San Jose makes a bid for Amazon HQ2

Amazon is looking for a second home in the United States that would be similar in size to their Seattle Headquarters and result in a $5 billion investment. San Jose has officially put their hat in the ring with a compelling proposal which you can find here.

Nathan Donato-Weinstein also has a blog post that summarizes the proposal. We do have the best technical talent in the world and San Jose can not only accommodate the 8 million SQFT of office space they are looking for, but we nail all of their other requirements which include great educational solutions and access to international airports (we've got 3 of them within a 45min drive).

The only thing we don't have is the will to hand out huge subsidies like other cities are doing. We really can't afford it and it is not a sign of true partnership when the community has to suffer at the expense of a corporate deal. The jobs would be great for the economy, but without the tax dollars to provide supporting infrastructure around that much space, we would see our biggest issues like housing and traffic become even greater pain points. So, if Amazon wants the best location for HQ2 (San Jose of course)--they are going to have to open up the checkbook a little more.

To learn more about our proposal to Amazon, head over here.

Aeromexico adding direct flights from SJC to Mexico City

SJC is now one of the fastest growing airports in the country when it comes to international travel (see second image below). Aeromexico already has a nonstop to Guadalajara and starting next June it will have a new nonstop to Mexico City. The flight will leave Mexico City at 9:35am and arrive in San Jose at 11am our time (three and a half hour flight, two hour time difference) and the return flight from San Jose to Mexico City is scheduled for 1:40pm. The last time San Jose had this route was a decade ago.

Mexico City will be San Jose's 9th international route (Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Frankfurt, Vancouver, Guadalajara, and Cabo San Lucas are the others). This is an all-time high for international destinations from San Jose, and I have a feeling the number is going to become a lot higher in the near future.

Source: SVBJ

Total Wine & More Opens in San Jose

Total Wine & More recently opened on October 12^th at the Almaden Ranch Shopping Center. Coinciding with the new opening, Total Wine & More – America’s largest independent retailer of fine wine, beer and spirits – will donate 10% of all wine sales generated from the grand opening proceeds to San Jose Museum of Art.

Following the newly opened San Jose location, Total Wine & More will open a location in Pleasanton on October 26^th.

Edward Cooper, the Vice President for Public Affairs and Community Relations at Total Wine & More’s, told The San Jose Blog, “Our business plan is centered around supporting the local communities we serve. As we bring our trademark pillars of industry-leading service, selection and price to consumers in San Jose and Pleasanton, we are investing in these communities to demonstrate our deep commitment to these areas.”

In addition to charitable donations, Cooper explains that the two new Total Wine & More stores in San Jose and Pleasanton will generate additional retail sales tax for their respective cities, bring more than 100 new job opportunities to the region, and offer a vast selection of more than 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers to customers.

Check out Total Wine & More at 5140 Cherry Avenue, San Jose, CA 95118.

-Noe Sacoco Jr

POW! WOW! Punches Way Through San Jose!

The world-renowned POW! WOW! comes to San Jose from October 22- 29, 2017!

POW! WOW! has expanded to 13+ cities and produced over 500 murals in countries and cities such as Taiwan, Israel, Singapore, Jamaica, Washington D.C., Guam, New Zealand, Germany and now San Jose!

POW! WOW! San Jose is powered by Empire Seven Studios and Universal Grammar and is focused on showcasing a gathering of contemporary artists that engages with the broader community in the process and creation of art.

San Jose’s inaugural event celebrates the efforts of local and out-of-town artists to feature 16 murals take shape. The week-long event brings art to a public forum, creating galleries on the streets for all to see and for later generations to enjoy.

I’m super stoked that POW! WOW! will be spread across some of my most beloved neighborhoods like J’Town (AKA Japantown), SoFA District, East San Jose and more! Empire Seven Studios, MACLA and San Jose Museum of Art will host receptions, workshops and panel discussions with artists. Make sure to check out the daily music events or mural bike ride.

I must confess, I just found out about POW! WOW! through my friends at MTCA (thanks guys). While POW! WOW! just came on my radar, it was already weaved into the fabric of who I am. You see, POW! WOW! started in my birthplace (Hawaii) and the annual event is held at one of my most favorite areas in O’ahu: the Kaka’ako District. And now, Kaka’ako’s aloha has now landed in San Jose! Mahalo to POW! WOW! founder Jasper Wong for bringing the event to San Jose J

While San Jose’s identity is defined by innovators developing life-changing technologies, what I find most endearing about San Jose is witnessing the city evolve and adapt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate of San Jose’s annual events, but we need more events and happenings like POW! WOW! because arts, entertainment and culture are great building blocks for a thriving and growing city. What excites me most about POW! WOW! San Jose’s iteration is that if reinforces San Jose’s commitment to shine light on the arts.

Thank you again to Jasper Wong and POW! WOW! San Jose’s event organizers for bringing this event to San Jose!

San Jose, let’s show them the way…

More deets on the event’s schedule can be found here: 

https://www.powwowsanjose.com/2017-event-schedule/

-Noe Sacoco Jr

Pink October - Cocktails for a cause

If you enjoy cocktails and want to contribute to a great cause, several local restaurants are donating a portion of proceeds from signature cocktails to HERS Breast Cancer Foundation. This is a local nonprofit that directly supports women healing from breast cancer regardless of financial status.

Participating Venues

SP2 Communal Bar + Restaurant

Forthright Oyster Bar & Kitchen

The Vesper

Can't make it out? You can make a donation to support the cause: 

https://pinkoctobersv.eventbrite.com/

Facebook event page:

www.facebook.com/events/179211435983724

Camera 3 undergoing renovation, changing name to "3 Below"

San Jose's first indie movie theater and currently the only movie theater in Downtown San Jose is going to temporarily shut down for major renovations. Camera 3 will be closed for the remainder of 2017 and hopefully reopen in January with a new name: "3 Below."

The lobby, restrooms, and theaters themselves will be gutted and extensively renovated. The largest theater will be used for live performances like concerts, opera, and musical theater. Independent films will still be played in the other two screens along with some new additions like singalong movies, repertory films, documentaries, and retro movies. The 2018 Cinequest Film and VR Festival will also completely take over all 3 auditoriums from Feb. 27th to March 11th.

One bit of sad news is that Psycho Donuts will be permanently shut down and replaced with a mainstream cafe that can sell beer and wine. They are looking for another San Jose location (hopefully Downtown).

Source: SVBJ (subscription required)

2017 General Plan Annual Review Report

On Wednesday, October 11, the Planning Division presented the 2017 General Plan Annual Review Report to the Planning Commission. This report details how well the City is achieving the Major Strategies of the General Plan. Sound boring? It’s not! This report contains a ton of interesting data including building permits, jobs and population numbers, and described multi-departmental initiatives intended to better San José. Some highlights from the report include:

• The jobs-to-employed-resident (J/ER) ratio is 0.80, meaning that San José has 0.80 jobs per employed resident. In contrast, Palo Alto has 3.29 and Mountain View has 1.92 jobs per employed resident. San José’s low J/ER ratio plays a large role in contributing to the City’s poor fiscal health and heavy traffic.
• San José has approved 10 Urban Village Plans, including three recently approved this year. Six plans are currently under development by the Urban Village Team in the Planning Division.
• There are 342 miles of bikeways within San José: 285 miles of on-street bikeways and 57 miles of off-street trails.
• Office vacancies in downtown San José are down to 11%, from 23.6% in 2011.
• San José has 200 park sites totaling over 3,500 acres of parkland.
• Currently 77% of San José residents commute by standalone vehicle, with only 4% taking public transit. San José seeks to reduce residents driving alone to work to 40% by 2040

-Kimberly Vacca

East San Jose mixed-use development

The eastside is finally getting some development love. A 10.6-acre property at 641 Capital was sold to a developer earlier this month for $30 million. The land is already entitled for 188 condos, a medical office building, a commercial/retail building, and a mini-storage building. 30 of those units would be "E-homes" or "environmentally friendly homes" and include solar panels and electric car charging stations.

The homes would be 3-story townhomes, probably not the density we would hope for it would be an improvement for the area. Retail would clock in at 10,000 SQFT in a two-story building at the corner of the project and there would also be a 28,000 SQFT medical office building right next to it with an art plaza between them. A four-story 70,000 SQFT storage building would be placed on the opposite end of the project and provide some extra buffer from 680 noise. A one-acre park with a playground, orchard, and community garden would round out the project.

It is nice to see a mixed-use development of this size being planned for East San Jose. Downtown and North San Jose are getting most of the attention right now, but other San Jose districts are going to evolve as well.

Source: SVBJ (subscription required)