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San José Development News

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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
San Jose Development News



San Jose Skyline Panoramic by SkylineScenes (Bill Cobb), on Flickr


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Will downtown San Jose ever develop the type of height and density of the downtowns in San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento?
 
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#25,081 ·
#25,082 · (Edited)
Originally Posted by Sharkcity>
Gillynova and Flubuk were discussing Market Street Towers by Sobrato. Afaik, the Fountain Alley Building and Moxy are the only public rooftops proposed currently.
Also, the future residential tower at 439 S. 4TH St. is proposing a large 12,381sf public eating establishment on the rooftop of that 18 story high rise.

The development’s parking garage — which will include 110 vehicle spaces — will be subgrade and at ground level. 56 bicycle slots in stack racks and 27 motorcycle spaces will also be provided.

An 887 square foot community center, a 614 square foot fitness center, pool and 2,544 square feet of common open space are also detailed in the project plans.

Armas also plans to build a 6,418 square foot rooftop deck complete with a kitchen, sitting areas, heaters, planters and permanent art installations.[/QUOTE]

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=166206688&postcount=24924

From an article in The Registry that I posted last year, Nelly Amas, the owner/developer of this property said the following about developing the rooftop facility:
For Armas, the rooftop is her favorite part of the property and was inspired by the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. “It will be the most beautiful lounge,” she said. It’s a great asset.”
Here's a view of the InterContinental Hotel Lounge that inspired Ms. Armas:


Atop InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown’s 73rd floor is Spire 73 – the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere. This rooftop lounge offers breathtaking views of the entire city, chic fire pits, signature cocktails and a wide selection of whiskey, as well as culinary expressions to rival the view.
 
#25,085 ·
Boston Property's acquires full control over Platform 16.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02...-jose-tech-campus-google-village-real-estate/

_____________________________________________________________________

"Perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River" :eek:hno::eek:hno::eek:hno::lol::lol::lol:
I'm very excited to see this project moving forward but I had to laugh when I read the picturesque description of it's location.
If only the Guadalupe River was actually picturesque *sigh* how nice would that be?
 
#25,087 ·
Google yesterday leased yet another 200k+ SF building under construction in Mountain View near 101.

While I like the company & admire its success, it is getting out of control. The amount of office space it is consuming in the Silicon Valley is insane.

We're turning into a company town almost. It might be good for developers, but it's not necessarily a good thing for our area. Both Google & Apple are already at 25,000 employees each in Silicon Valley. For reference, back in the day, Lockheed Missiles & Space was the big gun during the '80s. They had 25,000 employees at peak, but nobody else came close.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, is this kind of too much of a "good" thing. More workers from the same industry making the same high wages & requiring more homes and adding to traffic, doesn't seem to be helpful.

This success is killing us.
 
#25,088 ·
Google yesterday leased yet another 200k+ SF building under construction in Mountain View near 101.

While I like the company & admire its success, it is getting out of control. The amount of office space it is consuming in the Silicon Valley is insane.

We're turning into a company town almost. It might be good for developers, but it's not necessarily a good thing for our area. Both Google & Apple are already at 25,000 employees each in Silicon Valley. For reference, back in the day, Lockheed Missiles & Space was the big gun during the '80s. They had 25,000 employees at peak, but nobody else came close.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, is this kind of too much of a "good" thing. More workers from the same industry making the same high wages & requiring more homes and adding to traffic, doesn't seem to be helpful.

This success is killing us.
Just rename certain cities:

Mountain View: Googleville
Cupertino: Applelandia
Menlo Park: Facebookia
Los Gatos: Netflixopolis

Washington state already has:
Seattle: Amazonia
Redmond: Microserfdom
 
#25,089 ·
Google yesterday leased yet another 200k+ SF building under construction in Mountain View near 101.

While I like the company & admire its success, it is getting out of control. The amount of office space it is consuming in the Silicon Valley is insane.

We're turning into a company town almost. It might be good for developers, but it's not necessarily a good thing for our area. Both Google & Apple are already at 25,000 employees each in Silicon Valley. For reference, back in the day, Lockheed Missiles & Space was the big gun during the '80s. They had 25,000 employees at peak, but nobody else came close.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, is this kind of too much of a "good" thing. More workers from the same industry making the same high wages & requiring more homes and adding to traffic, doesn't seem to be helpful.

This success is killing us.
I mentioned the feeling of turning more and more into a two company town many years ago. It actually feels like SJ proper has gotten more newer tech companies, and a few older tech companies moving from PA, MV, Sunnyvale as those two have crowded up other parts of the valley. But yeah at least Google has way more than 25k employees in the Bay Area these days, and keep expanding.
 
#25,090 ·
Google yesterday leased yet another 200k+ SF building under construction in Mountain View near 101.

While I like the company & admire its success, it is getting out of control. The amount of office space it is consuming in the Silicon Valley is insane.

We're turning into a company town almost. It might be good for developers, but it's not necessarily a good thing for our area. Both Google & Apple are already at 25,000 employees each in Silicon Valley. For reference, back in the day, Lockheed Missiles & Space was the big gun during the '80s. They had 25,000 employees at peak, but nobody else came close.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, is this kind of too much of a "good" thing. More workers from the same industry making the same high wages & requiring more homes and adding to traffic, doesn't seem to be helpful.

This success is killing us.
I agree that it's... concerning that a a few employers can have so many eggs in one basket. Especially if you account for contractors.

But doesn't the county have, like 1m jobs? And I imagine the job count would be higher if CoL didn't mean we were bleeding jobs to other states. Like, if housing #s had kept up with demand, we'd have a population that was much higher than 1.9m, and I imagine we'd have a lot more job diversity.
 
#25,091 ·
I agree that it's... concerning that a a few employers can have so many eggs in one basket. Especially if you account for contractors.

But doesn't the county have, like 1m jobs? And I imagine the job count would be higher if CoL didn't mean we were bleeding jobs to other states. Like, if housing #s had kept up with demand, we'd have a population that was much higher than 1.9m, and I imagine we'd have a lot more job diversity.
That was the plan all along: back in the late 70's- relatively moderate growth with population peaking at exactly where it is now. San Jose, on the other hand, surpassed its population projection of 915,000 at its peak with population of 1,035,000 or 2010 Census population figure: 945,000(still higher than ever projected of its population peak). Jobs maximum projected: 900,000.
 
#25,092 ·
Google yesterday leased yet another 200k+ SF building under construction in Mountain View near 101.

While I like the company & admire its success, it is getting out of control. The amount of office space it is consuming in the Silicon Valley is insane.

We're turning into a company town almost. It might be good for developers, but it's not necessarily a good thing for our area. Both Google & Apple are already at 25,000 employees each in Silicon Valley. For reference, back in the day, Lockheed Missiles & Space was the big gun during the '80s. They had 25,000 employees at peak, but nobody else came close.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, is this kind of too much of a "good" thing. More workers from the same industry making the same high wages & requiring more homes and adding to traffic, doesn't seem to be helpful.

This success is killing us.
The biggest employers in the Bay Area are typically governments, utilities, school districts, medical centers, etc. Note that practically all of these are LOW PAY institutions. It is the f'ng tech companies that provide the tax dollars to make these work; they are the envy of everywhere on earth.

What you seem to be looking for is already there. It's called Bangladesh.
 
#25,093 ·
The biggest employers in the Bay Area are typically governments, utilities, school districts, medical centers, etc. Note that practically all of these are LOW PAY institutions. It is the f'ng tech companies that provide the tax dollars to make these work; they are the envy of everywhere on earth.

What you seem to be looking for is already there. It's called Bangladesh.
Please, Bangladesh?

I'm not anti-tech, or I wouldn't use the name Siliconvalleyjoe. But it doesn't take a high-tech genius to see that having Google continue to expand like crazy here is not exactly a good thing for people living here already. Just puts more pressure on an overfilled balloon.

Boston Properties just took over the Platform 16 office complex. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear that Google is leasing the whole complex. I would have been happy to hear that years ago, but now it's just becoming obnoxious.

I would rather have young San Jose based companies leasing the space than the monstrosity from Mountain View. All of our tax dollars are just going to go more & more to subsidizing these "LOW PAY" people like the teachers you refer to & dealing with the homeless.

And last I read, these companies are not exactly the "envy of everywhere on earth" anymore. Google, Facebook & the lot are now vilified almost daily in media throughout the world.

I guess it was just way more interesting in the old Silicon Valley days. Things are more mature now, but the Valley has become prohibitively expensive for the vast majority & traffic & homelessness has taken the shine off. Your average Joe has to have 3 side hustles just to make ends meet.
 
#25,094 ·
Have any of you been to the Capital Club (2nd to last floor of KQED Building)?

I wish they would open up the other balcony to members when events are not going on.
I used to be a member and would use both balconies all the time to enjoy the amazing views. I sometimes miss having access but it was getting a bit expensive.
 
#25,095 ·
Please, Bangladesh?

I'm not anti-tech, or I wouldn't use the name Siliconvalleyjoe. But it doesn't take a high-tech genius to see that having Google continue to expand like crazy here is not exactly a good thing for people living here already. Just puts more pressure on an overfilled balloon.

Boston Properties just took over the Platform 16 office complex. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear that Google is leasing the whole complex. I would have been happy to hear that years ago, but now it's just becoming obnoxious.

I would rather have young San Jose based companies leasing the space than the monstrosity from Mountain View. All of our tax dollars are just going to go more & more to subsidizing these "LOW PAY" people like the teachers you refer to & dealing with the homeless.

And last I read, these companies are not exactly the "envy of everywhere on earth" anymore. Google, Facebook & the lot are now vilified almost daily in media throughout the world.
So you don't want Google to move to San Jose? I'm not sure of how to digest your statement...

I mean, if there's anything to complain about regarding expansion of jobs, the complaints should be directed to the villages surrounding San Jose, and not San Jose itself.

In terms of jobs, we still got a long way to go to measure up proportionally to the villages around us. Even if we were able to fill up all the under-construction and planned office spaces (including Google's Downtown West) with workers, it will still not be enough for San Jose, proportionally.
 
#25,097 · (Edited)
There's an article on The Registry about phase 2 of Assembly @ North 1st (where Google was going to lease, but the deal fell through). Does anyone (aphelion?) have access? It's paywalled.

Link: https://news.theregistrysf.com/defi...ssembly-at-north-first-debuts-phase-ii-plans/

Render included with article:

http://www.assemblyatnorthfirst.com/p/1

Their website has info on Phase II and renders!

I personally hope they develope Scenario II for phase 2, as its 920k sqf compared to 550k sqf in scenario I.
 
#25,098 · (Edited)
Owners of San Jose’s historic Hotel De Anza sue the city

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/24/owners-of-san-joses-historic-hotel-de-anza-sue-the-city/

The owners of San Jose’s historic Hotel De Anza are joining forces with preservationists in an effort to thwart the construction of a newly approved, 19-story hotel that they say would cause the demise of one of the city’s most notable landmarks.

The suit alleges that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act — a law that requires both state and local agencies to consider the environmental consequences of decisions that involve changes to the environment — because it “failed and refused to study or mitigate potentially significant impacts to the integrity of the Hotel De Anza” when it conducted an environmental impact report for the new hotel project.

“Despite requests from PAC-SJ and others to adopt conditions and alternatives that protect the historic integrity of the De Anza while still allowing feasible new development, the city refused to concede that the project would have significant visual or historic resource impacts,” the lawsuit states.
Looks like this will delay the new hotel for awhile until some type of settlement is reached. It'll be interesting to see how accommodating the developers of the proposed Marriott Moxy hotel will be to any type of settlement in this case. It looks like the law firm they hired has had some success in this type of lawsuit:

Sonoma County-based Attorney Susan Brandt-Hawley, who is representing SJ PAC and the owners of the De Anza, declined to comment on the suit.

Brant-Hawley has also represented SJ PAC in previously successful lawsuits to protect the Jose Theater, the Montgomery Hotel, the Scheller House at San Jose State University and IBM Building 25.
 
#25,099 ·
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/24/owners-of-san-joses-historic-hotel-de-anza-sue-the-city/

Looks like this will delay the new hotel for awhile until some type of settlement is reached. It'll be interesting to see how accommodating the developers of the proposed Marriott Moxy hotel will be to any type of settlement in this case. It looks like the law firm they hired has had some success in this type of lawsuit:
The management of the De Anza is a joke. During the council meeting where the Moxy project was approved, Raul Peralez mentioned that the hotel manager didn't respond to emails regarding the project during the development and entitlement process and then when they finally did contact the city, they contacted and tried to set up a meeting with a council member from another district, not Peralez.

We'll see how this one turns out now that Lew Wolff is supposedly involved in the project. Coincidentally, he just did a brief interview with Bisnow and he dropped this nugget:

Bisnow: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Silicon Valley market?

Wolff: The cost of homes and apartments is very concerning. We have to do some creative thinking about how to encourage more homes and more density around the core area of San Jose.

One of the main issues is NIMBYism, and people who hold up development over nickel-and-dime issues, like historical significance. If a property really is historically significant, that’s fine, but if a claim of historical significance is just a way to slow down politicians and development, I have a problem with that. I don’t think many people are flying into San Jose just to go admire the historic buildings.

Source https://www.bisnow.com/silicon-vall...ows-silicon-valley-state-of-the-market-103064
 
#25,100 ·
> One of the main issues is NIMBYism, and people who hold up development over nickel-and-dime issues, like historical significance. If a property really is historically significant, that’s fine, but if a claim of historical significance is just a way to slow down politicians and development, I have a problem with that. I don’t think many people are flying into San Jose just to go admire the historic buildings.

Source https://www.bisnow.com/silicon-valle...-market-103064

I would argue that this being Silicon Valley, and it's storied place in the planet's economy, it's very much worth preserving things like:

  • The building the microchip was invented
    The building the hard-drive was invented
    The garage HP started
    The house Apple started
    Etc.

I know the above are already set aside (or going to be), but this is important to our collective history here. And I'm not saying we should be like New England where everywhere George Washington slept or visited can't be altered or torn down...just saying there are some key parts to our unique history that need to be preserved.

(Steps off soap box)
Now let's build on some of those surface parking lots downtown! :)
 
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