Saturday Stats: Homes Selling Fastest in San Jose

Home listings in San Jose have been on fire lately. 49% of October listings were in contract within two weeks (essentially the homes are sold barring any unforeseen circumstances). This compares to 41% in San Francisco. The average for all the metros that Redfin tracks is 28%.

Source: SocketSite

TiVo Santa Run Tomorrow

The Santa Run is a family-friendly 5K run/walk in Downtown San Jose. Participants are encouraged to dress up and there will be discounts for costumed individuals at the Downtown Ice skating rink.The festivities begin tomorrow at 1pm near Christmas in the Park. The race itself starts at 3pm. For more information, check out the Santa Run website over here.

Content Magazine Turns 2 - Throwing Epic Party for Subscribers

The highest quality publication of all time documenting San Jose culture is turning two years old, and they are celebrating in a big way. We are talking Gordon Biersch beer served from an igloo, snow, a holiday potluck, and live music. Each subscriber and their +1 gets two free drink. How many magazines do you know that do stuff like this for their readers?

The party takes place next Tuesday at Method 42 (800 W. San Carlos, Building B). It's not too late to get in on the fun. You can learn more about Content or become a print subscriber right over here!

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It's PICK UP PARTY Time!   In the most epic Pick Up Party yet, we'll be celebrating our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY in total funky style at Method 42's prop fabrication warehouse. Music from a life sized doll house, cold, Gordon Biersch beer served from an igloo and SNOW! Print Subscribers, Contributors and Featured Personalities (and their +1) are invited to enjoy two free drinks, and a night of connecting and picking up the latest issue of Content Magazine.  But wait! There's more!  Since this issue is focused on "FEAST" we felt there's no better way to celebrate than having one ourselves. And, since Content believes strength is found in community, we're doing it potluck style.  Here's how it's going to work: Bring a dish that represents your holiday season. Bring enough to serve 10. (Main dish, side, dessert)  Sign up to bring that dish on our online form. And, if you'd like to also be included in our special "Content Magazine Family Cookbook"--submit your recipe as well. We'll assemble all the recipes and make a digital version available in January.   Stop on by. Meet new people. Learn new reasons to love your city.  RSVP (Facebook) //RSVP(email) Subscribers. Featured. Contributors. Method42 800 W. San Carlos Street, Building B San Jose, CA 95126

Ed Shikada is our New City Manager

Most major/large American cities use a strong-mayor system where the elected mayor is given administrative authority and can appoint/dismiss department heads with little or no red tape. San Jose actually uses a "weak-major" system that is more commonly used in small towns where the mayor has no formal authority outside of the city council. That means that we have a city manager that works very closely with the city council and you can think of as being the CEO of the city. This role is responsible for managing day-to-day operations across 15 departments and our $2.9 billion annual operating and capital budgets.

Debra Figone was our previous city manager since 2007 and is now retiring. Ed Shikada is going to be her replacement. Ed is the current Assistant City Manager and has been working for San Jose since 2003. He's also a Willow Glen Resident and has been active in the Japanese community. Ed has been here through some tough times and stuck it out, so hopefully he will be a key contributor to San Jose's future success. He is going to take the reigns on December 21st.

Sources: The Merc, SVBJ, Wiki

Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates! (Q4 2013 Edition)

I have done the latest round of updates to the Downtown San Jose Restaurants database (it has been a while, sorry about that). We are up to a grand total of 249 eateries! This is yet another record-breaking number for Downtown San Jose! To put it in perspective we were at 206 eateries just two years ago and we were at 234 last December.

We did have some closures such as Pop's & Sons at the San Pedro Square Market and Rokko Japanese near Cesar Chavez Park, but the new restaurants opening up more than counterbalance what little bad news there was this past quarter. It's a good time to be a foodie Downtown! Here are some of the newcomers:

• Bel Bacio Imported Italian Coffee - Little Italy finally gets a second Eatery to compliment Paesano's, one of the best Italian restaurants Downtown. Bel Bacio's specialty is high-quality imported coffee from one of the most famous coffee regions in the world.
• Ike's Place - The most famous sandwich chain in the Bay Area has finally come to Downtown San Jose (located at 60 E. Santa Clara)! Their sandwiches are amazing and they have a large selection of vegetarian options that even meat-lovers will appreciate. 
• Thirst Tea - Great boba milk tea shop in the heart of Downtown across from Camera 12 (in the former Sandella's spot). They also have a great honey-toast dessert that will easily feed 4 people.
• SP2 - Trendy new restaurant next to the San Pedro Square Market with locally sourced ingredients and a mixology-style bar menu.
• BJ's Brewhouse - Now open at the San Jose Market Center.  
• Other Places Coming Soon
• ISO: Beers
• C.R.E.A.M.
• Da Kine Island Grill
• San Jose Pizza Co.
• Nomikai
• Take One Pizza
• SoFA Market

Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:

• 7/25/2013 Added SP2, which replaced Sabor
• 7/27/2013 Added Amor Cafe & Tea, which replaces Cafe Bon Terre
• 7/28/2013 Noted that Sante Grill closed
• 7/28/2013 Noted that The Mmoon closed
• 7/29/2013 San Jose Pizza Co. is coming to the former Sante Grill Space
• 9/15/2013 Take One Pizza will be opening in space formerly occupied by The Mmoon
• 9/15/2013 Pops & Sons closed at the San Pedro Square Market
• 9/15/2013 Added Da Kine Island Grill on Market (formerly Thepthai)
• 12/1/2013 Koji Sake Lounge replaced with Nomikai
• 12/1/2013 Added Bel Bacio Imported Italian Coffee in Little Italy
• 12/1/2013 Added Thirst Tea on First Street

If you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's the link to the spreadsheet! There is also a permanent link over to the right entitled Downtown San Jose Restaurants.

VTA's Holly Trolley

The free Holly Trolly is back! You can ride a historic Trolley throughout Downtown San Jose between Diridon and Civic Center. The trains run from 2:30 PM to 10 PM on weekends and 6 PM to 10 PM on Fridays. The trolly will be operational until December 29th (I really wish this was a year-round sort of thing, it's a great idea)!

New Alchemy Museum Coming to San Jose in 2015!

One of my Wednesday Wishlists ages ago was to see more museums in San Jose. They contribute to tourism, the economy, and provide new educational opportunities for local residents. In 2013 not one, but two major museums were announced. The first was the Italian Heritage Museum in the burgeoning Little Italy neighborhood Downtown. The second is going to be the largest Alchemy Museum in the world!

The RoseCroix University building next to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum will be converted to a full-blown Alchemy Museum in 2015. Since alchemy is thought to have originated in ancient Egypt, this seems like an ideal location.

The museum will have seven different rooms with exhibits, one for each of the seven phases of alchemical transformation:

• Calcination
• Dissolution
• Separation
• Conjunction
• Fermentation [Josh: my favorite]
• Distillation
• Coagulation

To top it off, there will be interactive exhibits, lectures, a working alchemy lab, and an auditorium for events. Apparently this will be the only facility of its kind in the US.

You will be able to get a sneak preview of this new project at the Egyptian Museum next summer. The Rosicrucians are planning a special alchemy exhibit to promote the new museum, which is again due out in 2015.

Source: MetroActive

The Ohlone Project in Midtown is Put on Hold

Developer Green Republic--which is a combination of Barry Swenson Builder and Republic Urban Properties--has withdrawn plans for a 3-tower high-rise project in the Midtown area of San Jose (between Downtown and Santana Row). The point of contention seems to be the density and height of the project and a new park the developer would be required to build to service the neighborhood.

It doesn't seem that Green Republic could get this project financed as a hi-rise project, and instead would like to lower the density of the first phase and make it a mid-rise. The city reluctantly agreed and also conceded on retail and financing requirements, but would not budge on the requirement to build a four-acre park. That seems to be what is blocking the scaled down version of this project from moving forward.

This is still some hope. The developer and city both seem to want this project to happen, and this is more of a negotiation on terms than anything else.

Source: SVBJ

The San Jose Blog Hits 1 Million Page Views!

Over the weekend The San Jose Blog hit a major milestone. The homepage has now officially been viewed over 1,000,000 times! It took four and a half years to get to this point, but it looks like the next million views will happen by the end of 2014. I really want to thank of all of our readers. Without you guys this blog would have died long ago, along with the majority of San Jose blogs with similar goals that have come and gone over the years. I would also like to thank the other contributors to the blog: Jen, Jarrod, and Andy for their continued support.

Just like any other major milestone in life, it is a good time to look ahead at the future. One of my key hopes for this blog was always to have it contribute more to the community, especially Downtown San Jose. So I would like to work towards an annual event for readers and supporters, hosted at a new, hip Downtown eatery with free beer and snacks. I love how Content Magazine throws parties for their supporters, and would like to do the same thing. A longer term goal is contributing to major projects (Halloween in the Park and local art projects comes to mind).

In order to fund these plans, I'm planning to put up a single, unobtrusive ad block over on the right hand panel by the end of the year. It will not affect the posts in any way, either visually or from a content perspective. If you guys hate it, just let me know (josh@thesanjoseblog.com). If it doesn't work or annoys people, I have no problem rolling back the change.

Thank you again for all of the support, and here's to the future!

San Jose History Program #1 Video - San Jose Once Erected the World's Largest Mailbox?

Here is a neat, one-minute history lesson on San Jose from our friends at WMS:


San Jose History Pgm #01 from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Quick Samsung Campus Pic

Downtown isn't the only place in San Jose where multiple cranes are going up. Below is a pic that Jaime Pelayo sent in last week of the Samsung Headquarters in North San Jose. It looks like the flagship campus is now growing above ground. Looking forward to seeing this project at full height!

Saturday Stats: Santa Clara County Leading Bay Area Commercial Boom

There are a lot of cranes in the air and buzz about the office market in San Francisco, but the reality is that Santa Clara County is leading the Bay Area in commercial real estate construction with $2.1 billion worth of activity. While this beats San Francisco by 10%, keep in mind it is much cheaper to build offices in the South Bay than up North, so the variance by square footage is likely much greater. Also the $1.3 billion 49ers stadium is not factored into this figure. We'll also see how things go in 2014 and 2015 when developers start hitting the hard cap the city of San Francisco has set on new office construction.

In total, the entire Bay Area will top the $6 billion new commercial construction record set way back in the year 2000. It seems things are recovering nicely in our local economy.

2013 Commercial Construction Activity

Santa Clara County: $2.1 billion
San Francisco County: $1.9 billion
San Mateo County: $765 million
Alameda + Contra Costa Counties: $681 million

Source: SocketSite

Samsung's New US Headquarters in San Jose

Jimmy Fallon @ Henry's Hi-Life BBQ

A couple days ago we had a celebrity visitor at Henry's Hi-Life. Checkout Jimmy's Facebook page for to read people's comments. Thanks Gary for sending this in.

Illuminating Downtown San Jose

Several people have been asking what happened to the Illuminating Downtown San Jose project, which was supposed to bring four high-visibility projects to the area. One of these involves putting LED lighting and artwork underneath well trafficked overpasses that bisect Downtown (where Highway 87 crosses Santa Clara Street and San Fernando Street). Based on the December edition of SJ Economy News by the San Jose Office of Economic Development, it appears the initiative is alive and kicking!

In fact, more information has been revealed on future projects. The 2rd project will revamp the interactive light exhibit at The 88 with new light programs. The 3rd involves enhancing lighting at Axis to create a Downtown "beacon." Lastly, the 4th project is a public wayfinding program that will create an illuminated navigation system for pedestrians using embedded sensor networks (what?? color me curious on this one). Looking forward to see how these turn out, and if you haven't check out the new techie art sculpture outside the remodeled San Jose Convention Center, but sure to have a look next time you are in the area.

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/ ILLUMINATING DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE

#sjplace

Through a $600,000 grant and numerous partnerships, San Jose Public Art Program has launched the Illuminating Downtown Project (IDP). IDP is a series of interactive lighting projects designed to enliven the downtown cityscape. Four projects are underway with the first illuminating the underside of Highway 87 at West Santa Clara and West San Fernando Streets.  The second project invites the community to contribute new light programs for a visual "jukebox" of Show Your Stripes, which is an interactive podium of light at The 88 at South 2^nd.and East San Fernando. A third project is at the Axis on Santa Clara at Almaden where an enhanced lighting project will be placed on the  building to create a beacon to the downtown. The final project is a public wayfinding program that serves as an illuminated pedestrian-oriented navigation system incorporating data-mining, mobile computing, connectivity, lighting, and interaction using embedded and sensor networks. To learn more about the City's IDP projects, click here.  

565,000 SQFT Santana Row Expansion

Sometime next year Federal Realty is hoping to break ground on a massive 535,000 SQFT office space expansion that will bring over 1,000 jobs to the area. This will include two huge office buildings--one seven stories and the other eight stories--and a building beside the CineArts movie theater that would include 30,000 SQFT of retail space and an open public courtyard.  If you are tired of fighting for parking at Santana Row, the additional 2,500 parking spots including in this project will be a big help.

If all goes according to plan, Federal Realty could have approval by the middle of 2014 and break ground right away, even if they do not have a confirmed tenant for the office space. The current office space at the Row is 100% leased and if the build this new space speculatively it will likely not stay empty for very long.

Source: SVBJ

Classic Loot Launches the First Mobile Fashion Accessory Boutique in the South Bay

First food trucks took the South Bay by storm, now it looks like retail is going mobile with both pop-up shops and boutiques on wheels. Classic Loot is a San Jose-based business that premiered about a year ago at a San Jose Made Event. Now they have their own truck and it looks pretty slick. To hunt down the mobile store, either follow them on twitter or check out their website over here.

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SAN JOSE, CA, – Classic Loot has gone mobile, announcing their 15 foot storefront on wheels. It's the first vintage fashion boutique truck to ever hit the streets of the South Bay area.

Classic Loot started back in December 2012 at their first San Jose Made event, vending on table set-ups and has been selling all around the bay area, Treasure Island Flea, Oakland First Friday and more.

"Do you have a store?" One of the frequent questions owner, Tam Tran is asked every time she is out vending. With influences from Los Angeles, New York, and close to home San Francisco, Classic Loot has joined the growing army of mobile retail nationwide.

ABOUT CLASSIC LOOT

Classic Loot is a San Jose based vintage, handmade jewelry and accessories online and mobile boutique business.  We go from all around the bay area and hunt, repurpose and curate the best collection of one-of-a-kind pieces. 

San Jose Launching It's Second Green Bikeway Tomorrow!

Tomorrow San Jose is officially launching a new green, buffered bikeway on San Fernando that will stretch from San Jose State all the way to Diridon! Tomorrow at 8am the public is invited to the official launch of the bikeway at Diridon (and people are encouraged to wear green). After a brief ceremony, there will be a 1.2 mile community bike ride ride to City Hall.

The San Fernando bikeway will connect the buffered bike lanes on 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th streets as well as the Guadalupe River trail. I can see the Bay Area Bike Sharing programming getting a lot more use now.

The first green bike lane project was along Hedding Street. Expect many more of these projects in the future as San Jose pushes towards the goal of having 500 miles of bicycle lanes in its network.

For more information on the bikeway and tomorrow's ceremony, have a look at the release below.

Click to Enlarge

San José to launch its second green, buffered bikeway this week

Ribbon cutting for San Fernando Corridor's enhanced bikeway followed by “Show Us Your Green” community bike ride

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The City of San José has transformed a car-oriented San Fernando Street with only basic sidewalks and bike lanes into a vibrant, people-oriented street with buffered green bike lanes, improved pedestrian walkways, crossings, streetlights and street trees. This San Fernando Streetscape Improvement project will serve as the primary pedestrian, bicycle and transit connector between the city’s regional transit center, San José Diridon Station, and major downtown destinations including office and residential towers, retail, and San José State University.

This Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 at 8:00 a.m., the public is invited to dress in green and join representatives from the City of San José and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group for the official launch of the city's second green bikeway. The event will take place at San José Diridon Station near the intersection of San Fernando and Cahill Streets. Immediately after the brief ribbon cutting, a 1.2 mile “Show Us Your Green” community bike ride will get underway on the San Fernando green bikeway. The ride will end at San José City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara St., at approximately 8.45 a.m.

“I am pleased that we have been able to stretch our limited transportation funds to provide the community safer and more livable streets,” said Hans Larsen, San José’s Director of Transportation. “San Fernando’s basic bike lanes have seen a 112% increase over the last seven years, with 1189 bicyclists a day counted last year at the San Fernando & Fourth Street intersection. This project provides an enhanced biking experience while also improving the pedestrian environment.”

San José’s first two green bike lane projects – Hedding Street and now San Fernando Street – both serve as primary bikeways, providing east-west access across the city and connections to the Guadalupe River Trail. On-street primary bikeways, like this one, provide cross-town connections to off-street trails using enhancements such as green color, painted buffers between cars and bikes, and physical barriers separating cars and bikes.

“The enhanced bike lanes along San Fernando connect regional commuting options with employment centers, including downtown San José, North San José via the Guadalupe River Trail, and those up the Peninsula via transit at Diridon Station,” said Jessica Zenk, Senior Director for Transportation with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

San Fernando Street’s new enhanced, green bikeway is a key link in the 500-mile citywide bicycle network that San José is building. Within this larger network is a 140-mile system of primary bikeways that function as the bicycle equivalent of the City’s arterial roadway system.

"We're thrilled to see San Fernando Street get the highly visible, comfortable bike infrastructure it needs,” said Corinne Winter, Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. “This San Fernando bikeway provides direct connections to the fabulous buffered bike lanes on 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th Streets as well as the Guadalupe River Trail."

This bike project is part of a larger San Fernando Streetscape Enhancement project funded by a $1.4 million Transportation for Livable Communities grant. The project includes pavement resurfacing and enhancements to street lights, street trees, crosswalks, sidewalks and curb ramps.

About the City of San José and Active Transportation

With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city on the West Coast, north of Los Angeles. For information about the City’s multimodal transportation goals and policies, see the Envision San José 2040 General Plan at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=1737. For information on San José Bike Plan 2020, visit http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=268. To view the City’s Green Vision, go tohttp://www.sanjoseca.gov/Index.aspx?NID=1417.

About Silicon Valley Leadership Group

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents more than 390 of Silicon Valley's most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality and the environment. Leadership Group members collectively provide nearly one of every three private sector jobs in Silicon Valley with more than $3 trillion in annual revenue. Visit svlg.org or call (408) 501-7864.

About the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) exists to promote increased cycling in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. To accomplish this goal, SVBC advocates for improved and expanded bicycle infrastructure and other facilities, including bikeways, bike parking, capacity on transit, and more. Additionally, SVBC promotes bicycle culture through events and activities such as Bike to Work Day, Bicycle Friendly Workplace, and Valet Bike Parking at a variety of area events. For more information on Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, visit http://bikesiliconvalley.org/.

Cocoabella Chocolates - Awesome New Chocolate Shop at Valley Fair

Cocoabella owner Michael Freeman has traveled all over the world in search for the finest chocolates currently being produced. Well I have to say... mission accomplished. So far I have tried over 20 different kinds of their chocolates and can attest first-hand that the collection they have amassed is incredible. I don't think there is any other chocolate shop in Silicon Valley that comes close to what Cocoabella is offering at the entrance of Valley Fair's luxury wing.

In many cases, Michael would have to spend years building relationships with chocolatiers before being able to sell their chocolates. Brand image is critical to these boutique producers, so every shop a chocolatier works with has be be meticulously vetted and meet strict standards in terms of transportation, climate control, how long chocolates can be displayed before being rotated. For some distributors, Cocoabella is the only chocolate shop that carries their product in the United States.

In the shop itself, the chocolates are separated by regions: US, Canada, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and South America. There are about 150 varieties of chocolates that they carry, no two are the same. You have everything from cognac truffles, to candied figs stuffed with lemon peel and almonds, to almond praline mushroom caps. The list is endless and there are no "toothpaste" flavors here, every fruit-infused chocolate I tried was surprisingly amazing (these are typically my least favorite chocolates). If you want to try items that are unique, Cocoabella even had a blue-cheese based chocolate and several with exotic spices and chili-peppers.

If you are a fan of hot chocolate, their milk chocolate drink was the best I have ever had in my life. It's a blend of three different kinds of premium chocolate and is well worth a detour any time you're in Valley Fair.

I also have to mention that the staff was incredibly helpful. Their depth of knowledge on each piece of chocolate was impressive, and you can tell that they loved what they did and were passionate about their product (you would hope so, given they selling awesome chocolates from around the world).

For this level of quality, the prices are quite reasonable. You typically end up paying $2-3 per piece, which is not much more than what Godiva charges. You can either hand-pick your chocolates, buy pre-packaged boxes with seasonal themes, or put in an order through their website.

Cocoabella Chocolates is located on the first floor of Valley Fair near the Center Court and neighboring Hugo Boss, Banana Republic, and Wolford.

Two Million SQFT Office Project Takes a Step Forward

The mother of all proposed office projects in San Jose is getting closer to breaking ground. The latest plans that developer Peery-Arrillaga submitted to the city would involved building out the entire complex in a single 24 month phase.

The epic development project would take up 31 acres with up to 10 buildings connected with elevated walkways. The plan calls for two levels of underground parking and surprisingly the cafe, pool, basketball courts, and volleyball courts would also be beneath the ground. Total parking clocks in at 7,103 spaces with entrances on Brokaw Road, Bering Drive (4 entrances) and Crane Court.

The rumor is that there is already a tenant for the development, likely a Fortune 500 company such as Google, Microsoft, or Apple. It will be very interesting to see how this develops!

Source: SVBJ

Google Breaking Ground on Mini-Airport at SJC in January

Signature Flight Support is a month or so away from breaking ground on an $82 million private jet center at SJC, which will also house Google's fleet. The location will have over a quarter million square feet of hanger space, making it the largest "fixed base operator" facility built in one phase over the last 30 years. They are moving quickly in order to minimalize push-back from Atlantic Aviation, the current fixed base operator at the airport that is trying to block the project from happening.

The project will create 200 construction jobs. As for the city of San Jose, they will be collecting $2.6 million each year in rent (every little bit helps).

Source: SVBJ

Portuguese Art From the Heart Video

I'd like to add a little touch of ethnic culture today. Helia Borges Sousa is a San Jose-based artist that specializes in artwork featuring the Portuguese countryside (especially the Azorean islands, which are gorgeous). Below is a short video of her work along with some Portuguese guitar by Chico Avila.

Happy Birthday San Jose (Courtesy of Mezlan)

Mezlan is a high-quality men's shoe store that recently opened in Valley Fair. However, they have done something I have never seen any other local store do, and that is produce a great documentary about San Jose's history. The video below is only about 8 minutes long, and is well worth your time! It's a fantastic tribute to San Jose's 236th Birthday.

Clearly this is a store that is looking to become a strong part of the community and is well-worth checking out on those merits alone (I do have the say their shoes look pretty nice as well). For more information on Mezlan, check out their website over here. And again, please watch the video below. This is a great summery of our City's history.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the 3rd Best City for Home Sellers

Movoto looked at total homes for sale per capita, median days on market, crime rates, school quality, and unemployment rate to find the best home markets for sellers across 100 US Cities. San Jose came in 3rd place, while our nemesis came in second and Fremont surprisingly came in 1st. For more info just use the source links or scroll down.

Source: SocketSite, Movoto Blog

1. Fremont, CA

Source: Flickr user Don Debold

This modestly sized city of 216,916 located on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay is home to the highest-earning home buyers in our top 10; they made a median household income of $98,513 a year. At the same time, sellers can anticipate a median listing price of $640,000, which is the third highest of all the cities we surveyed after San Francisco and Irvine.

Fremont is tied with Oakland, CA when it comes to fewest median days on market at 25 days. The city has the second-highest ratio of homes for sale to residents after San Francisco at one for every 689 residents.

2. San Francisco, CA

Source: Wikipedia user Kurykh

To the northwest of Fremont sits San Francisco, the City by the Bay. This hilly metropolis has the highest median list price of any city in our top 100—let alone the top 10—at $799,000. Its residents earn a median household income of $72,947 and the unemployment rate is 5.4 percent.

The median days on market in San Francisco is twice that of Fremont at 50 days. There is one home for sale for every 869 people who call the city home, making it the most competitive housing market out of our top 10.

3. San Jose, CA

Source: Wikipedia user Michael

One of the Bay Area’s three major metros, San Jose came in fourth in terms of median listing price and days on market at $609,000 and 43 days, respectively. Its residents make a median household income of $80,764 and the unemployment rate is 7.2 percent; the second-highest in the top 10 after Chula Vista.

San Jose is fourth out of the top 10 in terms of available home to resident ratio with one for sale for every 608 people.

4. Honolulu, HI

Source: Wikipedia user ErgoSum88

The Hawaiian capital came in fourth overall in terms of unemployment at 4.2 percent, just slightly more than Seattle’s 4 percent rate. Its median list price is seventh overall at $528,000 and the residents earn a median household image of $93,539 annually.

Honolulu has one home for sale for every 292 residents and a median days on market of 64 days.

5. San Diego, CA

Source: Flickr user Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

San Diego is the largest city in our top 10 at 1.3 million residents, which contributes to its low ratio of 1 home for sale for every 348 people. The median list price in San Diego is $469,000 which makes it ninth overall for that criterion.

Unemployment in San Diego is at 7 percent, placing it 45th out of 100 in terms of the cities we surveyed.

6. Plano, TX

Source: City of Plano, TX

As it turns out, one of our best suburbs in America is also a top spot for home sellers. Plano has one home for sale for every 289 residents and a median days on market of 60. The median listing price there is 275,000—a far cry from California prices, but good for Texas.

The residents of Plano make a median household income of $82,901 annually, placing it 27th for that criterion, and the unemployment rate is 6.4 percent.

7. Chula Vista, CA

Source: Flickr user Mark Sebastian

We head back to California and the San Diego area for seventh place Chula Vista. The median list price there is about $100,000 less than in San Diego proper at $370,000 and at one home on the market for every 378 residents, they’re just about even in that regard. Median days on market is 52, which is just one day longer than San Diego.

The unemployment rate is higher at 7.8 percent but the median household income is considerably lower at $65,526.

8. Seattle, WA

Source: Wikipedia user Daniel Schwen

Still on the West Coast, but considerably less sunny, Seattle immediately stands out by having the lowest unemployment rate of any city we surveyed at 4 percent. The median household income there, however, is the lowest in our top 10 at $61,856.

As for the rest of the criteria, it performed admirably. Its median list price is $425,000 and days on market are 45. There’s one home for sale for every 227 residents of the city.

9. Chandler, AZ

Source: Flickr user Dean Ouellette

As the first of two Arizona cities that round out our top 10, Chandler is superior in terms of median list price—at $284,900, it’s $14,800 better than No. 10. It’s $71,343 median household income is less, however, and its one home for sale for every 198 residents makes it not quite as competitive a market.

The median days on market in Chandler is 50 and the unemployment rate is 6.9 percent.

10. Gilbert, AZ

Source: Wikipedia user Tony the Marine

Like we said, Chandler has Gilbert beat for median list price; $284,900 versus $270,100, respectively. Gilbert’s residents make more, though, at $80,090 median household income, and there are fewer homes for sale per resident—one for every 158.

In terms of median days on market and unemployment rate, Gilbert is tied with Chandler at 50 and 6.9 percent, respectively.

Edgewater Networks Moves to South San Jose

Edgewater is an internet communications company with various solutions and services. They have been leasing 24,000 SQFT of space at 2895 Northwestern Parkway in Santa Clara for the last five years. The company has decided to upgrade their headquarters to 38,000 SQFT in South San Jose at Hellyer Oaks Technology Park. Low rents and a reverse commute seem to be attracting a little bit more attention to the area (Barracuda Networks made a big move here as well), but office vacancy in South San Jose is still hovering around 20%.

Source: SVBJ

Christmas in the Park Kicks Off Today!

Downtown San Jose's largest event--attracting half a million visitors--officially launches today with a Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6pm! For a list of events and more information, you can check out their website over here. Below is a handy map of key attractions inside of the park itself. There will also be carnival rides and vendor booths flanking both sides of the park.

Happy Thanksgiving San Jose!

I would like to wish all of you a great Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful for this year in San Jose.

Photo from SanJose.com

Little Italy San Jose Updates!

Here is a little Thanksgiving treat for San Joseans. We have some exciting announcements related to San Jose's new Little Italy district. All but details are below but the quick summary is:

1.) Bel Bacio Imported Italian Coffee is officially open for business and their Grand opening will be this Sunday from 10am-12pm! (can't wait to check this out)
2.) The first home restored by SV Home is already being shown off and the cast from HGTV's Flip it to win it was onsite yesterday.
3.) Architectural and landscaping designs are being finalized for the Little Italy Cultural Center and Museum (yay!)
4.) The Little Italy Arch is ready to start construction. They are just waiting for the work permit.

Thanks Josh Melander for sending this in!

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Bel Bacio Italian Café Now Open!!

Today Monday November 25th is the first day of business for Bel Bacio - Italian Cafe. Please stop by this week to try their authentic espresso from Barbera in Messina Sicily.  The Grand Opening will be Sunday December 1st from 10am -12pm.

First Home restored by SV HOME reveal and Open House!!

Yes, It has been only two months and the first home purchased by SV HOME has been restored and the reveal with SV HOME and the TV crew from HGTV and the cast from Flip it to win it will be this Wednesday November 27^th from 3pm -5pm.  SV Home will be paying for catered Food from Paesano Ristorante and would love all of you to attend.  We hope you can see all the progress that has been made in Little Italy.

~ We also are looking for a few people to be involved in a live casting for the TV show to be on camera looking at the home

Status of Little Italy Cultural center and Museum

We are finalizing architectural and landscaping designs for the Cultural center and Museum.  Thus far we have the following…….

~ Cleanup, Demo, and Framing – Donated by SV HOME

~ Electrical – Donated by Best Electrical

~ Cooling and Heating – Donated by A1 Cooling and Heating

~ Architecture – Donated by staff from SV HOME and Davide Giannella

~ Interior Design – Donated by James D’Ambrosio

We desperately need………….. In Kind Plumbing/HVAC, Roofing, Drywall, Windows, and Painting

Little Italy Arch Finally ready to start Construction!!

We are finally just about ready to start construction on the Little Italy Arch!!  We will be re-submitting the application this week to obtain the work permit to start construction.

~ We had to redo the entire arch and move it over 6 inches to avoid an underground electrical box that PG&E did not discover previously and had to get all the maintenance approvals for the Arch.

Stay tuned for a Groundbreaking date…………………

First Satellite US Patent and Trademark Office on the West Coast to be Located in San Jose!

I was really hoping that this would happen. In fact, I even emailed the person scouting for locations of the US Patent Office to suggest he look at Downtown San Jose. The US Patent and Trademark Office is officially making San Jose's City Hall their official home!

They will be taking 40,000 SQFT across two locations, the 14th floor and the second floor of the wing. That should be enough for 18 patent judges' offices, 60 patent examiners, public conference space, collaboration space, and support staff.

To attract the patent office Downtown, the city gave them a sweet deal. Two years of free rent, Operational Expenses for the next four years, and market-rate rent for the next six years. However, since this space was not being utilized, the opportunity cost of making this deal is close to nothing and the upside is huge.

Everyone in the West Coast that wants to file a patent would be coming to Downtown San Jose to do so. This also puts high demand on the immediate area for services to cater towards patent-filers, such as legal services, research firms, etc. Large companies start may even start considering Downtown as a location for their Intellectual Property teams. It definitely won't hurt our vacancy rates, that's for sure. There are not many office submarkets that can brag about having a US Patent Office within walking distance.

This is a well deserved win for the top patent-filing region in the country, if not the world!

Source: SVBJ, Hat-tip to Bob