It is a common cliché that a city’s downtown is its heart and soul. Having lived and worked in downtown San Jose all of my life, it is also my belief. Our downtown, like all others, is the cultural, social, and entertainment hub for a larger region and serves its neighborhoods as the city’s largest park.
But it is in peril. After three years of a depressed economy, Santana Row, the County’s music hall plans, a season without the Sharks, and the impending threat of future BART construction “area bombing” downtown into Dresden, 1945, we are losing businesses and patrons by the boat load. It is no wonder the city, in order to attract tenants, needs to hand out subsidies like numbered tickets in a bakery – but that’s another story, for another column…
Through my management of downtown properties in San Pedro Square, my involvement as a Board member for the San Jose Downtown Association, and my chairmanship of the San Pedro Square Association over the past five years, I believe I have developed a unique perspective of urban life in San Jose. My weekly Friday postings will focus on downtown programs, policies, issues, places, people and events that affect all of us who use, enjoy, and care about the future of our downtown and thus, the vitality of our city.
Downtown has been a place of both promise and frustration. The vicissitudes of downtown are numerous and well known, but there is much potential and plenty we can do. It is my hope that this site will provide a platform, that will allow all of us to engage in debate, offer ideas, and motivate public officials and private citizens, with the goal of helping grow a living-and-breathing, 24-hour downtown that we can all be proud of.
Oh, and be ready for a bit of satire; there is no better medicine for pointing out the utter absurdity of certain things. And next Friday’s column will be dripping with it as I focus on a rumor pertaining to Mayor Gonzales’ State of the City speech…
Looking forward to all of the articles. This will be very interesting and a great place to rail against the system in San Jose as well as other local goverment agencies when needed, such as, the ridiculous proposal for an venue at the fairgrounds by the county. It is a waste of taxpayer money and uses a site that has great potential for many things other than that. Am also very interested in seeing how you relate state goverment and it’s affect on local cities and counties.
John,
Getting Bart to the Airport is essential. Period.
Secondly, if you fly at all, you must know
that entering and exiting the new airport has become a nightmare. If you want to exit
Terminal B from American Airlines, you will have to drive all the way through the airport
past old Terminal into heavy Traffic.
This cannot be the best of all possible
solutions, please do not just listen to me,
talk to the cabbies. San Jose MUST HAVE
A WORLD CLASS AIRPORT. MINETA MUST BE NOTIFIED BEFORE WE LOSE HIM TO THE
NEXT ADMIN. Exiting the airport needs to
be seriously addressed. It is a major boondoggle.
I can’t wait for Friday. Any rumor about Gonzales has too be good.
I concur-the future of a once vibrant downtown is in peril. The San Jose City Council should immediately fund revenue positive initiatives such as evening “side shows” at San Pedro Square and the creation of a more user friendly “red light” district.
More ideas to follow…
Forget about BART, forget about a venue at the fairgrounds… how about moving the airport to Alviso so tall buildings can finally inhabit downtown? As a San Jose native I was entirely surprised to discover that San Jose actually has a much richer history than San Francisco- the tales of the river st of old, the light tower etc… what happened to San Jose’s soul?
Did over-agressive law enforcement tear it down? I wish I knew…
I’ve often called Santana Row the “second death blow to downtown San Jose.”
There is a smell that permeates Santana Row that reminds me of the French Quarter in N.O. Its like rotten garbage, vomit and other body waste that has putrifed in the storm drains. In New Orleans the smell is the accumulation of several centuries of debauchery – Santana Row is less than a decade old.
What’s up with that?
I am a San Jose native, & I remember how wonderful downtown was in the “old days”, so I really want it to come back & flourish, and be the hub of Santa Clara Valley again…it will be exciting to see the articles, and discuss ideas & changes to make this happen.
Good job, John!
PIM
Pete & Marie
The shuttle is a very good suggestion; one the San Pedro Square Association has contemplated in the past. As you might guess, it is quite an expensive undertaking, especially with the merchants struggling, but one we have committed to seriously studying once City Hall is finished.
Keep an eye out! We will definitely advertise it properly.
Okay. SJ’s got the credentials of a city
ready for some glory.
You got the both old look with buildings of masonry and the post-war glass ‘n metal towers, you got light rails, you’ve had the NHL in there. You’ve even got a song.
The problem is that you don’t have a point of view. What’s the essence of San Jose?
LA and SF are world centers and destinations. San Diego’s got good weather on the water. Sac has got the Governator.
Bottom-line, SJ downtown needs to get sexy again. Do something or the Stocktons, Fresnos and even the 909 (San Bernadino/Riverside)will catch up.
This is a suggestion for making downtown more user-friendly. Up until the late 1990’s we attended shows at the Center for the performing arts a few times a year. Since then we have only attended two or three events.
Marie has bad knees and can’t walk far, so we always ate dinner at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant which is conveniently located a half block from the Center for the performing arts. Well, that place doubled the price of everything on their menu in the late 90’s
Our reaction was to forego downtown and attend events at the Flint Center, the Mountain Winery etc.
San Pedro square isn’t too far from the Center for the performing Arts and the newly restored California Theater. In addition, I recall that the one and only meal I that I ever ate at San Pedro square, (while I was serving on a Jury), was very good.
We’re suggesting that San Pedro Square offer a shuttle service to Center for the performing Arts and the California Theater. Advertise the shuttle in the Mercury-News. Don’t just hide it in Friday’s “Eye” but run the add at least three times a week.
I think that Blandbung is spot on.
Another idea-what if San Jose officials agree to rip the top off the Shark Tank and offer the current Oakland A’s owners (Marge Schott et al) an opportunity to form a new arena baseball league?
I went downtown on Armist… oh no, I mean Veterans Day, a holiday. I parked near Scotts Resturant os that I could watch the parade and later go to the presentation at Parksind Hall. On that holiday, my parking bill came to over $20! That’s why I spend as little time as possible there in downtown! What would the parking cost on a reqular day?
Jerry
Jerry,
Suburbanities such as yourself that refuse to acknowledge that renting a space for a vechicle in a populated area comes at a cost are the bane of San Jose! What major city in the world have you been to that has lower parking costs? San Jose and it’s parking board have done a tremendous job getting parking available (unlike in a great deal of cities), all you have to do is pay your part. Let’s put to bed once in for all the delusion that a vibrant city can have a parking space in front of every business that is free. Even in the burbs when you have any large number of people together, parking is painful at the very least.
HI DAD IT IS YOUR SON
1) After many years of hard work it seems the downtown has become dangerous once again. I have a small office near Market & 2nd. and have to hear every day about people feeling VERY uncomfortable when coming to and from my office. Potential investors believe I want money to escape from the downtown area. Where did the people in that area who loiter around 24/7 come from and why are they there? I don’t want an antiseptic environment but I feel that wanna-be thugs have more control over that area than people who pay rent there.
i will prefer express in my original lenguage espanish tks sorry.
soy un critico escritor asiduo de las buenas labores,y debo de reconocer los puntos buenos de el mayor ron gonzalez y la universidad de san jose.merecen una calificasion aparte por el extraordinario trabajo que han hecho hasta el momento.lastima me da si el proximo mayor de la ciudad no cuenta con su completo apoyo sera un desastre.y conste que este no es mi anuncio pagado solo mi punto de vista.jair.
i will wan to continue the reconstuction of a bad looking areas of the center of san jose and olso bring the bard to a reality plus remodeling all houses and bussines fromt first st and monterrey rd.put out hotels with bad reputation of sexual predactor protectors like one on monterrey and senter rd.please do so.jair keep a good job
IT IS UNREAL THE ACTUAL FANANCIAL SITUATION THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD JOB BY POLITICIANS IN USA.WHY WE CREATED A DEFICIT AND FOR THE OTHER HAND CONTINUE REBUIL AND INVEST IN CONTRUCTION OF LIBRERIES ALL OVER THE NATION.DOES NOT MEKE SENCE IF WE ARE SO BAD WHY KEEP ESPENDING.wHY?
I was a time the city manager do something abouth the Capitol Expressway and Monterrey road tha place was taken for homeless to do drogs and get beer up.leaving for more tham 10 months under the bridge and not police stop and fix,they ignoring this situasion.but now i guest somebody is doin the job.with all the money they make a year i was a time.