Tuesday, April 22, 2014

April 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:
  • SPUR has generated six big ideas to help steer Downtown San Jose towards becoming a more vital and dynamic urban place:
    • Welcome all kinds of uses Downtown, but hold out for jobs near regional transit (includes establishing minimum densities within a half mile of BART stations and eliminating minimum parking requirements for new developments).
    • Make sure what gets built adheres to key urban design principals
    • Promote a larger "Central San Jose" area with Downtown as its core
    • Make it easier to get to and through Downtown without a car
    • Retrofit Downtown to be more pedestrian-oriented
    • Build on Downtown's strengths as the cultural and creative center of the South Bay
  • KT Properties hopes to break ground this year for the largest residential high-rise project Downtown--Silvery Towers--involving two high-rises across from San Pedro Square Market and featuring 643 units.
  • TONS of new Restaurants:
    • Taurinus Brazilian Steakhouse is now open at 167 W. San Fernando.
    • First to Market is open at 399 S. First.
    • Seven Seas Sushi Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar is open at 130 E. Santa Clara St. (formerly Ninja Star).
    • Da Kine Island Grill is now open at 23 N. Market St. (Hula dancing and reggae bands on Saturday, old-fashioned luaus on Sundays).
    • Nick the Greek is open at 143 W. Santa Clara St.
    • Cafe Eden is serving Mediterranean food at 2 N. First St.
    • La Victoria is opening their 5th location this summer at the former Tico's Tacos site at 291 N. Fourth and Julian. This will be their 3rd Downtown location.
    • ISO: Beers is now offering a huge selection of craft beers at 75 E. Santa Clara.
    • Paper Plane at 72 S. First St. offers a craft cocktail bare experience and shareable food (same owners as Original Gravity)
  • Fireworks are Back this Fourth of July!!! The rotary club is is celebrating its 100th anniversary and has agreed to donate $20,000 to bringing back the fireworks show. The last fireworks show we had Downtown was in 2009 (and these would attract as many as 100,000 people).
  • Light Rail is now 25 years old.
  • SoFA projects are well underway which will include:
    • Illuminating SoFA way-finders to connect the district with the Convention Center
    • Construction of a permanent shade structure for the new plaza at Gore Park
    • A series of "pop-up tiendas" to support creative artists selling their work during events in SoFA.
To read the full newsletter, click here!



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