San Jose has opened its first ever retail storefront for cannabis in the heart of downtown. For years the city had strict rules on where dispensaries could operate, relegating them to industrial areas. Last year the City Council revised regulations on where dispensaries rent space and allowing one operator to have more than one location. Mark Ritchie, president...
San Jose food hall has rocky start
People driving by San Jose’s Downtown Food Hall might be forgiven for thinking it’s closed. The dark interior seems to be housing abandoned equipment. Next to a locked door directly under the building’s marquee, an “open” sign is turned off. The real entrance is three windows down, under an incongruous green and white striped awning....
Here’s what’s replacing San Jose’s beloved Flames Eatery
A new restaurant is opening in downtown San Jose at the site of a former meeting hotspot for local politicos. Home Eat, a Chinese restaurant chain with locations in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Fremont, is slated to open sometime next week under a five-year lease with the city. The restaurant will fill the vacant site on...
Downtown San Jose property owner neglects blighted building
It’s been three years since a fire raged through the Lawrence Hotel building in downtown San Jose, but it looks like the fire happened just a couple of days ago. Since the four-alarm fire on Jan. 7, 2021, the historic building on San Fernando and Third streets has been in disrepair with burn marks on...
Historic downtown San Jose park revamp hit with major setback
The plan to turn a historic-yet-blighted downtown San Jose park into a major event venue as part of the city’s revitalization plans faces a major delay. After a four-year battle over a redesign of St. James Park between the city and the Saint Claire Club — the second oldest men’s club in California — the...
San Jose-raised NFL player is energizing downtown
San Jose native and NFL cornerback Chidobe Awuzie has long used his fame and influence to support children in the city where he was raised, hosting annual youth football camps at his alma mater and local stadiums since 2018. But for the past couple of years, Awuzie, who goes by the nickname Chido, has set...
Downtown San Jose high-rise aimed at college students
Plans years in the making for a 25-story apartment tower across from San Jose State University are moving forward. The San Jose City Council on March 12 is slated to consider greenlighting developer Nelly Amas’ plans for a 210-apartment building at 439 S. Fourth St. Councilmembers have final say on the project after it received...
Deal falls through at former San Jose Safeway
An empty commercial space in downtown San Jose where a Safeway was previously located is still vacant nearly five years later, after an oral wellness company backed out of a deal to move there last summer. Downtown advocates and residents remain hopeful another grocery store can fill the space, but officials say that could still...
Angelou’s in downtown San Jose reopening on First Street
Fans of hearty burritos and saucy enchiladas may have felt a pang of absence when Angelou’s Mexican Grill closed its doors at 21 N. Second St. in downtown San Jose at the end of 2023. But devotees of the San Jose institution can take comfort knowing Angelou’s is set to resume slinging Cali burritos, carne...
What’s next for blighted former church in San Jose?
Months after work crews removed tattered tarps and worn wraps from a languishing, historic former church in downtown San Jose, preservationists are worried city officials have lost urgency around protecting the building for the long term. The former First Church of Christ Scientist near St. James Park has been exposed to public view since late...