SAN JOSE — Three large projects in downtown San Jose have received final city approval in a decision allowing them to build over 900 homes and hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space.
The City Council has approved the Icon/Echo office and residential tower complex, Bo Town residential tower and SuZaCo office and retail projects. If built in part or all, the project is poised to significantly revamp a major section of downtown San Jose.
Together, these projects will add an estimated 929 residential units and an estimated 607,800 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space in downtown San Jose, according to documents and agendas filed with city officials.
Chris Burton, Director of Planning for San Jose, said: “It demonstrates the city’s vision for downtown’s vibrant, multi-purpose environment.”
Here’s what each project can produce:
- Icon/Echo consists of two towers. The 26-story Echo Tower will house 389 residences, while the 20-story Icon Office Tower will total 525,000 square feet. The project will include 8,500 square feet of retail on East Santa Clara Street, North Fourth Street and East St. John Street. Urban Catalyst is a developer.
- A 30-story residential tower with 540 residential units and 7,400 square feet of ground floor retail, Orchard Residential will be built at 409 S. Second St. next to the former Bowtown Restaurant. Bo Town’s properties are saved as part of the project. An alliance of giant developer Westbank and local developer Urban Community, led by Gary Dillabeau and Jeff Arilaga, is leading the project.
- SuZaCo is a mixed-use complex located at 130 to 150 E. Santa Clara St. and 17 S. Fourth St. with four and six floors of office and restaurant-focused retail buildings totaling 75,300 square feet. This includes 67,900 square feet of offices and 6,300 square feet of retail and a rooftop bar. The historic State Meat Building façade will be preserved. Bayview Development is building the project.
“The people who live and work in these buildings will contribute to the vitality of downtown San Jose,” said Nancy Klein, the city’s director of economic development. “The project will also provide significant funding through property taxes and utility bills, leading to more services in San Jose.”
In addition to these three projects, two tech giants, Adobe and Google, have individual projects poised to make a big difference in downtown San Jose.
San Jose-based Adobe is busy preparing a new tower that will significantly expand its three existing downtown campus campuses. Adobe aims to hire thousands of people with its near-completed fourth tower.
On the western edge of downtown San Jose, Google is demolition work to allow it to begin improving infrastructure ahead of the first phase of development of the search giant’s new Transit Village.
Google’s new district, known as Downtown West, will add office buildings, residences, shops, restaurants, entertainment and cultural hubs, open spaces, and hotel rooms near Diridon Station and SAP Center.
Eric Hayden, Founder of Urban Catalyst, said: “This city is in the midst of an exciting reimagining of what the cityscape will look like, and we at Urban Catalyst are excited to be a part of it.”
With the City Council’s approval of the Icon/Echo, Bo Town, and SuZaCo projects this week, hopes are high for a revitalized and revitalized downtown San Jose.
Bayview Development Executive Caleb Cater said: “We are thrilled to have SuZaCo join his corner of 4th Avenue.”
Westbank believes preserving the Bo Town restaurant building is an important part of the Orchard Residential Tower, even though the restaurant closed several years ago.
“The quintessential mid-century restaurant structure sits on the corner of San Salvador Street and South Second Street, with its iconic folding roof and space-age-inspired elements, Poplux,” says West Bank. describes a property in Bow Town in a vision book.
Westbank also aims to incorporate visual elements reminiscent of Bowtown into the rooflines of its residential towers.
“All of these projects strike a good balance between competing goals,” says Planning Director Burton. “These projects also advance the city’s environmental sustainability goals.”