Hermitage Brewing Company to Tap Very Limited Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Hermitage Brewing Company is at it again with a very small batch, experimental beer scheduled for release in their Tap Room (1627 S. 7th St.) later today at 4pm.

Single Bourbon Barrel Aged 2 Tun is their Ale of the 2 Tun Imperial Stout aged in a bourbon barrel since 2012. The beer will be available in draft only and could be all gone within days after the initial release.

From Head Brewer Greg Filippi's tasting notes:

The whiskey character is strong up front and dominates the aroma, but beneath it lie the familiar chocolate and espresso notes of the stout. Whiskey shines through again as the beer crosses the palate, but quickly gives way to smooth, silky chocolate. That chocolate lingers in the finish, dancing with the sweet bourbon in perfect form, the way only years together can produce.

For the fortunate few who have sampled the beer, the excited reactions have been unanimous, and the Hermitage team is looking forward to having the public have their opportunity to come out and try the beer.

Hermitage will be hosting Brother Baby’s BBQ during tonight's release party.

I've written much more about this beer and Hermitage over at Examiner.com.

VTA Proposing Increased Service in New Two Year Plan

VTA has been holding public meetings to review proposed changes to transit services, and there are quite a few items on the list that would impact San Jose residents. The two new lines that really caught my eye are Line 11 and Line 56.

Line 11 would directly link the Airport with Downtown San Jose! It runs from Diridon Station, past the Convention Center, down 1st Street, then onto Highway 87 and does a full loop of SJC hitting both terminals (see the map below). Needless to say, Line 11 would be extremely convenient for Downtown residents and visitors alike. The line would run every 30 minutes from 5am to 11pm, seven days a week. Service will hopefully begin in October of this year.

Line 56 runs between the Component Lightrail Station in North San Jose and the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station (via Arques/Scott/Central Expressway). This would improve access and transit options for all of the companies in the Golden Triangle, including the burgeoning Renovation Row area.

For all of the details, head over to this VTA page.

 

New Farmers Market Coming to Westgate Center

Federal Realty is continuing to take concepts from their flagship property--Santana Row--and inject them into Westage Center. Instead of being a small mall, they are trying to turn it into much more of a community destination. The latest improvement to Westgate is a new weekly Saturday Farmer's Market run by the West Coast Farmers Market Association (same group that oversees the Cupertino, Carmel, and Half Moon Bay markets).

I'm really liking the direction Federal Realty is taking this shopping center! See the press release below for more information.

Seasonal produce, locally-baked treats and handcrafted, artisan goods offered every Saturday at the San Jose shopping center

San Jose, CA – Organic fruits and vegetables, specialty baked goods, prepared foods, handmade soaps, honey and glassware are among the vendors that will be setting up tables at Westgate Center beginning Saturday, March 21.

The shopping mall is launching its first farmers market, in association with the West Coast Farmers Market Association, which also oversees popular markets in Cupertino, Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay and Carmel.

Among the vendors and their wares:

• Cipponeri Farms - vegetables and strawberries
• Hamlow Ranches - stone fruit such as apricots and peaches
• Medina Berry Farm - blackberries, strawberries, blueberries
• Anguiano Farms (based in Santa Maria) - berries, avocado, other produce
• J&M Farms – organic greens
• Squash Blossom – baked goods
• Jenny Chu - baked goods
• Fish Princess – handmade soaps
• David Patrick Blown Glass

Details: The farmers market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday beginning March 21 in the center food court area next to Gong Cha.

Other events at Westgate Center:

Santa Clara Orchid Show and Sale, Thursday, March 19 to Sunday, March 22
The Santa Clara Valley Orchid Society is showing and selling flowers from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on
Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Photos with the Easter Bunny, Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22; and March 28 through April 4.
It's picture time with spring’s favorite furry friend! The bunny is ready for his close-up from 11 a.m.
or noon to 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. most days with breaks in the afternoon.
Please check www.ShopWestgateCenter.com for exact times, pricing and details.

Following an extensive $15 million renovation and the addition of new shops such as J. Crew Factory, Nike Factory Outlet and Gap Factory Outlet, restaurants such as Veggie Grill and a children’s soft play area, Westgate Center offers a convenient and dynamic shopping experience for the community.

About Westgate Center
Westgate Center, located in San Jose, California is a 645,000 square-foot community center offering a one-stop family destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. Westgate Center features over 50 shops and restaurants and is anchored by Target, Nordstrom Rack, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Nike Factory Store, Old Navy, Burlington Coat Factory, Michaels and Ross. Westgate Center is a property of Federal Realty Investment Trust www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit shopwestgatecenter.com.

About Federal Realty
Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply.  Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities.  Federal Realty’s 89 properties include over 2,600 tenants, in approximately 20.2 million square feet of retail space, and 1,500 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 47 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.FederalRealty.com.

Key Redevelopment Site Back on the Market

A key parcel across the street from City Hall is up for sale for $5.25 million. At 61,650 SQFT, this comes out to a very reasonable $85 per SQFT, especially when you consider this location. The block is zoned for a high-rise up to 285 feet tall and soon the only satellite US Patent Office on the West Coast will be located in City Hall. This corner would make an ideal office tower location, especially for corporate and patent lawyers and other support services complimentary to the Patent Office.

As for my dream scenario--I would love to see a mixed-use building here with retail on the ground floor, several floors of large floor-plate offices, and topped with hotel or residential. That would likely be the most efficient use of the space... but I would be happy with any high-density project here to be completely honest.

Source: SVBJ

Two Boeing 747s at SJC

If you have heard that San Jose International is too small to support Boeing 747s (or 777s for that matter), that information is completely false. There were two of them at the airport last week. The military charters 747s out of SJC twice a year, and in the cases of extremely bad weather at SFO they are sometimes rerouted to the airport as well.

However, just because SJC supports these planes doesn't mean we necessarily want them. They generate a lot more noise than smaller planes, especially the fancy new 787s that are being used for international flights to Tokyo and soon Beijing.

Source: The Merc, photo by LiPo Ching

Ballet San Jose Pulls Through

Ballet San Jose fortunately raised enough money to keep the doors open. The community rallied together and raised a total of $640,000, even more than the $550,000 needed for the show to go on. However, the Ballet troupe still needs to raise about $3.5 million by October in order to restructure into a more sustainable business model. For more information, visit the source link below.

Source: The Merc (Photo by LiPo Ching)

The Commons Performance Tonight at The Circle of Palms (6:45pm - 9:15pm)

The Commons is a music and performance showcase that has been doing a series of public works. Their goal is to bridge the gap between classical and contemporary performances. Their latest show called The Vernal Equinox and is tonight at the Circle of Palms in Downtown San Jose (between the San Jose Museum of Art and The Fairmont Hotel).

The show is funded by a Knight Foundation grant and is done in partnership with the San Jose Downtown Association, The San Jose Museum of Art, The Fairmont San Jose, Lazy Cocoon Sound, and Cellista Music.

For more information, check out the Facebook Page over here.

Source: Downtowner Online

2015 State of the City Address

Mayor Sam Liccardo delivered his first State of the City Address last weekend. Instead of using the City National Civic, the event was held at Independence High School. The location was appropriate since he spoke quite a bit about improving opportunities for those that live in East San Jose.

He also pledged to make safety a top priority and mentioned improving police compensation and staffing as two action items. Helping address the homeless situation and expanding after school and teen-job programs were also mentioned in the mayor's address, as was securing funding to bring BART to Alum Rock and Downtown San Jose.

Source: NBC Bay Area

Evergreen College Putting 27 Acres Up For Development

Anyone who has driven by Evergreen College or the intersection of Yerba Buena and San Felipe has likely noticed a huge empty dirt parcel. Evergreen College has decided that it will not need the land for future expansion of the college or the administrative building in the western section of the 27 acre parcel (the administrators have all moved to a building in Downtown San Jose). They are now seeking redevelopment bids for this piece of land which could include a mix of residential, retail, and office.

Evergreen College has already received one promising LOI (Letter of Intent) from Republic Urban Properties. Their proposal includes an urban/suburban project including 125-250 market rate apartments, 80-150 senior apartments, 40,000 SQFT of retail, 18,000-40,000 SQFT of office, a 45,000 SQFT gym, and an aquatics center that would be open to the public and would be used by the university. Republic Urban Properties would pay the College $1.5 million each year to lease the land.

There are some complications to the plan since the land is zoned as "quasi public" (is that an official designation?). The winning developer would need to request rezoning and would have to go through a new environmental review.

If successful, it looks like a promising development that would add value to the Evergreen community--both residents and the College.

Source: SVBJ

The Fountainhead is Officially Opening Today Just in Time For Saint Patrick's Day!

The big re-launch of the SoFA Market (387 S. 1st St.) seems to be coming along really well. The highly anticipated Fountainhead Bar and its architecture-inspired drinks is officially opening today. This looks like a great place to swing by as part of your St. Patrick's Day plans. Since it is so new it probably won't be insanely crowded like all of the other bars tonight, another plus.

In addition to Fountainhead, the new burger joint will also be open. In about a months time it will be joined by a few other eateries. I can't wait to see the final product when the SoFA Market is complete!

Source: loldawg from the San Jose Development Forum

KT Urban Planning Yet Another Tower Downtown!

Another day, another tower. KT Urban (formerly KT Properties) is the developer behind many of the best looking towers Downtown: Axis, One South, and soon Silvery Towers. In a huge vote of confidence for the Downtown residential market, they are now planning a 24-story 264 condo tower at the corner of Park Avenue and Almaden Boulevard. The ground floor would have 7,700 SQFT of retail and there would be five levels of parking (three would be underground).

The proposed tower would be situated across the street from Adobe and in the corner of Park Center Plaza, where an ugly dilapidated court building currently sits. While there is not a ton going on for residents in that block (besides Specialties), when you move out two and three blocks you have access to all of the amenities in central Downtown. San Pedro Square is a 5 minute walk in one direction and and SoFA is a 5 minute walk in the other.

While there has been a lot of debate on saving this location for an office building, I really think in order to get maximum vibrancy throughout the day and night we should try to blend residential, office, and retail as much as possible Downtown. We still have tons of parcels where we can build office projects--heck, most of Park City Plaza could be torn down and replaced with high-rise office buildings. The more projects we can push through during this boom cycle, the stronger Downtown will be years from now.

Source: SVBJ

Municipal Stadium Hosts Bacon and Beer Classic

San Jose Giants baseball returns next month to Municipal Stadium, leaving the stadium open this month to host the Bacon and Beer Classic on Saturday, March 21. San Jose is the first stop for this traveling festival that seeks to bring together local breweries and restaurants for an event full of beer and bacon samples, accompanied by music, games, beer school and cooking demos.

Over 30 breweries will participate, including San Jose's own Strike Brewing Company and Santa Clara Valley Brewing. There are many local restaurants participating as well, such as San Jose's 71 Saint Peter, Firehouse No. 1 Gastropub, Habana Cuba, Konjoe Burger Bar, and Loteria Taco Bar.

There's the Brunch Session from 12-3pm and the Evening Session from 7-10pm. General Admission tickets are $59. There is also the VIP Experience ticket for $99 – VIP guests will have one-hour early admission (11am and 6pm, respectively), access to VIP areas and other exclusive perks.

Designated driver tickets are $29, and tickets for those between 5 and 20 years are $19. Children under 5 are free. For more ticket details, click here.

The event should prove to be a popular draw for the many fans of bacon and local craft beer. I've previously written more about this event on Examiner.com.

Awesome City Hall Photo

I have to post this photo Cardinal2007 found from the San Jose Development Forum:

San Jose City Hall HDR by Darshan Karia, on Flickr

Boudin SF Brings the Flavor of Fresh-Baked Sourdough to Almaden Plaza Shopping Center in San Jose on March 19

First 100 Guests on Opening Day to Receive Free Bread for a Year

Gloriously irresistible fresh-baked sourdough bread will soon be available at Almaden Plaza Shopping Center in San Jose. Boudin Bakery CEO Sharon Duvall today announced that the company will open its 11th Northern California Boudin SF location in Almaden Valley on March 19.

Boudin SF is a convenient, casual-dining restaurant where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Residents of San Jose who have long enjoyed The Original San Francisco Sourdough™ can soon savor the unforgettable experience of breaking open an aromatic loaf in a new location close to home. Almaden Plaza Shopping Center marks the company’s second San Jose restaurant and follows the opening of Boudin SF in West Valley Center last April.

“We are thrilled to open another location in the South Bay,” said Duvall. “We are extremely thankful for our loyal Boudin sourdough fans and excited to welcome our new neighbors in the Almaden Valley community to the restaurant.”

Bread Winners

When Boudin SF at Almaden Plaza opens its doors to the public on March 19, the first 100 guests in line will win a year’s supply of The Original San Francisco Sourdough™. Boudin enthusiasts, affectionately known as “Bread Winners,” often camp overnight to ensure a spot in line and may begin queuing up at 5:00 p.m. on March 18. Boudin SF has reserved the first place in the Bread Winners line for Second Harvest Food Bank, a local non-profit that provides food to nearly one quarter of a million people each month and is one of the largest food banks in the nation. Boudin SF has long been a supporter of food banks and regularly donates fresh bread to local charities.

Boudin SF Menu

Ideal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Boudin SF features a comprehensive menu of both healthy and hearty fare to delight a variety of palettes. Boudin SF’s attention to detail shines through in every dish. Seasonal, organic, and locally-sourced ingredients are used whenever possible.

Boudin SF’s wide variety of sandwiches are a delicious and convenient option for lunch or a picnic. Guests may also choose from perennial favorites such as Chicken Pesto with chicken breast, tomatoes, arugula, pesto mayo, and balsamic vinaigrette on a sourdough baguette or the California Veggie with Havarti cheese, avocado, red peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, sun-dried tomato spread, and balsamic vinaigrette on multigrain bread. After a day of shopping or hiking, Boudin's classic New England-style Clam Chowder or Butternut Squash Soup in a signature sourdough bread bowl is warm and filling. Boudin SF is perfect for busy families and professionals. Stop by for a quick dinner or linger over a glass of beer or California wines. For a quick breakfast after dropping off the kids at school or an early morning workout, Boudin SF has everything from Vegetable Scrambles to Sourdough French Toast. 

Boudin SF also offers Web-to-Go service, allowing customers to place an order in advance and then pick it up quickly on the way to the park, office or home – no waiting in line. Available online at: www.boudinwebtogo.com.

Boudin SF at Almaden Plaza Shopping Center is located at 5353 Almaden Expressway in San Jose, CA  95118. Telephone: 408-513-1050. Open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.



About Boudin Bakery

Headquartered in San Francisco, Boudin Bakery is world-famous for The Original San Francisco Sourdough™, which is baked with the same Mother Dough, or sourdough starter, used since 1849. Born in the Gold Rush, Boudin is the oldest continuously operating business in San Francisco. Because each loaf is made from a portion of the original sourdough starter, Boudin Sourdough is one of a kind.  With its delicious tangy flavor, golden crunchy crust, and soft chewy center – along with its famous aroma – it has been described as “a sensory experience in a simple loaf of bread.” Boudin SF is a convenient, casual-dining restaurant with locations throughout California where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Boudin at the Wharf, located in the heart of San Francisco’s renowned waterfront, is Boudin’s flagship facility and home to Bistro Boudin, Boudin Museum & Bakery Tour, a demonstration bakery, Bakers Hall Marketplace and a Boudin Café. Boudin bread can be purchased at the Wharf and all Boudin restaurants located throughout California. Boudin also offers catering and operates a gift catalog business, which can be found online www.boudinbakery.com.

Visual San Jose, Citywide Photo Contest

The Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) and San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission in conjunction with Content Magazine and our sponsors is hosting Visual San Jose, a citywide historic photo contest. The contest is free and open to professionals, non-professionals and students (under 19). The deadline for photo entries is April 17, 2015.

May is Historic Preservation Month and this photo contest will celebrate historic preservation through the eyes of Bay Area photographers. Our mission is to promote historic preservation by raising awareness of San Jose’s historic resources, to celebrate the efforts to preserve our city’s history and to recognize the irreplaceable historic resources that are threatened.

Finalists’ photographs will be included in the June/July 2015 issue of Content Magazine and on display locally in San Jose in early June. The contest awards reception, in conjunction with the Content Magazine release, will be held on June 16, where winners in each category will be presented with prizes from our sponsors.

Submission Requirements:

• What: Photographs of historic structures, sites or historic artifacts within San Jose
• When: Photographs taken between July 1, 2014 to April 17, 2015
• Where to submit entries: Submit photographs (limit 2) in jpeg format to Submit2015@VisualSJ.com by April 17
• Entries must include: name, date taken, category and a description of the photograph 
• Categories: professional (earns over 50% from photography), non-professional or student (under 19)

Entries will be judged based on photographic technique, photographic creativity, historical significance and the short written description. For more details and rules of the contest please visit www.VisualSJ.com. 2014 photo contest finalists can be viewed at www.SJhistoricalphoto.com.

Donations (tax deductible) will be gratefully accepted to go toward the cash prizes of the chosen winners. Donations may be made by mailing a check payable to the PAC*SJ with a notation that it is for the Visual San Jose photo contest. Mail your donation to: Preservation Action Council of San Jose, History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose CA 95112-2599. For questions or to donate, contact us by email at info@VisualSJ.com.

PAC*SJ is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving San Jose’s architectural heritage and quality of life, through education, advocacy and events.

The San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission supports and advises the San Jose Planning Department and the City Council on historic preservation issues.

Content Magazine is a bimonthly San Jose based magazine promoting the people, events, and businesses of San Jose. San Jose deserves a magazine that is able to articulate the unique life & style of our city.

Vander-Bend Moving to Renovation Row

Vander-Bend is a contract manufacturer with 500 employees that were scattered across several buildings in Silicon Valley, the largest of which was in Sunnyvale. The company has recently consolidated all of there employees under one roof at 2701 Orchard Parkway in a North San Jose area becoming known as "Renovation Row" (I think Nathan Donato-Weinstein from the SVBJ gets credit for coining that term).

Vander-Bend is leasing a total of 200,000 square feet, which makes it the largest lease in Renovation Row. They are also investing $7 million in renovations and improvements to the building.

Source: SJ Economy News

Think Bigger San Jose: Convert Rooftops Downtown Into Terraces

As usual, Mark has some bright ideas on improving Downtown San Jose. His latest blog post proposes converting Downtown rooftops to terraces or gardens. This is an idea I completely agree with and it only takes one visit up to the Capital Club or Scott's Seafood to see the potential "sky terraces" can have Downtown. This is a great way of taking underutilized spaces and turning them into assets that residents can use 300+ days a year.

Read the blog post over here!

Rotary PlayGarden Centennial Project

The Rotary Club of San Jose decided to do something pretty incredible as part of their 100th anniversary. They built an impressive PlayGarden on a 4.5 acre site in the Guadalupe River Park specifically designed for both children with special needs and those without to play side by side.

Again, this isn't a park exclusively for those with special needs and it isn't a park that just happens to have a couple of attractions that those with special needs can use. The idea is for all children to play together--a novel and innovative concept appropriate for Silicon Valley. Children with disabilities will gain access to the traditional playground experience and children without disabilities will learn about awareness and acceptance.

The park will officially open to the public either on the last Week of April or first week of May. Please watch the two minute video below for an idea of all the neat attractions in the park, which may be the best in all of San Jose. The Rotary did an exceptional job here!


San Jose Rotary PlayGarden Ribbon Cutting 2015 from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

March 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Two bold ideas to rejuvenate St. James Park are in the works:
• To create a "Levitt Pavilion," a permanent music pavilion that would feature a minimum of 50 family friendly events each year ranging from 500 and 5,000 attendees. The Pavilion would either be at St. James between either First and Second streets or Second and Third streets.
• SPUR is suggesting a Parks Management District that would enable portions of the park to be offloaded from the city's Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services department. This would make it easier to make capital and security improvements to the park.
• M Eat-Play-Lounge at the corner of Second and San Fernando is now open (where PF Changs used to be).
• At Third and San Fernando, T-Mobile is opening a store in a space vacated long ago by Blockbuster.
• My Milkshake is open on South Second and allows patrons to design their own custom milkshake [Josh: have been here and they have great milkshakes]
• The San Jose Earthquakes will open their regular season in the new 18,000 seat Avaya Stadium. More than half of the seats have been snapped up by season ticket holders. The stadium also features the largest outdoor bar in North America--3,647 SQFT with 45 different beers!
• MidPen Housing has started construction on the $31 million Donner Lofts project at 156 E. St. John Street, which includes 102-units and 2,500 SQFT of retail.
• Core Companies is proposing a 105-unit apartment complex at the corner of East Reed and South First (in SoFA).
• The San Jose Fire Museum took a large step towards becoming a reality with a $1 million donation used to buy the Fire Station One building.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Veggielution Article

There was a great article in the Merc last week about Veggielution, San Jose's largest urban farm. Located at Emma Prusch (where Highways 101, 280, and 680 all meet), Veggielution volunteers grow a diverse range of organic veggies as well as eggs and honey. They also distributed more than 20,500 pounds of free produce in 2013 to serve the local homeless population. To read the article, head over here.