Latest renderings for a massive North San Jose residential project

A major infill development at 211-281 River Oaks Parkway is starting to come into focus. The project would have 737 residential units broken down into 637 apartments and 100 townhomes. 132 of the units would be reserved for affordable housing. The market rate homes will range from 536 to 1,290 SQFT for apartments and 1,230 to 1,790 SQFT for the townhomes. Enough parking would be built to accommodate 891 cars and 345 bicycles.

The location is quite good, as it is right in the middle of the Golden Triangle with easy access to San Jose's tech jobs. It's also facing Crescent Village and it's popular crescent shaped park. Several great restaurants would be a short walk away--shout out to Laksana Thai and Curry Up Now.

The developer is expecting to start construction on the townhomes by November 2026 and the apartments in the middle of 2028.

Source: SF YIMBY

Movies shooting in San Jose

Several movies have been shot in San Jose in the past like Flubber, Mad City, The Rookie, and several others. However, did you know there are several film projects happening right now in San Jose? 

I found a link of active projects which feature multiple short films and several are still looking to hire actors. If you have ever been interesting in being featured in a movie, hit the source link below for more information.

Source: Tracy Press

Rollati had added an Italian Mercato to Downtown San Jose

Rollati was my favorite new restaurant opening in Downtown San Jose for 2023. It brough upscale Italian cuisine to the City Hall neighborhood, nestled under the two MIRO high-rises across the street from the City Hall Rotunda. Now they have added a cute little Italian store with groceries and gifts on the side of the restaurant.

They're stocking pastas, cheeses, olives, salads, and an assortment of beverages. It's one more reason to check out an already exceptional restaurant.

Source: 408Nate on X

Pete Be Center to bring more live music and events to SoFA District

San Jose's SoFA District took a hit when Uproar Brewery closed down. Even after the transition to Level Uproar, it still couldn't stay afloat. Now another entrepreneur is taking over the space and turning it into an event space.

Pete Be wants Downtown San Jose to be a major social destination seven days a week. He wants to build a venue that will activate the area and bring more popular musical acts to San Jose. The Pete Be Center is crucial to that goal.

The venue is a sizable 11,000 SQFT including the mezzanine. In addition to live music, he is planning to host block parties on the sidewalk and street outside and have cultural events. His goal is to regularly bring 1,500 to 2,000 people to SoFA for events.

If everything goes according to plan, the party will start between April and June next year.

Source: The Mercury News

Sky Zone coming to Hacienda Gardens in Willow Glen

A former Rite Aid that has been empty since October 2023 at Hacienda Gardens is getting a new lease on life. The trampoline park chain called Sky Zone is prepping to open a new location there in the middle of 2025.

Sky Zone picked the space since there are nor many active entertainment options in the immediate area for families, despite it being a family-friendly neighborhood. The real estate broker described the area as high-income with lots of kids.

Hacienda Gardens has 22 tenants total including Dollar Tree, Banfield Pet Hospital, Jack Holder's, Wells Fargo, and Ginza Sushi. There is one other Sky Zone in San Jose at 1901 Monterey Road.

Source: SVBJ

New Tasca Portuguese food truck

Portuguese food has been getting more popular in the Bay Area, especially thanks to Adega (San Jose's first and only Michelin star restaurant ever) and Petiscos (Downtown San Jose's only Michelin-recommended restaurant). However, one thing I have never seen before is a Portuguese food truck. Tasca Portuguese is the first I am aware of in the Bay Area.

The truck has a short menu with a focus on Portuguese street food, but it does have some surprises. There are starters like Linguiça and Bacalhau (codfish dumplings) and traditional sandwich options using staples like pork and steak cutlets. However, there are two exotic options. The Sandes de Alcatra uses an Azorean specialty where the beef is cooked in a clay pot for hours with tons of delicious spices. I have never seen a sandwich made out of it before. Even more adventurous is the octopus sandwich which uses well-marinated chunks of octopus stuffed in Portuguese bread. Desserts include a classic crowd-please, Pastel de Natas.

You can find the food truck at 1401 E. Santa Clara Street near Five Wounds Church on Monday through Friday from 11am to 8pm and on Sunday from 10am to 8pm.

Source: Yelp

VTA providing funding to help build transit villages in San Jose

The VTA is going to provide 14 grants up to $175,000 to help spur housing and commercial development within a 10 minute walk from three key VTA light rail stations. Those neighborhoods are Downtown San Jose, Santa Clara Street, 28th Street.

Funding will come from ground leases on land the VTA already owns. No new taxes are required.

This is a great initiative as we absolutely need to densify areas around key transportation routes. It is the only way to grow without contributing to the ever-worsening Silicon Valley traffic. 

Source: NBC Bay Area

Vallarta Supermarkets opening first Bay Area location in San Jose

A popular Mexican supermarket chain is taking over two long-vacant retail spaces at The Plant shopping center in Central San Jose. Toys 'R Us and Babies 'R Us closed a whopping six years ago. That's a lot of wasted space. Now they will become a Vallarta Supermarket in 2026.

Vallarta is very popular in SoCal and offers many traditional foods native to Mexico. The planned San Jose store will be 65,000 SQFT and have both groceries and retail items. It's going to be a full-service grocer with a kitchen featuring many traditional favorites from Mexico and Central America. It'll have a dedicated tortilleria, agua frescas bar, and organic products.

This will also be a strong anchor tenant to attract more shopper to The Plant and the multitude of restaurants and shops already there. Vallarta has 55 supermarkets in California and the next closest locations are in Watsonville and Salinas.

Source: The Mercury News