San José Development News

[JoshuaSantos]

Yard House opens April 15th I think, looking forward to it!

Originally Posted by xThomasTroublex

Santana Row's new apartment, Levare - rendering

http://www.levareliving.com/



Also, anyone been to Yard House yet? I used to go in SoCal, glad they finally have one in the Bay Area.

image hosted on flickr

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Originally Posted by guru_ck

Grand opening is April 17th. See santanarow.com. Finally somewhere decent to eat on the row .

What! Have you ever been to The Counter? It's Awesome

[guru_ck]

Originally Posted by ElDudarinodotcom

What! Have you ever been to The Counter? It's Awesome

The ambiance and selection of food is pretty lacking but they do make some good burgers .

[TampaMike]

Originally Posted by guru_ck

Grand opening is April 17th. See santanarow.com. Finally somewhere decent to eat on the row .

Is it good? I've looked at their menu and some pics they have on Facebook, food looks good. Wish they had one in Tampa.

[JoshuaSantos]

Originally Posted by guru_ck

Grand opening is April 17th. See santanarow.com. Finally somewhere decent to eat on the row .

Amber India
Thea
Sino (try the Salmon next time you're there)
Left Bank
Pizza Antica
Maggiano's
LB Steak
Straits
Lisa's Tea Treasures (hangs head in shame)

All of those have good food, albeit pricey.

[xThomasTroublex]

The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to move forward on the $120 million renovation and expansion of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Last month, the council approved the sale of up to $150 million worth of bonds to fund the project and by Monday the city had sold $138 million. About $18 million of that will pay for financing costs and a reserve fund as security for the bond holders. The project is expected to take 24 months, with the updated convention center opening in late summer or early fall of 2013.

The design-build project will add more than 100,000 square feet to the 425,000-square-foot center, including 35,000 square feet of new ballroom space and 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

The city's 77 hoteliers are picking up most of the $120 million construction tab, after they agreed two years ago to charge their guests an extra 4 percent hotel room tax to be used specifically for this project.

[chdweller]

Update: Apparently there was a meeting on May 9th at the San Jose Athletic Club about the project. Last I heard through the grapevine Barry wanted to add 100 units to the smaller tower. This would require him to get planning's approval as the development isn't approved for that many total units 500.

<<I stand corrected, the meeting was about a major Vendome expansion on N. First St.>> I think you all will be very impressed. Check out these new renderings.>>

http://www.barryswensonbuilder.com/vendome

[SantaTeresaHills]

The Barry Swenson blog is interesting. It states the number of units sold for Axis, the 88, City Heights, and Plant 51. He said that the 360 is 6% leased after 2 weeks of pre-leasing.

At the bottom of the latest entrys is

"Don't be surprised if you hear about developers pulling building permits and breaking ground on new projects. Financing is slowly coming around, and we're hopeful that the valley will continue to be a leader in attracting the brightest minds to the best companies and providing quality housing for these employees."

I know that Barry Swenson has a lot of projects still proceeding but it sounds like other developers may start doing something. The most important part though is that it sounds like that financing is slowly coming back.

[guru_ck]

Originally Posted by SantaTeresaHills

The Barry Swenson blog is interesting. It states the number of units sold for Axis, the 88, City Heights, and Plant 51. He said that the 360 is 6% leased after 2 weeks of pre-leasing.

At the bottom of the latest entrys is

"Don't be surprised if you hear about developers pulling building permits and breaking ground on new projects. Financing is slowly coming around, and we're hopeful that the valley will continue to be a leader in attracting the brightest minds to the best companies and providing quality housing for these employees."

I know that Barry Swenson has a lot of projects still proceeding but it sounds like other developers may start doing something. The most important part though is that it sounds like that financing is slowly coming back.

http://www.barryswensonbuilder.com/b...l-estate-blog/

Interesting insight, I didn't know he had a blog. Thanks!

[arturo]

Originally Posted by Animo

Hello San José members!

We have a discussion at the San Francisco thread in creating a sub-forum for San Francisco Bay Area and your opinion also matters. I hope you guys can read it there since your inputs also matters.

Hmmm, I like the new location of this thread but does the forum have to be titled "San Francisco"?? Will it be changed to "SF Bay Area" with specific threads for SF, SJ and OAK?

Originally Posted by chdweller

<<I stand corrected, the meeting was about a major Vendome expansion on N. First St.>> I think you all will be very impressed. Check out these new renderings.>>

http://www.barryswensonbuilder.com/vendome

It's the first time Ive welcomed a BSB design. I'm also glad those vacant lots are finally going to get some good use.

It really ought to be free to ride LR between the Discovery Museum and Japantown/Ayer stations to get these people to DT restaurants and events. This development also bodes well for Japantown businesses.

[Animo]

You can discuss, debate, and post general issues within the City of San José.

[Animo]

By John Woolfolk
jwoolfolk@mercurynews.com
© Copyright 2011, Bay Area News Group

After multiple rounds of layoffs from plummeting tax revenues that leave few plans for new projects, the latest casualty of San Jose's redevelopment agency is its top dog. Executive Director Harry Mavrogenes announced he's stepping down June 24 -- a symbolic loss to an agency that rebuilt downtown San Jose.

"I think it's time," Mavrogenes, who presides over the state's second-largest redevelopment agency, told this newspaper Friday. "I like an environment where we're building things and making major things happen. I'll be looking for other opportunities where I can make major physical change happen."
Mayor Chuck Reed credited Mavrogenes' skill in doing more with less. Even as the agency's fortune's dwindled, he pushed ahead planning for a major league ballpark near Diridon Station and luring technology companies from Brocade to solar startups Nanosolar and Sunpower. The question now is, without that link to the agency's storied past, from where will that ambition come?

"Harry has been very effective at doing things with a relatively small budget compared to his predecessors and to keep moving projects moving ahead with a shrinking budget," Reed said. "But, of course, it's shrunk so far there's not much left to do."

Mavrogenes' departure comes as Gov. Jerry Brown continues to press for ending redevelopment statewide and shifting the proceeds to schools and local government, easing funding pressure on the deficit-plagued state budget.

Along with the city manager, clerk, attorney and auditors, Mavrogenes, 61, is among few top officials appointed directly by the City Council, which serves as his agency's board of directors. With a base salary of $234,000, he is among the city's top-paid officials and among a handful granted a $250,000 low-cost city home loan, which he must pay back after retiring. He is selling his San Jose home, but he plans to stay in the area and is courting development jobs.

It will be up to the council to appoint a successor. The agency's deputy executive director since 2008 is Janet Kern, who had previously worked as an agency attorney for eight years. But Mavrogenes expects Kern to retire soon. Recruitment for a new director is complicated by the agency's shrinking budget and continued state threats to eliminate redevelopment.

A Chicago native, Mavrogenes came to California's Central Valley as a teenager and earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies from San Francisco State. He joined San Jose's planning department in 1971, working in various planning and redevelopment jobs until 1990, when he went to Miami Beach, Fla., to become that city's economic and community development director and later assistant city manager. While there, he helped revitalize the city's main commercial street, the Lincoln Road Mall.

In 1998, Mavrogenes returned to San Jose's redevelopment agency as deputy executive director. In 2003, when the agency's chief at the time, Susan Schick, announced her retirement, Mavrogenes took over as interim executive director. The council officially appointed him executive director in November 2004.

As director, Mavrogenes continued the downtown revitalization efforts begun under longtime director Frank Taylor, who retired in 1999 after 20 years and whom Mavrogenes called "great and visionary." Mavrogenes also presided over the agency's "strong neighborhoods" program, which since 2002 has invested $136 million in neighborhood revitalization efforts.

But Mavrogenes took the reins at the agency's zenith, when it boasted a $437 million budget and employed 134 people and before a real estate market meltdown and recession tanked the tax-increment receipts that are its lifeblood. By the summer of 2009, the agency employed 119. Plans call for shrinking the current staff of 31 to eight by July.

The rapid implosion has led to criticism. Some on the council, notably downtown Councilman Sam Liccardo, have questioned whether the agency based recent budgets on overly rosy economic forecasts, forcing the city this year to absorb an additional $10 million in costs amid its own deficits when agency revenues came up short.

The agency also has repeatedly dueled in court with Santa Clara County over revenue-sharing agreements, most recently in a settlement over $62.9 million, under which the city, as part of a repayment plan, is giving the county its old City Hall building on North First Street.

A March state controller's report noted San Jose's agency had the highest debt of 18 agencies reviewed -- $3.6 billion -- as well as the highest director salary and questioned its practice of paying a portion of the mayor and council salaries.

The state has only added to the agency's money woes. Apart from the governor's plan, the agency earlier this month had to pay $13 million to California officials, the balance of $75 million owed as part of a $2 billion state redevelopment grab in 2009. Two credit agencies in April downgraded bond ratings on $1.8 billion of the agency's debt.

"It's been very, very tough the last three to five years," Mavrogenes said. "I'm just taking a bit of a pause."

[JoshuaSantos]

So San José or San Jose?

My vote is without the accent.

[Animo]

I'm just following what I see in the official website: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/

Originally Posted by JoshuaSantos

So San José or San Jose?

My vote is without the accent.

[JoshuaSantos]

Originally Posted by Animo

I'm just following what I see in the official website: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/

It could really be done either way, fully interchangeable. Just was curious to see what other people think.

[Animo]

I know but like I said I'm following official designation by the city itself.

Originally Posted by JoshuaSantos

It could really be done either way, fully interchangeable. Just was curious to see what other people think.

[JoshuaSantos]

This is a thread dedicated to development projects in Downtown San Jose.

Here's a link to a future highrise map that shows projects that were recently completed, in planning, proposed, or under development (I'll try to keep it up to date as much as possible): http://sjhighrise.shorturl.com/

This might be a little too hyperlocal for this forum, but here is also a list of all 200 or so restaurants in San Jose: goo.gl/Qe7Pr

Major Projects in Dev or Proposed

San Pedro Square Urban Market (ETA Summer 2011)



Convention Center Expansion (2012)



Little Italy San Jose (Ongoing)



A's Stadium (Proposed)



Diridon Area (Planning)



North San Pedro (Permitted)



Part View Towers (Permitted)



Livingston Tower (Permitted)

[JoshuaSantos]

BSB makes almost $100m a year in revenue and they're deeply invested in SJ. I'm pretty confident that the next major highrise to break ground will be involve them in some form.

Originally Posted by SantaTeresaHills

The Barry Swenson blog is interesting. It states the number of units sold for Axis, the 88, City Heights, and Plant 51. He said that the 360 is 6% leased after 2 weeks of pre-leasing.

At the bottom of the latest entrys is

"Don't be surprised if you hear about developers pulling building permits and breaking ground on new projects. Financing is slowly coming around, and we're hopeful that the valley will continue to be a leader in attracting the brightest minds to the best companies and providing quality housing for these employees."

I know that Barry Swenson has a lot of projects still proceeding but it sounds like other developers may start doing something. The most important part though is that it sounds like that financing is slowly coming back.

[JoshuaSantos]

Zanotto's is downgrading from a Market on 2nd to a Deli on 1st St:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/b...ess+Journal%29

[krudmonk]

I take pride in the accent.