Oracle "Supergraphic" in Downtown San Jose

Just in time for the Super Bowl, Oracle has put up one heck of a banner on their high-rise in Downtown San Jose. Apparently they did this without getting permission from the city, which has ordinances against signs this large. However, Scott Knies from the San Jose Downtown Association is arguing that those ordinances should be relaxed for temporary world-class events like the Super Bowl. What do you guys think? Should we allow this kind of signage Downtown?

Source: The Merc

If you are a fan of skateboarding, Empire Seven Studios has a great new exhibit for you. They have works from over 40 artists in tribute to Jim Phillips, both an artist and skateboarding icon. There is an opening reception tomorrow from 7-10pm. The exhibit will be at Empire Seven Studios (525 N. 7th Street) until January 30th.

Featuring over 40 international and locally curated artists:
Jason Adams, Jason Arnold, Ben Alexy, Lou Barberio, John Barrick, BB Bastidas, Bigfoot, Andrei Bouzikov, Blake Brand, Todd Bratrud, Steve Caballero, Thomas Campbell. Nathan Carrico. Sean Cliver, Sam Davidson, Ken Davis, Tim Diet, Dirty Donny, Eric Dressen, Jessica Eastburn, Tyler Emanuel, Jeremy Fish, Drew Flores, Israel Forbes, Justin Forbes, Amanda Fox, Mark "Fos" Foster, Todd Francis, Colin Frangicetto, Funeral French, Nicky Gaston, Erlin Geffrard, Mike Giant, Benny Gold, Mark Gonzales, Abel Gonzalez, Scotty Greathouse, Andres Guerrero, Harv, Keith Haupt, Mark Heredia, Ben Horton, Paul Imagine, Aye Jay, Jay222, Andy Jenkins, Jesico, Jason Jessee, Tyson Johnston, Natas Kaupus, Eric Kneeland, John Lucero, Frances Marin, Keith Meek, Zack Morrissey, Jeff Meadows, Mesngr, Mouse, John Munnerlyn, Lucas Musgrave, Steve Olson, Opski, Mitsy Avila Ovalles, Judi Oyama, Kyle Pellet, Jim Phillips Sr., Jimbo Phillips, Colby Phillips, Pitchgrim, Andy Pitts, Ben Ramey, Brian Romero, Drew Roulette, Crab Scrambly, Michael Siebon, Skinner, State of Grace Taki, Jai Tanju, Jeral Tidwell. Mark Widmann, Tosh Woods, Makoto Yamaki
...and many more!''

Distribution Center Planned for South San Jose

There have not been talks of major development in the Coyote Valley region since plans for Cisco's new 6.6 million SQFT headquarters fell through in the early 2000s. That will soon change, but the development is not what you would expect. The Panattoni Development Company has submitted an application for a 517,000 SQFT warehouse and distribution center. The building would have 36-foot-tall "clear heights" and a high-tech sprinkler system, making it very attractive to companies like Amazon.

E-commerce companies are scrambling to build distribution and logistics centers to keep up with demand. Over six million SQFT of industrial buildings in the Bay Area have been repurposed for commercial, residential, or some other use. Only three million SQFT of new industrial space has been built to replace what was taken away. That leaves high demand for industrial space with limited areas that allow for industrial development.

The proposed project is only 20 miles away from the bulk of the Bay Area's population and is conveniently a reverse commute. Panattoni plans to develop it speculatively, meaning they are willing to construct it even without a signed tenant. If the stars align, they could start construction this September.

This won't be the only new industrial project in the area. Panattoni is also building a new warehouse for DBI Beverage just a few miles north along with another 111,000 SQFT warehouse that is not yet leased.

Source: SVBJ

January 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Two new illuminated art projects are now open underneath Highway 87 at Santa Clara Street and San Fernando Street. The interactive projects will make people feel safer and also bring unique artwork to the streets of San Jose.
• There will be several activities in relation to the Super Bowl this year:
• Plaza de Cesar Chavez will have a beer garden, cafe, games, interactive lighting, and music from January 29th to February 7th.
• Part of San Pedro Square will be closed off to create a football-themed atmosphere.
• Downtown Ice will have an extended season and be open daily until February 7th.
• South First Fridays presents SoFA's WINTER MRKT will be on February 5th and have a Super Bowl theme
• Guadalupe River Run on February 7th.
• The NFC champion team will be staying at the Marriott Hotel.
• An NFL merchandise store will open at 300 S. First St.
• The Super Bowl Opening Night will be at the SAP Center on February 1st
• San Jose State University will operate and manage the Hammer Theatre Center for the next three years (formerly the Rep). SJSU will produce events and rent the theater to arts groups. Events could begin this year.
• A new Barber's mural has been painted outside the shop at 332 E. Santa Clara Street.

To read the newsletter, click here!

Plaza de Cesar Chavez Hosting Light Shows, Cafe, and Beer Garden During Super Bowl Week

Downtown San Jose has ambitious plans for Super Bowl Week. Plaza de Cesar Chavez is going to be transformed into the epicenter of South Bay festivities thanks to $150,000 in privately funded improvements (split between the Adobe Foundation and the Knight Foundation).

The trees will be lit with animated LED displays that are synchronized with both live and recorded music. There will be a new cafe and beer garden open from noon until 10pm and well as food trucks along the perimeter of the park. They will even have games for visitors such as a scaled-down football field and ping pong tables.

Some of the attractions will be used to showcase what can be done in urban parks, while some others like lighting improvements and new furniture will be permanent. That is a big win for our top park in Downtown San Jose. Hopefully we will do more events like this in the future. A permanent cafe in the middle of the park would not be a bad idea either.

You will be able to check out the new and improved Plaza de Cesar Chavez from January 29th to February 7th.

Source: SVBJ

More Info on the "Greyhound Bus" Towers

KT Urban has to be the most prolific Downtown San Jose developer right now. They were responsible for Axis, One South, and played a big part in Silvery Towers. Those three also happen to be among the most impressive projects in the area. KT Urban has built a strong brand for themselves--they know how to move projects forward and deliver a quality product. That is one of the reasons why I was excited when they proposed the largest residential project in the history of Downtown San Jose last month.

KT is looking to build 708 residential units in an area currently occupied by a Greyhound Bus station. The project consists of two towers, one would be 24 stories (251 feet tall) and the other would be 23 stories (241 feet tall). There would be 13,5000 SQFT of retail on the ground floor, mostly along Post Street. The location is also very central, with easy access to most of Downtown's amenities.

A few more details have leaked out. The project would include a five-story 708 space parking garage, two levels would be above ground and three under ground. If this number is correct, that means there would only be one space per unit built. Since some spaces will be reserved for retail, this means that there is an assumption that not everyone who has a unit is going to purchase a parking space. This would represent a substantial change of in mentality for the area. Perhaps not everyone needs a car in San Jose. The new project will be close to Light Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, Caltrain, some of the best bike lanes anywhere, and eventually BART. If they only build 708 parking spaces, this could represent the beginning of a new era for Downtown.

Speaking of transit, the article referenced below mentioned that the Greyhound station will likely move to Diridon Station. That seems like a much more appropriate location and I wonder why it was not located there in the first place.

There are now 8,629 residential units that are either existing, under construction, or proposed in Downtown San Jose. That is the largest number in history, and the way things are going we may see it rise even further in 2016.

Source: The Registry

Downtown San Jose Drone Footage

A few people have been bringing drones to Downtown San Jose and capturing some impressive aerial footage. You can two of the best videos below. It would be interesting to see this same footage during December when all of the holiday decorations are up.

Source: Dirt Patch and Cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum

Saturday Stats: San Jose has the Longest Life Expectancy of all US Metro Areas

San Jose has always ranked highly in terms of healthiest metros. Combine that with the great moderate weather and enough income to afford proper medical care, and you will naturally get to this latest stat. The San Jose metro has the highest life expectancy in the United States, clocking in at 82.7 years.

San Jose's smoking rate is only 10.3% versus a national average of 20%. Obesity in San Jose is at 20.5% versus a national average of 27%. Another interesting stat is that the San Jose Metro has the lowest mortality rate from all causes of any other Bay Area region.

So in conclusion, if you want to live a long time you are in the right place!

Source: SVBJ

Topgolf Considering San Jose for first Bay Area Location

Topgolf is like a collision between a driving range and a Dave & Busters. They have 20 locations across the US, which are huge regional entertainment draws and can command multi-hour wait times to get in. Each location typically has a high-tech three story driving range, multiple restaurants and bars, and business centers for corporate events. The balls have embedded micro-chips that let you know how close you came to hitting various targets on the field. Players are scored based on accuracy and distance. The experience is closer to a trendy bowling alley than a traditional driving range.

The location that Topgolf is eyeing is Pin High Golf Center in Alviso. The project could be part of a new retail center that would include up to 100,000 SQFT of retail and a 200-room hotel. This area is just down the street from the @First Shopping Center and around a mile away from Levi's Stadium and Santa Clara's planned shopping and entertainment center. Not only would it help capitalize on events happening in Santa Clara, but it would help service North San Jose where retail is still scarce.

The only other planned California Topgolf location so far is in Sacramento, and that will open in November 2016.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose-based Nutanix May IPO This Month

Nutanix offers storage and visualization solutions that are used in data centers around the globe. The company will likely be one of the first Silicon Valley IPO this year and is hoping to raise $200 million. The company currently has 1,368 employees and revenues of $241 million a year. You will be able to find them under the NASDAQ symbol of NTNX.

The company is headquartered near SJC at 1740 Technology Dr #150. The infusion of money will mean more growth for the company, additional job openings, and an opportunity for current employees to cash in some of those shares and contribute to the local economy.

Source: SVBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: E-paper Signs for Transit

London has become one of the first cities in the world to test out using e-paper signs to provide real-time transit information at its bus stops. The signs show how long until each bus arrives, but they can also provide additional information by using three buttons below the display.

What is really nice about e-ink is that it uses almost no power. This is the same technology that is used in the Kindle. It can display what is on the screen indefinitely without using any electricity, energy is only used when the screen updates. These signs can be solar powered and in London they will use 3G data to get updated information. The fact that you would not have to plug them in anywhere makes them relatively easy to roll out and install.

These types of signs would be great for VTA's growing bus network. Light Rail is already getting color flat-screens. E-paper signs would provide a less expensive alternative for VTA's hundreds of bus stations. They could also be used to show ads and other information to help cover their costs.

Source: Engadget

Adega Restaurant Review

I was initially heartbroken when Sousa's, the only Portuguese sit-down restaurant in Silicon Valley, closed earlier this year after a 33-year run. Ordering Sousa's for special occasions was a family tradition of ours. However, it is time for a new generation of chefs to carry the torch and bring their own unique spin to Portuguese cuisine.

The restaurant was sold to husband-and-wife chef team David Costa and Jessica Carreira along with Carlos and Fernanda Carreira (Jessica's parents). Jessica was born and raised in San Jose. She studied cooking at the Cordon Bleu and then went to Portugal for three years to master Portuguese cuisine. By age 20 she became the head pastry chef at Restaurant Eleven, a Michelin-star restaurant in Lisbon. That is also where she met her husband David Costa. David had been cooking for over ten years and believes in transforming traditional dishes without destroying the original flavor. He has worked at several notable restaurants in addition to Restaurant Eleven and was the sous-chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Lisbon.

With Adega (which means wine cellar), David and Jessica have realized their life-dream of opening their own Portuguese restaurant. There is character in every corner of the space. Much of the furniture is hand made, original tools used in wine-making are hanging on the walls, there is a traditional tile mosaic on the back wall, even the plates and dishware are imported from Portugal. True to the restaurant's name, Adega's massive collection of Portuguese wines is one of the first things you'll notice when walking in. It is immediately clear that this is not a cookie-cutter restaurant.

Before I get to the food, let me just say I am Portuguese-American and have been eating amazing home-cooked Portuguese meals for 35 years. I've visited Portugal over 20 times and have had countless amazing, authentic meals there. The dinner I had at Adega in San Jose, was easily one of the top five Portuguese meals I have ever had in my life. I think the food here is something that everyone can appreciate, even if you have never had a Portuguese dish before. This could very well be the best fine-dining restaurant in San Jose right now.

STARTERS

House-made hummus and Portuguese bread - These comes complimentary. The hummus is a unique blend and may change from one visit to the next. The marinated olives are perfect to nibble on while you browsing the menu and wine list.

Pork belly, pea puree, poached quail egg - A must-order dish! Pork belly has become very popular in the US over the last few years. This combines perfectly cooked slices of pork with an outstanding pea puree that could stand on its own. Add the quail egg and you have magic on a plate. The presentation is also gorgeous.

Sweet prawns in a buttery garlic sauce - This is a very simple dish that is exploding with flavor. I forgot to ask how long the prawns are marinaded for, but I imagine it is a very long time. These were so good that we were looking around the table to see other's reactions when they bit into the shrimp.

Rabbit terrine with pine nuts, pistachios and cous-cous salad - Rabbit is not something you see often on American tables, but it is a popular staple of Portuguese cooking. The taste is similar to chicken and is not gamey at all like other "exotic" meats. At Adega, it is prepared perfectly in a terrine mixed with nuts and each slice sits on a bed of cous-cous. The sweet sauce on the bottom is what really elevated the whole dish for me and made it all come together. If you are adventurous, you have to try this one.

Octopus salad with roasted red pepper sauce - As beautiful as this dish was, I could only try a small bite since I'm allergic to raw onion. Everyone else at the table had no problem cleaning this plate.

SOUPS

Fresh cut kale, chourico bits, cream of potato (Caldo Verde) - This is as traditional of a Portuguese soup as you can get. It tastes just as good as how my grandmother made it, but Adega dresses up the soup with a modern presentation I have never seen before. It tastes as good as it looks.

Seafood bisque, aspic of lobster & oysters - Absolutely delicious. This is as good as any soup I have ever ordered at a Michelin-star restaurant. The soup is poured over the seafood table-side.

ENTREES

Ribeye steak, crispy Iberico ham, fried egg, fried potatoes (Bife a Portuguesa) - Wow, what an amazing and fun interpretation of a Portuguese classic. Usually this is a marinated flat-iron steak topped with an egg and french fries, but Adega has put a tuxedo on this traditional dish. They use a premium Ribeye which comes medium-rare and sizzling on a hot stone (similar to Rok Bistro). You can leave it on the stone to cook to your favorite temperature and then combine it the accompaniments on the neighboring plate.

Braised beef, roasted taro root puree, sauteed spinach (Alcatra e Inhame) - Another outstanding beef plate. This one is less interactive than the Bife a Portuguesa, but combines melt-in-your-mouth beef with taro mashed potatoes and surprisingly flavorful spinach. This was one of my wife's favorites.

Sea bass cooked with potatoes, bacon, green beans - The fish was flaky, crispy, and moist all at the same time. The texture was excellent and it had the right amount of spices.

DESSERTS

Fried coconut rice pudding, passion fruit sauce, mojito sorbet (Arroz Doce Adega) - This might be the best Portuguese dessert I have ever had. It was not a traditional rice pudding like what I was expecting. You have three fried pastries filled with coconut rice and combine those with the passion fruit sauce and mojito sorbet in the middle. I could have eaten a half-dozen of these. This is another must-order item.

Flan pudding, caramel tile, caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream - This is definitely not your traditional flan. I like this version much more and my table devoured the flan in about 20 seconds.

Orange roulade cake, cream cheese, in cardamom sauce - I don't think I have ever had this before in Portuguese cooking so I have nothing to compare this to. It was sweet, decadent, and the cake was the perfect sponge for the sauces and cream cheese.

BEVERAGES

Adega has what is likely the largest collection of Portuguese wines of any restaurant outside of Portugal. Chef Jessica's parents are both in the wine industry and have used their connections to get over 200 different types of wine across multiple regions of Portugal. You will probably need some help picking a wine similar to what you are used to, but I would recommend being adventurous and trying something that you will never find anywhere else. My pick would be a "Green Wine" (Vinho Verde), which comes from one of two varietals exclusive to Portugal. The cost for these is very inexpensive and Adega has some of the best ever made.

For dessert, you can add a shot of Port, Madeira, or Moscatel to help close out a wonderful meal. They have suggested pairings for each dessert and the cost is only $5.

Adega also has a selection of Portuguese beers and sodas. If you are going non-alcoholic then I recommend the passion fruit soda.

In conclusion, you should book a reservation ASAP before the word gets out. Adega is San Jose's best shot at getting its first Michelin Star Restaurant in 2017 and is a shining example of what the next generation of San Jose restaurants could be.

Adega is open for both lunch and dinner at 1614 Alum Rock Avenue. Hours are 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6pm to 10pm Wednesday through Sunday. Parking is available behind the restaurant, across the street, and valet parking is available on weekends. You can book a table from the Adega Website.

New Mixed-Use Residential Project Slated for East San Jose

We are going to kick off the first workweek of 2016 with two big stories for East San Jose. Today, we'll talk about the first major development proposal in decades for East San Jose. Tomorrow, we'll have an in depth restaurant review for what might just be the best new restaurant in all of San Jose--and it happens to be in East San Jose.

The Empire Lumber site at 1260 E. Santa Clara Street is clearly a prime spot for redevelopment given that it is across the street from a future BART station. Despite the fact that we won't see any trains stopping at that station until the year 2025 or so, developers have already started taking serious interest in the neighborhood.

Steinberg has proposed a seven-story mixed-use building with 418 apartments and 30,000 SQFT of commercial space on the ground floor. As you can see from the drawings below, this is not your typical building in East San Jose. You have large sidewalks with outdoor dining along Santa Clara Street facing Five Wounds Portuguese National Church--one of our most iconic buildings. There are plenty of large balconies for residents, including some nice ones on the penthouse floors. There is a swimming pool and green space on the podium level above the retail and parking, and Steinberg even designed it to have a view. A publicly accessible urban plaza would sit between two large retail pads: 18,000 SQFT on East Santa Clara Street and 12,000 SQFT at the corner of Santa Clara and 28th Street.

The Empire Lumber lot currently houses a used-car dealership, definitely not the best use for this land. There is some push-back from the community on the proposed height of 85 feet. The current site plan has a cap of 55 feet on part of the proposal, so Steinberg would require a variance to get approval. Given this location near a future BART station and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station that will hopefully go live by the end of this year, we should be going as dense and tall as possible. This would be a terrific addition to the neighborhood!

Source: SVBJ

VTA Adding Monitors to Light Rail Stations

VTA is in the process of adding a huge convenience feature to the Light Rail system. The 20 busiest stations are getting 47-inch passenger information monitors that will let riders know when the next train arrives. Every station marked with an "i" below will have the new system by January 6th.

There are a total of 62 VTA Light Rail stations and it is possible that the other 42 will get the real-time information monitors at some point in the future. It would also be nice to get these installed at the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations and popular bus stations.

The monitors were provided by Allied Telesis, a San Jose company based at 3200 N. 1st Street.

Source: SVBJ

Play on Words: New Year Noveau at San Jose's Cafe Stritch on January 6th

Play On Words is a collaborative literary arts series that unites emerging and established interdisciplinary artists, fiction/theater enthusiasts, and curious community members eager to learn more about the processes of creative writing and creating performances.

Below is their 2014 Highlights Reel, which includes excerpts of three shows performed at San Jose's Blackbird Tavern, as well as their San Francisco LitCrawl debut in October of last year. 

They are performing at Cafe Stritch this Wednesday from 7-9pm. The show is complimentary, but there is a $5 suggested donation at the door. For more information, please head over to the Play On Words Facebook Event Page.

Saturday Stats: 2015 Meta Post!

It's that time of year again to look back and see the top "Saturday Stats" of 2015. The list is yet again quite impressive. San Jose ranked as the top city for salaries (both before and after cost of living adjustments), tech jobs, job opportunities, job market, advanced industry sector employment, tech hub innovation, college students, and have the most future-ready economy in the US. Those were just the #1 rankings. There are many more below.

You can also see the full list of "Saturday Stats" (including previous years) with article links over here.

Rank	Stat	Source	Year	Notes
#1-10	Top 10 Happiest Cities in the World	National Geographic	2015	SF and NY did not rank
#13	Best City to Find a Job	WalletHub	2015	SF #20, NY #90
#7	Healthiest Place in America	NerdWallet	2015	SF #2, NY #15
#3	Highest GDP Per Capita in the World	SiliconBeat	2015	SF #12
#1	Advanced Industry Sector Employment	SiliconBeat	2015	SF #5
#1	Most Innovative Tech Hub in the US	NerdWallet	2015	SF #3
#6	Most Racially and Linguistically Diverse City in the US	WalletHub	2015	NY #4, SF #13, Oakland #14
#1	Best Place for Tech Jobs	Nerdwallet	2015	SF #6, NY #67
#1	Top Metro for Job Opportunities	Glassdoor	2015
#1	Hottest Job Market	SiliconBeat	2015	SF #2
#3	Best City to Raise a Family In	Healthline	2015	SF #9
#7	Economic Growth between 2008 and 2014	WalletHub	2015	SF #15, Oakland #13
#2	Best City to Trick-or-treat In	Zillow	2015	SF #1
#1	Highest Salary after Cost of Living Adjustments	SVBJ	2015	SF #9
#1	Future-ready City Economy America	Dell	2015	SF #2, NY #3
#1	"Richest City" in America (Greatest Gross Metropolitan Product [GMP])	Bloomberg	2015	SF #3, NY #8
#1	Best Mid-sized Region for College Students	American Institute for Economic Research	2015
#7	Best Place to Own a Home	Porch	2015	SF #47, NY #26

Welcome to 2016 San Jose!

Happy New Year everyone! 2015 was a phenomenal year for San Jose and I'm optimistic that 2016 is going to be even better. Here is a look back on how we did on 2015 predictions as well as a look to the future.

2015 PREDICTIONS

• 2nd Generation Residential High-Rises - It has been a long time since a high-rise residential project opened up in San Jose. This year both One South and Centerra will start leasing and will bring a thousand new residents to our city's urban core. Success. One South has filled up nicely and Centerra has just started leasing. Both of these should be completely full in early 2016. 
• Half-a-Dozen More Cranes Downtown - 2014 is the first year I can remember since the early 2000s where we had three cranes in the air Downtown. 2015 will have many more. Silvery Towers, the AC Hotel, Marshall Squares, the Post & San Pedro Tower, Park View Towers, Symphony Towers, and Mill Creek are all expected to start construction this year. We get partial credit for this one. Silvery Towers, the AC Hotel, and Symphony Towers are all well under construction. Marshall Squares and Mill Creek will definitely get going this year. The rest are still up in the air but have good chances along with new 2015 proposals for the North San Pedro Tower, Museum Place, SJSC Towers, Sobrato Block 3, the Greyhound Towers, and #Diridon. 2016 could have more cranes than at any other time in San Jose's history.
• Retail and Office will Thrive Downtown - We are finally building enough critical mass Downtown to make retail succeed, and just about every project mentioned above will have a retail component to help fill gaps between retail centers. Office vacancies will likely fall below 10% as more tech startups realize what a great value and experience Downtown San Jose provides. Fail. Office vacancies did not fall below 10% and we still have key retail gaps, but this is one I'm still optimistic we can hit in 2016.
• Stadiums Galore - Last year we have the grand opening of Levi's Stadium, which is bringing multiple world-class events a stones-throw away from North San Jose. Our hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities are also benefactors here. The new Earthquakes Stadium also goes live in 2015, bringing even more events and quality professional sports to San Jose (along with the largest outdoor bar in North America). Success. Avaya Stadium and Levi's Stadium have both proven to be enormously beneficial and boosted our local economy. 2016 will bring the Super Bowl to Silicon Valley and San Jose is already shaping up to be a key benefactor from the event.  
• More Great Restaurants - Last year we got First to Market, Taurinus Brazilian Steakhouse, Spuds, Garlic Bread, Seven Seas Sushi, Nick the Greek, and a lot of other great places. 2015 is going to be the year of the Urban Markets with the SoFA Market realizing its potential and a new Market going up by SJSU. Success. The restaurant scene blossomed in 2015 with major additions such as Lou's Beach Shack, Konjoe-Tei, Hawaiian Poke Bowl, Deluxe, Voltaire, Aura, HOM. The SoFA Market is nearly full, and the new SJSU market should be ready by the end of 2016. With Centerra nearly complete and Silvery Towers under construction, the amount of eateries in the San Pedro Square Market area should double by 2017. We also have some great additions slated for 2016 such as Sushi Confidential, Uproar Brewery, and Social Policy.
• More flights at SJC - We got Tokyo in 2013 and we're about due for at least one new international route this year. You can also expect more routes and flights and the economy continues to thrive. Success. We could not have nailed this any better! Instead of closing one new international route, we are getting four! San Jose will have direct flights to Beijing, London, Frankfurt, and Vancouver in 2016. Seoul and Shanghai are rumored to be in the works as well.
• BRT Launches - We will have our first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line this year, which will run between Downtown and Eastridge. BRT combines the convenience of Light Rail with low construction costs, and may be key to dramatically improving public transit in the short term. More BRT lines and the BART extension area also on their way. Fail. The Alum Rock BRT line was delayed by a whole year and the construction caused a lot of damage to the community. Hopefully we will get this one back on track.
• The Completion of Santana Row - The last major development projects to complete the original vision for Santana Row should be under construction this year. Not to worry, Federal Realty will soon start working on a brand new project across next to the Winchester Mystery House. Success. Santana Row construction is in full swing. An entire building has been leased to Splunk, and there are plans to build a major office campus across the street.

That's a wrap, hope you all have an amazing first day of 2016!