Showing posts with label willow glen development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label willow glen development. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2024

New rooftop beer garden and restaurant in Willow Glen

Copita, backed by celebrity-chef Joanne Weir, made a big splash in Willow Glen last year.  Not only were the food and cocktails on point, but it brought a really nice 2nd floor outdoor terrace to one side of Downtown Willow Glen. Another new restaurant called Luke's Rooftop Beer Garden and Restaurant will bring the same vibe to the other side of Willow Glen. 

Luke's is owned by the same proprietor as Water Tower Kitchen in Campbell and the former Blush Raw Bar at the San Pedro Square Market. The vision for Luke's is that it will be kid-friendly on the ground floor and be an ideal date-night spot for adults on the upper terrace.

The menu will be California cuisine with local ingredients. The rooftop beer garden will have 18-20 rotating beers on tap.

With San Jose's awesome weather, it's surprising that more restaurants have not opted to build rooftop terraces. The only other one I can think of that is coming is Eox & Nyx in Downtown San Jose. Willow Glen is especially well suited for this since you have a single beautiful street where all the restaurants and businesses are concentrated.

Luke's should be coming in a year or so. The address is 1093 Minnesota Ave (next to the Starbucks) and it will be a significant improvement to the area as you can see from the images below.

Sunday, July 7, 2024

New renders for impressive Willow Glen apartment midrise

A midrise proposal at 940 Willow Street has a new look. The 86-foot-tall project will be just a couple blocks away from San Jose's ritzy Downtown Willow Glen neighborhood. Excellent restaurants like The Table, Copia, and Bill's are a five minute walk away.

The building will total 183,750 SQFT, half of which is for housing, 15,600 SQFT is amenity space, a whopping 56,200 SQFT will be for parking, and 1,800 SQFT is allocated for retail. There will be a total of 126 apartment units (26 designated as affordable) and 135 parking spaces. The product mix will be: 52 studios, 50 one-bedrooms, 20 two-bedrooms, and four townhome-style units with three bedrooms at street level.

The design is beautiful, especially for a midrise building. I like the pool area and podium cutouts. I've included a few bonus renders on other projects this design studio is working on at the bottom which are also in San Jose.

A single-story commercial building will need to be torn down (image below) and I think you'll agree the tradeoff is worth it. There is no current ETA, but the sooner the better.

Source: SF YIMBY, siliconvalleyjoe from Skyscraper City




What this area looks like now in Willow Glen:


Bonus render for another proposal at 4th & Julian in Downtown San Jose:


Bonus render for another proposal at Alvin Ave. in East San Jose:

Friday, June 7, 2024

100 affordable homes proposed for Willow Glen

A project split across 520 and 544 West Alma in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood could bring over 100 affordable homes to San Jose. 

91 of these homes would be near the Highway 87 and Alma Avenue interchange. The first floor of the five-story building would be amenity space and parking while the apartments would span the upper four floors.

At 544 West Alma, there is an abandoned restaurant and large surface parking lot. Here developers would like to build 99 affordable apartments near the banks of the Guadalupe River. Part of the project would even include restoring areas adjacent to the Guadalupe River so that it can be integrated into the project.

Source: The Mercury News



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Willow Glen Town Square Grand Opening!

This Saturday is the official grand opening celebration of the Willow Glen Town Square. I really like what they did with this project. It's a three story building with medical and professional offices on the top two floors, retail on the ground floor, a community common area with a fountain (the "square") and two story parking in the back. Lou's Village, Crepevine, and Willow Glen Creamery are some of the eateries on the ground floor.


Some highlights of this event include:

  • Live music and entertainment
  • Face painters and balloon artists
  • Samples from local restaurants 
  • Raffles
  • Platter painting contest
  • Interactive characters
  • Giveaways
  • 2nd Harvest Food Drive 

The Petroglyph Cermaic Lounge platter painting contest will encourage local residents of all ages to paint their interpretation of Willow Glen Town Square. The entry fee is $10 and the winners will receive a $300 Apple Gift Card.

Sounds like a stellar event and a great opportunity to check out the new iconic project in Willow Glen.



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Nothing Bundt Cakes Comes to Willow Glen!




Fresh from the Oven,
Nothing Bundt Cakes Debuts in San Jose
Local bakery brings unique dessert concept to Willow Glen area

San Jose, Calif., Aug. 22, 2011– One-of-a-kind Nothing Bundt Cakes − purveyors of nostalgic yet refreshingly modern Bundt cakes − is spreading its wholesome goodness to San Jose and the Willow Glen community. The newest bakery is located in Dry Creek Center at 1702 Meridian Ave. and will host several grand opening activities beginning August 24 and continuing for several days.
Nothing Bundt Cakes reintroduces an old family favorite – the Bundt cake - with a fresh, clean look that appeals to all ages. Each cake features custom concept cake decorations that are smart, contemporary and fun, customized to enhance any occasion. Nothing Bundt Cakes offers customers a wide range of cake selections, from Bundtlets – single serving cakes – to the larger Bundts that serve up to 18 people and tiered cakes, which serve up to 26 people.
Grand opening celebrations include:
·         Wednesday, Aug. 24
o   11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Ribbon cutting with the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce with Nothing Bundt Cakes local bakery owners, Angela and Rod Simas
·         Thursday, Aug. 25
o   4 to 7 p.m. – Wine tasting with Mommy Juice Wines. Delicious Bundt cake samples will be available for guests to pair with their wine, as well as an assortment of fine cheese and artisan crackers
·         Friday, Aug. 26
o   10 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Child Advocates of Silicon Valley Day, 20 percent of all proceeds benefit the organization
·         Saturday, Aug. 27
o   10 a.m. – First 50 customers to make a purchase receive free cake for a year

“We are excited to further enrich San Jose, Willow Glen and surrounding communities around our bakery by bringing Nothing Bundt Cakes to the neighborhood,” said Angela Simas, Nothing Bundt Cakes local bakery owner.  “Partnering with meaningful organizations here, including Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, furthers our commitment and dedication to the city in which we live and work.”
--more—
Fresh from the Oven, Nothing Bundt Cakes Debuts in San Jose
-- add one --
Made fresh daily using only the finest ingredients available, Nothing Bundt Cakes combines great taste and creative merchandising to appeal not only to taste buds but to all five senses. Customers are greeted by the smell of freshly baked cakes the minute they cross the store threshold. A soothing yet warm color palette meets the eye with whimsical furniture and hand-painted signage reminiscent of yesteryear but with a clean, fresh approach. The Nothing Bundt Cakes staff instantly makes customers feel right at home with a friendly welcome.
“We’ve learned that Bundt cakes hold a special place in the heart of consumers across the nation, as many folks can remember a loved one baking a special Bundt cake just for them,” said Dena Tripp, co-founder of Nothing Bundt Cakes. “Our franchisees are not only an integral part our growth strategy, but they are also an integral part of connecting to the community through the love of the handmade Bundt cake. We look forward to a successful partnership and becoming part of this city.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is one of the nation’s few bakery/retail locations committed to the baking of Bundt cakes. The bakery specializes in offering celebration solutions for moments that matter and always enhancing their customers’ celebrations. Currently, there are 40 signed franchise agreements, with 31 bakeries already open across nine states. Founded in 1997, Nothing Bundt Cakes is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, please visit www.nothingbundtcakes.com.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Downtown Willow Glen project is a GO

Today the San Jose City Council unanimously approved a mixed-use project at Lincoln Ave and Willow Street. You guys know I love bullets, so here are the specifics:
  • 41,000sqft 3-story building
    • 18,000sqft retail (restaurants and boutique shops)
    • 23,000sqft office space
  • Plaza with a fountain and plenty of seating
  • 108 parking spaces on the 2nd floor
  • Willow Street Pizza will expand its bar and outdoor dining patio into this project
  • Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt will be relocated into the new retail space (one of my favorite yogurt shops)
  • Construction begins in June, Completion in Feb 2012
  • $10m budget
For more information, have a gander at this San Jose Business Journal article.

Also, here is a little before and after: