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A three-mile walk in 80-degree heat is difficult as is. But for San Jose Flea Market vendor Cesar Pardo, he felt it was his duty to support his fellow retailers. Dozens of vendors—along with representatives from labor and advocacy groups Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), Working Partnerships USA, SIREN, Catalyze SV and other supporters—marched...
Google, San Jose work out affordable housing goals
Google is coming to downtown San Jose and it’s bringing 4,000 housing units with it. But making sure that a quarter of those units are affordable will be difficult. The biggest obstacle to building affordable housing, city leaders say, is the high cost of land. “The great thing about the Google model is that they’re not...
Developers propose high-rise at historic San Jose restaurant
In the 1950s, youngsters bopped to doo-wop, folks dined at drive-in burger joints and architects dreamed of homes in outer space. It was in this decade that the “Googie” style of architecture flourished, eventually bearing the construction of what would become Bo Town restaurant in downtown San Jose. Now developers aim to erect a 29-story residential tower at...
San Jose to receive boost from sale of debt-ridden Hayes Mansion
Two years after the sale of Hayes Mansion, San Jose has finally rid itself of the property’s massive debt—and it’s actually getting some money back. San Jose bought the historic mansion in 1985 for $2.5 million and turned it into a conference center with a dining room, 214 guest rooms, a pool and a fitness...
WATCH: Opportunity Housing explained
It’s one of the most contentious housing policies to circulate the halls of San Jose City Hall. The plan, called Opportunity Housing, would allow developers to build up to four homes on a single parcel in neighborhoods limited to single-family homes. Supporters hail it as a fix for the South Bay’s crippling housing shortage, saying...
UPDATE: San Jose council approves Google’s Downtown West project
After more than three years of community wrangling and negotiations, one of the world’s largest tech giants will have a home in downtown San Jose. The San Jose City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to approve Google’s Downtown West project, a multi-billion dollar plan by the company to expand into downtown San Jose. “Thousands of our...
Exclusive: New poll finds most San Joseans support massive Google campus
Days before San Jose lawmakers are expected to approve Google’s plan to build a massive campus downtown, a new poll shows a majority of San Joseans support it. A poll sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a prominent tech-driven trade association, shows 70% of voters surveyed support the project overall. When asked about specific...
San Jose: Gov. Newsom fast-tracks housing, economic projects with new bill
Gov. Gavin Newsom joined San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and local labor leaders Thursday in downtown San Jose to sign legislation to fast-track affordable housing developments. The legislation, Senate Bill 7, will allow cities and developers to move affordable housing projects quicker through an environmental review process, often a long procedure fraught with red tape....
Venture capitalist bringing green to downtown San Jose
The 96-year-old Bank of Italy building in downtown San Jose is one of the area’s most recognizable structures—a relic of Rennaisance Revival architecture in the middle of modern high rises. Soon, venture capitalist real estate developer Gary Dillabough, 58, will add a series of hanging gardens to the building’s facade. “We’re hoping to leverage experiences and...
San Jose rejects sanctioned homeless encampments
The San Jose City Council won’t be authorizing sanctioned encampments like advocates had hoped for. Councilmembers voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a sanctioned homeless encampment plan. Sanctioned encampments are designated places where homeless people could live and gather without fear of being cleared out. The city would provide sanitation and hygiene services such as portable...