san jose apologizes for burning chinatown in 1887.
“The city had five Chinatowns but the largest one was built in 1872. Fifteen years later, the city council declared it a public nuisance and unanimously approved an order to remove it to make way for a new City Hall. Before officials acted, the thriving Chinatown was burned down by arsonists, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and displacing about 1,400 people.”
suzaco, a proposed mixed-use development (office and retail) that preserves the façade of old state meat market building, at the corner of south fourth street and east santa clara street in downtown san jose.
read more: mercurynews, 25.05.2021.
“Google unveiled on Wednesday its most detailed vision yet for a transit-oriented neighborhood in downtown San Jose, a game-changing development that bids to reshape the west edges of the city’s urban core while still blending in with adjacent communities.
The Downtown West plan also underscores the tech behemoth’s continued commitment to its San Jose plans at a time when businesses around the world are rethinking the future of office space amid the work-from-home era brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We embrace this vision not because it’s Google’s, but because it encompasses the aspirations for a vibrant, dynamic downtown that our community has long held, as generations of San Joseans have sought to create a regional destination reflective of our authentic, diverse character,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
Google’s village would add 7.3 million square feet of offices, 4,000 homes, shops, restaurants, a hotel, 10 parks, cultural and entertainment hubs, and immersive and interactive educational elements near downtown San Jose’s Diridon train hub. Google could employ up to 25,000 on the site.
“Google will work with the city to ensure that 25% of the homes would be affordable in the Diridon Station area.
Google filed two major documents with the city Wednesday. One is a 1,350-page draft environmental impact report (EIR) that sketches out the project’s effects. The other details design guidelines and how buildings would be massed.
The document filings kick off an intensive review and approval process that will include public hearings and formal votes.
Google says the project will not create any net additions in greenhouse gases.
The tech titan intends for the new buildings to be nearly completely electric. About 65% of the site’s trips would occur via mass transit, bicycling and walking. Just 35% would be people driving alone. Plus, Downtown West would generate 7.8 megawatts of on-site solar energy and feature a local microgrid. Google also will buy carbon offsets.
south montgomery st. looking north towards SAP center, showing a portion of the taiko arts building at 150 s. montgomery st. on the right side, a section of the downtown west development, concept.
“Downtown West is designed to be a true part of the city, the opposite of a traditional corporate campus,” said Laura Crescimano, founder of SITELAB urban studio, the project’s lead urban designer. “The draft design standards and guidelines published today set out the roadmap for a resilient and connected Downtown West.”
Historic buildings and natural features such as the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek will be incorporated.
“Our team worked with Google to draw on the uniqueness of the location to propose a place where urban life and nature can coexist,” Crescimano said. “We’ve brought together new and historic buildings, opportunities for arts and culture, playful spaces, and moments of respite along the Creek.”
read more: mercurynews, 07.10.2020.
“limonium” by mona caron at the san jose convention center, commissioned by the city of san jose public art program.
“The group SV@Home has outlined a range of possible scenarios for the largely industrial area west of the San Jose downtown core, suggesting the space could easily accommodate up to 35,000 jobs and 15,000 housing units.
the site plan for google’s transit-oriented "village” near the diridon train station in downtown san jose. via “google crafts changes to improve downtown san jose village project.” mercurynews, 16.01.2020.
“Already, Google has plans to build between 3,000 and nearly 6,000 homes, and around 25,000 Google employees could pour into the area that they’re calling ‘Downtown West’. Reaching those larger targets, said SV@Home, is doable when officials factor in Google’s contribution.
“There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity to add both jobs and housing near the major transit hub in the area,” said Mathew Reed, policy manager for SV@Home.
The group conducted an analysis of land in the area, which totals roughly 240 acres. After eliminating streets, tracks, properties that are already developed or in the pipeline, about 10 acres for parking and Google’s land, there are roughly 60 acres leftover where offices or homes could rise.
If land in the area is evenly divided between residential and non-residential uses, the analysis found, the average height of both office and apartment or condo buildings could be modest and still meet the group’s target—around four or five stories if a developer built on an entire lot. Even if a developer wanted to reserve half a lot for, say, green space, they could still reach SV@Home’s target by building 8 or 10 stories.
Under height limits approved recently by San Jose leaders, buildings would be allowed to rise in some places to more than 20 stories, and SV@Home thinks residents can ultimately expect a mix of building heights, something Google also envisions.”
read more: mercurynews, 28.02.2020.
“The plan envisions elevated tracks above downtown roadways, a station with two separate concourses near West Santa Clara and West San Fernando streets, shops and services in the station’s ground level and public squares for cyclists and pedestrians to easily move in between modes of transit.
The station’s redevelopment, which will take about a decade to bring to fruition, will serve as a key focal point in the robust revitalization of downtown San Jose’s western edges, which will include Google’s transit village.
“The ambition is to create a lively and active neighborhood that best services bikes and pedestrians in a safe and pleasant manner,” said Daniel Jongtien of Benthem Crouwel Architects.
“Diridon Station currently serves as a transportation hub for approximately 17,000 daily passengers via light rail, Caltrain, Amtrak, the Capitol Corridor, ACE Train and bus lines. Within the next decade, BART is scheduled to expand through San Jose to Diridon Station. And eventually, the station could serve as a vital point for high-speed rail to connect Silicon Valley to the Central Valley.
Nearby, Google anticipates that its transit-oriented community featuring office buildings, stores, restaurants and open spaces on an approximately mile-long strip in downtown San Jose west of Highway 87 will serve 15,000 to 20,000 of its employees.
Between additional traffic driven by Google’s new campus and BART’s planned expansion, the Valley Transit Authority projects that the Diridon Station will serve more than 100,000 passengers by 2040, according to its 2019 Travel Demand Model.”
read more: mercurynews, 16.11.19. more info: diridon integrated station concept plan – presentation [PDF]
first time seeing a female skateboarder in a rendering! good job, graphic designer!
“The City of San Jose, during its most recent count, saw its homeless population spike more than 40% to over 6,200 in one year, even after managing to find housing for nearly as many over the past few.
“Thanks to four million dollars in city funds and the help of its partner Habitat for Humanity, an international organization that helps build homes at no cost, San Jose has custom constructions for these tiny homes.
"It's pretty aesthetically pleasing. I love that there was some thought put into the design here. It's a simple but habitable way for people to make that transition into permanent housing," said Patti Wang Cross, the group's spokesperson.
The first of two tiny home sites, which will have 80, expect to start welcoming their inhabitants by October.”
patti wang cross and san jose mayor sam liccardo spent the morning constructing small homes.
read more: kqed, 18.08.19.
“The new 12-cent a gallon tax, county measures, bonds and higher overall revenues are supplying billions in needed cash. The transportation budget exceeds $14.6 billion, which is up from $9.5 billion two years ago.
The higher gas tax invests approximately $5.4 billion per year to fix roads, freeways and bridges across California. These funds are split equally between state and local projects and will allow Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. San Jose now estimates it will be able to meet paving needs for the next nine years.
The gas tax increase “is already significantly improving our roads, bridges and overall transportation system,” said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney, “locally and statewide.”
“The big push starts now. Projects delayed by the heavy winter rains have a green light. Warm nights are ideal for paving. Crews are moving equipment into place.
Caltrans has started repaving Interstate 880 between Fruitvale and 23rd avenues in Oakland. Next week repairs will begin to fix the broken pavement from the months-long water leak on 101 south of 880 in San Jose.
Interstate 680 between Scott Creek Road in Milpitas and the 101-280 junction is on the list, as is I-680 from Sunol to Dublin.
There’s more...
a worker measures the width of the fast lane after grinding before paving it with rubberized asphalt on eastbound i-80 after the san pablo dam road exit in san pablo. california department of transportation (caltrans) is paving approximately 10-miles of new rubberized asphalt between interstate-80 and highway 4. the new asphalt will last longer, is quieter and smoother to drive for motorists.
“Caltrans has already completed 102 gas-tax funded projects and has another 469 started or in the works. Since 2017, Caltrans has pumped in over $100 million in gas tax funding in the Bay Area alone.
Most of the paving will take place at night. Some work will be done by Labor Day, but bigger jobs could linger into late this year.
The last time roadway repairs of this magnitude took place was in the 1990s following the doubling of the state gas to 18 cents a gallon. But it was not tied to inflation and soon its purchasing power had dwindled. The current tax is linked to inflation. That means more paving in years ahead.”
read more: mercurynews, 04.08.19. SB1 (aka “gas tax”): overview and project map.
“Demarcus Doss and his girlfriend, Joanna Oller, were stuck in rush-hour traffic on the Interstate 80 highway in Richmond, California, when the dark gray Dodge Charger that had been ominously following them pulled into the exit lane alongside their minivan. A man was leaning waist-deep out of the back driver’s side window, a black semi-automatic pistol in hand.
Boxed in on all sides by bumper-to-bumper traffic, there was little Doss could do to avoid the barrage of gunfire. As bullets ripped through the passenger door and window, Doss reached over to shield Oller from the attack. He was hit by multiple bullets and died from his injuries. Oller suffered a gunshot wound to her hand, but survived the ordeal.
This brazen afternoon killing in March 2017 was one of 189 freeway shootings that took place in the San Francisco Bay Area between November 2015, when the California highway patrol began keeping track, and April 2019. The number of freeway shootings has increased on nearly every major highway in the region, law enforcement officials say, from San Jose to Silicon Valley, Oakland and San Francisco.
caldecott tunnel driver shot in head expected to survive. eastbaytimes, 16.06.19.
“The Bay Area has seen a sharp decline in gun homicides in the past decade, even as inequality and poverty have been on the rise, but highways are one of the few areas where gun violence is up.
Bay Area law enforcement and elected officials do not have an iron-clad explanation of why freeways have become a more common venue for gun violence, but they point to a series of factors, including gang conflicts and the displacement of longtime residents from cities like Oakland, where the average cost of rent has exceeded many working-class families’ budgets.
pittsburg police captain, patrick wentz, and the deputy district attorney for contra costa county, mary knox, monitor the freeway security network command center, a system used to track down suspects in freeway shootings.
“Demarcus Doss’s alleged killers might have escaped were it not for a witness who called 911 as the gray Dodge Charger sped down an offramp. A Richmond police officer followed the car to a house where Elliott Johnson, 24, of Richmond, and two 17-year-old boys, got out. All three were arrested.
Johnson and one of the juveniles, Bryan Anderson, were charged with Doss’s murder and the attempted murder of Joanna Oller. Police say a test of Anderson’s hands for gunshot residue was positive. As with other freeway shootings, prosecutors say Johnson and Anderson are gang members. Doss, however, had no gang affiliations and the exact motive for his murder remains unclear.
Since Doss’s killing, the freeway shootings show no sign of slowing. In one 10-day stretch in June, there were six freeway shootings in the region. Three took place in a 24-hour span of time on a patch of San Jose highway. One attack left 33-year old Matthew Rios dead, and in another a 12-year old girl was injured by shattered glass. On Monday, a shooter opened fire on an SUV on Interstate 880 in Oakland, injuring the driver. The stretch of highway was shut down for hours as California Highway Patrol searched for evidence on the road.
“driver wounded in I-880 shooting in oakland.” eastbaytimes, 22.07.19.
“Demnlus Johnson, the Richmond city councilmember, said that surveillance is a necessary investigation tool, but if law enforcement and public officials want to see freeway shootings end, they need to combine efforts to invest in intervention and prevention among residents who are at risk of being perpetrators and victims.”
pittsburg police captain, patrick wentz, at the command center of the freeway security network.
read more: guardian, 23.07.19.
“We’re partnering with renowned Bay Area artists to transform the classic blue GoBikes into pieces of mobile art. Below, you can check out our collaboration with Oakland-based artist Hueman. She and the rest of the amazing artists have created eye-catching designs that make the bikes feel brand-new and rooted in the vibrant arts culture of the Bay Area. We’ll be revealing even more new artists and designs this summer.
“Our e-bikes give you two locking options:
“Lyft now has about 1,000 pedal-powered bikes in San Francisco. It plans to add 4,000 electric bikes in the city over the next year. Over an indeterminate time period, it will add another 3,500 docked bikes, but their introduction depends on San Francisco identifying and approving sites to install the docks. Some neighbors complain that the docks consume parking spots or contribute to gentrification.
“Oakland now has about 500 Bay Wheels bikes, San Jose about 400, Berkeley 200 and Emeryville 100. Lyft will roll out 3,200 additional bikes, all electric models, to those cities over the next year.”
read more: techcrunch, 11.06.19. lyftblog, 11.06.19. sfchronicle, 11.06.19. previously: “ford to end sponsorship of lyft-owned bike share service.” axios, 08.01.19.
i’m thankful for ford’s sponsorship to help make bay area bikeshare happen, but ya... bikes gonna look snazzier now!
“Starting in November, San Jose will pay more than 25 homeless residents at least $15 an hour to pick up trash at more than 40 hotspots around the city.
“We are working to transform lives,” Mayor Sam Liccardo said during a press conference at Downtown Streets Team’s San Jose office Thursday morning to announce the new program.
The organization, which works to end homelessness, and Goodwill will hire and manage the workers. Normandin Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram offered steep discounts on two trucks to support the effort. The ultimate goal is to help participants transition into full-time employment.
“The litter hotspots identified stretch across the city, from Senter Road near Capitol Expressway to Willow Street under Highway 87 and Mabury Road near Interstate 680.
Too often, people see trash on roadsides or creek embankments and place blame solely on homeless people, the mayor said, when “the fact is, it comes from many sources.”
Christine Gonzalez, a domestic violence victim who lost her home after battling a drug addiction and spending years couch surfing, completed an application to participate in the program. Gonzalez said she’s been volunteering with Downtown Streets Team for several years — and receiving gift cards for basic necessities in return — but appreciates the opportunity to earn a paycheck.
“You don’t realize how hard it is to get back on your feet,” Gonzalez said. “It will give back confidence and self-esteem.””
read more: mercurynews, 25.10.18.
“Simon Lancaster’s tree house in San Jose’s Cambrian Park neighborhood is a childhood dream come true, even though it was built long after he became an adult.
The tree house was custom-built out of pine and Douglas fir by Oakland-based O2 Treehouse for a tidy sum of $22,000. “I hired a professional to ensure the health of the tree and the safety of my children,” he said.
But the tree house may have to come down because it apparently has run afoul of city building codes.
It sits 10 feet off the ground above a fork in the tree trunk and stands a little more than eight feet tall, for a total height of 18 feet, 4 inches.
“A city code enforcement officer who visited the Lancaster home Feb. 27 concluded the tree house is an accessory structure and as such cannot be taller than 12 feet. He followed up by sending a violation notice demanding compliance with the height requirement.
The inspector had responded to a next-door neighbor’s complaint to the city that the tree house was “way too big” and infringed on her privacy. The neighbor would not give her name for this story but said she and her husband “can’t sit in the backyard because the kids make a lot of noise when they go up.”
In his appeal of the city’s decision, Lancaster said he’ll argue that prior to construction, planners told him the tree house was not an accessory structure.
That’s why he didn’t think he needed to comply with accessory structure height limits or bother to tell city planners the tree house would be more than 18 feet from ground to roof.
“I tried to do my due diligence online and it was very confusing, so I called the city for clarification on Feb. 20 and 21,” Lancaster said. “My recollection is that for something to be a structure and covered by the code it would have to be underground or attached to the ground.”
He did ask if a ladder attached to the tree house would be considered a connection to the ground and said he was told no. The ladder hangs from the tree house and is not attached to the ground.”
read more: mercurynews, 03.07.18.
when you have shitty neighbors who don't like to hear kids playing, and the point of land use regulations is lost...
sad city.
pretty much the only places you can go to build and play in neat structures are at festivals and burning man.
“Officials with the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, which owns its building next to the proposed project site, said they are aware of the efforts by entrepreneurs to assemble parcels for the development. They said they’ve been approached to sell their property, but aren’t interested in selling at present.“
read more: “theater expansion, residential complex eyed in downtown san jose.” mercurynews, 02.03.18.
MACLA contemporary arts building on south first street, in the neighborhood known as the SoFA (south of first arts) district in san jose.
“Atria Chateau Gardens in Willow Glen is closing its doors after landlord Westlake Realty Group refused to renew its lease, according to Atria, and indicated there are new — and perhaps more profitable — plans for the two-story building in a quiet, residential neighborhood.
Residents and their families will have to search for new homes in a market where options are notoriously expensive and limited. Their plight highlights the unforgiving nature of the Bay Area’s red-hot real estate market, where the ravenous demand for housing and development can lead to the displacement of vulnerable people.
Emma Magnuson, 94, and the other seniors, some of whom have lived at Atria for years, have two months to pack up their things and move out. Management broke the news to residents and their families Wednesday, saying that despite Atria’s best efforts to keep the facility running, Westlake rejected their lease in favor of turning the building into something other than senior housing.
“Magnuson’s son-in-law, Glenn Thomas, who teaches classes in social work at San Jose State University, knows the landlord has the right to repurpose the Atria building, but he questions whether it’s the “right” thing to do.
“It seemed so cold — it’s upsetting,” he said. “They’re not just pieces of furniture. They’re real people. And they’re elderly and they’re vulnerable.”
“And at Christmastime …” Thomas added, his voice trailing off.”
read more: 02.12.17.
“Earlier this week, the California State Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee approved AB 342, better known as The Safe Streets Act of 2017.
Over a five-year pilot period, the legislation will permit the City and County of San Francisco (as well as San Jose) to install ticket-spitting safety cameras along corridors that are known to have high incidences of speed-related traffic collisions—although those specific locations have yet to be determined.
According to the law, cameras won’t be placed on freeways and the technology will supplement, not replace, standard traffic enforcement.
Prior to this legislation, California state law didn’t permit the use of speed cameras, and technically, it still doesn't: AB 342 still has to pass another vote before the Assembly Transportation Committee, which will take place on Monday.
Authored by Assemblymember David Chiu, the Safe Streets Act was co-sponsored by State Senator Scott Wiener, among others, and has the unanimous support of the SF Board of Supervisors.
“Too often, drivers treat speed limits as suggestions, not as actual limits that are critical to keeping our streets safe for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians,” said Wiener in a previous press release.
“Speeding is the leading cause of severe and fatal injuries in these types of collisions. Speeding is reportedly 10 times more likely than driving under the influence to lead to a fatal or injury-causing accident involving a pedestrian.
Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) works by using devices equipped with radar and license-plate cameras. When a car passes, two radar beams independently calculate its speed.
If the radars agree the speed is over a locally defined threshold, the camera snaps a photo of the license plate, which is then mailed to the driver along with a citation. ASE contraptions can be installed in fixed locations, or mounted in vehicles and deployed as traveling units.
photos: speed cameras (ACE) near gompers park, chicago. flickr/stevenvance
“To curb speeding, ASE is used in more than 140 communities across the United States—including Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., Portland, Oregon; and more recently, New York City.
ASE has been shown to reduce the number of drivers traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit, as well as the number of crashes that result in serious injury or death. The technology can also help police departments track down hit-and-run suspects.”
read more: hoodline, 21.04.17. sign petition! need 500 signatures before noon monday to the Transportation Commission!
a hit-and-run at 16th/noe/market streets in san francisco that sent a local dancer to the hospital with serious injuries. photo: john e. via hoodline, 07.04.17.
