Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Stop the Oil Trains from Coming to San Jose

There is a plan in place to send mile-long trains carrying crude oil through San Jose. Over 500 trips would take place each year--and it will take about an hour for the train to pass through San Jose each time. Not only are they filled with carcinogens, but if there is an accident it will cause mass casualties and damage that San Joseans will be responsible for. I would highly encourage you to head over to this site and watch the 2 minute video with more information. We need to do everything possible to block this project from moving forward.


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

San Jose Gets a Piece of Super Bowl 50!

Since it was announced that Santa Clara would host Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium next year, it was expected that the city of San Jose would receive some of the benefits as well. After all, our city is a lot closer to the game than San Francisco. San Jose hotels, tourist attractions, and entertainment venues will all do quite well during Super Bowl week. The good news is that the benefits are going to extend beyond that.

A few weeks ago the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee confirmed that one of the teams will be headquartered at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown San Jose and practice at Spartan Stadium. The team will literally be living in Downtown San Jose for the whole week. The hotel is right next to the San Jose Convention Center, The City National Civic, and The Montgomery Theater... I think the odds are quite good that the team will plan some events in the area much like the WWE did during Wrestlemania. There are already talks of using the SAP Center to stage the Super Bowl Media Day. Best of all, these benefits are coming to San Jose for free. Heck, SJSU is even getting a Football locker room upgrade out of this.

Fortunately, San Jose is planning to take full advantage of the situation. Our awesome Downtown Ice Rink in the Circle of Palms will be extended through February 7th and a "party zone" will likely be created Downtown for fans.

Who knows, by the next time a Super Bowl is hosted at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara and San Jose might fully become the official host cities with the auxiliary events in SF.

Source: The Merc


Monday, June 22, 2015

Gateway Tower Update!

Nathan Donato-Weinstein from the Silicon Valley Business Journal has gotten his hands on the latest renders for the Gateway Tower in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District, and it looks magnificent! The Market St. side is a bit more straight-edge and traditional while the side on North First facing SoFA is is more edgy with just about every unit getting a corner view. This is exactly the type of design needed for the area and I love the use of a new yellow highlight color that doesn't really exist in the Downtown skyline today.

The building will be 24-stories and 270-units. It looks like the segregation between market rate and affordable units is gone. Unfortunately it also looks like the podium has been lowered to be on the 6th floor instead of the 7th, meaning the swimming pool will be a bit closer to the ground (it still should be higher up than The Fairmont or The 88).

Retail on the ground floor will clock in between 4,000 and 6,000 SQFT with the bulk of that at the corner of William and First Street. The parking structure would be towards San Carlos Street with one level below ground (and I'm guessing 3-4 levels above).

Oh, and the developer is also planning to build a 105-unit mid-rise across the street on land currently occupied by an Enterprise Rent-A-Car (3rd render below). SoFA is going to be booming in a few years!

Source: SVBJ




Sunday, June 21, 2015

Give Pokebowl a Home

Pokebowl is a popular Poke stand that is a staple of Friday Farmer's Market on San Pedro with a ton of loyal followers. They are are looking to open up a permanent location with both Poke bowls and Brazilian Acai bowls in the SoFA market by the end of the summer! Unfortunately they are about $35,000 short of what is needed to open up shop, so they decided to use Kickstarter to try to raise the remaining funds.

They have a lot of great rewards. For a $10 pledge, you get a limited edition "Stephen Curry" Poke bowl and a cup of fresh watermelon or pineapple juice. For $600 you get a year's worth of Poke. Their ultimate reward comes with a $5,000 Kickstarter pledge: a round trip ticket to Brazil for Carnaval 2016 and a live show, plus an exclusive catering event for 20 people.

Head over to the Pokebowl Kickstarter page to bring them to SoFA!





San Jose's Office of Economic Development Launches SJEconomy.com

San Jose boosters have gotten a new tool to promote business development in the area. San Jose's Office of Economic Development launched a new site last month with tons of great resources and statistics. It's very well designed, mobile-friendly, and is worth checking out right over here.


SAN JOSE'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE --SJECONOMY.COM

Dear Readers of SJ Economy News,

I hope you've noticed that we've stepped up our efforts over the last two years to produce fresh, useful communications materials that help you succeed in San Jose -- including this news brief, beautiful new online brochures, frequent news releases, and our active Twitter feed.

In this issue, I am very proud to announce our new website -- SJEconomy.com.  Through SJEconomy.com, you'll have easy access to information from your PC or mobile device.   The new site is organized by People, Places, Business, and How We Help in San Jose. It includes maps of growth areas, a real estate locator tool, compelling facts and statistics, CEO testimonials, and photos you can download and use.   There's  a special section serving Brokers and Developers. You can contact the Office of Economic Development and staff easily through the About page.

Please join me in thanking San Jose's amazing economic development team -- and especially the Project Lead Cara Douglas -- for creating this critical resource. I hope you enjoy previewing SJEconomy.com and use it as your "go to" San Jose business development site.

Please let me know what you think, and how we can improve further by contacting Cara Douglas, Senior Business Communications Manager.

Kim Walesh
Director of Economic Development
Deputy City Manager

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Sourisseau News: Fiesta De Las Rosas Parade

Check out the latest Sourisseau News video highlighting the Fiesta De Las Rosas Parade, which goes all the way back to 1896. You can think of this event as the predecessor to San Jose's Cinco de Mayo festivities and the Rose, White, and Blue Parade.


Fiesta De Las Rosas Parade from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.
Santa Clara County's Rose-themed festival bloomed on and off from 1896 to 1969. Enjoy its history in photographs.

Friday, June 19, 2015

San Pedro Square Market Outdoor Cinema Series


San Pedro Square Market Special Events: Join SPSM this summer for 3 free movie nights! Bring the family and invite your friends to enjoy the summer weather, market eateries, and some of our favorite movies on the big screen under the SPSM Sign.

  • Hook: June 24th
  • Pitch Perfect: July 29th
  • The Avengers: August 26th

Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, and we'll see you at dusk!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week - Kickoff is Tomorrow!

If you want great food at a great price, Dine Downtown San Jose starts tomorrow. 23 Restaurants will be offering 3 course prix-fixe dinners for $20, $30, or $40. Oh, and for the first time a few restaurants will be offering lunch specials (including Curry Pundits, The Fountain, Take One Pizza, and Tengu Sushi). You can find those here.

Of the participating restaurants, there are a few I need to call out specifically:
  • The Craftsman - this used to be "First to Market." They still have a lot of their classic items (the pimento mac & cheese is a must) and a mixology-grade cocktail bar, but freshened up the design a bit.
  • The Capital Club - private club on the top floor of the "Knight Ridder" building. This is your best chance to dine up there without having to pay the membership fees. The view from their massive outdoor balconies is incredible--no other place like this in the Bay Area.
  • Arcadia - Michael Mina's signature San Jose restaurant. Try the tuna tar tar and the foie gras sliders.
  • Nemea - The best Greek restaurant in San Jose.
  • Scott's Seafood - I know this is a chain, but there isn't another Scott's like this one. They just redid their outdoor patio, which is on the roof of a 7-story parking structure. Awesome view, great ambiance, and delicious food.
To see the full restaurant list, head over here!