Last week, Google gave a sneak peek of what we can expect with their new downtown San Jose transit village. Their vision includes 6.5 million SF of office, 5,000 housing units, 15 Acres of green spaces, and 500,000 SF of retail, cultural arts, a hotel, and education.
After hearing the needs of the community, Google plans to create housing units in the Southwest corner closest to the SAP center. On the Northwest end they plan on a hotel, and to the north they want to create a space to capture creativity by our local artists while playing off the existing industrial character. Google plans on working closely with BART, Caltrain, and VTA to transform the existing multi-modal station to a modern expansive transportation hub.
Their vision includes a space with no hard edges, to encourage San Jose community members to integrate and enjoy the new transformed neighborhood. They plan to assimilate smoothly by taking into consideration existing homes and retail when deciding building heights. Google recognizes our unique community and values building a space that retains that quintessential San Jose feel. Their plans will not only activate the area, they will also bring economic growth. Mark Ritchie, President of Ritchie Commercial real estate firm explains, “We all need to keep in perspective the amount of economic benefit their presence will be in the relatively unused portion of downtown San Jose.”
We see this campus as an extension of the downtown urban area that will not only benefit San Jose economically it will create that sense of place that the community so desires. We are excited to have projects within walking distance to play off this unique opportunity that has come to downtown San Jose. “Google’s San Jose plan demonstrates their commitment to helping create a future city where open spaces, diversity, mixed uses, and transportation all work together,” said Scott Knies executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association.
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