SAN JOSE | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed

[homebucket]

Welcome back, gilly! And thanks for sharing the photo update.

[gillynova]

Stealing me from the Austin-sub for a few weeks haha. Glad to be back guys! Here's some more photos:
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Downtown San Jose at night



I was hoping the new mini-golf spot was finished by the time I was home but it’s not even close








Christmas in the Park





There’s legit no one living in one of the Slavery Tower buildings… and on the one that is occupied, no one lives in the top 6 floors?? That’s really weird.





The new bar/restaurant building is still not occupied. I think it would be a good fit and perfect extension of San Pedro. Waiting for the day it gets occupied

[gillynova]

San Jose's Japantown:

[gillynova]

Garden Tower (San Jose)



Random

[DIESELPOLO]

Originally Posted by homebucket

https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/1...g-in-san-jose/

Thanks for posting, Homebucket! The article definitely hit on the major points associated with developing in California. It felt helpful in laying out the aspects representing the different buckets of real estate development interests that are converging to make development difficult.

It's been helpful for me to focus my energies at the right governmental altitude in order to get a better handle on these issues effecting housing development. Breaking down some of the thinking here:

• Interest rates [Federal issue] – And the Fed is not assoc. with a political party, so it's just doing its thing...
  
  CEQA(!) [State issue] – We all know this law's contemporary usage has mainly been to stop development (which is your "favorite" CEQA abuse? Mine = UC Berkeley student housing (students = noise pollution)), but Scott Wiener, Gavin, et al have made movement to remove challenges to the law, especially in our existing urban centers. More to be done there though.
  
  Housing affordability and homelessness vs. going rent [State + Local issue] – From all the available research, building more market rate housing decreases housing costs overall (either through actually decreasing rents because of greater supply, or preventing the rate of rent increases, bc of the ample supply), but don't know the context of if the market rate rents are more attractive to the 30% or less of median monthly take-home pay for the area, and the overall deficit of homes needed in the San Jose area to begin with. As for homelessness, that is almost a different housing product / tier, but low-moderate priced apartments do get more affordable with supply of market rate units–which may help the working homeless that we likely don't realize are unhoused), but the truly indigent–the one's we are seeing in the streets–need to get inside, but as we see, we've made that endeavor expensive
  
  Fees (parks, infrastructure) [Local issue] – These local 'impact fees' have been studied and found that they make new construction much more expensive and make the funding of park improvements and infrastructure improvements dependent on if there is real estate development...which is, as we can see, a non-predictable activity, so to have city services reliant on an unpredictable, private sector activity is not ideal.
  
  "...shortage in the labor market and differences in wage structures..." [Local issue?] – I assume they mean a shortage in the construction labor market? And 'wage structures', I don't know what that may be referring to.

[homebucket]

Westbank Considers Converting Bank Of Italy Tower To Housing



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JANUARY 4, 2024

Westbank and Urban Community have submitted new plans to convert Downtown San Jose’s iconic Bank of Italy tower into housing. The adaptive reuse of the office tower would create well over a hundred apartments across most of the 13-story building. The filing comes as the region struggles with record-high office vacancy rates.

Details about the Bank of Italy conversion were first reported by George Avalos for the Bay Area News Group. Avalos reports that the two developers plan to create between 125 to 150 residential units across the upper floors. This will include two penthouse units on the top floor. For pedestrians walking along Fountain Alley, renovations to the low-slung annex will create terraces on the second and third floors. One of those terraces could be used by a restaurant for outdoor dining.

The 1904-founded Bank of Italy, now known as Bank of America, would occupy the San Jose tower, designed by Henry A. Milton in 1926, up through 1970. Westbank and Urban Community had already been pursuing renovations to the tower designed by the world-renowned architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group to collaborate with RMW for interior work and an eye-catching exterior greenery-wrapped stairwell. BIG is still involved with the building, though the residential project no longer requires the external stairwell, and the historic elements of the facade will remain preserved. The black metal-clad design for the annex, which extends from Fountain Alley to East Santa Clara Street, has remained the same.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/01/westbank...o-housing.html

[homebucket]

Construction start for San Jose housing tower is a “few months” away: developer



By GEORGE AVALOS | gavalos@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 4, 2024 at 5:30 a.m. | UPDATED: January 4, 2024 at 5:34 a.m.

SAN JOSE — A housing tower that would produce several hundred residences in downtown San Jose could break ground during the first half of 2024, offering some rays of hope amid a gloomy Bay Area real estate market.

The project is known as Orchard Residential and would be built on the site of the former Bo Town restaurant in downtown San Jose’s trendy and hip SoFA district, according to one of the project’s developers.

...

The highrise is expected to contain 540 residential units, documents on file with city planners show.

https://www.siliconvalley.com/2024/0...-a-few-months/

[homebucket]

The specs for 600 South First St:
- 23 floors, 252 ft
- 336 units (39 studios, 218 1BR, 79 2BR)
- 28 of the units will be affordable
- 5,655 sq ft for retail

The site:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FxEbfxYta4FRefXK8

Construction Tops Out For The Fay, Downtown San Jose



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JANUARY 22, 2024

Construction has topped out for the Fay at 600 South First Street in Downtown San Jose. The 23-story project rises over I-280 as a prominent southernmost tower in the urban core. Its over three hundred apartments are expected to open up in early 2025. Morro is the project developer.

C2K Architecture is responsible for the glass-skin curtainwall design. Renderings show the podium base distinguished by an articulated horizontal red-clad framing along the second floor, where residents will gain access to future amenities like co-working spaces, a fitness center, a music room, and a lounge. The rooftop deck will be furnished with a small pool and outdoor seating.

The 252-foot tall structure will yield 366,840 square feet, with 273,720 square feet for residential use, 5,655 square feet for retail, and 51,400 square feet for parking. Once complete, Morro will open 336 apartments, including ​​28 affordable units. Apartment sizes will vary, with 39 studios, 218 one-bedrooms, and 79 two-bedrooms.

Morro is a London-based developer with two existing properties in Guilford and Boston. The firm is connected to Scape, the original developer behind 600 South First Street. While Scape specializes in student and co-living units, Morro will provide multi-family apartments.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/01/construc...-san-jose.html

[homebucket]

And the photos:





https://sfyimby.com/2024/01/construc...-san-jose.html

[gillynova]

Can't wait until it's done. Wished it was just as high as the crane though

[homebucket]

Nice infill, but SJ really needs to start setting some design standards for their projects.

The specs for 439 South 4th St:
- 25 floors, 274 ft
- 210 units (63 2BR, 21, 3BR, 84 4BR, 42 5BR)
- Parking for 168 cars and 70 bicycles

The site:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TUVFxtaVMmza78Qo7

City To Review 25-Story Proposal In Downtown San Jose



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 13, 2024

The San Jose Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on a resolution tomorrow for a 25-story residential proposal at 439 South 4th Street in Downtown San Jose, Santa Clara County. The project will bring over two hundred homes, including student-focused amenities. Nelly Ames is the property owner.

SCDC is the project architect. Renderings show that the design has stayed the same, but illustrations now show 475 South 4th Street, the nearby 23-story proposal by Urban Catalyst. The rooftop deck will include a small fenced-off pool, lounge seating, tables, and an outdoor kitchen.

...

Demolition will be required for 31 existing units. The half-acre parcel is located along 4th Street between East San Salvador Street and East William Street. On the opposite side of the block, Urban Community and Nabr had pursued plans for a three-tower apartment complex designed by BIG and RMW Architecture.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/02/city-to-...-san-jose.html

[homebucket]

Nice project. Get it done, SJ!

The specs for 826 North Winchester Blvd:
- 17 floors
- 135 units (70 1BR, 65 2BR)
- 20 of the units will be affordable
- 25,000 sq ft of retail
- 18,800 sq ft of POPOS
- Parking for 170 cars

The site:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vdqUN3J2cShp2xWw7

17-Story Tower Proposed For 826 North Winchester Boulevard, San Jose



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 28, 2024

New plans have been revealed for a 17-story residential tower at 826 North Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, Santa Clara County. Renderings revealed by the Bay Area News Group show two towers rising from the same podium and connected with a curving skybridge. San Jose-based VCI Company is responsible for the proposal.

...

Renderings show the steel-frame towers wrapped with curtain-wall glass above an L-shaped podium deck. The two-story base will include roughly 25,000 square feet for retail. While the skybridge with a warren truss pattern is the most notable feature of the tower, portions of the curtainwall will be carved out with columns of inset private balconies. The project architect is not listed.

The 0.6-acre property is in the Cory neighborhood at the corner of North Winchester Boulevard and West Hedding Street. Future residents will be just two blocks from the Westfield Valley Fair and four blocks from Santana Row, two of South Bay’s most prominent shopping malls.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/02/17-story...-san-jose.html

[homebucket]

And the renderings:











https://sfyimby.com/2024/02/17-story...-san-jose.html

[gillynova]

That would be so amazing omfg

[homebucket]

Pre-Construction Financing Secured For Icon/Echo, Downtown San Jose



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON MARCH 26, 2024

Urban Catalyst has received a $10.5 million loan to finance the pre-construction phase of Icon/Echo, a two-tower proposal at 147 East Santa Clara Street directly across from City Hall in Downtown San Jose. The plans will bring hundreds of homes across two acres, with construction now expected to start in one to two years. Gantry is responsible for providing the finance.

According to a press release from the firm, Gantry’s loan was given to “recapitalize the land site and pre-construction costs for the Icon/Echo.” The financing will help push the project to start construction by 2025 or 2026, including demolishing three properties and surface parking and constructing two new towers. Urban Catalyst purchased the final parcel in the 2.1-acre property last year from Sequoia Living for $3.3 million.

The press release also describes that the plan features a 21-story office tower and a 27-story residential building, consistent with Urban Catalyst’s entitled project plans. However, late last year, the developer revealed plans to re-entitle ICON from offices to housing. The new plans have the potential to reshape the site with around six hundred homes. Renderings were published in November, showing the glass-clad design by BDE Architecture.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/03/pre-cons...-san-jose.html

[Zapatan]

Ooh that's a nice one!

[tall/awkward]

Anyone heard anything about Park Habitat? That's one of Bay Area projects I'm looking forward to the most.

[dirt patch]

Originally Posted by tall/awkward

Anyone heard anything about Park Habitat? That's one of Bay Area projects I'm looking forward to the most.

The Ohlone Tribe burial effectively killed off this project by holding off this project until financing dried up: basically put the project at chokehold.

[homebucket]

An update on the SJCC Career Education Complex.

[homebucket]

And in case y'all forgot, here are some of the renderings:











https://sfyimby.com/2022/10/groundbr...-san-jose.html