Downtown San José Can’t Afford to Tolerate Blight
The Big Picture A vacant lot at 605 S. Second Street in San José’s SoFA District has become the latest example of a growing problem facing downtown: blight. The site was once approved for a 29-story affordable housing tower, but today it sits overgrown with weeds, surrounded by a damaged fence, and subject to city […]
How AI Data Centers Could Be Driving Up California Electric Rates Before They’re Even Built
https://vimeo.com/share/6b64233d-9b4f-4b14-a94a-ca7e72b1d50e How AI Data Centers Could Be Driving Up California Electric Rates Before They’re Even Built Buried in next week’s San José City Council agenda are two items that, at first glance, appear unrelated. The first would authorize San José Clean Energy (SJCE) to enter into a 15-year agreement worth up to $124.5 million for […]
PG&E Doubles Santa Teresa Substation Capacity, Plans More Expansion to Power AI Growth
The Big Picture PG&E has doubled the capacity of its Santa Teresa Substation in South San José from 40 megawatts to 80 megawatts, adding new infrastructure to support growing electricity demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence. The expansion was undertaken to meet an additional 40-megawatt power request from data center operator Equinix, and […]
Project would replace downtown San Jose parking lot with affordable homes
Affordable homes may sprout on a downtown San Jose surface parking lot The Big Picture A surface parking lot in the core of San Jose could become 173 units of housing, with 171 designated as affordable. The proposal, led by The Sobrato Organization and Pacific West Communities, targets a 1.3-acre site near the Hammer Theatre […]
Despite high-profile deals, high office vacancy rates haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns
Sky-high office vacancy levels haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns The Big PictureDowntown office markets across the Bay Area — including San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland — remain stuck with vacancy rates above 30%, despite a wave of high-profile leasing activity driven largely by AI firms. A new report from Cushman & Wakefield shows […]
Is struggling hotel a bellwether for downtown San Jose?
Is struggling hotel a bellwether for downtown San Jose? – San José Spotlight The Big PictureSan Jose’s largest hotel — the Signia by Hilton downtown — may soon be put up for sale, creating a critical inflection point for the city’s recovery. The property, owned by BrightSpire Capital, has faced ongoing challenges since the pandemic, […]
San Jose’s Last Railroad Trestle Sparks Preservation Fight Amid Trail Expansion Plans
San Jose residents rally to save railroad trestle – San José Spotlight The Big Picture A growing coalition in San Jose is pushing to preserve the century-old Coyote Creek Trestle, a 1922 railroad bridge now caught in the middle of a planned trail expansion. City officials had leaned toward demolishing the structure to make way […]
Forget the Headlines — Google Is Still Betting Big on San Jose
Google proposes huge new tech buildings as company expands in San Jose The Big Picture Google is moving forward with plans for a major new research and development hub in North San Jose, replacing an existing warehouse with up to 482,800 square feet of lab space and building out 250 megawatts of dedicated power infrastructure. […]
Congrats, Your City Gets to Host the Super Bowl. The Party’s 40 Miles Away.
The game is in San Jose’s backyard but locals say San Francisco is having all the fun; ‘another Charlie Brown–with-the-football moment.’ The city’s more glamorous cousin, San Francisco, ended up with the lion’s share of official Super Bowl week activities. This despite San Francisco being 40 miles north of Levi’s Stadium, where the game will […]
Plans for a school come back into view for empty San Jose offices
Plans for large school come back into view for empty San Jose offices The Big PictureA vacant office building at 525 Race Street in San Jose could be converted into a private high school under a preliminary proposal from BASIS Independent Schools. The plan would reuse the three-story, 72,700-square-foot office building and add a 16,600-square-foot […]