28-story high-rise proposed next to San Jose's City Hall - Part 2

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about a new high-rise next to City Hall, we now have renders thanks to Justin Daniels.

I have to admit that the renders of the 28-story tower (actually two towers) look much better than I expected. Since this was a preliminary proposal, I heard that the developer may not be serious about building the project but was likely more interested in getting the entitlements and selling them off to another developer. If that was the case, I'm not sure they would have put this much thought and effort into the design.

I love the tapered look, especially towards the top. It also now appears that the retail would be both on the ground floor and the very top of the two towers. The penthouse floors might be amenity space for residents, but those sure look like a lot of tables. It would be amazing to have a public restaurant on top of a San Jose high-rise. We have the Capital Club, but it's not very accessible and Scott's Seafood moved from their mid-rise location years ago.

Let's cross our fingers that this moves forward!

28-story high-rise proposed next to San Jose's City Hall

A new high-rise is being proposed at the site of a Lee's Sandwiches and New Tung Kee Noodle House across the street from City Hall. The 28-story tower would have 529 residential units, 21,000 SQFT of retail or restaurant space, and 12,100 SQFT of office space.

There is a rumor that a drawing was made for the project, if anyone has it please send it in and I'll update this post. The project could also spur more development across the entire block, which also include a Grocery Outlet.

This is an up-and-coming part of Downtown San Jose. You now have the two MIRO residential towers across the street, a new project planned for where 4th Street Pizza used to be, and one of the best Downtown restaurants (Rollati). SJSU is just a few blocks away, as is a future BART station. Hopefully this new tower comes to fruition and further enhances the neighborhood.

Source: The Mercury News

Eye-catching residential towers could rise near Valley Fair and Santana Row

If there ever was an area ripe for high-rise development outside of Downtown it would be right around our shopping mecca of Valley Fair and Santana Row. While it has limited transit, the area is flush with shopping, dining, and jobs.

A two-tower project has been proposed to replace a dilapidated building at 826 North Winchester Blvd. The project would consist of 135 residential units (70 one-bedroom and 65 two-bedroom units), 20 of which would be affordable. There would also be 13,000 SQFT of open space, 6,000 SQFT of terrace space, and 7,500 SQFT of amenity space.

The top floors would have amazing views in all directions, including views of neighboring Downtown San Jose. Another impressive feature is a sky bridge connecting the two towers and likely featuring outdoor and amenity space with views.

If this comes to fruition, it'll be the new standard for development going forward in "uptown" San Jose.

Source: The Mercury News

Updated SJSU Master Plan

SJSU has recently updated their development master plan and it looks quite impressive. The entire side of the campus closest to City Hall would feature a row of high-rises. The path leading to the Event Center would also be greatly improved and in general the campus would be modernized. Feast your eyes on the designs below.

Source: Silicon Valley Joe from Skyscraper City

Updates on Westbanks' Terraine

There are several new updates for a residential project called Terraine as well as a very unique parking structure. The 17-story tower will have 345 units and a verdant nine-story parking garage with 621 parking spaces in Phase 1.  In Phase 2, presumably we'll be in a world that needs cars less and the parking garage will be converted to 232,000 SQFT of offices above a ground-floor podium that has 11,777 SQFT of retail. 

The garage is a brilliant idea to satisfy the parking needs of today while also looking towards a future a decade or two away where most people will use robotaxis to get around.

The residential tower has its amenity deck on the 2nd floor with a pool, gym, and landscaped amphitheater. There are tons of new renders below. If built, this will be the nicest looking parking structure in San Jose.

Source: Scenic_SJC at Skyscraper City

VTA abandons eminent domain plans that would have derailed a high-rise project

Given the likelihood of more delays and cost overruns, VTA wisely dropped plans to drop eminent domain proceedings for a prime site near the Downtown San Jose BART station. The land they were trying to forcefully acquire is between 17 and 31 East Santa Clara Street.

Proposed for this site is the Eterna Tower, a 26-story residential high-rise with 200 residences in a very central part of Downtown San Jose. Unfortunately this project is still at risk as the capital market landscape greatly changed since the tower was first proposed and delayed by the VTA's actions.

At this point, there is so much risk in the BART project that large parcels of prime land should not be held hostage for something that is at best 14 years away. There are plenty of options for subway entrances and exits throughout Santa Clara Street.

Source: The Mercury News

Latest photo of The Fay

Quick post today, it has been a crazy week. Below is a recent photo of The Fay luxury apartment project, which looks pretty nice right next to The Sparq in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District. The Fay has reached its max height and is clearly visible off of 280.

Source: aphelion2100 from the San Jose Development Forum

Flashy housing tower expected to break ground within a few months in Downtown San Jose

Orchard Residential is planning to break ground on 540 high-rise residential homes within months at 409 South Second Street. This is the site of the former Bo Town restaurant in the SoFA District.

The design for the tower is stunning, featuring hundreds of staggered balconies and built-in planters to make the building look like a vertical forest. If the final product ends up looking anything like the renders below, it will be one of the most unique projects in Silicon Valley.

The location is also excellent as it is right in the middle of San Jose's arts district. Residents would be able to easily walk to restaurants, bars, galleries, and theaters. 

Source: The Mercury News, aphelion2100 from Skyscraper City

Updated photos of the tallest buildings in Santa Clara

Santa Clara is growing up. The Tasman East area at the border with North San Jose and Alviso is going to have several new mixed-use residential towers go live well before Super Bowl 60. Gillynova from Skyscraper City has a ton of new photos of the development in the area.

These are the first residential high-rises in Santa Clara (besides a SCU dorm) and feature surprising amenities like rooftop pools. The towers are 238 and 219 feet tall. There is also a new midrise housing building which you can see below.

There are plans for even more towers in the future courtesy of Related Co, who also wants to build hotels, offices, and an entertainment complex right in front of Levi's Stadium.

Source: gillynova from Skyscraper City

11-story building coming to San Jose's "Downtown West"

Not every tower has to hit maximum height. This proposal at Delmas and San Fernando would occupy a small amount of space where a convenience store and taqueria currently operate out of a 2,305 SQFT single-story building. 

The proposal would have 80 residential units in an 11-story building and 1,355 SQFT of ground floor retail which the businesses at the current location would occupy after construction is complete. I'm not sure if this is tall enough to technically call a high-rise, but it does have a striking and unique design by Downtown San Jose standards.

At least 20% of the units would be affordable housing. The building would be an easy walk to Diridon and has a VTA Light Rail station across the street. It's also minutes away from the Adobe World Headquarters and proposed San Jose Google campus.

Source: SVBJ

The Fay (formerly Garden Gate) residential high-rise tops out next month in #DTSJ

The only high-rise tower actively under construction right now in Downtown San Jose is The Fay by Morro. Come January it will be at it's full height with 23 floors that will eventually house 336-units of apartments. 

Excavation started in 2022, the crane appeared about a year ago and it will be open to tenants January 2025. It's extremely visible off of 280 and already has an impact to the Downtown San Jose skyline.

As for the building itself, the one and two-bedroom apartments will be European-style, so a bit smaller but with elevated amenities and finishes. The building will have a 24/7 concierge, co-working spaces, and community lounges. Best of all, it will have the amenity I have been clamoring for... a rooftop pool and amenity deck complete with cabanas, the gym, a sky garden, and BBQ grills. San Jose weather and Downtown San Jose's central location with views of the valley make it an ideal place for a heated rooftop pool and this will be the first high-rise building in San Jose to have this feature. In fact, it will be one of only three in the whole Bay Area I'm aware of when it's ready in 2025, the other two being built right now in Santa Clara.

The ground floor contains 5,000 SQFT of retail at 600 S. First St. and the building itself will mark the start of the SoFA neighborhood. This will be a great addition Downtown!

Source: Downtown Dimension

Luxurious 21-story residential high-rise proposed for Tasman with a surprise amenity on top

Tasman East by Levi's Stadium has been on a roll lately. Santa Clara's two tallest buildings are almost complete and already another high-rise is being proposed for the area right across the street from them.

Tasman East, Parcel 11 is a 21-story apartment complex that would have 198 homes, 310 automotive parking spaces, 110 spots for bike parking, and easy access to VTA Light Rail and the numerous amenities coming to the Levi's Stadium area this decade. The building is 218 feet tall with 3,000 SQFT of retail on the ground floor

There will be two amenity areas. On the 6th floor podium there will be an outdoor fitness space, yoga patio, and private patios. The second one will have something special. 

I was really hoping that San Jose would have the first swimming pool on top of a high-rise in the Bay Area (I'm looking at you Tribute Hotel next to the Four Points Downtown). However, if this moves forward it will not even be the first, but the second--in Santa Clara. The proposal has an epic penthouse amenity deck with a full pool, hot tub/spa, cabanas, and outdoor dining. Given our amazing South Bay weather and high cost of living, this is one luxury we should see a lot more of in proposed residential projects to help justify those big bucks. If you're wondering where the first high-rise pool is, it will be at the Tasman Senior Housing tower across the street.

As for the apartments themselves, there will be 28 studios, 87 one-bedrooms, 61 two-bedrooms, 15 three-bedrooms, and seven penthouse units. The average size of the units will be close to 1,000 SQFT.

Long-term, there could be up to 11 projects like this one with around 4,500 apartments total. This is just the beginning and the skyline is already surprisingly different around Tasman than it was just a few years ago.

Source: SF YIMBY

Urban Catalyst moving forward with two high-rise residential towers near San Jose City Hall, updates plans and renders

One of Downtown San Jose's most ambitious developers and proponents has acquired the final puzzle piece needed to built its two towers named Echo and Icon. They purchased a parking lot on North Fourth Street across from Miro that completes the space necessary for their project. 

Echo is a 27-story residential tower with 415 homes. Icon was supposed to be a 22-story office building, but given the state of the market they are planning to convert it to a 26-story residential tower with 650 units instead.

Below are the updated renders envisioning Icon as a residential tower as opposed to office. Icon is the tower on the left bordering Santa Clara Street. It would replace a space previously used as a gas station along Downtown San Jose's main street.

There is no estimated timeline, but I hope Echo and Icon come sooner rather than later. Injecting over 1,000 homes into the central part of Downtown San Jose with easy access to transit (including a future BART station) would help accelerate its transition to a thriving 24x7 urban center. 

Source: SVBJ, SF YIMBY

Previous Renders: