The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza is gearing up to launch San Jose’s first distinct cultural district.
Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community development group, announced on June 11 it will award a $50,000 grant to the School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza. As the plaza celebrated 25 years in San Jose, school leaders said they want to bring health care, affordable housing and economic development to the Mayfair neighborhood through “La Avenida,” a cultural district meant to attract development.
“We recognize that the strength of our region’s affordable housing ecosystem is rooted in the capacity of community-based developers who are deeply connected to the neighborhoods they serve,” Housing Trust Silicon Valley CEO Noni Ramos said in a statement.
School of Arts and Culture representatives said they have raised more than 90% of La Avenida’s $30 million goal — but need community help filling the gap. The $50,000 grant will be used to purchase a mostly vacant property on 1747-1785 Alum Rock Ave., directly across from Mexican Heritage Plaza.
The district is envisioned as a 6-acre mixed-use development with affordable housing, local businesses and social service providers. The projects aim to address threats of displacement in the Mayfair neighborhood and greater East San Jose.
“A fully developed La Avenida would be a major win for East San Jose and for the city’s broader economy. With major events coming in 2026, we need to invest in our cultural, business and entertainment districts beyond downtown,” San Jose Chamber of Commerce CEO Leah Toeniskoetter told San José Spotlight, referring to SuperBowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup. “This project brings investment, local ownership and jobs to a historically underserved corridor — and helps to position San Jose as a city that grows inclusively.”
SV Creates CEO Alexandra Urbanowski, also a School of Arts and Culture board member and San José Spotlight columnist, said the $50,00 grant is an important recognition of the leadership role the school plays in the local arts community, as well as in the Alum Rock and East San Jose neighborhoods and business districts.
Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association leaders said a recent $100,000 grant will go toward building a gateway structure for the upcoming cultural district.
“The school is well positioned to lead the further development of an important cultural district in our city, which will demonstrate how the arts can be pivotal in building community health, social cohesion and economic vitality,” Urbanowski told San José Spotlight.
City officials voted last month to add La Avenida to the list of entertainment zones with reduced alcohol consumption restrictions ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl and World Cup events.
“The grant will help the school build its infrastructure and capacity to provide equitable access to arts programming for residents, pay to local artists and resources for all the smaller arts organizations that call the Mexican Heritage Plaza home,” Urbanowski said. “What a nice message today to counter recent federal funding cuts to the arts.”
Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X.
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