Downtown San Jose housing tower is starting to fill up
SAN JOSE >> Tenants have begun to rent and occupy rooms in a downtown San Jose residential tower that is poised to increase the housing stock in the urban core of the Bay Area’s largest city.
The Grad San Jose, a housing highrise jointly developed by Swenson and Amcal near San Jose State University, is now about two-thirds leased, with more potential residents seeking the remaining rooms.
D e s pit e u nc e r t a i n - ties over coronav iruslinked university operations, The Grad, located on East San Carlos Street between South Second Street and South Third Street, is steadily filling up.
“We are still seeing interest in leasing,” said Christy Marbry, senior development manager with San Jose-based Swenson, a storied Bay Area real estate developer.
The Grad is roughly 65% leased and tenants have started to move in, according to Swenson.
“We continue to receive inquiries from prospective residents,” Marbry said.
The Grad contains 260 units and is 19 stories high, Swenson officials said.
The tower’s amenities include an academic study center with both Macintosh and Windows-based computers, group study rooms, other types of study rooms on every residential floor, and what’s described as Wifi service throughout the complex at “blazing” speeds.
During leisure time, residents will have access to
ping-pong tables and a recreational lawn, a poolside lounge, a jumbotron television set on the recreation deck, a barbecue deck, and a dining area.
Amid the coronavirus and restrictions imposed by state and local government agencies, The Grad is being flexible in the way it provides access to amenities.
Available amenities fluctuate depending on current guidance from the county,” Marbry said. “The pool is currently open and is regulated by the current county guidelines. To keep occupancy within the limits allowed the management team has implemented a reservation system to allow the use of the pool.”
Several new projects being planned or constructed in downtown San Jose greatly raise the prospects of success for The Grad, the project’s developers believe.
Among the new projects in downtown San Jose:
• Office towers being
built or planned by veteran developer Jay Paul Co.
• A new office high-rise being constructed by tech titan Adobe
• Several projects being actively planned by up-andcoming developer Urban Catalyst.
• Several proposals for major projects by a joint venture of global developer Westbank and local developer Urban Community.
• Google’s game-changing transit village near the Diridon train station.
“Downtown San Jose is growing,” Marbry said. “As new developments activate the area in positive ways, we expect to see increased interest in the future” in The Grad.
The wave of new development proposals has instilled a hopeful outlook for Swenson executives.
“The long-term prospects offer lots of new opportunities, Marbry said.