can take place. The group has brainstormed separately about ways -- including workplace giving, tax and bond measures and philanthropic bequests -- to get more serious about raising permanent funding for San Jose's artistic and cultural aspirations.

``These are chess moves,'' Martinez said, ``in a giant chess game.''

Contact Deborah Lohse at dlohse@mercurynews.com or (408) 275-0140.

© 2006 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.mercurynews.com

mr_storms

July 31st, 2006, 02:19 AM

^^looks good. Was anyone else at the race today? good fun. Now they just need to change the course so they go down Santa Clara or First...im doing a summer internship on the 8th floor of BoA, and id actually get a good view :)

arturo

August 1st, 2006, 09:11 PM

Give 'em your two cents in the Comments section!!

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/15170233.htm

mr_storms

August 2nd, 2006, 12:16 AM

heh, I was jsut about to post that article. A bit slow, I must admit

metropolismayor

August 4th, 2006, 08:48 AM

Posted on Thu, Aug. 03, 2006

Group unveils vision of downtown San Jose

By Phil Yost
Mercury News

They're dreaming of new museums, a stadium, condo towers and corporate headquarters. They're dreaming of sidewalks crowded with vendors and entertainers, in front of art galleries and boutiques.

And this week, 1stACT Silicon Valley, a coalition of South Bay cultural, entertainment and business leaders began selling the dream with a round of 50 presentations on what downtown San Jose could be.

``San Jose's urban center has not caught up to its true size in relation to other cities,'' said Dan Keegan, executive director of the San Jose Museum of Art and a co-chair of 1stACT's Creative Urban Center Committee. ``It's not complete in terms of a community in which we want to live.''

In San Jose, 1stACT -- ACT stands for Arts, Creativity, Technology -- is largely preaching to the choir. Over the past two decades, San Jose has proved its commitment to revitalizing downtown with more than $2 billion in public investment. The group is unlikely to find resistance until it gets to the vexing question of who -- the public, benefactors, corporations -- will write the checks to continue the revival.

1stACT's pitch is designed not only to ramp up the enthusiasm among city officials, community groups, business leaders and potential benefactors, but to convince all of Silicon Valley that it has a stake in creating an urban center, along the lines of downtowns in Boston or Vancouver. Ultimately, it would take an expensive combination of public and private support to make the dream a reality.

``The road we're on now is expanding the circle of support,'' said Connie Martinez, executive director of the Children's Discovery Museum and a 1stACT founder. The aim is to persuade CEOs from throughout the region that the valley needs a vibrant urban center to continue to attract creative and talented workers.

Silicon Valley now faces worldwide competition, said Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe and a 1stACt member. ``If we're going to continue to be at the forefront of innovation, we have to make sure that we have the most creative community in the world.''

Adobe has 2,200 employees in its downtown headquarters, Chizen said, but ``they only want to live here if it's an exciting, vibrant community.'' To that end, he said, companies need to underwrite cultural organizations and encourage their employees to contribute as well.

1stACT has created a computerized presentation of drawings, maps and simulations that display what downtown could become. The group contemplates an expanded art museum connected to an expanded convention center; a cultural heritage museum where the art museum is now; a new performing arts complex to replace the Center for Performing Arts, and a stadium south of HP Pavilion, if the city lands a soccer or baseball team.

Residential high-rise projects already underway plus San Jose State's ``campus village'' plan to house more students on campus, would add thousands of residents.

And 1stACT believes downtown would be made livelier by narrower streets that make room for wider sidewalks populated by venders and entertainers. Outdoor art and landscaping would soften the concrete environment. Gateway arches would set off an entertainment and gallery district along South First Street. The goal is to meet urban planners' ``eight second rule'' -- a pedestrian should see something new that often.

The group even envisions a modern version of the 237-foot light tower that rose over downtown San Jose from 1881 to 1915, when it toppled in a storm.

Elected officials and city administrators say the vision fleshes out what San Jose has desired for years.

``It's not so much about changing the course as accelerating the course,'' said Councilman Chuck Reed, who along with Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez is running for mayor. ``I'm particularly happy to see private-sector people engaged in what we can do downtown and for the rest of the city.'' In addition to Adobe's Chizen, 1stACT includes the CEOs of Cisco Systems, Network Appliance, Agilent Technologies and other tech companies.

1stACT's proposal -- a $300,000 project, with two-thirds of the work done pro bono -- has been privately funded, with support from Adobe and the Packard and Hewlett foundations.

While 1stACT's membership draws heavily from San Jose businesses and cultural organizations, its expansion outside San Jose to the whole of Silicon Valley excites Chavez.

``In order for the South Bay to have a cultural and creative center, the broadest part of the South Bay needs to buy into that being in downtown San Jose,'' she said.

Both 1stACT members and city officials see the construction of high-rise housing downtown as a pivotal development. Six projects of 16 stories or more are either under construction or approved, adding more than 1,600 condos.

Scott Knies, executive director of the Downtown Association, which represents business and property owners, argues that high-rise housing is both the catalyst for an invigorated downtown, and the first test of how realistic the whole vision is.

``I tell my members not to underestimate the difference it will make when we talk about new residences in the thousands, not the hundreds,'' he said. On the other hand, ``let's not beat our chests prematurely. This market is far from assured.''

One message from 1stACT is that San Jose needs to loosen its regulations regarding what is allowed to happen downtown, permitting more advertising on the sides of buildings, and vendors and entertainers on the sidewalks.

City Manager Les White is receptive. ``To me, really active downtowns aren't perfect places'' with everything tidy, he said. They're a ``little unorthodox.''

For more information, go to www.1stact.org.

Contact Phil Yost at pyost@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5636.

bluesbrother42fs

August 10th, 2006, 08:42 PM

well since this blog's been dead for a while time to update you on the construction process of some major projects.

CIM Central Place Phase I (now referred to as Tower 88)
The Matt slab concrete pour has been delayed till Sept. Shoring activities continue. The project seems to have hit some snags and will probably reach a little delay again in the future.

City Heights at Pellier Park
They're almost done with the exterior panels. Once the skin is on they can work on the organs of the beast. Sales office is planned to open in december

Almaden Tower (referred to as San Jose Condominiums)
Let the on-site work BEGIN! The have begun excavation and the foundation permit was received in late June. This project will be done quite quickly which is amazing.

360 South Market
Okay, they have negotiated the lease for a sales office. Let the on-site work Begin!

Tamien Place
LET THE TOWER RISE! They have begun preparations for the second concrete pour. The framing for the garage is well underway.

okay guys..REVIVE THIS THREAD!

metropolismayor

August 10th, 2006, 09:32 PM

Anyone know what's happening with the lot on Market Street and Santa Clara, behind The Vault and White Lotus restaurant, and across from the Post Office?

arturo

August 11th, 2006, 12:04 AM

As far as I know there are no plans whatsoever for that site. It's a shame since it's such prime real estate. I'll see if I can get on my bike this weekened and take photos of the construction sites...just to give y'all something to look at!

metropolismayor

August 14th, 2006, 11:43 PM

Here are some renderings from 1st Act's vision of a revamped downtown:

SoFA district-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/80/215407009_dc3878f51b_o.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/82/215407011_f3286419e5_o.jpg

The McEnery Convention Center-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/69/215373529_943ec30127_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/69/215373530_2983ef4775_b.jpg

BTW, this is the first picture I've seen of the proposed McEnenry Convention Center/San Jose Museum of Art. Looks nice, though kinda like the SJC expansion.
http://static.flickr.com/59/214172217_06292bd10c_o.jpg

Park Avenue (notice the new light tower)-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/82/215405427_3c66f2a122_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/75/215405428_0e9e778855_b.jpg

More soon...

612bv3

August 14th, 2006, 11:58 PM

The convention center looks really cool. What's the bridge crossing San Carlos St.? Is it a pedestrian or a people mover?

612bv3

August 15th, 2006, 12:19 AM

Are those couches in the second picture?

metropolismayor

August 15th, 2006, 01:43 AM

612bv3,
1. I dunno what that is. My guess is a people mover, too.
2. Yeah, those look like sofas, maybe so people can sit and have a nice chat amongst the traffic. ;)

First & San Fernando-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/79/215487472_3668ea43a9_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/95/215487473_82af5d005d_b.jpg

First & Santa Clara-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/67/215487474_cad613024d_o.gif

Tomorrow (I really like those worm-like entrances down into BART)
http://static.flickr.com/79/215487475_1b8e445947_b.jpg

The Pavillion-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/84/215487471_eb8ca27f11_b.jpg

The International Pavillion (that's what they're calling it) Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/78/215487470_df899cc512_b.jpg

Plenty more coming...

arturo

August 15th, 2006, 03:15 AM

Cool! Everything is so bright. But I still think South First should become a pedestrian mall, maybe even S. 2nd, too.
Why isn't anyone sitting on the couches?! Oh that's right- SJPD would likely make it illegal!
Great work.

metropolismayor

August 15th, 2006, 05:08 AM

Circle of Palms-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/66/215632470_e2588e27f7_b.jpg

Tomorrow (not exactly sure what this museum is, though its been mentioned as replacing the SJMA)
http://static.flickr.com/72/215632473_8ddd7e52df_b.jpg

Cesar Chavez Park-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/90/215632466_1755169c5a_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/58/215632469_42da0a8086_b.jpg

Post Street-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/69/215627133_1ea69ebd4b_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/76/215627134_36edcbe66c_b.jpg

A few more coming...

metropolismayor

August 15th, 2006, 05:29 AM

First Street-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/66/215627131_7d40e330d3_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/57/215627132_6ad0702945_b.jpg

Cesar Chavez Park again-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/75/215647764_cc38cf293c_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/94/215647765_6deaadfc80_b.jpg

Paseo de San Antonio-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/88/215647766_84f0bbb139_o.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/78/215647768_891f582836_b.jpg

San Carlos St-
Today
http://static.flickr.com/96/215647769_cb86162b7b_b.jpg

Tomorrow
http://static.flickr.com/67/215647770_6fe854713a_b.jpg

Done! So what do you think? I think they're doing a lot of things right.

bluesbrother42fs

August 17th, 2006, 11:34 PM

here's another rendering that Metropolis forgot to post..it's from another thread. Well here you go...imagine this...

http://static.flickr.com/62/214172218_c4a63fc943_b.jpg

bluesbrother42fs

August 17th, 2006, 11:35 PM

Here's another 1stACT rendering that Metropolis forgot to post. Well here you go! Imagine this...

http://static.flickr.com/62/214172218_c4a63fc943_b.jpg

arturo

August 18th, 2006, 12:57 AM

Just came accross this and it's the first time I've heard mention of it. It appears the new construction will be along San Fernando St. Anyone know anything else?

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/sjsu.jpg

San Jose State University

SRM Associates is the development consultant for a mixed-use redevelopment project located on the University's main campus in downtown San Jose. This unique project will combine university classroom and office facilities with commercial office space. The master plan calls for 5 buildings, ranging from 8 to 17 stories, having a total of 1.8 million square feet of commercial office space, and 570,000 square feet of space for classroom and faculty offices. In addition to the economic benefits to the university, there will be a symbiotic relationship in these buildings, bringing the academic and business communities together, essentially creating a 'vertical business and research park' on campus.

metropolismayor

August 18th, 2006, 01:12 AM

Google comesthrough again... Unfortunatley, looks like old news:

SJSU Plans Ambitious Campus Project

Published Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News

BY BECKY BARTINDALE

In a bid to capitalize on its valuable downtown location, San Jose State University hopes to build a novel -- and immense -- new development that combines academic uses on the lower floors with 1 million square feet of private office space above.

The ambitious undertaking on the northwestern corner of the campus would produce one of downtown's largest office complexes, second only to the Adobe Systems' corporate headquarters seven blocks to the west, where construction on a planned third tower is expected to begin this year.

Creating state-of-the-art academic space for students, faculty and staff members is one of the driving ideas behind the conceptual proposal university President Robert Caret plans to present to a committee of California State University trustees in Long Beach today. As California's oldest public university, he said, San Jose State's need to modernize its aging campus far exceeds the level of funding the state is likely to provide in the next decade.

Caret likens the proposed office project to a vertical research park, a high-density, high-rise development that would transform the look and feel of one of the oldest parts of the campus.

Many universities have developed low-rise research parks with varying degrees of success. But they're rarely located in the thick of a university, in the heart of a city, in active combination with classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices.

The project's $250 million to $380 million cost, combined with a $375 million to $425 million housing project that the campus also has proposed, could add up to a large debt for San Jose State. Together, the two projects come close to the 23-campus CSU system's current $736 million debt level.

To pay for the projects, the proposal calls for the non-profit Spartan Shops Inc. -- one of the university's auxiliary organizations -- to issue bonds for construction of a complex of office and classroom buildings on 5.5 acres as well as the housing project on the southwest corner of the campus. Caret also will seek trustees' conceptual approval today for replacing most of the existing dorms on that land with higher density units, doubling the supply of on-campus

housing for students and creating temporary living space for faculty and staff members.

After the debt is paid off in 20 or 30 years, the university would have the option of taking over the office space itself.

``We're doing it for ourselves, by ourselves,'' Caret said. ``We're not asking the state for money. We're not taking bond money from other campuses. We're not asking anyone else to pay the debt.''

Counting on demand

The university is banking on high demand for office space continuing downtown, creating a project that is so successful it will throw off revenue for future campus improvements after the bonds are paid off.

Land values in Silicon Valley are so high, Caret said, it makes possible projects of a scope that would be unimaginable for most other universities.

``We can become a very high-quality facility for students, faculty and staff, and we can do it ourselves using the economy in the valley for the betterment of the campus,'' he said.

The office project would become part of the growing eastern edge of San Jose's downtown. It would flank the $174 million city-university library now under construction at Fourth and San Fernando streets and face the proposed new City Hall.

One-fifth of the 1.25 million-square-foot project, or 250,000 square feet, would be devoted to academic use.

``As downtown grows toward us, it creates interesting opportunities to think about integrating the campus more with the city and commercial world,'' said Don

Kassing, vice president for administration and the university's chief financial officer.

Caret said he hopes to attract a high-tech company that could provide excellent research and internship opportunities for faculty members and students. The offices would not have to be leased to a high-tech firm, he added, ``but we prefer a company where there could be strong research and educational links so faculty and students can benefit.''

The idea has many pluses, Caret said, but it also involves a very large debt, which trustees ultimately may not want the university system to take on.

``Whenever you have debt, you have risk,'' he said, ``But we think we can limit risk so significantly it will be a project we just can't not do.''

If the full board of trustees gives first approval Wednesday, the university would like to move the project forward as quickly as possible.

But what happens ultimately will depend on the economy, Kassing acknowledged. ``If we get into the market and see people are hesitating, we'd sit back and wait,'' he said. ``But we want to introduce our idea.''

Developer chosen

The university has developed its proposal with the help of several consultants who specialize in bond financing and real estate development. It already has picked a developer -- SRM Associates of Alameda, whose projects include campuses for Zhone Technologies and Lucent Technologies, the mixed-use University Circle in East Palo Alto and Marina Village business park in Alameda.

``I think there's a certain appeal to some types of users to be in or near a university,'' said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial, a downtown real estate brokerage. For a project of that size, the university would need one very large tenant, he said. Ritchie also noted there still is a considerable amount of available

land elsewhere downtown for office development.

The project would require demolition of several older buildings: Hugh Gillis Hall, the University Theatre, Dudley Moorhead Hall and the Administration Building fronting San Fernando Street, and the old Science Building on Fourth Street.

One of the biggest challenges would be relocating the University Theatre. One of the first steps the university contemplates is building a new theater arts complex including a 400-seat full-stage theater, television studios and possibly an art gallery. The current thinking is that the best location would be a vacant lot across from the Events Center.

That proposal wins accolades from Robert Milnes, director of the university's School of Art and Design.

``It would make the performing arts part of the greater university and city communities rather than hidden jewels in the departments,'' Milnes said. And since the project would be privately financed, ``it's an opportunity to make an architecturally interesting building.''

No alarm bells

Unlike the shared library, which set off alarm bells on campus, the office-classroom proposal generally has been well-received, said Mary Jo Gorney-Moreno.

``I think faculty are really excited about the possibility of having wonderful, modern, technology-efficient classrooms,'' Gorney-Moreno said. ``We're also hoping it gives us office space.'' In some faculty offices, professors are doubled or tripled up.

Kassing said he knows there will be some concerns about the project, both on and off campus. Traffic congestion is likely to be an issue, as will how the development fits in with the city's strategic plan for downtown development.

``We will be very sensitive to what the city is trying to accomplish and thoughtful to our neighbors,'' Kassing said.

Caret views the office and housing developments as going hand in hand with the growth of the downtown -- a rebirth for both the campus and the city's urban center.

Contact Becky Bartindale at bbartindale@sjmercury.com or (408) 920-5459.

Bond James Bond

August 18th, 2006, 03:24 AM

Hmm, some pretty nice-looking projects here!

Silicon Francisco

August 18th, 2006, 03:37 AM

http://static.flickr.com/82/215407011_f3286419e5_o.jpg
Niiiiiice

Silicon Francisco

August 18th, 2006, 03:42 AM

In the future
Buildings will be transparent (and invisible for Stealth Mode) and palm trees will shoot laser beams at eachother. And please, don't forget the virtual sofas in the middle of the street!!

Silicon Francisco

August 18th, 2006, 03:48 AM

People shall no longer be subject to the chore of walking, virtual 2-dimensional avatars of ourselves will do that for us. And from now on, all streets will have a welcoming arc, which is also transparant and rainbow-colored.

metropolismayor

August 18th, 2006, 06:01 AM

Haha. Yeah, now that you mention it, its like the Sims on acid.

arturo

August 18th, 2006, 09:17 PM

The main pattern in the designs seems to be robotic palm trees and lots of useless neon objects strewn about the sidewalks and streets.

I can't wait for my avatar to go to work for me while I laze about :)

Silicon Francisco

August 20th, 2006, 02:27 AM

http://static.flickr.com/78/215647768_891f582836_b.jpg
And there will be alien sailboats who beam up your 2-dimensional avatar to transport you across the Pacific Ocean!

AndySocks

August 20th, 2006, 04:53 AM

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3786/watsamattamk2.jpg

This pair gives a whole new meaning to the word "wutsamattawityaface?"

metropolismayor

August 22nd, 2006, 07:23 PM

http://www.shopnbu.com/biederlack-blankets-bedding-throws-sport-pillows/biederlack-nba-sports-national-basketball-association-teams/seattle-supersonics/nba-sports-basketball-team-seattle-supersonics-classic-throw-biederlack.jpg
http://www.digital-daily.com/documents/3233/idf_fall2002_001.jpg

NBA team still on S.J. agenda
SHARKS OWNERS WANT COUNCIL'S HELP UPGRADING ARENA
By David Pollak
Mercury News

To most of the basketball world, any effort to bring another NBA team to the Bay Area is a desperation heave from beyond midcourt.

But Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment -- owner of the Sharks and manager of HP Pavilion -- seems to think otherwise.

Last month, SVSE reportedly teamed with Larry Ellison, founder of Redwood City software giant Oracle, in an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Seattle SuperSonics with an eye toward moving the franchise to the South Bay. Today, SVSE plans to ask the San Jose City Council to authorize a study that would, among other things, look into what arena changes would be required to accommodate an NBA team at San Jose's 13-year-old downtown arena.

``If you're not prepared and if something were to come up, you're really in trouble,'' said Greg Jamison, SVSE's chief executive officer. ``We want to be prepared in the event that possibly an NBA team becomes available.''

Any talk of an NBA franchise for San Jose usually begins and ends with the fact that the Golden State Warriors play in a refurbished Oakland Arena only 36 miles from HP Pavilion. A majority of the league's 30 owners would have to approve a move to the South Bay, and strong opposition from the Warriors is a given.

``I am not in the business of telling cities how to do their business,'' Warriors President Robert Rowell said Monday. ``However, I am sure there are better ways they can spend the taxpayers' dollar than on this project.''

Jamison says he isn't dissuaded by the naysayers.

``Everybody has a different opinion what the viability of this is,'' he said. ``At this point in time, I believe very strongly that it's a good thing for us to do this.''

Jamison, who worked in the front office of two NBA franchises before coming to the Sharks in 1993, acknowledged in February that he was having conversations with SuperSonics President Wally Walker. At the time, the Seattle franchise's owners were frustrated in their inability to get a new arena.

``This was a dialogue that may or may not go anywhere,'' Jamison said at the time. ``Cities are used as stalking horses. We know that happens. We could be in that position.''

The Sonics ownership group, headed by Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, did put the franchise on the market and sold it July 18 to a group of Oklahoma City investors for $350 million.

According to the Seattle Times, there were initially two bidders from Silicon Valley who merged their efforts at the last minute. That paper and others identified one as Ellison; the other was not named, but sources in San Jose said it was SVSE.

Newspaper reports indicated that the joint San Jose bid for the Sonics was $425 million, but the lower offer was chosen because it was more straightforward and the Oklahoma City group was willing to give Seattle a year to come up with a new building.

Much of the San Jose bid remains a mystery. Jamison would not talk on the record about any role SVSE might have had in the Seattle negotiations; efforts to contact Ellison were unsuccessful.

Ellison's involvement in sports has been centered on yachting; between his interests in Seattle and a recent effort to buy an NFL franchise, he could be looking for new roles at 61.

``Life is short,'' Ellison told Forbes magazine recently. ``I'm not going to spend every minute of it at Oracle.''

It's highly unlikely Ellison -- or anyone else -- will spend even a minute watching the NBA in San Jose, according to Rowell.

``We are the NBA team in the Bay Area and we will continue to be the NBA team in the Bay Area,'' Rowell said. He said 16 percent of the Warriors' season-ticket base comes from the South Bay and that the percentage of overall tickets sold is higher.

The Warriors already share Northern California with the Sacramento Kings. That franchise is in the middle of a struggle to get a new arena, but Jamison brushed off the idea the San Jose situation has any connection to that.

Conversations took place in the mid-1990s about moving the Warriors to San Jose, but those talks ended when the decision was made to upgrade Oakland Arena.

HP Pavilion did serve as the team's home for the 1996-97 season, while renovations were taking place in Oakland. Still, as the permanent home of an NBA team, modifications would be required.

A new locker room, similar in furnishings to the one used by the Sharks, would have to be constructed, Jamison said. Lower bowl seats might have to be reconfigured.

Eventually, an NBA team might want an on-site practice facility.

The money to look into the needed changes would come from the $87,500 the city receives this year as its share of the money Comerica Bank is paying SVSE for naming rights to the arena's club section. The bank signed a four-year, $700,000 contract in April, and the money is expected to be split evenly between the city and SVSE.

Under terms of the arena management contract between the city and SVSE, both parties are to begin contributing to an ``enhancement fund'' for building improvements in 2008. The Sharks and city staff, however, will ask to begin the program two years early.

In addition to the NBA study, the money would be used to identify improvements needed to keep HP Pavilion up to the same standards as more modern buildings. The first three items on SVSE's wish list are a new video scoreboard, an upgraded sound system and the ribbon-like electric panels on the face of the upper bowl that give motion to advertising and information displays.

``We want the building to be technologically advanced,'' Jamison said, ``because we're in a valley that believes in technology.''

shrunkenhead

August 22nd, 2006, 09:05 PM

arturo

August 22nd, 2006, 09:31 PM

Well I know y'all are saying the SJSU plan is old but it seems odd the render would portray such an accurate image of the new City Hall. That's what threw me off and made me think it was a recent development. Too bad it never materialized.

metropolismayor

August 23rd, 2006, 01:05 AM

I'm not sure its totally dead, either. If State, like other developers, is waiting for the office market to get better, then I assume its only a matter of time until the plan goes forward. In fact, I understand the office market is clawing its way back to life in SJ.

Its a great idea, along the lines of the hybrid SJSU/SJ library and the proposed SJMA/Convention Center merger.

I go to grad school at State, I'll ask around.

bluesbrother42fs

August 23rd, 2006, 06:30 AM

so umm...we should get the SJRA and the Downtown Association aware of our existence. They could also provide us with updates on the skyscrapers and downtown retail development. SJ Supersonics...hah!

metropolismayor

August 23rd, 2006, 08:06 AM

Haha. The few, the proud, the obsessed with buildings! :grouphug:

BTW, we're approaching our 100th post --and the SF/Oakland thread just only passed 50! Haha! We should celebrate.

arturo

August 23rd, 2006, 08:20 PM

so umm...we should get the SJRA and the Downtown Association aware of our existence.

From what I've seen here we're the ones with the vision. We should supplant the SJRA and the SJDA!!!

Also: came accross this site yesterday...again.
www.sanjose.com/underbelly
The "El Dorado St" section is especially good reading.

arturo

August 23rd, 2006, 11:52 PM

High-rise housing status UPDATE

One South Market nad the Gateway Tower are additions. I am especially curious about the Vancouveresque Gateway Tower in SoFA since they will be fitting an awful lot of units on a very small footprint. Will this mean small (read: affordable) units?

Enjoy!

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/HighRiseAUG.gif
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/Housing_Schedule.gif

TampaMike

August 24th, 2006, 03:07 AM

http://static.flickr.com/78/215647768_891f582836_b.jpg
And there will be alien sailboats who beam up your 2-dimensional avatar to transport you across the Pacific Ocean!
Not to mention that every male will look like they took a couple Viagra Pills.

The futuristic scenario looks pretty cool. Not sure if everything will look the way it is in the pictures, but good luck.

*NOR CAL*

August 29th, 2006, 01:51 AM

metropolismayor

August 29th, 2006, 02:27 AM

This is the site Arturo mentioned the other day.

http://www.haury.com/images/1sm_model_big2.jpg

http://www.haury.com/onesouthmarket.htm

metropolismayor

August 29th, 2006, 02:48 AM

Yea, if anything, San Jose could really be the place to be if they lit the city up bright at night. Lights attract people like flys... I know that sounds pretty sad, but it's true. When I was in Vegas everything was happenin' all the time cuz the city was alive with lights and music. The city is actually doing a lot better than I remember from last time I was down there. But still, more could be done.

San Jose could become the Bay area's playground.

NorCal's totally right. The lighting of a city makes all the difference. If you look closely at 1stAct's plan (which the city so far seems keen on), it looks like they intend on making SJ's city street much more colorful and kinetic, with lots of art and advertising, much more along the lines of...
Tokyo
http://www.jasonlovesmichelle.com/michelle/web/images/tokyo-night.jpg
or Hong Kong.
http://tiger.towson.edu/users/myeung1/Hong%20Kong%20night%20time%201.jpeg
Plus, brightly lighting a city like San Jose would also demphasize the fact that it has a stubby skyline.

Man, yet again, we solve another of SJ's problems. Good work, NorCal!

robertee

August 29th, 2006, 06:56 AM

This is the site Arturo mentioned the other day.

http://www.haury.com/images/1sm_model_big2.jpg

http://www.haury.com/onesouthmarket.htm

Thats an old plan for that site (it was an office building)....heres whats going there now :D:

1 South Market
22 Stories
300 Luxury condos

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/129_lg1_1-S-Market_01.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/129_lg2_1-S-Market_02.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/129_lg3_1-S-Market_03.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/portfolio/html/detail/pop-detail.php?page=1&view=all&key=129

EDIT: Be on the look out for construction updates soon....I just got a new camera.... :cheers:

metropolismayor

August 29th, 2006, 07:28 AM

Thats an old plan for that site (it was an office building)....heres whats going there now :D:

1 South Market
22 Stories
300 Luxury condos

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/129_lg3_1-S-Market_03.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/portfolio/html/detail/pop-detail.php?page=1&view=all&key=129

EDIT: Be on the look out for construction updates soon....I just got a new camera.... :cheers:

Ooooh, I like yours better! ;)

metropolismayor

August 29th, 2006, 07:30 AM

Any pictures of Gateway Tower?

arturo

August 29th, 2006, 10:37 AM

This is all I have on the Gateway Tower:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/Gateway.jpg

market gateway tower
In the early design phase, this 240-foot residential tower with retail and gallery space presents a welcoming south gateway to San Jose 's intensifying downtown core and SoFa entertainment district. At the confluence of the city's historic South First and Market streets and the intimate urban plaza known as Parque de los Pobladores, the tower draws pedestrians from the neighboring museum, theater and City Center , the city's new urban residential community.

My guess is the the design will be changed quite a bit since it's still in "early design phase."

** 1 S. Market looks exactly like what that intersection needs! :) **

metropolismayor

August 29th, 2006, 07:59 PM

You continue to amaze, Arturo. Thanks.

Here's the latest Merc article on downtown's skyline:

S.J. skyline to get makeover
DEVELOPERS RUSHING TO FILL UP THE GAP IN LUXURY HOUSING
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

Bucking a nationwide trend, developers are on track to build high-rise condominiums that will dramatically alter downtown San Jose's skyline.

As builders in Southern California and along the East Coast pull back from condominium construction, developers in San Jose remain bullish about a market they say is eager for their product -- luxurious urban condos offering views, spas and concierge services. Such housing, they say, appeals to those with six-figure incomes, no children and a desire to be downtown.

Even more important, banks are showing confidence. Two weeks ago, Fremont Investment & Loan agreed to lend KT Properties of San Jose and Spring Capital of Eugene, Ore., $128.5 million to build the Axis, a 22-story tower on Almaden Boulevard and Santa Clara Street. Construction on the 320-unit project has begun.

``The loan closing speaks for itself,'' said Lesley Love, vice president for Fremont. ``We believe in the underlying market fundamentals of San Jose. We think San Jose is the next candidate for what we've seen in other markets.''

Mike Kriozere, who paid $28.6 million for 1.5 acres of prime property in June, agrees. Saying he is not fazed by declining numbers in either sales or builder surveys, Kriozere prepared to write a $130,000 check Monday for city-imposed fees on his high-rise 670-unit development, City Front Square.

``Everybody is talking about a big housing slowdown, but this is a community that is completely, totally 100 percent under-served in this product,'' said Kriozere, of Urban West Associates.

``If you live in Santa Clara County and you've got money, what's your choice? A lot of people don't want a 5,000- or 6,000-square-foot house in Woodside.''

While he does not yet have the financing for the two towers of 670 units, estimated to cost $300 million, he is confident he'll secure a loan. When that happens, he hopes to push the start date for construction from the end of 2007 to spring next year.

``We're on track,'' Kriozere said. ``We're not slower, we're trying to make it go faster.''

Condos for sale

Chicago-based Mesa Development just opened its West Coast office in San Jose and named Rick Friedman, formerly of eBay, to run it. As development manager, Friedman will oversee the sales office for 360 Residences, a 22-story condo project at 360 S. Market St., at the corner of San Salvador Street, scheduled to open in January. Mesa also announced that it will build 360 Residences with Kimball Hill Homes.

And Barry Swenson Builder is hoping to finish construction on City Heights, a 16-story, 124-unit development on San Pedro Street next spring, even as the company considers converting Vendome Place from apartments to condominiums. The first phase of Vendome is just 76 units, but the entire development calls for 500.

``One of the differences between San Jose and other markets is there's not an overabundance of condos. If you go to Las Vegas and Miami, they've been building a mass amount of condos for some time,'' said Jessie Thielen, a development project manager for Barry Swenson Builder.

Barry Swenson Builder, the first to offer San Jose a high-rise project, is taking ``tons of calls'' from buyers, Thielen said. ``It's the product that the San Jose buyer is looking for.''

John Weiss, the city's redevelopment deputy director, is not surprised that developers are moving ahead in San Jose.

``We're beginning to have job growth -- the most encouraging in five years,'' Weiss said. ``My observation is that there certainly is a substantial slowdown in Southern California and on the East Coast, but they were substantially overbuilt.''

To keep the fires going, the city is considering whether to extend the incentive program, begun in 2004, that waived the affordable housing component.

``If we stop where we are today, we end up with four projects and about 1,000 units. We really need 5,000 units, and we'd love to do 10,000,'' said Joe Horwedel, the city's interim planning director. ``Should it be a period of time or a number of units? Our goal is to get units downtown. We want that high-rise market to be really strong.''

While some preliminary proposals have stalled, other developers are forging ahead and even scouting around for more sites to build. Meanwhile, the city is grappling with another question: How much housing is too much?

Housing deficit

The Bay Area has a housing deficit that is expected to worsen as the economy improves. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, the shortfall is expected to reach more than 150,000 units by 2010, while Santa Clara County is expected to generate 95,000 jobs in 2006 and 2007. Yet the city also has an obligation to provide places to work.

KT Properties proposes to build a high-rise on another site downtown at Market and Santa Clara streets that San Jose had eyed for a BART station/office tower.

``We're having a debate: Are there sites worth preserving for office rather than residential?'' Horwedel said. ``How do you balance a BART portal to accommodate a major investment in downtown? Do you say `no' to somebody ready to go, in favor of someone who could take another 15 years? We're taking that question to the city council in the next month or so.''

San Jose may not have BART, but Paul Zieger, president of Pacific Marketing Associates and a spokesman for Axis, Tower 88 on Second Street and City Heights, said the city has plenty of other attractions.

``They have a hockey team, light-rail system, a children's museum, an adult museum, the symphony -- all these things that most cities get after everybody moves into downtown. It's a suburban community supported by a rich business community,'' he said.

The true test, however, is how quickly the units sell once they hit the market. And for high-rises, which take 20 to 24 months to build, that's still a year or two away.

There's also a nice graphic highlighting new projects. I couldn't post it because its a PDF. maybe someone smarter than me can figure out how to do it.
http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/mercurynews/news/highrise.pdf

vadin

August 29th, 2006, 08:01 PM

S.J. skyline to get makeover
DEVELOPERS RUSHING TO FILL UP THE GAP IN LUXURY HOUSING
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News
Graphic: Planned residential high-rises
More commercial real estate
Bucking a nationwide trend, developers are on track to build high-rise condominiums that will dramatically alter downtown San Jose's skyline.

As builders in Southern California and along the East Coast pull back from condominium construction, developers in San Jose remain bullish about a market they say is eager for their product -- luxurious urban condos offering views, spas and concierge services. Such housing, they say, appeals to those with six-figure incomes, no children and a desire to be downtown.

Even more important, banks are showing confidence. Two weeks ago, Fremont Investment & Loan agreed to lend KT Properties of San Jose and Spring Capital of Eugene, Ore., $128.5 million to build the Axis, a 22-story tower on Almaden Boulevard and Santa Clara Street. Construction on the 320-unit project has begun.

``The loan closing speaks for itself,'' said Lesley Love, vice president for Fremont. ``We believe in the underlying market fundamentals of San Jose. We think San Jose is the next candidate for what we've seen in other markets.''

Mike Kriozere, who paid $28.6 million for 1.5 acres of prime property in June, agrees. Saying he is not fazed by declining numbers in either sales or builder surveys, Kriozere prepared to write a $130,000 check Monday for city-imposed fees on his high-rise 670-unit development, City Front Square.

``Everybody is talking about a big housing slowdown, but this is a community that is completely, totally 100 percent under-served in this product,'' said Kriozere, of Urban West Associates.

``If you live in Santa Clara County and you've got money, what's your choice? A lot of people don't want a 5,000- or 6,000-square-foot house in Woodside.''

While he does not yet have the financing for the two towers of 670 units, estimated to cost $300 million, he is confident he'll secure a loan. When that happens, he hopes to push the start date for construction from the end of 2007 to spring next year.

``We're on track,'' Kriozere said. ``We're not slower, we're trying to make it go faster.''

Condos for sale

Chicago-based Mesa Development just opened its West Coast office in San Jose and named Rick Friedman, formerly of eBay, to run it. As development manager, Friedman will oversee the sales office for 360 Residences, a 22-story condo project at 360 S. Market St., at the corner of San Salvador Street, scheduled to open in January. Mesa also announced that it will build 360 Residences with Kimball Hill Homes.

And Barry Swenson Builder is hoping to finish construction on City Heights, a 16-story, 124-unit development on San Pedro Street next spring, even as the company considers converting Vendome Place from apartments to condominiums. The first phase of Vendome is just 76 units, but the entire development calls for 500.

``One of the differences between San Jose and other markets is there's not an overabundance of condos. If you go to Las Vegas and Miami, they've been building a mass amount of condos for some time,'' said Jessie Thielen, a development project manager for Barry Swenson Builder.

Barry Swenson Builder, the first to offer San Jose a high-rise project, is taking ``tons of calls'' from buyers, Thielen said. ``It's the product that the San Jose buyer is looking for.''

John Weiss, the city's redevelopment deputy director, is not surprised that developers are moving ahead in San Jose.

``We're beginning to have job growth -- the most encouraging in five years,'' Weiss said. ``My observation is that there certainly is a substantial slowdown in Southern California and on the East Coast, but they were substantially overbuilt.''

To keep the fires going, the city is considering whether to extend the incentive program, begun in 2004, that waived the affordable housing component.

``If we stop where we are today, we end up with four projects and about 1,000 units. We really need 5,000 units, and we'd love to do 10,000,'' said Joe Horwedel, the city's interim planning director. ``Should it be a period of time or a number of units? Our goal is to get units downtown. We want that high-rise market to be really strong.''

While some preliminary proposals have stalled, other developers are forging ahead and even scouting around for more sites to build. Meanwhile, the city is grappling with another question: How much housing is too much?

Housing deficit

The Bay Area has a housing deficit that is expected to worsen as the economy improves. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, the shortfall is expected to reach more than 150,000 units by 2010, while Santa Clara County is expected to generate 95,000 jobs in 2006 and 2007. Yet the city also has an obligation to provide places to work.

KT Properties proposes to build a high-rise on another site downtown at Market and Santa Clara streets that San Jose had eyed for a BART station/office tower.

``We're having a debate: Are there sites worth preserving for office rather than residential?'' Horwedel said. ``How do you balance a BART portal to accommodate a major investment in downtown? Do you say `no' to somebody ready to go, in favor of someone who could take another 15 years? We're taking that question to the city council in the next month or so.''

San Jose may not have BART, but Paul Zieger, president of Pacific Marketing Associates and a spokesman for Axis, Tower 88 on Second Street and City Heights, said the city has plenty of other attractions.

``They have a hockey team, light-rail system, a children's museum, an adult museum, the symphony -- all these things that most cities get after everybody moves into downtown. It's a suburban community supported by a rich business community,'' he said.

The true test, however, is how quickly the units sell once they hit the market. And for high-rises, which take 20 to 24 months to build, that's still a year or two away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Katherine Conrad at kconrad@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5073.

arturo

August 29th, 2006, 09:07 PM

There's also a nice graphic highlighting new projects. I couldn't post it because its a PDF. maybe someone smarter than me can figure out how to do it.
http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/mercurynews/news/highrise.pdf

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/highrises.gif

But I doubt I'm smarter-er! :D

*NOR CAL*

September 1st, 2006, 12:53 AM

NorCal's totally right. The lighting of a city makes all the difference. If you look closely at 1stAct's plan (which the city so far seems keen on), it looks like they intend on making SJ's city street much more colorful and kinetic, with lots of art and advertising, much more along the lines of...
Tokyo
http://www.jasonlovesmichelle.com/michelle/web/images/tokyo-night.jpg
or Hong Kong.
http://tiger.towson.edu/users/myeung1/Hong%20Kong%20night%20time%201.jpeg
Plus, brightly lighting a city like San Jose would also demphasize the fact that it has a stubby skyline.

Man, yet again, we solve another of SJ's problems. Good work, NorCal!

Thanks, now all we need to do is get me on city council right? lol

bluesbrother42fs

September 1st, 2006, 01:20 AM

The city of San Jose is following a good model by revitalizing its downtown and bringing in new develop to help bring people back to the city's core. However, we cannot forget the impending doom of the downtown when it comes to another portion of the city we are all familiar with: Santana Row.
http://www.westernpropertygroup.com/uploads/Rentals/santana-row-333-1.jpg
As you can see in this picture, this is a picture of a street in Santana Row with a high rise office building in the background.
http://www.jaygraham.com/images/architecture/08arch.jpg
In this image, you can perfectly see the urban street with a creative use of the middle section. Eventually, we may see light rail or trollies running up and down this section.
http://www.stanc.net/santana/IMG_0247.JPG
Wouldn't it be cool to come out of the BART subway and walk into Santana Row like this?
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:Iy1H9qE6q4FtYM:http://www.ccarey.com/FileStore/IMG/FP_50D75517D7E84F09B07C4733E3B1D693.jpg
The Stevens Creek Blv.d area is getting a face lift since Santana Row arrived. Eventually it will become a mid/high rise district. Traffic will be snarling and we will have another dowtown along with what's been planned for North First Street.

This must stop! Bring the towers to Downtown San Jose where they belong!

arturo

September 1st, 2006, 02:03 AM

metropolismayor

September 1st, 2006, 05:36 PM

For all its great design, Santana Row is lacking one BIG thing: character. Because everything was built at the same time it lacks diversity of every sort: architectural style; height; material; age; income level; state of disrepair; etc. Everything seems too percfect- too planned- because it is!

There is a certain charm to a neighborhood built-up over tens or hundreds of years, something completely unreproducible by fancy façades and perfectly-paved streets.

Lastly, I hope trolleys never ever run up the middle section of that street at the Row. It's so annoying having them on First and Seconds Streets! Arggggg!!!! I suggest running light rail below San Carlos/Stevens Creek to Santana Row/Valley Fair. Instead of fighting those shopping centers they should be embraced as an extension of downtown. If only I had a few billions dollars...

I agree, however, Santana Row has done a few things right. And downtown designers would be wise to pay attention.

Yes, SR (or Disney Silicon Valley) feels "too perfect. Its funny, my gym is the Club One over Maggiano's. And if you get on the tread mills or lift the weights facing Chili's, you can see a single condo balcony with a bunch of flowers and a flag on it. Hardly anyone else has anything on their balcony, but this owner has single-handedly given some character to this side of their building. In fact, their windows almost look Parisian. Its pretty cool. Unfortunately, there is too little of this at SR. Def not something downtown should emulate.

On the other hand, SR has created a sense of "place" that's clearly been lacking in downtown's design. They've also done a good job of mixing retail, shopping, and entertainment which is why its a very crowded place, even on weeknights. Downtown could use more of that, where there are pockets of cool and then blocks of nothing. (BTW, I loved your idea of closing SoFA to cars. That's a great idea.) SR is agreat place to people watch, be it on a Sunday morning or a Friday night. Finally, even if its just facades, SR has done a better job of making their buildings stand out from the boxy condo designs that dominate downtown. They've paid attention to the little details, like lighting and color, and the result is designs that people respond to.

I have very mixed feelings on SR. But I think its a mistake for SJ not to acknowledge what's been done right. I think it offers a lot of lessons.

metropolismayor

September 1st, 2006, 07:56 PM

Thanks, now all we need to do is get me on city council right? lol

I'll vote for you if you vote for me! :nocrook:

metropolismayor

September 1st, 2006, 09:23 PM

Look out Arturo, there's more where that came from. This is from earlier this year:

High-rise condos next at the Row
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - February 24, 2006
by Sharon Simonson

On the heels of its spectacularly successful sale of residential condominiums at San Jose's Santana Row, Federal Realty Investment Trust is asking the city to increase its allocation of housing units at the 42-acre site to 1,600 -- a 33 percent increase from what it is currently allowed.

The move is being viewed favorably by city staff, says Acting Planning Director Joe Horwedel. The city has wanted to increase housing counts on the property for some time, he adds.

At least some of the units are likely to be included in two additional high-rise towers the city is also encouraging for the site. Those towers would be limited to 120 feet or roughly 12 stories, Mr. Horwedel says.

The city has contemplated various locations for the two towers at the development, all generally on the western half of the property closer to Winchester Avenue. Nothing has been settled yet.

The new housing entitlements are not expected to supplant plans for another 125,000 square feet of retail at Santana Row or a proposed 191-room hotel, Chief Executive Don Wood told analysts during a Feb. 22 conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and year-end 2005 results.

However, the company is exploring a change from hotel to retail, possibly with housing on top, at a site at the development's main entrance from Stevens Creek Boulevard, Mr. Horwedel says.

The parcel, now a surface parking lot, is likely one of the most valuable remaining on the property, according to Green Street Advisors of Newport Beach, which tracks Federal Realty on behalf of investors. The site is considered appropriate for one of the two 120-foot towers, as well, city staff says. By way of comparison, the building that now houses the Hotel Valencia at Santana Row is 105 feet high.

Meanwhile, Federal has announced plans to sell two small sites with entitlements to develop 400 housing units. The company expects to put them on the market in the next 30 to 60 days. It will offer the land and development rights unpriced, a customary practice. Mr. Wood said he expects to receive top dollar for them.

"Santana Row is well-recognized in the Bay Area as a successful destination from the standpoint of home buyers and retailers. (So) it would seem to me that the values would be extremely aggressive," Mr. Wood said. He declined to offer any indication of what the actual sales prices might be.

Both sites are positioned immediately behind existing buildings east of the development's central roadway, which is also named Santana Row.

Chip Macdonald, a land-broker and principal with Santa Clara's CPS Commercial Property Services, says he would not be surprised to see as many as 20 bidders for the properties.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some home buyers might not like Santana Row because there is a lot going on, but it's a unique, upscale living environment that few, if any, other developers have created in Santa Clara County," he says. "It's got a great mix of retail services and restaurants, and it's well-located relative to the workplace and larger community."

Whatever developers acquire the land could clearly capitalize on those strengths, he adds.

The two properties offered for sale are 1.5 acres and 2.1 acres, says Jeffrey S. Berkes, Federal's chief investment officer. The company has the right to put 170 units on the smaller piece and 240 units on the larger, though how the development is ultimately configured -- including possibly fewer homes -- would be at the discretion of the buyer, Mr. Berkes says. Neither site is contemplated for the high-rise towers as both properties have height limits of 90 feet.

Federal intends to maintain a fair amount of final development control, whoever buys, Mr. Berkes says.

The land-sale announcement follows news from Federal that through Feb. 13 it had closed sales on 152 of the 219 condominiums it earmarked for disposition in 2005. Another 30 of the condos are under contract. It expects to sell out in the next several months.

In a statement of earnings released Feb. 21 for its fourth quarter and all of 2005, Federal increased its estimated gross sales proceeds from the condos to $150 million. The company said as recently as October that it expected to receive $135 million.

In December, Federal said it had achieved prices as high as $750 a square foot for its smallest, 700-square-foot lofts, a price some $300 a foot above condos not in Santana Row but in its ZIP code.

The units were originally developed as apartments, but the strength of the region's housing market persuaded the company to convert them to condos, something its development permits allowed it to do. The company closed escrow on the first ones last summer and has sold about 30 a month since.

Home builders consider a monthly sales pace of more than six units at a subdivision noteworthy, says Janis Lassner, a senior residential appraiser for San Jose's Hulberg & Associates Inc.

Greg Andrews and Thomas Youn, analysts for Green Street, upped their estimate of the 18 acres' value to $100 million from $40 million late last year, based on the strength of the condo prices and sales as well as strong retail sales and apartment leasing. Federal has 256 apartments now going up at Santana Row, about half of which are leased.

Green Street's heightened land valuation was before the announcement of the additional 400 homes, however, which -- if approved -- would likely make the property more valuable still.

"The point of Santana Row is that by combining uses -- residential, retail, hotel, some offices -- the community is greater than the sum of its parts," Mr. Andrews says. "The residential component is priced at a premium because people want to live near the stores and restaurants. It probably works the other way around, too -- the retailers like the built-in customer base -- but it's mostly enhancing for the residential."

Even so, Federal has sworn off developing any more Santana Rows on its own, though Mr. Wood said on the conference call that it is contemplating a relationship with Centex Homes at another property outside the region.

Federal is by and large a retail property developer and owner.

Besides Santana Row, Federal owns the 637,000-square-foot Westgate Mall in San Jose, two small retail centers in Los Gatos and a San Francisco property on Post Street. It also announced Jan. 10 that it had acquired Crow Canyon Commons in San Ramon for $47.5 million. With that 228,000 square-foot shopping center, Federal owns 1.7 million square feet of retail space in Northern California.

Despite Federal's success with housing at Santana Row, Ms. Lassner says the housing market is not as robust as it was a year ago. The company likely hit the peak of the market last summer, she says. Since then, regional home buyers have gained leverage in the face of rising for-sale inventory, particularly of homes priced above $1 million.

In the first half of last year, Bay Area developers were able to raise prices on their homes aggressively, she says. Midyear, the market no longer would tolerate that, however, as speculators left en masse and the availability of for-sale homes climbed.

In addition, some developers are afraid that attached housing may be getting over-built, she says. Moreover, buyers in the segment can be "pretty price-sensitive."

"Getting over $600,000 a house for an attached project can be tough," she says.

During the conference call, Federal's Mr. Berkes denied that the company had experienced any downward pressure on its condo sales at Santana Row.

Still, Ms. Lassner says, Federal benefits in the proposed land sales from having entitlements in place, which some large home builders like. In addition, Santana Row dovetails well with long-term trends in the valley with home buyers showing less and less desire for yards.

Beyond that, it is simply difficult for home developers to find good locations, she says, and the pickings are only getting slimmer.

SHARON SIMONSON covers real estate for the Business Journal. Reach her at (408) 299-1853.

djdany

September 2nd, 2006, 05:56 PM

Nvidia could move its headquarters from santa clara to downtown san jose
where?.. you guess it
the sobrato tower which has been vacant for 4 years
san joses vacancy rate for a class office buildings will drop from 22% to 15%..
if this near billion dollar transaction goes thru it very well may pave the way for other high rise office projects on hold to give the go!!!

lets cross our fingers

p.s.
if they do make the move to the building .. they better be creative witht heir signage...

bluesbrother42fs

September 2nd, 2006, 09:46 PM

Nvidia in talks to move to S.J. tower
DOWNTOWN BUILDING REMAINS VACANT AFTER FOUR YEARS
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News
John Sobrato confirmed Friday he is negotiating with chip maker Nvidia to move its headquarters from Santa Clara to his downtown San Jose office tower, vacant now for four years.

Negotiations began about four months ago, Sobrato said, because the leading graphics chip maker is outgrowing its 500,000-square-foot Santa Clara campus.

The two sides, however, remain far apart on what could be a billion-dollar deal.

``They need space and we have an existing relationship,'' Sobrato said. ``As you might guess, we've made them a very aggressive proposal. But they have so many less-expensive suburban options.''

Sobrato should know. With 9.5 million square feet of commercial real estate across the South Bay, Sobrato Development is Silicon Valley's largest owner of commercial real estate. Nvidia, which just leased an additional 47,000 square feet across the street from its headquarters, is one of Sobrato's tenants, as are Apple Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Biosystems and Yahoo.

``We have not made any decisions in regards to new office space. We are evaluating several alternatives,'' said Nvidia spokeswoman Calisa Cole.

Nvidia, which has 3,000 employees worldwide, will be the last maker of stand-alone graphics chips for personal computers once AMD completes its acquisition of Canada's ATI Technologies. The company's chips command the highest prices in the highest-end gaming computers now. Nvidia also designed the RSX, the graphics chip in the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3 video game console.

If the chip maker is looking for a downtown high-rise for its headquarters, the 380,000-square-foot Sobrato building is the only game in town.

Sobrato planned it that way when he broke ground on the 17-story tower in 2000, just as the torrid commercial real estate market had hit its peak. And he remains determined to wait for a single tenant to take the entire building. He said the 7-million-square-foot downtown office market with its 22 percent vacancy rate already has plenty of smaller spaces, including the 60,000 square feet recently vacated by Knight Ridder.

Other large spaces on the scale of the tower on Almaden Boulevard, however, do not exist in downtown San Jose.

``It's been four years since we built that thing. Our timing was awful in early 2001 -- that's when the Internet bubble burst,'' he said. ``That's been part of our problem. And it's an expensive building, but we've been willing to be aggressive on rents.''

Asking rents for full-service, Class A office space downtown are about $2.50 a square foot per month, but Sobrato said, ``We're well below that.''

The developer would not disclose the financial terms of a downtown deal, but a 15-year lease at the current asking rate of $1.95 a square foot a month for the Almaden tower would be valued at almost $1.4 billion. A lease in a suburban location would be about two-thirds that amount.

The developer said he is considering appealing to the city's redevelopment agency to determine whether San Jose could make up the difference.

Nancy Klein, the city's economic development manager in charge of commercial real estate, would not speculate about how the city would react to such a request. While she said it's important to the city both psychologically and financially for the building to have a tenant, she does not believe the city would be willing to subsidize a company's move to downtown when the construction is already complete. In the mid-1990s, San Jose subsidized Adobe Systems' downtown move with a $35 million grant and gave the same amount to the Fairmont Hotel.

Klein acknowledged, however, that the city is eager to see the tower at 488 Almaden Blvd. filled with workers.

``We have long desired to have another corporate entity name to invest in San Jose. That's a huge value to us to have a company along the ilk of an Adobe,'' Klein said.

Once the building is leased, San Jose's downtown office vacancy would drop from 22 percent to about 15 percent, according to Ritchie Commercial. The city would gain about 1,100 employees.

``We would get a whole lot of people in that building and on the street thinking about downtown housing, and we would get retail patrons,'' she said. ``This would make downtown hum and attract other additions to our daytime and nighttime pop.''

If the deal falls through, Sobrato said he will sit tight. He has resisted so far, plus he can afford to hold out, since his company built the $100 million glass-and-granite structure with its own cash.

``We're willing to wait,'' Sobrato said. ``The current thinking is we have the ability to do that and we probably will.''

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bluesbrother42fs

September 2nd, 2006, 10:03 PM

The remaining bits of culture left in San Jose...

Though Japantown has been around for so many years...lately, there's been a dying trend as the Japanese leave for cupertino and the west valley. However we still have a lively Vietnamese community that has it's footprint all over our city most recognizable is Grand Century Mall http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ca/usca34960.jpeg

bluesbrother42fs

September 2nd, 2006, 10:05 PM

Save this place and help bring back a lost Chinatown and a dying Japantown. Keep the culture right here in San Jose!
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:j_5mKh0pmB5v4M:http://www.vietnamtown.com/html/uploads/photos/32.jpg

mr_storms

September 2nd, 2006, 10:39 PM

wow...outgrowing theyre santa clara campus? that place is HUGE. Where would they go besides the sobrato building anyways Maybe they can move into the adobe complex when adobe moves out to a new complex by the arena ;)

metropolismayor

September 3rd, 2006, 09:32 AM

djdany

September 4th, 2006, 01:12 AM

does anyone have any info on that... its by the airport and i know they want a couple high rises on the property... hotel and residentail... but any renderings???

bluesbrother42fs

September 4th, 2006, 10:56 PM

BUMP!

metropolismayor

September 5th, 2006, 04:37 AM

does anyone have any info on that... its by the airport and i know they want a couple high rises on the property... hotel and residentail... but any renderings???

Here's all I've heard, no renderings though...

Hotel to be site of condo tower
At 30 stories, it would be city's tallest
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - July 29, 2005
by Brad Berton and Andrew F. Hamm

The owner of one of Silicon Valley's largest and most-recognized properties -- the resort-style Hyatt San Jose near the Mineta San Jose International Airport -- is in talks to transform his 16.5-acre holding into a mixed use residential complex that would blend a hotel with as many as six high-rise condominium towers.

At least one of the envisioned towers would soar toward the full permitted height of 305 feet, making the 30-story towers the tallest buildings in San Jose.

Manoucher "Manou" Mobedshahi, who has owned the lushly landscaped Hyatt at North First Street and Old Bayshore Highway since 1997, says no agreement has yet been struck, but brokers working on the deal confirm exclusive negotiations are underway with a buyer.

"We would be handling the hotel business; we don't know about the condo business. That would be handled by someone else," Mr. Mobedshahi says.

Jim Schmidt, vice president at Cornish & Carey Commercial in Santa Clara, declined to identify the front-running bidder but says most of the numerous interested parties, including one now working with Mr. Mobedshahi, evaluated the property on the basis of redeveloping at least a portion of the property for residential use.

"If they can do that, there's no question the financial value is significantly greater than maintaining the property as a hotel," say Tom Callahan, CEO of hotel advisory firm PKF Consulting's West region in San Francisco.

Mr. Schmidt and C&C senior sales associate Mark Russell have been overseeing the property's marketing efforts on behalf of the ownership group known as Manco Partners, which is headed by Mr. Mobedshahi. While Mr. Schmidt won't reveal the top bid, he said Mr. Mobedshahi's original asking price was $100 million.

Mr. Mobedshahi would neither confierm nor deny that price, but says no deal is imminent. He says it would take at least three years to get the necessary permits together once a deal is struck to begin construction.

"It's all market-driven," Mr. Mobedshahi says.

In 2001, Manco Partners submitted plans to the city of San Jose to build an 30-story office complex on an empty four-acre section of the Hyatt property. That plan fell apart when Silicon Valley office vacancy numbers went from 2.5 percent to 16 percent today, according to figures from CB Richard Ellis. Other surveys have put that number at over 20 percent.

Indeed, the deal now under negotiation is contingent on San Jose's approval of a residential redevelopment plan. And, because the property is in a residential overlay zoning designation, the city's in-place entitlements allow for residential development at a density of 55 units per acre and a maximum building height of 305 feet.

At 305 feet, the development would become the city's tallest. San Jose's new City Hall was initially planned for 320 feet but was reduced to 288 feet due to restrictions imposed by Mineta's air traffic patterns. The Hyatt site is not within an airport approach overlay zone.

"The views would be spectacular," Mr. Schmidt says.

The combined residential-hotel complex could be a model for city efforts to redevelopment the North First Street area known as the Golden Triangle, Mr. Mobedshahi says.

"We hope to be in the forefront of the makeover of North First Street," he says.

The two, three and four-story buildings along First Street are outdated and are not giving their owners full value of the property, Mr. Mobedshahi says.

The hotel property could be developed in several different ways, depending on who the developer is and the market at the time the deal is struck, Mr. Mobedshahi says.

Ideally, a new condo tower hotel would be built on the empty four-acre parcel located at the back of the property, Mr. Mobedshahi says. Then, a portion of the existing 512-room hotel complex that consist of nine free-standing buildings would be razed to build a new hotel tower and one or more condo towers. As those new buildings come on line, the rest of the existing hotel would be torn down and new condo buildings built as the market dictates, Mr. Mobedshahi says.

Mr. Mobedshahi says he would like to keep at least 200 hotel rooms in operation at all times during construction.

"In the long run, it will happen. I think it is true for all of First Street," he says.

The hotel, which served as a corporate training facility for Chicago's Hyatt Corp., had already undergone a $21 million improvement program since Mr. Mobedshahi acquired it in 1997.

The Hyatt property appears to boast numerous attractions as a residential high-rise site. It's adjacent to a light-rail stop, and residents would have quick and easy access by bus to the airport, Mr. Schmidt says. It's also easily accessible from much of the North San Jose area the city recently decided to up-zone in order to accommodate more than 80,000 expected new jobs.

Silicon Valley's hospitality market has been in a slump since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, but is recovering. Hotel-room occupancy rate in San Jose was nearly 52 percent in June, up from 43.65 percent a year earlier but still far off the 80 percent vicinity seen back in the 1999-2000 period. The Hyatt's room rates range from $89 to $109 on weekends, $129 to $149 weekdays.

Meanwhile single-family and condo prices have continued to skyrocket, due in part to attractive mortgage rates, even amid a slow general economic rebound. Dataquick reports that Santa Clara County's median condo price today is in $450,000 vicinity, up a sharp 20 percent from year-ago levels.

When Mr. Mobedshahi purchased the structures and underlying ground from Hyatt Corp. in 1997 -- he'd been leasing the property through a franchise agreement -- Business Journal sources estimated he paid less than $875,000 per acre for the land. If the property fetches the reported $100 million asking price, he would earn about $6 million per acre, which is double the per-acre price many close-in properties entitled for residential development have fetched recently. Mr. Mobedshahi recently sold the 171-room Hyatt Sainte Claire in downtown San Jose for an estimated $19 million to the Madera-based Larkspur Hospitality Co. LLC.

Meanwhile, San Diego's Urban West Associates recently offered $19 million-plus per acre for a strategic 1.48-acre downtown San Jose site the company is eyeing for twin 25-story luxury condo towers.

"Right now, it makes sense to build condos and perhaps some retail," Mr. Mobedshahi says. "Anything we would do there will take years."

Investors have been eyeing Silicon Valley hotels for a while now, Mr. Callahan says.

"The market isn't there but the vision is there for the future," says Mr. Callahan, who estimates it may be three years before Silicon Valley hotels return to profitability.

bluesbrother42fs

September 8th, 2006, 02:02 AM

The Redevelopment Monthly Reports Page has been updated! Ch-ch-ch-check it out!

bluesbrother42fs

September 9th, 2006, 04:38 AM

With all this new high rise development, San Jose can now start to focus on filling the gaps in downtown. AWAY WITH YOU SURFACE PARKING LOTS! More five story condos and high rises are appreciated! Too bad light rail can't go underground in Downtown! Darnit! Why did they have to go with 3mph street trolleys! If San Fernando and Almaden Plaza get built, our skyline would change dramatically along with all the other towers already in place! Too bad we can't have both the office tower and the condo tower versions of One South Market..haha!

bluesbrother42fs

September 9th, 2006, 10:26 PM

On page 6, there is a big mistake in the multimedia graphic from the Merc. I think they mixed up the completion dates for Axis and City Front Square.

bluesbrother42fs

September 9th, 2006, 11:01 PM

http://arnica.csustan.edu/jacklin/Alviso_Marina_1/Images/DSCN6204.jpg Can you believe this is within our city limits? Great view. Alviso must be revitalized! Bring the boats back and save the environment too i guess..!

djdany

September 10th, 2006, 08:17 PM

wow.. thats really beautiful...
environmentalist will never let us get close enough to that

metropolismayor

September 11th, 2006, 12:11 AM

bluesbrother42fs

September 14th, 2006, 03:39 AM

BUMP!

metropolismayor

September 22nd, 2006, 08:23 PM

Good to be back... :)

Posted on Fri, Sep. 22, 2006

http://www.mercurynews.com/images/mercurynews/mercurynews/15583/thumb_242837305508.jpg

New neighbors for Original Joe's
LOFTS ENVISIONED AS PART OF MAKEOVER AT S.J. LANDMARK
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

The sale of the historic Sainte Claire building in downtown San Jose promises to breathe new life into a neglected landmark whose upper stories have been deserted since a fire struck in 1973.

Original Joe's fans need not worry: The restaurant that has been a fixture for a half-century on the ground floor of the five-story building is staying put, although it will close for a couple of months next summer during renovations.

The Sainte Claire's new owner, Jim Fox of Saratoga Capital, said he is leaning toward creating loft apartments on the upper stories of the 1925 Renaissance Revival building at South First and San Carlos, which is a San Jose city landmark.

``We're mostly housing people, and from a location standpoint, this is a great building,'' Fox said.

Fox would not say what he paid for the 44,000-square-foot building nor how much he will have to spend to bring it into the 21st century. But renovating the top four floors -- whose rooms have not been touched in three decades -- to accommodate 30 to 35 lofts will clearly run into millions of dollars.

``When you walk in there, it's as if time just stopped,'' said Fox, who also owns the Dohrmann building next door, as well as the Hotel De Anza. ``There was no structural damage, but they shut the upper floors down.''

Even as the fire raged that day in September 1973, diners at Original Joe's ``with Nero-like nonchalance continued to slurp their minestrone, sip their cocktails and feast on ravioli,'' a story from the San Jose Mercury described.

The top four stories, which had served as offices for doctors and dentists, remain littered with charred remains of office chairs, gurneys, burned walls and even old tubes from the surgeries once performed there.

Now, it's likely those deserted spaces will be home to downtown residents.

Housing is allowed under current zoning, and preliminary plans filed with the city show that Fox plans to use it for housing, according to Sally Notthoff Zarnowitz, the city's historic preservation officer. Whether he can obtain any funding for seismic retrofitting rests with the redevelopment agency, she said.

Bringing the building back to life is a monumental task that has eluded previous owners.

Matt Rocca, who owns Original Joe's with his brother, Brad Rocca, said that after the 1973 fire, neither his grandfather, nor his father, who owned the Sainte Claire building at the time, had the heart to repair the damage. It was the '70s and the city's core was fast becoming a ghost town.

``Everybody was moving out of downtown San Jose,'' recalled Rocca, who was in high school at the time. ``The older doctors were ready to retire. The rents weren't good. So Dad decided to just close the building and not deal with it.''

``Only in San Jose,'' said Mark Ritchie of Ritchie Commercial, who at one time was the listing broker for the building. ``Back then, space had no meaning. It was an abandoned city.''

Rocca said estimates to fix the property hit $5 million -- even without earthquake retrofitting. The city refused to help with funding, Rocca said, and the family could not afford to do it alone.

``We did not want to be buried on the corner of First and San Carlos,'' Rocca said. In 2000, the Roccas sold the property, after signing a 50-year lease for Original Joe's, to Manou Mobedshahi. An experienced hotelier, Mobedshahi owns the Hyatt San Jose, soon to be a Holiday Inn, and formerly owned the Hyatt Sainte Claire, which is now a Larkspur Hotels property.

It was the boom times, and Mobedshahi planned to turn the upper stories of the Sainte Claire building into hotel suites. His timing was off, however, and the tech wreck put an end to his dream.

``I would have loved to restore it,'' Mobedshahi said. ``When I first saw it, I thought, this is disastrous; something has to be done. The bust made it impossible.''

Mobedshahi has high hopes for Fox, however, who he said has the ``sensitivity and the money'' to restore the building to its former grandeur.

``Jim doesn't buy to sell. He buys to keep,'' Mobedshahi said. ``It's time to kick the pigeons out.'' The hotelier, who listed the property in 2004 for $4.6 million, would not disclose the price Saratoga Capital paid last month for the building. Ritchie, who called the building structurally sound, said that, given the seismic work that must be done to bring the building to code, Fox probably paid $75 to $90 a square foot.

Rocca said Fox plans to start renovations in the basement and do as much work around the restaurant as possible. It will likely close for two or three months next summer, however, for refurbishing.

``The building is too pretty to waste,'' Rocca said. ``It just needs a little tender care. Jim has assured me that he will bring life back into this corner.''
Contact Katherine Conrad at kconrad@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5073.

arturo

September 22nd, 2006, 10:29 PM

I drive past this site three times a week, and everytime I think: boring. Anyone agree? I know its still being built, but there's not a lot to get excited about here so far. Bland color and design. Plus, why not move that little house next to it? I'm really excited about the new towers coming up (360, for example, will be beautiful), but the first one out of the gate is a dud.

What do you all think?

Yes! It's is pretty ugly...but at least it gives the northern edge of downtown some height!

That "little house" is the Fallon House, built by a former mayor in the 1850's. It does look out of place but I'm just glad they didn't destroy it.

On a different note, I really hope they don't raze the two international-style buildings nearby. They're nice representation of that era.

urbanaturalist

September 23rd, 2006, 12:16 AM

Yeah, I think environmentalists (and also many in the town) would be against rampant development. Though, I think this part of town offers a unique opportunity. If done right, it could be a new jewel in the South Bay. Imagine a balanced approach that both restores the marina and also allows for development in an environmentally-friendly manner. This is a really poor part of town, too. So I'm sure someone could come up with a plan that serves everyone's needs.

Check out this website: http://pages.prodigy.net/rhorii/alvisowr.htm for some history, inlcuding the ghost town of Drawbridge, which sounds really interesting. (Maybe we should take a Skyscraper fieldtrip!)

http://www.elivermore.com/photos/ace/ace_alv_marina4.jpg

Leave the "jewel" of the South Bay alone. Let it be. We all know that when humans get involved its only going to get polluted. It should be like so for perpetuity. Generations to come can enjoy its "natural beauty." Everytime people see water, the first thing they want to do is sit a building 10 feet from it. Thats not always a bad thing, b/se a lot urban streams/rivers are being cleaned up and revitilized, but this pictures alone shows that its better off without developers knocking the door.

metropolismayor

September 24th, 2006, 06:00 AM

Leave the "jewel" of the South Bay alone. Let it be. We all know that when humans get involved its only going to get polluted. It should be like so for perpetuity. Generations to come can enjoy its "natural beauty." Everytime people see water, the first thing they want to do is sit a building 10 feet from it. Thats not always a bad thing, b/se a lot urban streams/rivers are being cleaned up and revitilized, but this pictures alone shows that its better off without developers knocking the door.

http://www.grownmencry.com/img/s/03_26sunset.jpg

Agreed. However, the people of this part of the city could really use some help. They are all but forgotten by San Jose (they cant even get mail delivered to their houses--they have to have a PO box). I'd like to see (restrained!) develpment to the extent that the community enjoys some benefits. Not neccessarily hotels or malls, but somethings so that the city in general becomes aware of this unique place. In fact, I dont think most San Joseans even know that the city actually touches the bay.

vadin

September 25th, 2006, 03:22 AM

Yes! It's is pretty ugly...but at least it gives the northern edge of downtown some height!

That "little house" is the Fallon House, built by a former mayor in the 1850's. It does look out of place but I'm just glad they didn't destroy it.

On a different note, I really hope they don't raze the two international-style buildings nearby. They're nice representation of that era.
The "little house" next to City Heights is at the corner of St. James/San Pedro. The Fallon House is one block over on the corner of St. John /San Pedro. Totally different building.

arturo

September 25th, 2006, 09:03 PM

Word. So maybe the little blue house should have been moved... Oh well.

metropolismayor

September 28th, 2006, 04:21 AM

Does anyone happen to know what that geometrical building is being built behind San Jose Market Center on Coleman? Its actually on the side of the tracks opposite from the shopping center. I've been watching it be built but I'm not sure what it is. Looks too fancy to be a warehouse, which is what you mostly find on that side. Any info?

arturo

September 28th, 2006, 09:53 PM

That building behind the Market Center will be the new Caltrain depot, a place to clean and fix trains.

Now another question: what are they building at Julian and 87 (accross from the River Street Hisotric District)?

robertee

October 3rd, 2006, 05:38 AM

Tower 88 at Central Place (10/1/06):

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/225/4413pljtm7.jpg

:)

bluesbrother42fs

October 4th, 2006, 03:57 AM

Nvidia move hinges on S.J.'s help
WHO WILL PAY FOR SUBSIDY, AND HOW MUCH?
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

A deal to move chip maker Nvidia's headquarters to downtown San Jose depends on how far the city is willing to extend its purse strings.

To lease the vacant 380,000-square-foot tower on Almaden Boulevard for 15 years would cost Nvidia ``in the ballpark'' of $133 million, according to John M. Sobrato, developer of what is known as the Sobrato Building. Sobrato said he is offering the never-occupied building at ``considerably less'' than the asking rate of $1.95 a square foot, but Nvidia still needs help to ``bridge the gap.''

Harry Mavrogenes, the executive director of San Jose's redevelopment agency, said he met for more than an hour Monday morning with Nvidia representatives. He would not reveal how much money Nvidia needs to make its move, but said the city was considering offering everything from tax credits to a 17,000-square-foot plot of land across the street that would be transferred to Sobrato to be used as a guest parking lot. That would leave the 1,100-space garage next to the building solely for employees.

Mavrogenes noted that financial help works both ways. Taxes that are currently $700,000 based on a $63 million assessed value for the vacant building would climb to $1.6 million based on a $140 million valuation for a fully built-out tower. That's a nice chunk for a redevelopment agency with an annual budget of $139 million.

``Plus we expect 1,500 employees that would shop downtown, eat downtown,'' Mavrogenes said. ``Their corporate visitors would stay in downtown hotels. Maybe their employees would buy a condo or rent. There are a lot of benefits.''

Under an expedited timetable, the proposal to assist Nvidia would go to the city council by Nov. 21 for a vote. If an agreement can be reached, Mavrogenes said Nvidia could move in by next June.

Rapidly growing Nvidia currently occupies 500,000 square feet in its four-building Santa Clara campus, also developed by Sobrato. If Nvidia relocated its headquarters to San Jose, it would retain its space in Santa Clara.

Calisa Cole, an Nvidia spokeswoman, said the company will not comment on the deal while it is being negotiated.

Nvidia, which has 3,000 employees worldwide, will be the last maker of stand-alone graphics chips for personal computers once AMD completes its acquisition of Canada's ATI Technologies. Nvidia also designed the RSX, the graphics chip in the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3 video game console.

In August, the company reported revenue for its second quarter of fiscal 2007 at a record $687.5 million, compared with $574.8 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the six months ended July 30 was a record $1.37 billion, compared with $1.16 billion for the same period the year before, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Sobrato, whose portfolio includes 110 buildings with more than 9.5 million square feet, has wanted a tenant such as Nvidia and has been willing to wait. With the economy on an upswing, Sobrato said now is the time to strike a deal, but he has made the best offer he can to the chip company. It's the city's turn, he said.

While bringing a major employer to the downtown tower, which has been vacant since it was finished in December 2002, is attractive, the question remains: How much is it worth?

San Jose is no stranger to subsidies. In June, the city agreed to help Trader Joe's pay the rent at the city's newest shopping center, the San Jose MarketCenter, by giving the center's developer, Cousins Properties, a subsidy of $2.8 million over 10 years. One of the city's more controversial subsidies went to the San Jose Grand Prix, which received $4 million to bring the race to downtown. And in the 1990s, Adobe Systems was lured to its current headquarters with a $35 million grant. The city offered about the same to the Fairmont Hotel in the 1980s.

``I'm not necessarily against it,'' said Councilman Chuck Reed, who is running for mayor and was opposed to the grand prix subsidy. ``I want to know how much and where does it come from. It's a function of what do we get as a result?''

Answering his own question, Reed continued: ``Fifteen hundred workers, I think that's a plus and a corporate headquarters in this town is important.''

Councilwoman Cindy Chavez, who is also running for mayor, said she spoke briefly last week with Sobrato and urged him to take his case to the redevelopment agency. She said the city is job-poor and still must ``roll out the red carpet'' to attract new business. But not all deals require a cash subsidy, she said. The Sobrato building has 1,100 parking spaces that are sorely needed by the nearby Convention Center, she said, and perhaps could be available nights and weekends.

``I'm not sure a subsidy is the right way to do it. But it's worth exploring to bring jobs, particularly in downtown San Jose,'' she said.

Chavez noted that the subsidy for Adobe has proved quite beneficial. The company began with one tower and now occupies three in the city's downtown core.

Mark Ritchie, a commercial real estate broker with Ritchie Commercial, described downtown as ``still fragile,'' and noted that practically every development in the area got a boost with a subsidy.

``There certainly is precedent -- nobody would deny that -- it's a question of where is the money coming from,'' Ritchie said. ``It's a basic role of redevelopment to create jobs and attract business to downtown. It's not a mystery, nor a crime.

``This deal may be the turning point for downtown.''

Jeff Fredricks, managing partner for Colliers International, said he was a strong proponent of downtown revitalization. ``If that is what is necessary to double San Jose's number of major tech headquarters, then the subsidy is in the best interest of everybody around,'' he said.

If Nvidia moves into 488 Almaden Blvd. by next June, as Sobrato is hoping, the overall downtown vacancy would drop from 22.5 percent to just under 18 percent, according to Ritchie. Class A space, the higher-quality office buildings that usually include views, would plunge from 20 percent to 12.5 percent.

Contact Katherine Conrad at kconrad@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5073.
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metropolismayor

October 4th, 2006, 08:34 PM

The sales site for the Globe is up: http://theglobesanjose.com/

Looks pretty cool.

This will also house a sort of ultra-bowling alley called Lucky Strikes. (I've been to the one in Hollywood.) Swanky digs: http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/

arturo

October 5th, 2006, 01:39 AM

City Heights is also up:

http://www.cityheightssj.com/

Geez, who chose the drab gray/tan color scheme for this building??? It would fit right in 1960's Ukriane...

Doe anyone know the price range for either City Heights or The Globe?? I'd guessing around 500K for a two bedroom but that's just a guess.

metropolismayor

October 5th, 2006, 07:54 PM

Geez, who chose the drab gray/tan color scheme for this building??? It would fit right in 1960's Ukriane...

Haha. I agree. I already hate this building!!! 360 and Axis can't come soon enough!

arturo

October 11th, 2006, 01:43 AM

SAN JOSE PICKED BY BELGIAN FIRM AS 1ST U.S. SITE FOR ITS FORUM
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

What better place to build the home, office and store of the future than Silicon Valley?

That's why San Jose was the only American city the founders of Belgium's Living Tomorrow considered for their futuristic forum.

``This is the center of innovation in the world,'' said founder Peter Bongers.

If the city council approves its plans, Living Tomorrow will build a 40,000-square-foot project in downtown San Jose that shows how humans will live, work, shop and perhaps even bank and buy cars in the future.

Living Tomorrow, which will be on San Fernando Street between First and Second streets, is an incubator for ideas that can be developed into products and then tested by the public.

``Living Tomorrow brings the old and the new economy together and creates a synergy where companies can materialize their visions into recognizable environments such as the home and office,'' Bongers said.

Inventions include a soft bathtub to eliminate slips, a shower that also functions as a sauna, even an alarm clock that keeps track of traffic and awakens you earlier if your route to work is more congested than usual.

``People talk about the future, but it's difficult to understand if it's not tangible. Humans like to see and feel and touch what it's all about -- that's the value of Living Tomorrow,'' Bongers said.

Already successful in Brussels in 1995, then in Amsterdam in 2003, Living Tomorrow provided the European forum where leading companies such as Microsoft, Intel and Hewlett-Packard worked together. It was the place where the concept of the home office was fine-tuned; where the copier, scanner, printer and fax machine were integrated into one machine; and where solar power was put to practical use in a home.

In 2004, Bongers and his founding partner, Frank Belien, decided it was time to bring Living Tomorrow to the United States. Upon arriving in San Jose in early 2005, Bongers was thrilled with the reaction of city officials, who not only understood what the company was about, but were also willing to give Living Tomorrow a piece of a downtown parking lot -- one acre of Block 2 of the city's eight-block redevelopment area, to be exact -- for $1 to build its project.

The only stipulation was that the company had to take the lead on developing the site as a mixed-use project with a residential developer -- a condition Bongers readily accepted.

But the road to the future has not been smooth. First one residential developer and then another fell by the wayside as Living Tomorrow scrambled to find a partner that understood the San Jose market and could make a high-rise project work financially. The city then suggested that Bongers contact Chicago-based Mesa Development, builders of 360 Residences, another high-rise development under construction in downtown San Jose. The two companies signed a development agreement in late September.

Mesa principal Richard Shields said he was eager to participate in the project once he understood Living Tomorrow. ``This is cool,'' Shields said from his office in Chicago. ``Somebody actually has a business to think and bring together ideas on how to live in the future.''

While Harry Mavrogenes, head of the city's redevelopment agency, called the project ``an opportunity for the presence of a unique kind of venture,'' he is keenly aware of the problems other developers have faced and failed to handle on Block 2.

``We have given (Living Tomorrow) deadlines to hold their feet to the fire,'' Mavrogenes said. ``I have concerns about the project. But I'm cautiously optimistic that they can meet the deadlines.

``If they can't, at the end of 45 days, we will terminate them. Then we can move on.''

Both Bongers and Shields believe they can meet the Nov. 18 deadline to submit a design and a financing plan, and have hired architectural firm Skidmore, Owens, Merrill Architects (SOM) of San Francisco.

Shields said the entire plan should be ready for the city council's review in January. He envisions the project, which will have both a high-rise tower and low-rise Living Tomorrow, as integrated but distinct. Living Tomorrow, which also includes plans for a 250-seat auditorium and an event space for 600 people, should open in 2009. The condominium project probably will not be built until 2010.

Mesa's investment to build a 23-story, 200-unit tower will top $100 million and the budget for Living Tomorrow San Jose is $53 million, an amount Bongers plans to raise from Silicon Valley companies that will partner in the innovations. A portion of the funds also will come from the sale of the land to Mesa.

Bongers is confident about his prospects. Ever since he and Belien founded Living Tomorrow in 1991 in Brussels and opened their first project in 1995, the concept has had no trouble finding sponsors to fund the innovations and a public eager to experience them.

``Immediately, it was a huge success,'' he said. ``We had a lot of visitors, about 300,000 visitors the first year. One of the reasons for the media attention was Bill Gates opened our project. He talked about relevance about what we were doing.''

Gates' company, Microsoft, was one of the sponsors of the project, along with Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Unilever and Phillips.

Each of the projects has a shelf life of five years, then it's torn up and the company starts the process all over again because by then, the projects are either part of our lives or history.

vadin

October 11th, 2006, 09:08 PM

Living Tomorrow sounds like it will be a real cool project. The only thing that I'm a little confused about is that the article states that the project consists of a low-rise building for Living Tomorrow and a high-rise building for housing. The parking lot next to the Pavillion, where the site is located, is only 1 acre. That doesn't sound like a lot of space for both buildings.

arturo

October 11th, 2006, 10:48 PM

Here my hypothesis:

The site is an acre, which translates to 43560 square feet.
Living Tomorrow plans a 40000 square foot facility.

1)The first floor will be Living Tomorrow's "low rise" facility. And above that "high rise" condos.

2) Living Tomorrow builds a 40000 sq ft facility @ 2 stories, leaving a 20000 sq ft footprint (half the property.) The condo developer buils a high rise condo on the remaining piece of land.

Or any other similar combination. Either way, much better than that parking lot!

djdany

October 12th, 2006, 09:54 PM

this sounds totally amazing
the one in germany has a very futuristic look to the building
im wondering if the one in san jose would be modeled after something like this, if so i believe it could become a great tourist attraction.. i do hope that this project actually happens tho it would be a great asset to our growing downtown!!!

metropolismayor

October 13th, 2006, 05:31 AM

Looks like Living Tomorrow is hot to trot in San Jose. The location is already listed on their website ( http://www.livtom.com/ltsj/ ). Very flattering view of SJ, btw. They clearly see the city's potential, which, as you know, is more than we can say of our city leaders.

And yes, the architecture is indeed very futuristic and edgey. Let's keep out fingers crossed.

bluesbrother42fs

October 18th, 2006, 01:12 AM

yay! Once again we can cheer in San Jose. The concrete pour for Tower 88 Phase I has occurred. Axis has yet to reach the bottom of the excavation but hopes to soon do so. Urbanwest wants to start ASAP and so does Mesa. New towers are underway with Summerhill and North San Pedro housing site.

metropolismayor

October 21st, 2006, 04:51 PM

HipHapa

October 21st, 2006, 06:36 PM

Anyone know what's up with this project? I came across a Biz Journal that said Barry Swenson was due to release plans for a residential tower on the parking lot behind Bella Mia this past Feb, but I couldnt find anything. Any of you wise development sages have any information or pictures?

There is a sign in that parking lot, near The Globe sales center, and I contacted the listed Planning person and she said the project was not moving forward at this time.

metropolismayor

October 22nd, 2006, 01:59 AM

There is a sign in that parking lot, near The Globe sales center, and I contacted the listed Planning person and she said the project was not moving forward at this time.

Oh wow, thanks for doing tthat. I suspect this project will gain traction as soon as the other projects take off. If developed properly, this could be a nice little section of downtown. Thanks again.

metropolismayor

October 22nd, 2006, 02:12 AM

bluesbrother42fs

October 22nd, 2006, 04:13 AM

I absolutely love the idea of infill. This is a great way to clean up the surface parking lots out of downtown. We may not have tall towers but if we can squeeze 5 20 ish story towers on one block and have them uniquely blend together....then rock on San Jose!

I was driving with a friend along Alum Rock Ave. last Friday and I noticed the complete shift from old to new. There's definitely a new urban feel to this street and I like it a whole lot. if we can push the 5 story condo buildings along this street, we could have a nice little urban street that blends nicely and welcomes you to downtown.

robertee

October 22nd, 2006, 09:40 AM

So I heard from a friend this week that the developers of Central Place are talking to Virgin Megastore about opening a store at Tower 88. Anyone heard about this? I think it'd be great, though I'd prefer a local music chain like Amoeba. Still, this could work to!

I hadn't heard about that, but it seems totally possible. CIM Group already has an established relationship with Virgin Mega.....Also, the redevelopment agency has mentioned them in their retail recruitment efforts....

metropolismayor

October 22nd, 2006, 11:50 PM

I hadn't heard about that, but it seems totally possible. CIM Group already has an established relationship with Virgin Mega.....Also, the redevelopment agency has mentioned them in their retail recruitment efforts....

If this happens, this would place Virgin Megastore directly across the street from Living Tomorrow. Seems like that would make the corner of 2nd & San Fernando the place to be in downtown. Interestingly, maybe 1st ACT's vision for San Fernando between 1st and 2nd isnt that far off. I like their Times Square-like vision for that area:

http://static.flickr.com/95/215487473_82af5d005d_b.jpg

Hope it happens. I'll try to get more info.

arturo

October 23rd, 2006, 09:54 PM

Acer moving US HQ to downtown San Jose
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - 12:04 PM PDT Monday
by Sharon Simonson

Taiwanese computer and electronics manufacturer Acer Inc. has leased 30,251 square feet in downtown San Jose in what is the latest example of the inner city's rising popularity with technology companies.

The space, at 333 West San Carlos St., would become Acer America's U.S. headquarters. About 100 people are expected to work at the site.

Acer is moving from a suburban San Jose location, where it sold a 230,000-square-foot office and manufacturing campus. Acer no longer does its own manufacturing.

The deal is the second to materialize in the last six weeks in which an information technology company has decided to locate downtown. With the huge exception of Adobe Systems Inc., which occupies a million square feet, the market historically has been dominated by business-service companies such as lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers and banks.

Last month, Silicon Valley landlord Sobrato Development Cos. confirmed that semiconductor chipmaker Nvidia Corp. had signed a letter of intent to occupy all of Sobrato's 380,000-square-foot Almaden Boulevard tower in downtown. The building, though new, has been vacant for three years.

That deal also would bring Nvidia's headquarters to downtown. Nvidia's current HQ is in Santa Clara.

The transaction likely will not be completed without a city of San Jose subsidy, however.

The Acer deal is the latest in a string of positive signals for downtown, says Legacy Partners Commercial Vice President Steve Dunn. Legacy invested $126 million in 2005 in the San Carlos building, a neighboring development site and downtown's Horizon Center office complex. Horizon is a stone's throw from the new San Jose City Hall.

Legacy is now processing the paperwork at the city of San Jose to build the second San Carlos tower, which would add another 300,000 square feet of new offices to the center city, Mr. Dunn says .

"If we can get a third of the (second) building pre-leased, we would proceed with development," Mr. Dunn says. The earliest the company could begin construction is next spring.

Legacy also is seeing lots of interest from companies in Horizon Center. The two-building, 400,000 square-foot complex is about two-thirds empty. But Legacy has plowed some $7 million into improvements, including updated ground-floor retail space. Several "name-brand" retailers are sniffing around there, Mr. Dunn says.

Acer was represented by brokers Jere Hench of Wayne Mascia Associates and John Brackett of NAI BT Commercial in its deal. Legacy was represented by CB Richard Ellis' Shane McNulty.

metropolismayor

October 24th, 2006, 12:31 AM

Interesting. The sign for that second tower has been up for years. Let's hope it pans out. I always thought that complex would do well to put a restaraunt along the river. It'd be a nice spot to eat. As I recall, its just a small plaza now.

metropolismayor

October 26th, 2006, 11:05 PM

So, just for the hell of it, I contacted CIM Group to see if there was any truth to the Virgin Mega rumor. I want expecting a reply, but here's what I got:

While we haven’t made any retail announcements for Tower 88 we have had a number of positive meetings with a variety of retail concepts. I encourage you to review our website www.cimgroup.com for examples of what we have done in other communities. Downtown San Jose clearly has its own distinct characteristics. The retail mix needs to reflect what you and your neighbors demand for your urban backyard.

Nice of them to reply. So, let's just wait and see.

metropolismayor

November 3rd, 2006, 07:55 AM

Nvidia headquarters won't be coming to downtown San Jose

By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

The deal to bring Nvidia's headquarters to San Jose's long-vacant Sobrato building is dead, leaving the empty $100 million tower downtown still searching for a tenant.

The Santa Clara-based graphics chip maker had been negotiating since early summer to lease the 380,000-square-foot, 17-story building on Almaden Boulevard, which has been vacant since it was built in 2002. The deal would have brought up to 1,500 jobs to downtown San Jose.

Thursday's developments were the latest in a series of setbacks for Sobrato Development, whose building has reportedly been considered as a home for EBay, Sony and San Jose's new City Hall. None got as close to signing a lease as Nvidia.

``Monday, the deal was a go. Tuesday, they notified me they would not go forward,'' said John M. Sobrato, owner of 488 Almaden Blvd. ``I'm disappointed that they would take us this far and not follow through with it.

``I have never in my 25 years had a deal fall apart on the day it was supposed to be signed.''

Nvidia spokesman Derek Perez confirmed the company had pulled out of the deal. However, he said Nvidia is still interested in San Jose.

``The company is still growing and still needs to find space. Downtown San Jose is top on our list,'' he said. ``From what I've been told, the financials on our end didn't work out. It was the economics of the current deal.''

Sobrato said the economics of the deal hadn't changed since the letter of intent was signed on Oct. 1.

``Jen Hsun-Huang, Nvidia's CEO, told me the deal was complicated and once he understood all the accounting implications involved in extending the lease in Santa Clara and leasing Almaden, he wasn't willing to go forward,'' said the developer.

Harry Mavrogenes, director of San Jose's redevelopment agency, still believed he had a deal as of Thursday, and was scheduled to meet with Nvidia representatives Thursday afternoon.

``At this point we're still having conversations,'' he said. ``I'm in touch with them on a regular basis. The fact that they still want to talk to us means they're still there.''

The Nvidia deal has been bumpy from the start and showed signs of cracking only a few days after the company asked the city for financial help in early October, when rumors circulated that Intel was making a move to buy Nvidia.

Although the city council was not scheduled to address the issue until Nov. 21, Sobrato said the redevelopment agency had recommended approval.

``I will say Harry Mavrogenes was extremely supportive and the staff did everything that was asked of them,'' Sobrato said.

Mavrogenes would not disclose details about the offer the city was willing to make -- dependent on city council approval -- other than to say the negotiations involved ``financial incentives in exchange for some parking.'' The tower's underground parking structure has about 1,100 spaces that the city would like to give the public access to during evenings and weekends.

Parking aside, the chance to infuse the downtown with workers was most frequently cited by city officials as reasons to help Nvidia.

The asking price to lease the building is $1.95 a square foot plus taxes, insurance and maintenance. A 15-year lease would have cost about $133 million, according to Sobrato.

Nvidia, which currently leases 500,000 square feet from Sobrato in Santa Clara, planned to keep those offices while expanding to downtown. The fast-growing company has 3,625 workers worldwide.

Despite the setback, Sobrato said he remains committed to leasing the whole tower to a single company.

``It's the right thing for downtown. The only way downtown can continue to grow and continue to be the destination point that we all hope it to be, it's got to have have corporate users to drive the demand for housing, to drive the demand for retail,'' he said.

When Sobrato began building the granite-and-glass structure in 2000, the office vacancy rate downtown was 2.5 percent. When it was complete two years later, after the dot-com bust, vacancy had shot up to 20 percent. Today it is at about 21 percent, but would drop to about 15 percent if the Sobrato building is leased.

Mark Ritchie, of commercial real estate brokerage Ritchie Commercial, said the vacancy at the Sobrato building has a psychological effect on the market. With that much vacant space, tenants believe they have the upper hand in negotiating for rents, so rents stay low -- not a good sign for a market that wants to be perceived as dynamic.

``We want rents to go up for a lot of reasons. Because we need new office buildings, no one can build at today's rents, and progress is something we want for downtown.''

bluesbrother42fs

November 4th, 2006, 11:34 PM

major heartbreaker metropolis...thanks for lettin us know....

surrill

November 9th, 2006, 06:09 PM

S.F. 49ers Plan Move to New Calif. City
By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer
4 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO - The 49ers have given up hope of building a state-of-the-art stadium in San Francisco and are considering a move to suburban Santa Clara.

Owner John York notified San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom of the team's decision Wednesday, the mayor's spokesman, Peter Ragone, told The Associated Press.

York planned to hold a news conference Thursday in Santa Clara to talk in detail about the decision. But in a news release announcing the decision issued late Wednesday night, York said the team will not change its name even if he decided to move.

arturo

November 13th, 2006, 04:45 AM

I spent both nights this last weekend wandering through downtown, from SoFA to St. James Park and finally realized the problem with downtown: there is not a SINGLE block-length part of any street that is fully developed on both sides. Every single block has some sort of parking lot that breaks it up and makes it pedestrian unfriendly. Now to pass this on to the Redevelopment Agency...

metropolismayor

November 15th, 2006, 05:34 AM

Absolutely right, Arturo. It'd be great to be able to walk from the Stage Theatre in the SoFA up to St. James Park and have it stocked full of restaurants, cafes, clubs, and shops. (Same for Second St.) In fact, I think that little patch just north of St. James Park (where Trials Pub is) is also ripe for development.

At any rate, here is the latest on the convention center expansion; nothing about the SJMA/CC joint venture:

Posted on Tue, Nov. 14, 2006

S.J. hotel rates could increase to help expand convention center

By Deborah Lohse
Mercury News

The cost of a hotel room in San Jose could ratchet up slightly next year to help fund the expansion of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, under a tentative plan approved by San Jose's city council Tuesday.

By a vote of 9 to 0, with councilmembers Dave Cortese and Nora Campos absent, San Jose's city council voted to explore creating a ``Mello-Roos'' tax district made up of the city's hotels. If two-thirds of the hotels agreed to the arrangement -- and they have expressed support -- they would be taxed for a portion, perhaps up to 4 percent, of their room revenues for up to 30 years.

That tax, which would probably be passed on to hotel guests on their room bills, would help pay back perhaps $90 million to $100 million in bonds that would be borrowed to upgrade and expand the city's convention center, including probably tearing down the old Martin Luther King Library, said Redevelopment Agency Director Harry Mavrogenes.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau is paying a consultant, Jeff Sachs of Strategic Advisory Group, as much as $100,000 to help plan the expansion, said Daniel Fenton, chief executive of the bureau. The group hopes to have a financing plan to the council for a vote by early next year, Fenton said.

San Jose tried unsuccessfully in 2002 to get voters to increase hotel taxes by 4 percent to fund expansion of the convention center. The bond Measure F got 65 percent of the vote, just short of the required two-thirds majority for passage.

In a separate item, the council voted 6 to 3 to issue a new request for bidders to build three restaurants in the long-empty retail space on the ground floor of City Hall. Three council members -- Mayor-elect Chuck Reed, Ken Yeager and Linda LeZotte -- voted against the item because it also called for spending $500,000 to upgrade the cement space to make it more restaurant-friendly. The city had sought to have bidders pay for such upgrades in the past, but Redevelopment Agency deputy executive director John Weis said the city could attract more bidders and draw higher monthly rents if it invested in the improvements.

bluesbrother42fs

November 16th, 2006, 02:08 AM

YAY! There is a possibility that the A's will change their name to the "San Jose A's (of Fremont)" Meaning, that this will put San Jose and Silicon Valley on the map although some argue that keeping the name with Oakland will retain "some" value. This is great news...San Jose will be the new sports hub of the Bay Area. You can go Northwest for a football game or you can go Northeast for a baseball game. Located near San Jose Mineta International Airport..this will provide a boost to the transportation usage of our airport. YAY SO HAPPPEEEE! =)

surrill

November 16th, 2006, 04:48 AM

metropolismayor

November 16th, 2006, 07:34 AM

metropolismayor

November 20th, 2006, 08:58 PM

Not totally sure this guy has the vision SJ needs, but here he addresses a couple of issues we've been following:

Will you do anything to bring professional soccer back to San Jose?
I hope to facilitate whatever discussions are going on with San Jose State and Lew Wolff. He previously said that if somebody had the land, he could build the stadium. San Jose State has land, and there may be a role for the city to play in that arrangement. I have not yet had any conversations with Lew or San Jose State on the topic.

What are your thoughts on the Cisco Field proposal for the Fremont A's?
I think it would be good for San Jose to have the A's playing in Fremont, especially if they were called the San Jose A's as part of a marketing decision. Lew Wolff said he gave up on the possibility of coming to San Jose because it was too much trouble. I'm happy that he's seriously looking at Fremont.

How do you plan to address the entertainment zone policing issue, which is being blamed by many downtown businesses for driving entertainment customers out of downtown?
First I'm going to take a personal look with my own guide. ... I think we'll put together a small party of people, maybe with Sam Liccardo, Dan Pulcrano, Dan McFadden from the city staff, a few others. I want to go look. I've never seen it with my own eyes. Then we need to have a real serious conversation with the chief [of police] and all the people on the public safety side to figure how we can do it differently. I'm not happy with the way it's done now because of this perception of really heavy police presence. I know that other cities do it differently, but I don't pretend to have the answer for how it should be done in San Jose. I was in Denver two years ago for a group meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper, and I asked him how many officers he had downtown at closing time. He said six.

Any thoughts?

robertee

November 26th, 2006, 08:36 AM

Here are some new renderings of Tower 88:

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3177/tower881ed9.png

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/8356/tower88fw5.png

metropolismayor

November 26th, 2006, 07:43 PM

Very nice. I'm crossing my fingers that Virgin will come here.

arturo

November 26th, 2006, 10:37 PM

i'm finding it impossible to figuere out the anglee/direction of the bottom render! what's the street running along the left?

bluesbrother42fs

November 26th, 2006, 10:46 PM

you're kidding me arturo. The top render is obviously San Fernando with the hotel right there. The bottom render is clearly 2nd and San Fernando with the tower towards the rep theater. Come on man. :bash:

bluesbrother42fs

November 26th, 2006, 10:49 PM

oh snap, but then again the street with the maroon car could be central place. hmm.,.

metropolismayor

November 26th, 2006, 11:29 PM

Curious. Now that I look at it, I think the second render is actually of 2nd, down the street from San Fernando a bit. It almost looks as if there is a new street in place between Central Place and The Rep (alongside Hawg's). That might makes sense as a place to get in and out of the building as opposed to directly onto 2nd or 3rd.

Make sense? :banana:

metropolismayor

November 26th, 2006, 11:40 PM

I take it back! Kinda...

If you look at this previously posted Merc graph, it looks like there might be a new street but it wont be inbetween CP and the Rep, but between the two CP towers, 88 and whatever the bext one is called.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e215/artemismaximus/highrises.gif

robertee

November 27th, 2006, 12:53 AM

i'm finding it impossible to figuere out the anglee/direction of the bottom render! what's the street running along the left?

Thats the intersection of San Fernando and Second, maybe this will help:

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/2857/tower883om0.png

I take it back! Kinda...

If you look at this previously posted Merc graph, it looks like there might be a new street but it wont be inbetween CP and the Rep, but between the two CP towers, 88 and whatever the bext one is called.

You're right, take a look at the pic I posted above....Central Place with be between the two towers.

Here's a "cross-section"(?) showing how Central Place will look:

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4465/tower884wj3.png

One more thing: It appears that Tower 88 will be our new tallest, according to the architects its height will be 286ft (1 foot taller than City Hall). http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

arturo

November 27th, 2006, 07:27 PM

Thanks everyone. What confused me was that the brown-colored corner on the top render didn't match-up with the corner of the bottom render. I guess I was too stuboorn to accept that maybe two corners will be sheathed in the brown material. :bash:

On a related note: I rode down San Fernando this morning and it looks like something is starting to peek beyond ground level! The building should be visible above the construction barriers sometime this week.

metropolismayor

November 27th, 2006, 09:00 PM

I'm really glad to see CP incorporating walkways into their design. San Jose is naturally pedestrian friendly, the problem is, as Arturo recently pointed out, that there isnt enough consistantly developed to be able to walk around and be consistantly engaged. Nice design. I just hoped these places are packed with stores and restaurants.

arturo

November 27th, 2006, 09:43 PM

Sony's San Jose Highrise To Become Housing

(CBS 5 / KCBS) SAN JOSE San Jose's vision of combining traditional industrial parks with high-rise housing is about to get a lift with Sony’s plans to leave its highrise office building on Zanker Road for a facility closer to downtown.

In its place, developers will build 1,800 apartment units along with a public park and space for retail shops.

Mayor-elect Chuck Reed touted the plan to convert the office building into housing as a prime example of efficient land use.

"We have 9 million square feet of empty space. A lot of that is obsolete," he said. "So we want to reuse and recycle that space, and this is part of that."

Developers hope to break ground on the project by 2008.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Why not just move downtown?!?! At least it's a step in the right direction.

robertee

November 28th, 2006, 04:03 AM

Thanks everyone. What confused me was that the brown-colored corner on the top render didn't match-up with the corner of the bottom render. I guess I was too stuboorn to accept that maybe two corners will be sheathed in the brown material. :bash:

Well, I took another look at the rendering and it looks like I was wrong! I hadn't noticed that corner. That corner is actually that of 2nd and Central Place.....:)

djdany

November 28th, 2006, 08:46 AM

where if mentioned at all will sony be moving???.. north first??.. will they build a high rises to0.. :nuts:

i cant wait for tower 88!!!

arturo

November 28th, 2006, 08:17 PM

where if mentioned at all will sony be moving???.. north first??.. will they build a high rises to0.. :nuts:

i cant wait for tower 88!!!

That was all the info given. The only real benefit of the move will be them leasing space in a building in or near downtown, thereby reducing hte vacancy rate and maybe- just maybe- encouraging a developer to construct another office tower!

metropolismayor

November 29th, 2006, 07:00 PM

Anyone have the latest info on Fountain Alley? Seems like its been a while since we've seen anything.

arturo

December 1st, 2006, 09:44 PM

Anyone have the latest info on Fountain Alley? Seems like its been a while since we've seen anything.

And it'll be a little longer! The current leaseholder on the property- San Jose Parking- will have it until February 6th, 2007. After that date the property development can begin. City guidelines for the property limit height to 60 feet -I think- but the developer wants to build a much higher tower of about 14 stories. Since the city has no backbone it will surely cave and we'll end up with nice ground-floor retail with upper-floor condos and a condo tower on the north end of the property. But we'll have to wait till next year (and the success, or lack thereof, of City Heights).

metropolismayor

December 4th, 2006, 08:44 PM

And it'll be a little longer! The current leaseholder on the property- San Jose Parking- will have it until February 6th, 2007. After that date the property development can begin. City guidelines for the property limit height to 60 feet -I think- but the developer wants to build a much higher tower of about 14 stories. Since the city has no backbone it will surely cave and we'll end up with nice ground-floor retail with upper-floor condos and a condo tower on the north end of the property. But we'll have to wait till next year (and the success, or lack thereof, of City Heights).

I did find this...

New residential tower plans for Fountain Alley parking lot
Business Journals

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal

Plans for high-rise and mid-rise towers in San Jose's Fountain Alley parking lot are scheduled to be unveiled Friday.

City Park and Barry Swenson Builder are proposing to build a 16-story mixed-use project with 124 housing units on the north end of the site directly across Second Street from Zanotto's Market on Second Street, according to the San Jose Downtown Association.

Other details outlined by the association include:

- City Park and Swenson are also planning an eight-story mid-rise of 37 more units on the south end across from The Improv.

- Parking would be available in 294 spaces on two underground floors and 172 more spaces on four above-ground floors. Almost 12,000 square feet of retail space would front the alley and Second Street.

- The proposed development would total 426,000 square feet.

- Square footage in the tallest tower's floors would decrease at its top: the 14th floor would be 10,878 square feet; the 15th floor would be 7,232 square feet; and the single unit on the 16th floor would cover much of the 2,976 square feet.

- At its highest, the tower would be 168 feet above ground, about equal to the shoulders of the neighboring Bank of America building.

The development will need approval to exceed design guidelines for the Fountain Alley area adopted by the City Council in 2003. They set height limits for buildings there at four stories or 60 feet.

Frank Wolden, principal for Carrier Johnson architecture, is scheduled to outline the high-rise plans at a Business Improvement District meeting Friday morning at San Jose City Hall.

Published February 9, 2006 by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal

arturo

December 5th, 2006, 09:21 PM

In with the old, in with the new
By Katherine Conrad
12/05/2006

PLAN TO BUILD CONDOS AND PRESERVE CHURCH ADVANCES IN SAN JOSE

Building condominium towers in San Jose's historic St. James Square has not been easy, but developers of Park View Towers say the project is back on track and ready for construction.

Stalled for almost a year while the developer ensured that the preservation of neoclassical First Church of Christ, Scientist, was adequately addressed, Barry Swenson Builder plans to submit the supplemental environmental impact report to the city's planning department this week.

If all goes well during the 45-day comment period, said Christy Reynolds, Barry Swenson's project manager, construction will begin next summer -- seven years after the builder first signed on in 2000 to build the towers.

Park View Towers calls for 191 condos in two 12- and 18-story towers, and a three-story underground garage to be built on the same site as the First Church of Christ, designed by architect Willis Polk and built in the early 1900s. But the project means the wrecking ball for the 100-year-old Letcher's Garage.

Other challenges facing the project include the fact that it's surrounded on three sides by the light-rail system and the fourth side has a one-way street.

``It's complicated,'' Reynolds said. ``We have been involved for more than 10 years, off and on, to figure out the best use for the site.''

It has been an especially long road for the church and the surrounding neighborhood, which has waited for decades for the church to be renovated.

``It looks blighted,'' said Ron Eddow, San Jose's senior planner. ``No progress has been made since the late 1980s.''

Lee Butler, the city planner in charge of the project, said the city is waiting to see the supplemental environmental report from Barry Swenson. ``Right now the city is not comfortable with the document that has been provided and we haven't received revisions to the administrative draft. Once we have a document that we are comfortable with circulating, that is when the document would become public information and available for review.''

No one can say exactly how long the church has been abandoned, but homeless people reportedly took up residence in the structure before a fence was installed to protect the property. Church clerk Sally Scobey said the congregation moved to The Alameda about 50 years ago because the 5,000-square-foot church was too small for the growing congregation.

The church is across the street from St. James Park where President William McKinley gave a speech four months before his assassination in 1901; Robert F. Kennedy spoke there shortly before his assassination in 1968. The park, which faces the church, is also the scene of the 1933 lynching of the suspected kidnappers and killers of Brooke Hart, heir to the city's Hart's Department Store.

``This is a significant district within the city,'' said Sally Notthoff Zarnowitz, the city's historic preservation officer. ``Historical structures preserve the city's character while also allowing development. This is a good example of that because we're rehabilitating the church and allowing the demolition of Letcher's Garage.''

As far as St. James Park is concerned, that's a work in progress, said Martin Menne, president of MCM Diversified, a partner with Barry Swenson Builder on this project.

``The Saint James Historic District Neighborhood Association has done a great job in beautification efforts for the park as well as working with the homeless and the city to try to find solutions to the issue,'' Menne wrote in an e-mail.

While Menne agreed that the historical aspects complicate the project, they also give the site identity. ``It's a great project on a wonderful corner and there's a lot of interest in it,'' he said.

Reynolds says plans for the church are uncertain. After it's renovated, it could be used for offices or perhaps retail.

Barry Swenson Builder is no stranger to renovation, having rehabilitated the Hayes Mansion and the DeAnza Hotel. The builder, however, will demolish Letcher's Garage, which he has owned since 1982.

Megan Bellue, executive director of Preservation Action Council San Jose, said her organization is saddened to see the end of Letcher's Garage. ``My understanding is that PAC and the stakeholders in the project agreed that Letcher's could go as long as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, would be saved,'' Bellue said. But, she added: ``I have heard rumblings about Letcher's.''

The garage, which became a nightclub, most recently the Oasis, is barely recognizable under stucco that covers the original brickwork of the structure built when Clarence Letcher realized there was more money in fixing ``flivver'' autos than there was in building them.

``Although perhaps not a beautiful building, Letcher's is the earliest auto garage in famously auto-centric California,'' the Preservation Action Council San Jose stated in a 2001 article on St. James Square.

Steinberg Architects of San Jose is the designer of the towers, which presented their own difficulties.

``What we tried to do as preservationists is, you don't want to imitate the church, you want it to be a backdrop . . . so the church won't be upstaged,'' said Liz Gibbons, the project manager for Steinberg Architects. ``It was a wonderful challenge.''

metropolismayor

December 5th, 2006, 11:41 PM

hopefully they'll change the tone of this beautiful, but neglected and abused, neighborhood:

Posted on Tue, Dec. 05, 2006

Man stabbed near downtown S.J.'s St. James Park

By Leslie Griffy
Mercury News

A 45-year-old man was stabbed several times early Monday evening just north of San Jose's St. James Park, police said today.

The man is hospitalized in stable condition, according to police reports.

The man police believe stabbed the 45-year-old was arrested not far from where the 5:07 p.m. stabbing occurred. The suspect, who hasn't been identified, was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.

surrill

December 9th, 2006, 09:39 PM

Posted on Thu, Dec. 07
S.J.'s 2nd chance to do it right
CITY TAKES CIRCUITOUS ROUTE TO NORTH SAN JOSE REVIVAL
Mercury News Editorial

With a green light from a judge this week, San Jose can move ahead with its plan to rebuild the North First Street business corridor the way it should have been done in the first place.

That's great news -- but it doesn't mean the plan is complete. Parks, school sites and other quality-of-life provisions for the new housing areas may have gotten short shrift in the original design. The city needs to revisit those aspects of neighborhood planning.

Nor does the green light mean San Jose should be proud of the path it took to get to this point. Better and higher-level communication with neighboring cities should have been part of the planning all along. They might have sued anyway, but as the major city in Silicon Valley, San Jose needs to set the standard for regional planning.

In June 2005 the city approved the concept of a more urban North First Street neighborhood, with some 30,000 homes and 27 million additional square feet of office space -- economic growth that San Jose needs to pay its way in future years.

Since then, lawsuits by Santa Clara, Milpitas and Santa Clara County have kept the idea on hold. The settlement approved by the court this week included $12.5 million from San Jose to improve the county's Montague Expressway, as well as a commitment to further study the effect of the development on schools. These common-sense agreements should have been possible without the cost of suing.

Within San Jose, the plan fell short of the city's usual level of community involvement. It's easy to see how. Few people live in the area now, so the stakeholders were mainly corporate. But as a result, the plan may not have gotten the human elements right -- enough land for parks and schools, for instance. These factors deserve another look during the citywide general plan review beginning next year.

Still, it's good to see the North First plan move ahead. Many of the corporate campuses in this area are obsolete and a waste of valuable land, with vast lawns nobody uses and huge parking lots that make walking from the nearest light-rail stop an ordeal. The idea is to allow buildings close to the street, so walking to them from public transit is convenient, and to carve out room for homes and some street-level retail so people can walk to lunch or errands.

The plan grew out of economic necessity. Building limits under the previous North San Jose zoning would have forced companies to grow elsewhere, even if they really wanted to be in San Jose.

The latest case in point is Cadence Design Systems, which is about to break ground on a 210,000-square-foot addition to its North San Jose campus on Montague Expressway. Cadence has been a good corporate citizen, but without a change in zoning, it and other mainstays of the local economy would have had to look elsewhere to grow.

metropolismayor

December 10th, 2006, 05:37 PM

I wish someone in SJ government would take leadership in bringing the Earthquakes back instead of holding out hope for MLB.

S.J. still ponders illusory ballpark
$20,000 EARMARKED FOR STUDY
By Barry Witt
Mercury News

Three months after Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff declared that moving to San Jose ``is not an option'' and a month after he announced plans to take the team to Fremont, San bJose is still spending taxpayers' money studying how to build a downtown ballpark.

Tuesday, the city council will consider spending $20,000 more.

In a bureaucratic understatement, San Jose Redevelopment Director Harry Mavrogenes states in a written report to the council that ``the chance that a major league team might locate in San Jose appears to be limited.'' But he goes on to argue that ``the city should keep all its options open'' and spend the additional money to complete an environmental study launched in late 2005 when city leaders thought there was a glimmer of hope they might land the A's.

That glimmer has long been extinguished, but the city keeps writing checks.

``We've got to go ahead and spend the $20,000 to get it finished even though it's still in the `probably not' category,'' said Mayor-elect Chuck Reed, meaning a ballpark is ``probably not'' going to be built. ``There's a reason to have a complete EIR, just in case.''

City officials say completing the environmental impact report -- for which the city already has paid $500,000 to consultant LSA Associates -- makes sense even without a ballpark.

They say finishing it now will save money in the future if the city pursues other projects on the proposed ballpark site south of the Diridon train station -- whether it's a future housing development or temporary surface parking lot. That's because the report will evaluate historic merits of buildings in the area that would be torn down, whether for a ballpark, a condo high-rise or a parking lot.

It's just that the parking lot won't be used by anybody walking to an A's game.

metropolismayor

December 11th, 2006, 01:42 AM

Posted on Sun, Dec. 10, 2006

House of Blues lacks green
49ERS, CONCERT PROMOTER DISCUSS SANTA CLARA SITE, BUT NOT MONEY
By Julie Patel
Mercury News

The San Francisco 49ers and one of the country's biggest concert promoters are discussing whether a 7,000-seat concert hall fits with the team's proposal to build a new stadium next to the Great America amusement park in Santa Clara.

But nobody is talking about how to pay for a House of Blues theater -- and San Jose leaders still have designs on their own music hall downtown.

Santa Clara's most fervent supporters of a 49ers stadium say they would welcome a concert hall but aren't interested in financially backing it. Santa Clara County supervisors pulled the plug on their own House of Blues proposal at the county fairgrounds that would've required heavy public subsidies.

Building the $96 million theater at the fairgrounds in San Jose would have required the county to provide $15 million up front, about $19.6 million in land contributions, $9.4 million in infrastructure upgrades and $108 million in bonds to be paid back with theater profits.

``Those numbers would not work for me,'' said Santa Clara Vice Mayor Kevin Moore, the first city official to reach out to the 49ers about a stadium. Still, Moore is quick to point out the Great America site wouldn't need major transportation or parking improvements, which could make a concert hall less expensive there. The 49ers are expected to center their stadium proposal and supporting development on city-owned land.

49ers chief financial officer Larry MacNeil has talked with developers for the House of Blues, a promoter and concert hall operator with 10 clubs across the country featuring live music from mostly up-and-coming bands and former arena-packers.

The two sides like each other's ideas, but they haven't discussed a formal or financial relationship, said 49ers spokeswoman Lisa Lang. ``We're focused on doing our stadium.''

A spokesman for Live Nation, the concert industry giant that recently acquired House of Blues, said it's too early to discuss plans for a Santa Clara theater.

``I know we're always looking for new opportunities for the House of Blues brand, and this could certainly be something that could work,'' said John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation, ``but it's not final.''

Santa Clara council members approved a goal about two years ago to attract more entertainment options near Great America, including restaurants and nightclubs. At one point, the city had explored creating something similar to a CityWalk near Universal Studios in Southern California.

San Jose leaders have their own ideas. The city's opposition helped crush plans for a concert hall at the county fairgrounds. Even though the city settled a costly court battle with Santa Clara County over that proposal, the delay drove up the cost and forced county supervisors to abandon the project.

``We still believe it can work in San Jose,'' Greg Jamison, San Jose Sharks president and CEO of Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, said of a downtown concert hall, which his company has been pushing for years.

The county commissioned a study earlier this year, conducted by Economics Research Associates of San Francisco, that shows Santa Clara County's demographics would support a midsize music hall. The only comparable theater nearby in size is the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

The report notes that some bigger arenas in the area have tried to ``simulate a smaller theater concert experience'' by curtaining off parts of the venues.

Vlautin said other venues where Live Nation promotes concerts, such as HP Pavilion in San Jose and the Shoreline Amphitheatre, seven miles north in Mountain View, wouldn't pose a competitive threat. A House of Blues theater would be smaller than the 17,000-seat arena and indoor, unlike Shoreline.

``Different artists play at this type of a venue. It allows for a greater variety of talent to be brought into the market. U2 or Madonna might fill up a big arena, but someone more up and coming could play at a 7,000-seater,'' he said. ``That's why those venues are attractive to artists and venue owners.''

Great America officials said they're open to the idea of a new theater in the park or nearby.

``We're going to support any idea that brings additional tourism to the area,'' said Stacy Frole, director of investor relations at Cedar Fair, which owns Great America.

The buzz over a new sports stadium and a possible concert hall is nothing new for Santa Clara city leaders who have been courted over the years by both Bay Area baseball teams and have heard from music hall developers before.

Once again, they must take a cautious approach, especially when leasing city-owned land, said Assistant City Manager Ron Garratt.

The city typically looks for an 8 percent return on the estimated value of city land, which has plummeted from about $150 per square foot in 2000 to about $20 to $50 now, Garratt said. There are a few exceptions where the city has approved cheap leases, including a 5.5-acre plot downtown and the 11 acres near Great America, which the 49ers rent for about $23,000 annually for their training facility, he said.

Council members said they would have to weigh whether an exception for the House of Blues would provide enough of a benefit to nearby restaurants and hotels.

``I've been to the House of Blues in Chicago, and it's a phenomenal experience as a patron,'' Councilman Dominic Caserta said. ``If we could bring that experience to this area, principally in our city, I think it would reaffirm our council's commitment to increasing tourism in that area and it would be another jewel the Mission City can offer.''

robertee

December 13th, 2006, 05:09 AM

Some new/updated renderings:

Parkview Towers

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3898/456991rf6.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3043/456990wl0.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7815/parkview1qi6.png\

Fiftyone

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9421/fiftyonehs2.png

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6365/fiftyone2ej9.png

San Jose Museum of Art- Proposal/Conceptual Drawings

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/135/sjmoadk1.png

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/8580/sjmoa1zg9.png

metropolismayor

December 13th, 2006, 07:02 PM

First of all, great renderings!

Secondly, am I looking at the SJMA/MCC pictures correctly? It looks like the new museum has an "awning" that swoops over San Carlos onto the little plaza (I think called Bicentenial Plaza) at the corner of the Montgomery Theater, is this right? Plus, is that a monorail track? Not sure what all this is but it looks pretty cool.

What are the bottom right pictures of?

arturo

December 13th, 2006, 10:02 PM

metropolismayor

December 14th, 2006, 03:07 AM

robertee

December 15th, 2006, 08:55 AM

The SJMA proposal looks really cool...but its location is a bit bewildering: what will happen to the Convention Center's main entrance?
And what is up with that monorial line?? Cool- yes, but a tremendous waste of money if you ask me. Money which could be used to, oh I dunno, start putting the light rail underground like grown-up cities do??

If you look at the renderings, it looks like the entrance will be integrated into the Museum design....it might also be a shared entrance....I don't think the monorail is part of the plan, we've got to take into consideration that these are conceptual drawings, nothing final and it was probably thrown in there as a possibility.

Here's an article on the Park View Towers:

In with the old, in with the new
By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

Building condominium towers in San Jose's historic St. James Square has not been easy, but developers of Park View Towers say the project is back on track and ready for construction.

Stalled for almost a year while the developer ensured that the preservation of neoclassical First Church of Christ, Scientist, was adequately addressed, Barry Swenson Builder plans to submit the supplemental environmental impact report to the city's planning department this week.

If all goes well during the 45-day comment period, said Christy Reynolds, Barry Swenson's project manager, construction will begin next summer -- seven years after the builder first signed on in 2000 to build the towers.

Park View Towers calls for 191 condos in two 12- and 18-story towers, and a three-story underground garage to be built on the same site as the First Church of Christ, designed by architect Willis Polk and built in the early 1900s. But the project means the wrecking ball for the 100-year-old Letcher's Garage.

Other challenges facing the project include the fact that it's surrounded on three sides by the light-rail system and the fourth side has a one-way street.

``It's complicated,'' Reynolds said. ``We have been involved for more than 10 years, off and on, to figure out the best use for the site.''

It has been an especially long road for the church and the surrounding neighborhood, which has waited for decades for the church to be renovated.

``It looks blighted,'' said Ron Eddow, San Jose's senior planner. ``No progress has been made since the late 1980s.''

Lee Butler, the city planner in charge of the project, said the city is waiting to see the supplemental environmental report from Barry Swenson. ``Right now the city is not comfortable with the document that has been provided and we haven't received revisions to the administrative draft. Once we have a document that we are comfortable with circulating, that is when the document would become public information and available for review.''

No one can say exactly how long the church has been abandoned, but homeless people reportedly took up residence in the structure before a fence was installed to protect the property. Church clerk Sally Scobey said the congregation moved to The Alameda about 50 years ago because the 5,000-square-foot church was too small for the growing congregation.

The church is across the street from St. James Park where President William McKinley gave a speech four months before his assassination in 1901; Robert F. Kennedy spoke there shortly before his assassination in 1968. The park, which faces the church, is also the scene of the 1933 lynching of the suspected kidnappers and killers of Brooke Hart, heir to the city's Hart's Department Store.

``This is a significant district within the city,'' said Sally Notthoff Zarnowitz, the city's historic preservation officer. ``Historical structures preserve the city's character while also allowing development. This is a good example of that because we're rehabilitating the church and allowing the demolition of Letcher's Garage.''

As far as St. James Park is concerned, that's a work in progress, said Martin Menne, president of MCM Diversified, a partner with Barry Swenson Builder on this project.

``The Saint James Historic District Neighborhood Association has done a great job in beautification efforts for the park as well as working with the homeless and the city to try to find solutions to the issue,'' Menne wrote in an e-mail.

While Menne agreed that the historical aspects complicate the project, they also give the site identity. ``It's a great project on a wonderful corner and there's a lot of interest in it,'' he said.

Reynolds says plans for the church are uncertain. After it's renovated, it could be used for offices or perhaps retail.

Barry Swenson Builder is no stranger to renovation, having rehabilitated the Hayes Mansion and the DeAnza Hotel. The builder, however, will demolish Letcher's Garage, which he has owned since 1982.

Megan Bellue, executive director of Preservation Action Council San Jose, said her organization is saddened to see the end of Letcher's Garage. ``My understanding is that PAC and the stakeholders in the project agreed that Letcher's could go as long as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, would be saved,'' Bellue said. But, she added: ``I have heard rumblings about Letcher's.''

The garage, which became a nightclub, most recently the Oasis, is barely recognizable under stucco that covers the original brickwork of the structure built when Clarence Letcher realized there was more money in fixing ``flivver'' autos than there was in building them.

``Although perhaps not a beautiful building, Letcher's is the earliest auto garage in famously auto-centric California,'' the Preservation Action Council San Jose stated in a 2001 article on St. James Square.

Steinberg Architects of San Jose is the designer of the towers, which presented their own difficulties.

``What we tried to do as preservationists is, you don't want to imitate the church, you want it to be a backdrop . . . so the church won't be upstaged,'' said Liz Gibbons, the project manager for Steinberg Architects. ``It was a wonderful challenge.''

metropolismayor

December 20th, 2006, 06:22 PM

Here's a great article on the "two" downtown San Joses:

Posted on Wed, Dec. 20, 2006

Event is déclassé, merchants say
ANNUAL WINTER EVENT BRINGS JOY, RAISES HACKLES IN DOWNTOWN S.J.

By John Woolfolk
Mercury News

The colorful carousel, Ferris wheel and cotton candy put smiles on the faces of thousands of kids who flock to downtown San Jose's Winter Wonderland.

But the grown-ups at the surrounding Fairmont luxury hotel, upscale restaurants and salons are frowning.

``We feel that there's a, how would you say, a matter of incompatibility,'' said Cyril Isnard, the Fairmont's general manager. ``We have a luxury hotel. And then there are these attractions that belong at the state fair.''

Isnard said hotel guests complain about the carnival atmosphere of the dozen or so rides on a three-block stretch of the Paseo de San Antonio. Nearby hairstylist Mark Gomez says the portable toilets, exhaust fumes from rides and spilled ice cream, funnel cakes and sodas turn the publicly owned paseo into a smelly mess. And ``the people who operate the rides are not very classy,'' adds Philippe Azoulay, general manager of the Grill on the Alley in the Fairmont.

``It doesn't go with what we're trying to project here in downtown San Jose,'' Azoulay said. ``I'm not against enjoyment of kids. But they should have another spot for it. Why not across the street?''

Winter Wonderland producer Chris Esparza of Giant Creative Services says he's worked in the six years since he started the event to accommodate his neighbors' concerns. He's offered free tickets to the Fairmont staff and tried to be cleaner. But he says there's just no pleasing some people.

``We've worked really hard to be a good neighbor, and I think we are a good neighbor to a huge portion of the folks around us,'' Esparza said. ``I just kind of feel the downtown is for everybody who lives here, and any event would have somebody inconvenienced.''

City officials agree.

``We have to recognize that we have a very diverse community and people with various income ranges, and this creates an opportunity for everyone in the community to have a Christmas experience,'' said Economic Development Director Paul Krutko. ``We feel this is a real positive event.''

The combined attractions of Winter Wonderland, Christmas in the Park at the nearby Plaza de Cesar Chavez and Downtown Ice at the Circle of Palms next to the Fairmont drew more than 400,000 people downtown last year, Krutko said. That's up from 75,000 in 2001, when Winter Wonderland began, he said.

Esparza said ticket sales indicate 150,000 to 200,000 kids take a whirl on the rides during Winter Wonderland's daily operation from just before Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. The event also includes a Ferris wheel and two other rides in a nearby parking lot. Originally subsidized with a city grant, it's now entirely supported by ticket sales, he said.

The upscale establishments say they love Christmas in the Park and Downtown Ice. And they had no problem with Winter Wonderland either -- until it moved three years ago to their doorstep on Paseo de San Antonio, so Downtown Ice could use the Circle of Palms.

The critics have even questioned whether the ride operators are properly screened and trained. Butler Amusements, the Fairfield-based vendor that operates the rides under the motto ``The Cleanest Show in the West,'' declined to comment.

But Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the state Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees amusement ride inspections, said the company has a record of good cooperation with regulators.

And not all of Winter Wonderland's neighbors are complaining.

``I think it's terrific,'' said Ed Mosher as a buggy ride whirred outside his clothing store on the Paseo. He says that the event has boosted foot traffic and increased his business by one-third, and that the operators do a good job keeping things tidy.

But the Fairmont's Isnard says other chic shopping districts such as Santana Row don't have to share space with carnival rides. He said San Jose has created a ``cultural Chernobyl'' that puts its top downtown businesses at a disadvantage. Though he didn't offer figures indicating a business decline, he said the rides ``generate strong discontentment among our Fairmont valued tenants and guests.''

Outside, as Los Altos nanny Leeann Light's twin 3-year-old charges giggled on the miniature Ferris wheel, she said she could understand the hotel's concerns. But even so, she said, it's nice that downtown San Jose has something catering to the preschool set.

``At this age, something like this is more entertaining than anything else,'' Light said. ``It's once a year. It's Christmas. There shouldn't be any disagreement.''

surrill

December 21st, 2006, 04:31 AM

i love winter wonderland!

metropolismayor

December 21st, 2006, 08:52 PM

i love winter wonderland!

Me, too. And we're not alone. You should check out the angry reaction of people on the Merc's comment page:

http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=796&nav=messages&webtag=kr-mercurytm&redirCnt=1

bluesbrother42fs

December 22nd, 2006, 01:26 AM

San Jose Update: December 2006

Axis
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap2.jpg

City Heights
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap3.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap4.jpg

Delmas Teachers Housing
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap5.jpg

Tamien Place
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/tamienplacetwr.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/tamienplacetwr2.jpg

Tower 88
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap6.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/aZnshadowkillrfs/dtsjskyscrap7.jpg

metropolismayor

December 23rd, 2006, 06:43 AM

Man, I'm stoked about Tower 88 and Axis. City Heights, not so much...

robertee

December 28th, 2006, 11:21 AM

Sobrato-BEA in talks
Software giant eyes land swap for new HP

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - December 22, 2006
by Sharon Simonson

Enterprise software maker BEA Systems Inc. is in negotiations with Sobrato Development Cos. to buy or lease Sobrato's vacant Almaden Boulevard tower in downtown San Jose.

The negotiations almost certainly include the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, which, among other charges, uses public funds to help revitalize the city's urban core.

According to several sources, including executives for other Silicon Valley landlords, BEA has been in the market for some time. But its attention shifted strongly to the Sobrato building after lease negotiations between Sobrato and Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia Inc. broke down about a month ago.

The BEA-Sobrato talks include a possible swap of properties between the software company and the landlord, say sources who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks.

BEA, which operates in 37 countries, said earlier this year in public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has abandoned plans to build a 2.8 million square-foot campus on 40 acres along North First Street that it acquired from Agilent Technologies in early 2001. That land is adjacent to BEA's current headquarters, 236,000 square feet primarily in buildings owned by Sobrato. Since 2002, the company has expanded its headquarters by 12,000 square feet, enough space to accommodate about 50 new workers, SEC filings show. BEA's leases for its headquarters expire in 2007 and 2008, according to public record.

Sobrato's 381,000 square-foot Almaden building has been vacant since it was completed in the early part of the decade. While the Sobrato company likely could have leased the Class A property to multiple tenants, the company has doggedly sought a single tenant for the entire property. Managing multi-tenant office buildings requires far more people than running single-tenant properties. Sobrato's business model has always favored the latter approach.

Sobrato has declined other offers to buy the Almaden building.

John Michael Sobrato, managing partner for the company founded by his father, declined comment on BEA's potential interest in the downtown building as did redevelopment agency Executive Director Harry Mavrogenes and San Jose mayor-elect Chuck Reed. None of the three directly denied knowledge that talks with BEA about the downtown building were occurring, however.

Mr. Mavrogenes confirmed that there is "interest from a number of different sources (companies)" in the Sobrato building.

Asked why a lease or sale would not be purely private, Mr. Mavrogenes said: "There is interest, but it is a difficult transaction. There still needs to be some consideration for it to happen."

BEA also did not return calls for comment.

---------------------------------------------------------

SJW sells San Jose parcels to Adobe Systems for $32.5M
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - December 22, 2006

SJW Corp. said on Dec. 18 that the SJW Land Co., its wholly owned subsidiary, sold two parcels of about 2.2 acres and 4.5 acres of properties in San Jose to Adobe Systems Inc. for $32.5 million.

San Jose-based SJW said it recognized an after-tax gain on the sale of about $14.9 million, or 80 cents a share.

SJW Land Co. said earlier it entered into agreements -- one in April and one in November -- for San Jose-based Adobe to purchase the properties.

In April, the software maker -- which has its current, nearly 1 million square foot headquarters less than a half-mile away from the SJW site -- said it intended to expand its headquarters on the new property.

The parcel at 374 West Santa Clara St. includes the historic San Jose Water Co. headquarters building and is entitled for nearly a million square feet of office space.

The SJW headquarters building, constructed in 1934, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is a San Jose City Landmark. Adobe said any development plan would keep the exterior of the historic building intact. Under terms of the agreements, SJW has the option to lease the building and designated parking until June 2008.

In October 2005, SJW had secured entitlements for the property it is now selling for 1 million square feet of offices, 325 high-rise condominiums and at least 65,000 square feet of retail.

Adobe now occupies about 950,000 square feet of office space in its San Jose headquarters complex. Located at Park Avenue and Almaden Boulevard, the three-office-tower complex houses about 2,300 employees with total capacity for more than 2,800 employees.

robertee

December 30th, 2006, 04:41 AM

1-pic update of Tower 88 (Taken on 12/2):

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2594/dscn0274le0.jpg

robertee

December 30th, 2006, 04:57 AM

SeaGuy

December 30th, 2006, 09:24 PM

surrill

December 30th, 2006, 10:33 PM

You guys have some really nice prjects going on there! Curious though... do you have tough height restriction codes? Nothing seems really all that tall compared to S.F. or Seattle. Is it because of earthquakes, even though both S.F. and Seattle are prone to them too, and if so, why? Just curious... Thanks!

somebody decided to put a stupid airport right next to downtown. the flight path is directly over the core. thats why we have a height restriction. i think our tallest is city hall at about 285 ft. sux soooooo bad!!!! i HATE that airport! hate it soooooooooooooooo much. you dont even understand how much i hate it. there is suppose to be urban development on the north first street corridor just north of downtown(north san jose). that area will be like a 2nd downtown, but there is also a height restriction of 250 ft there which i dont understand because the airport shouldnt affect that area. i just dont get it. they should be planning for 500 footers in the north san jose district.:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

metropolismayor

December 31st, 2006, 10:28 AM

metropolismayor

December 31st, 2006, 10:32 AM

Here's to a constructive 2007 in San Jose!

http://twoday.net/static/paradise/images/happy%20new%20year%20i.jpg

bluesbrother42fs

January 1st, 2007, 02:15 AM

Good idea Metropolis. Moffett Field was once on the brink of closing. Now we have a use for the airfield that doesn't involve the entire field going to waste. Too bad renovation has begun at SJC. At least we'll have a better airport. Maybe not where we want it, but better.

metropolismayor

January 5th, 2007, 06:55 PM

So what are the projects expected to be finished this year? And what projects get started?

City Heights (http://www.barryswensonbuilder.com/projects/residential/city_heights.shtml) and The Globe (http://theglobesanjose.com/) should be completed by spring. Anything else?

While these projects should be well under way:
Axis (http://www.axissanjose.com/)
Tower 88
360 Residences (http://www.360residences.com/index.asp)

What else is going on? Summerhill tower on First? Central Place? Living Tomorrow? New Adobe tower?

arturo

January 5th, 2007, 10:46 PM

What else is going on? Summerhill tower on First? Central Place? Living Tomorrow? New Adobe tower?

Probably no Adobe tower since the SJWC has a lease option on the property till June, 2008.

I am very curious about the design of Living Tomorrow- hopefully some very futuristic or unique design! Also, the Fountain Alley project will FINALLY get under way and it will be interesting to see the tower design since it will need to blend into the older buildings surrounding it.

Another reason to be excited about Living Tomorrow is that is should be at least 250ft! (360 Residences will be 267ft @ 207 units on a similar- if not larger- footprint; LT calls for 200 units). Once The Globe, Central Place, Living Tomorrow and Fountain Alley are complete there will finally be a solid, dense, walkable downtown core. By 2009, DTSJ will be a completely different place!

Oh, check this out!
www.mofetttowers.com

robertee

January 6th, 2007, 12:49 AM

Probably no Adobe tower since the SJWC has a lease option on the property till June, 2008.

I am very curious about the design of Living Tomorrow- hopefully some very futuristic or unique design! Also, the Fountain Alley project will FINALLY get under way and it will be interesting to see the tower design since it will need to blend into the older buildings surrounding it.

Another reason to be excited about Living Tomorrow is that is should be at least 250ft! (360 Residences will be 267ft @ 207 units on a similar- if not larger- footprint; LT calls for 200 units). Once The Globe, Central Place, Living Tomorrow and Fountain Alley are complete there will finally be a solid, dense, walkable downtown core. By 2009, DTSJ will be a completely different place!

Oh, check this out!
www.mofetttowers.com

The design should be great, seeing as SOM are the architects.....can't go wrong with them.

arturo

January 6th, 2007, 01:12 AM

The design should be great, seeing as SOM are the architects.....can't go wrong with them.

Haa, I just checked the LT website and found this text "Block 2 in San Jose, CA - Silicon Valley
The futuristic building will be located on 'Block 2' in the center of San Jose at the crossing of San Fernando, 1 st and 2 nd street.
The location is nearby the Convention Center, San Jose State University, City Hall, the city library and the Tech museum."

Can't wait...

http://www.livtom.com/ltsj/02_ltsj.htm

metropolismayor

January 8th, 2007, 07:03 PM

Haa, I just checked the LT website and found this text "Block 2 in San Jose, CA - Silicon Valley
The futuristic building will be located on 'Block 2' in the center of San Jose at the crossing of San Fernando, 1 st and 2 nd street.
The location is nearby the Convention Center, San Jose State University, City Hall, the city library and the Tech museum."

Can't wait...

http://www.livtom.com/ltsj/02_ltsj.htm

LT is a major coup for the city, let's hope they don't screw-it up!

metropolismayor

January 8th, 2007, 07:44 PM

The SJRDA has a really interesting slideshow on San Jose in 1975. When you look at what it was like back then, I guess we have come a long way. Check it out here:
San Jose 1975 (http://www.sjredevelopment.org/PublicationsPlans/SanJose1975.pdf)

BTW, does anyone remember than big cement fountain that was, if I remember correctly, on the site of The Rep and Tower 88? I always liked it as a kid, but I guess the city felt otherwise...

huelga99

January 9th, 2007, 06:39 AM

robertee

January 9th, 2007, 07:10 AM

arturo

January 9th, 2007, 07:13 AM

Can anybody tell me what Saratoga Capital is going to do with the Sainte Claire building above Original Joes? I read about it in the Mercury News back in September. I've walked past the building and it sems like they are doing some construction. Any news would be appreciated.

The inside of the building was destroyed by fire back in the 70s and the previous owners all lacked money to rebuild and retrofit it so it has just sat in that same burned-out condition for decades. Saratoga Capital is turning the upper floors into condos/lofts/apartments. And don't worry about Original Joe's- they have a long-term lease but will close temporarily for renovation and retrofit work.
[I think I just regurgitated what the article said]

metropolismayor

January 9th, 2007, 11:09 PM

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Historic corner to be restored

TRIO WITH EXPERIENCE IN RENOVATION BUY VACANT BLOCK
By Katherine Conrad
[

The Wilcox Block has long been the ``dark corner'' among downtown San Jose's historically renovated gems. Now, new owners plan to restore ``light and life'' to the property built after the Civil War, renovated in the 1950s and empty since 1999.

Escrow closed on the buildings two weeks ago, when the San Jose Redevelopment Agency sold the property to a trio who seem ideal to restore the site: contractor Jim Salata of Garden City Construction, structural engineer Mark Cardosa of Biggs Cardosa Associates, and real estate broker Mark Ritchie of Ritchie Commercial.

This week, crews have started the process of seismically retrofitting the old buildings on the northwest corner of First and San Fernando streets and known as the city's ``best last dark corner'' or vacant corner property. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The owners estimate they will spend as much as $300 a square foot on the property, or up to $4 million for the entire renovation. Because of the high cost to restore the property, Ritchie said his first offer for the block was zero, a bid the city rejected.

``We eventually paid $200,000 -- a token price,'' Ritchie said. ``This is an expensive project and we're taking an enormous risk.''

Harry Mavrogenes, director of the city's redevelopment agency, knows well the risks incurred by developers who undertake historical projects. ``This is a labor of love,'' he said. ``It takes patience, deep pockets and a love for the city.''

This is not the first time the three have tried to renovate the Wilcox Block.

1957 calendar

``I first crawled into the upstairs in the late 1980s,'' said Cardosa, a veteran of historical restoration who lists St. Joseph's Cathedral and the De Anza Hotel as projects he has worked on. ``Nobody has used the space upstairs for 30 to 40 years. We found a calendar from 1957 on the wall.

``It was a common problem,'' he said about the vacated second floor. ``Downtown went away and they couldn't rent the upstairs.''

Salata's eye was first caught by a tin bathtub with only a cold-water faucet, probably a remnant from more than a century ago when the two-story building, known as the Morgan House, rented rooms to stagecoach travelers -- but only teetotalers.

Salata is another old hand at restoration, having worked on the Jose Theatre. He is currently renovating the upper floors of Original Joe's.

The two-story building -- with skylights, painted doors and red brick walls -- is 5,000 square feet per floor; a single-story building next door is about 1,800 square feet. The adjoining courtyard is about 1,400 square feet.

Salata said the toughest part of the renovation has been determining the architectural theme in the structure that began as Victorian Italianate when Elbert J. Wilcox built his hotel in 1867. Later, the upstairs provided office space for the city's first medical practitioner, Dr. Benjamin Cory, who also was elected mayor, Salata said.

In 1907, the street-level corner store was leased to jeweler William C. Lean. Later, his manager, William Jung, became a partner in the business and the two bought the entire block of three buildings in 1920. They sold gems as W.C. Lean Jewelers until 1984. Crescent Jewelers became the next tenant until closing in 1999.

The Jungs and Leans tried to redevelop the property but were overwhelmed by the cost and the magnitude of the project, Salata said.

``It has one, two, three different storefronts from three different eras,'' Salata said. ``It's the hardest thing in the world of historic rehab to make sense of something like this.''

In 2002, the redevelopment agency bought the buildings for $1.23 million from the Lucille Lean property trust, and the city asked developers to submit proposals for rehabilitation.

Although they tried, Ritchie said restoring the 19th-century facade that was stripped from the building in the 1940s could not be done. Instead, the owners decided to use the site's most recent architectural design from the 1940s known as ``streamlined moderne.''

San Jose's Preservation Action Council is pleased.

``The sale is great. I think it's in good hands,'' said Megan Bellue, head of PAC-San Jose. ``Bringing the building back to service is a great thing.''

A view of the past

John Weis, deputy director of the redevelopment agency, said it's been a long and difficult process, but worth it.

``When you have buildings that are worth saving, they offer a sense of what San Jose was like at the turn of the century and in the 1940s and 1950s,'' he said.

Weis would like to see a clothing retailer move into the street-level site, but the new owners believe a restaurant would be a better fit. They think the private patio will be a draw to restaurateurs searching for space, since outdoor dining is a plus in downtown San Jose.

``Restaurants and entertainment are driving revitalizations of downtowns all over the Peninsula,'' Salata said. ``Downtowns are in, that's why they built Santana Row. It's fake, but it's successful.''

When the reconstruction is finished, Ritchie plans to recoup the partners' costs by charging up to $3.75 a square foot in rent -- more than a dollar more than current rates in downtown San Jose. But he believes he'll get it.

``This is the best, strongest corner left in downtown,'' he said.

http://www.sanjoseretail.com/img/project_uploads/Crescent-Jewelers.jpg

arturo

January 10th, 2007, 03:22 AM

i love streamline moderne. hopefully they'll incorporate silver-finished metals and/or neon!

metropolismayor

January 11th, 2007, 01:37 AM

i love streamline moderne. hopefully they'll incorporate silver-finished metals and/or neon!

Yes, bring on the neon! This is an incredible location considering itll be right across from Tower 88 and Living Tomorrow. Itd be great for a restaurant.

happy_in_san_jose

January 11th, 2007, 05:01 AM

http://i14.tinypic.com/2e4wwb8.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/2qatelg.jpg
•First half of the mat foundation pour occurred 11/17
•Second half of the pour occurred first weekend of December
•Shotcrete walls completed in middle of December
•Framing and rebar work underway for the first garage floor pour

happy_in_san_jose

January 11th, 2007, 05:04 AM

http://i10.tinypic.com/4csj37q.jpg http://i11.tinypic.com/2wcljy8.jpg
•Concrete placement at Parking Level B1 and at the parking ramp from B1 to Level 1 is 100% complete
•Formwork for the slab at Level 1 (grade) has commenced and concrete placement is anticipated to be completed by mid January
•Dewatering activities continue
•Site work in connection with the installation of nine PG&E gas and electrical utility vaults is complete in the sidewalk areas along San Fernando with three more boxes to be installed on Third Street
•PG&E is scheduled to pull conduits the month of January and February.

happy_in_san_jose

January 11th, 2007, 05:09 AM

http://i16.tinypic.com/2rhtnj6.jpg http://i16.tinypic.com/2ltiqnt.jpg
•Concrete pours up to the 8th floor completed on first building
•Parking garage/Podium form work underway on the rest of the phase I site
•Project estimated to be completed in 3rdqtr 2008.

metropolismayor

January 12th, 2007, 03:36 AM

robertee

January 12th, 2007, 05:07 AM

Ugh! Not only did the Earthquakes get moved Houston (and then win the MLS Cup!) but now David Beckham is going to the LA Galaxy! That means we could've seen Becks play at Spartan Stadium (a crappy, but very intimate, stadium) next season!

Not exactly development-related, I know, but I hope you feel my pain...

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061024/061024_beckham_Vmed_5p.widec.jpg

Don't know if this will help, but at least it's development-related http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Earthquakes Soccer Reports “Positive Developments” in Stadium Talks
(December 18) Soccer Silicon Valley

It's almost a year to the day that MLS and AEG announced that the players and staff of the San Jose Earthquakes would be relocated to Houston. Besides the pain of our loss, we were left that day with two things: the knowledge that the legacy of the Earthquakes would remain here and a faint glimmer of hope that we would all see the Earthquakes take the field again someday, with new owners and a new home.

That day has not arrived yet but we believe it is getting closer. Lew Wolff and the staff of Earthquakes Soccer, LLC, have been working diligently behind the scenes on a stadium deal and told SSV late last week that they have developed "a lot of momentum" and that there are many "positive developments." The fact that you have not been hearing about this progress in the press does not mean that it has not been substantial.

The efforts by all the parties involved are delicate in nature and as such no announcements are ready to be made. However, when the time is right, you will know about it. Rest assured that we at SSV are very encouraged with the progress made to date.

Earthquakes Soccer has been working on other fronts as well. Earlier this month, David Alioto and Ann Rodriguez — the organization's executive vice president and business development manager — spent several days in New York meeting with league officials including Commissioner Don Garber and deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis.

Last year, the winter holidays were dimmed by the loss of our team. This year, they may glow just a bit brighter in anticipation of what is yet to come. Enjoy the holidays and we will provide you with new information whenever we can.

metropolismayor

January 12th, 2007, 06:30 AM

Don't know if this will help, but at least it's development-related http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Earthquakes Soccer Reports “Positive Developments” in Stadium Talks
(December 18) Soccer Silicon Valley

It's almost a year to the day that MLS and AEG announced that the players and staff of the San Jose Earthquakes would be relocated to Houston. Besides the pain of our loss, we were left that day with two things: the knowledge that the legacy of the Earthquakes would remain here and a faint glimmer of hope that we would all see the Earthquakes take the field again someday, with new owners and a new home.

That day has not arrived yet but we believe it is getting closer. Lew Wolff and the staff of Earthquakes Soccer, LLC, have been working diligently behind the scenes on a stadium deal and told SSV late last week that they have developed "a lot of momentum" and that there are many "positive developments." The fact that you have not been hearing about this progress in the press does not mean that it has not been substantial.

The efforts by all the parties involved are delicate in nature and as such no announcements are ready to be made. However, when the time is right, you will know about it. Rest assured that we at SSV are very encouraged with the progress made to date.

Earthquakes Soccer has been working on other fronts as well. Earlier this month, David Alioto and Ann Rodriguez — the organization's executive vice president and business development manager — spent several days in New York meeting with league officials including Commissioner Don Garber and deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis.

Last year, the winter holidays were dimmed by the loss of our team. This year, they may glow just a bit brighter in anticipation of what is yet to come. Enjoy the holidays and we will provide you with new information whenever we can.

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

arturo

January 13th, 2007, 01:29 AM

New football-soccer stadium in the works
By Barry Witt and Jon Wilner
Mercury News
Friday January 12

San Jose State, Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff and the city of San Jose are negotiating to build a multi-purpose stadium on the school's south campus that would be the new home of SJSU athletics and a professional soccer team.

The discussions include a plan to build new community soccer fields in an undeveloped portion of Kelley Park.

The stadium -- tentatively scheduled to open for the 2009 football season -- would be built just to the east of the existing Spartan Stadium, which would be converted into a parking garage.

SJSU would donate the land and Wolff would build the approximately $80 million stadium, according to sources close to the discussions.

``There is not a deal, but we've had some very, very good solid conversations,'' university President Don Kassing said.

metropolismayor

January 13th, 2007, 01:53 AM

surrill

January 13th, 2007, 03:35 AM

metropolismayor

January 13th, 2007, 05:27 AM

Posted on Fri, Jan. 12, 2007

New football-soccer stadium in the works for San Jose State University
COMMUNITY SOCCER FIELDS ALSO PART OF THE PLAN
By Barry Witt and Jon Wilner
Mercury News

San Jose State, Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff and the city of San Jose are negotiating to build a multi-purpose stadium that would change the face of South Bay sports by bringing a professional soccer team to San Jose and providing a new home for Spartan athletics.

The facility, tentatively scheduled to open in 2009, would be built just east of Spartan Stadium, which would be converted into a parking garage.

``There is not a deal, but we've had some very, very good solid conversations,'' said university President Don Kassing.

San Jose State would provide the land at S. 10th Street and E. Alma Avenue. Wolff would pay for the stadium, which is expected to cost about $80 million, according to sources close to the negotiations. The stadium would have about 22,000 permanent seats, with the option to increase capacity to 30,000.

The name of the stadium has not been determined.

Wolff, who is currently pursuing a stadium and residential development in Fremont for the Oakland A's, on Friday described the discussions as being ``in the embryonic stages'' and declined to provide details.

As part of the package, the university and the city are discussing tapping a $9 million city bond fund to build up to six community soccer fields nearby, most likely in an undeveloped portion of Kelley Park.

No city money would be used on the stadium itself, which means voters would not be required to approve any deal.

If a deal is finalized, Wolff would exercise an option he negotiated last May to invest in Major League Soccer and operate an expansion franchise. San Jose State and the soccer team -- to be called the Earthquakes -- would operate the stadium as partners. San Jose State would keep revenue from its events, the Earthquakes would keep revenue from their events and the two would split revenue from additional events, such as concerts, sources said.

Wolff has told city officials that he's looking to pay for part of the cost of building the stadium through a real estate development on an unidentified piece of property elsewhere in the city. Somewhat like his plan to bring the A's to Fremont, Wolff wants to generate profits by buying property zoned for industrial use and re-selling it at a higher price after persuading the council to approve housing on the land.

Wolff, a Los Angeles developer with deep ties to San Jose, outlined the plan to Mayor Chuck Reed at a private breakfast Wednesday at the Fairmont Hotel, in which Wolff is an investor.

Reed, whom Wolff supported in the November run-off election, confirmed Wolff's plan but declined to reveal any specifics.

``At this point, I don't think I should talk about it,'' Reed said. ``If it gets to the point for the city to do something or participate in something, then it will be time to talk about it.''

Paul Krutko, the city's economic development director, said Wolff has made it clear in meetings over the past two months that he hopes to use a zoning change to generate money for a stadium, and city officials have responded that ``we're willing to consider all options.''

Krutko said he did not know if Wolff had already bought or identified a property to finance his plan.

``He's looking out across the entire inventory of land in the city,'' Krutko said.

Krutko, who has been joined in the stadium discussions by city redevelopment director Harry Mavrogenes, said he is waiting for Wolff and the university to reach an agreement that can be brought to the city council. The council would then have to decide whether to target the stadium and Kelley Park area for community soccer fields.

The council also would have to decide whether to approve any zoning change Wolff would seek, a process that could generate controversy. The city is already facing pressure to preserve job-producing industrial land rather than allow more housing, which creates a greater demand for costly city services, such as police, fire protection, parks and libraries.

Krutko said five to six soccer fields that would serve both community needs and university intramural teams could be built at Kelley Park, just east of the San Jose History Museum on land that is part of the Coyote Creek flood plain.

Other practice fields for university intercollegiate teams and the Earthquakes could be built on existing campus athletic fields.

It's not clear how the development might impact the minor league San Jose Giants, who play in nearby city-owned Municipal Stadium. Wolff has yet to resolve territorial issues between the A's proposed new home in Fremont and the minor league team.

Krutko said he's told Wolff that the city wants ``the San Jose Giants to be happy with their situation, whatever that situation turns out to be.''

Jim Weyermann, president of the Giants, said the team is continuing to work on a proposal that it hopes to present to the city council to renovate Municipal Stadium and sign a long-term agreement to continue playing there.

Though plans for the new stadium are far from final, the Earthquakes have already hired Rosetti Architects, which designed the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. However, the stadium in San Jose would be modeled after the home of the MLS franchise in Chicago, which cost about $70 million and has a capacity of 20,000.

Tentative plans call for plazas at each end of the stadium: one would honor San Jose State athletics, the other would honor the Earthquakes. The facility would be big enough to house offices, locker rooms and training facilities for the Earthquakes and for numerous San Jose State teams. (Football offices would remain in the Simpkins Center.)

``This is an extraordinary opportunity,'' Athletic Director Tom Bowen said. ``It will change the game day experience for fans and alumni.''

bluesbrother42fs

January 15th, 2007, 08:20 AM

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/18/24070248_4104b268aa_o.jpg

and who says VTA never gets that crowded?

metropolismayor

January 15th, 2007, 08:22 AM

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/18/24070248_4104b268aa_o.jpg

and who says VTA never gets that crowded?

Haha. Great pic! :nuts:

When and where was this?

mr_storms

January 15th, 2007, 05:53 PM

almost certainly 4th of july, judging by the fact that its dark outside.

arturo

January 15th, 2007, 09:55 PM

Ahhh, diversity.:)
does anyone have access to the San Jose Business Journal? There's another article on the SJSU-Earthquakes stadium (12 Jan) but they won't give me access to it :(

robertee

January 15th, 2007, 11:18 PM

Ahhh, diversity.:)
does anyone have access to the San Jose Business Journal? There's another article on the SJSU-Earthquakes stadium (12 Jan) but they won't give me access to it :(

Talks on 'joint use' soccer stadium may bear fruit in 60-90 days
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - January 12, 2007
by Mary Duan

Earthquakes Soccer LLC, the group put together by multimillionaire developer and Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff to return professional soccer to San Jose, is quietly developing a "wish list" of attributes it wants in a soccer-specific stadium. According to city officials, the group is talking with San Jose State University about building a new joint stadium.

But whether that stadium will find its home in San Jose or anywhere in Silicon Valley remains to be seen.

It's been just over one year since AEG Worldwide, owner of five Major League Soccer teams, moved the team formerly known as the San Jose Earthquakes to Houston and renamed it the Houston Dynamos. Central in the decision to move was dissatisfaction with San Jose State's Spartan Stadium as home field for the Earthquakes.

Wolff and John Fisher, principal owners of the A's, purchased an exclusive option to acquire an MLS team in the Bay Area. As part of the exclusive option agreement, the A's ownership group has three years to develop a soccer-specific stadium and purchase an MLS team.

Wolff declined to comment on talks with the university or even name specific parties or local governments with which his group is negotiating, but said the group should know more about its plans "in 60 to 90 days."

Whether a new, Wolff-organized team lands in San Jose depends on whether building a stadium here makes financial sense for all parties involved, he says.

"We are investigating a number of sites. We're not ready to discuss them... we have to have a method of financing the development," Wolff said in a phone interview with the Business Journal. "I have to tell you, if for example, we were going to Sacramento, I'm going to deal with them and not tell the press I'm dealing with them."

He quickly added: "It's not Sacramento, by the way."

San Jose State University President Don Kassing confirmed the university has had "three or four conversations" with Earthquakes Soccer representatives, and the conversations have included whether the two entities possibly will share a facility.

He did not say if discussions have centered on building a new stadium or redeveloping the existing Spartan Stadium.

"It's early in the process, very early. The conversations have been exploratory ... (and) good enough that they will continue," Kassing says. "I don't want to predict anything, but from our perspective, it's been very constructive. We are hopeful."

The city's director of economic development, Paul Krutko, says the city currently is not engaged in any financial packaging involving the Earthquakes, nor is it trying to figure out ways to make such a transaction work.

Wolff "has indicated he is interested in pursuing a project in San Jose if that can be worked out. I know there have been ongoing discussions with the university, so we are monitoring those discussions and we will see where they go," Krutko says. "We're pleased there are talks between San Jose State and the (soccer) organization."

Krutko points out that any development over 5,000 square feet that uses public funds requires an affirmative vote of the city's population on a ballot. If the Earthquakes and the university strike a deal, "they would engage with the city in terms of what would be needed to help a joint project of that type go forward," Krutko says. "It's logical for that set of conversations to occur."

Wolff, who along with Silicon Valley developer Phil DiNapoli, helped revitalize vast portions of downtown San Jose, said he realizes the city hoped to be the new home of the Oakland A's, which his group purchased in 2005.

Franchising rules prohibited him from bringing the team to San Jose; the A's instead hope to move to a proposed stadium in nearby Fremont.

"Obviously San Jose was hoping for baseball and I can't get it here. San Jose would be perfect (for soccer), but they have to want it. We see soccer as terrific for the local market," he says. "I think the best days of soccer are ahead of us. Our problem is, soccer doesn't generate a huge profit. Soccer is a high-risk sport in terms of profitability"

Wolff says even if his organization doesn't create a team to play in a stadium built in San Jose, he finds extreme value in the process.

"I think everyone we've talked to, in the city, county, other cities ... everyone has says, 'we will listen, where can we help?'" he said. "If it doesn't fit in (here) with the new city council and the mayor -- and I think it might -- at least I have people to talk to. I can't say that's been true for the past eight years."

The A's and Earthquakes Soccer opened an office in the Fairmont San Jose in November. Earthquakes Soccer executive vice president David Alioto says because San Jose is where the Earthquakes team started, it was a good place for the new venture to start as well.

"We're really learning everything we can about Major League Soccer. We're meeting with other teams, looking at their stadiums and preparing a wish list of what we would like to see in a stadium," Alioto says. "It would be great to say, 'we're doing this or we're doing that,' but truly we are figuring out what the marketplace is and when we are done, we will let people know."

He says just because the organization wants to build a soccer-specific stadium doesn't mean it can't have other events. Everyone in San Jose, he added, has been "very open and reaching out their hands to us in a friendly manner."

Former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery, under whom the city ushered in the Shark's arena, says the road to a new, publicly-financed sports facility will be paved with difficulty, but if anyone has a chance of making it succeed, it's Wolff.

"Any project that Lew Wolff attempts always has a good chance of success. He is an accomplished and realistic developer and has done many important and vital projects for our city," he wrote in an e-mail.

The Sharks' arena "is the last publicly-financed building in the Bay Area that really works (and) you cannot find anyone who admits to voting against it, although it was quite controversial at the time," McEnery wrote.

metropolismayor

January 16th, 2007, 06:05 PM

Posted on Tue, Jan. 16, 2007

Brokers speculate on fate of S.J.'s Sobrato building

By Katherine Conrad
Mercury News

The rumors about BEA Systems and downtown San Jose's Sobrato building have become a dull roar.

Since the collapse of the Nvidia deal in November, word on the street is that BEA Systems, now headquartered on North First Street, is considering buying 488 Almaden Blvd., vacant since Sobrato Development built the 380,000-square-foot tower in 2002.

If software maker BEA bought the 17-story building, so the rumor goes, Sobrato would get 40 acres the tech company owns next to its San Jose campus. BEA Systems has owned the 40-acre parcel since early 2001, when it bought the land from Agilent Technologies for $292.8 million, according to public records.

The principals in the deal will not comment. After negotiating rather publicly with Nvidia, the usually open John Michael Sobrato has declined to discuss the current deal and won't even confirm whether he is talking to BEA Systems.

And the company, after first denying the rumors, has declined to comment. ``We have no comment on rumors and speculation,'' said Kevin Hayden, BEA's vice president of corporate communications.

Sobrato has made no secret about his desire to install a single high-tech tenant into his high-rise office building, and BEA Systems is a logical choice. Since 1998, the company has leased 225,000 square feet of office space on North First built and owned by Sobrato -- and the lease is scheduled to expire in 2008. Also, the company is growing. In November, BEA reported third-quarter revenue of $347.7 million, up 19 percent from the same period in 2005.

Plenty to keep the rumor mill, otherwise known as the brokerage community, grinding away.

At a Building Owners and Managers Association luncheon last week featuring three commercial real estate brokers -- Nancy Morse of Grubb & Ellis, Joe Moriarty of CPS/Corfac International and Craig Fordyce of Colliers International -- the rumored deal figured prominently in the talk about leasing activity in Silicon Valley.

Discussing vacancy rates in downtown San Jose, Morse said filling the long-vacant Sobrato building would put a sizable dent in the city's 20 percent-plus vacancy rate -- one of the highest downtown vacancy rates in the country. And the Sobrato building, she said, represents 5 percentage points.

``If it's true, it would be significant in a number of fronts,'' Moriarty said. ``One of the biggest vacancies in the marketplace would be gone, and it means that Sobrato is bullish on the long-term prospects of the land. If it's true.''

Whether the Sobrato building stays empty or not, Fordyce said, downtown San Jose tech company Adobe Systems plans to build a 1-million-square-foot campus on the almost eight acres it bought from San Jose Water Co. last month.

Jay Paul Co. is equally bullish about the market and plans to build its entire 1.8-million-square-foot Moffett Towers campus in Sunnyvale all at once, rather than half now and half later.

As Morse described Silicon Valley commercial real estate: ``Up, up and away,'' she said. ``It's nice to have the office market back.''

MAGMA MOVING TO SAN JOSE: A high-tech company headed to San Jose is Magma Design Automation, which has leased almost 107,000 square feet at Skyport Plaza on Technology Drive.

The electronic-design software provider, currently at 5460 Bayfront Plaza in Santa Clara, will occupy five floors of the eight-story office building located at 1650 Technology Drive. Four of the floors are currently leased by Siemens Communications, which is subleasing its space to Magma.

The value of the deal that's scheduled to expire in October 2011 is $9.2 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Monica Marmie, a spokeswoman for Magma, said the 10-year-old company needed more room for its expanding workforce. For the past five years, the company has grown an average of 37 percent a year and plans to hire 150 engineers in 2007, she said.

Its targeted revenue for the fiscal year ending in March is $175 million to $183 million. Marmie said she looks forward to the new location because it will provide more parking -- not often heard in San Jose.

Skyport Plaza, owned by Equity Office Properties, was represented by Brittain Cheney and Lesley Robinson, both Equity brokers.

Magma was represented by George Fox and Hamilton Southworth of Studley.