Office, retail towers planned for San Jose site
Development involves more than 1 million square feet of space
SAN JOSE >> A global and local real estate alliance is pushing forward with plans to build more than 1 million square feet of office and retail in a pair of towers on a prime downtown San Jose development site.
Westbank, a developer with a worldwide reach, and Gary Dillabough’s Urban Community, a local developer, are teaming up to develop a big property known as the Valley Title site in downtown San Jose’s South First Area, or SoFA district.
Now, the Westbank-Dillabough team is releasing more information, through a city filing, that details the proposed size of the two office and retail towers on the site, which are part of a huge project that the developers call The Orchard.
The real estate alliance seeks to develop towers that together would total 1.39 million square feet of office space, according to plans filed recently with city officials.
The ground floor retail and public-serving commercial spaces are expected to total 50,000 square feet, the new proposal states.
The office towers would sprout on a block bounded by East San Carlos Street, South First Street, East San Salvador Street, and South Second Street in the heart of the SoFA district, a hip and trendy neighborhood of restaurants, nightspots, theaters, clubs, and art outlets.
The site of the future towers is deemed to be in a key section of downtown San Jose and also can serve to connect different parts of the city’s urban core, according to a vision book that Westbank has circulated to real estate brokers.
“300 S. First St. is adjacent to the convention center, bridging a neighborhood activated by students and a vibrant arts and culture district,” Westbank stated.
The developers believe The Orchard complex on the Valley Title block will have a natural synergy with the distinctive California Theater that is on South First Street across the way from the project site.
The historic California Theater was built in 1927 as a movie and vaudeville palace and is now a venue for performing arts as well as events.
“We want to create a really interesting place to go to for the entire area right off First Street,” Andrew Jacobson, head of development for Westbank’s San Jose initiative, said in an interview.
The developers also intend to create a big public plaza adjacent to the office towers for people to gather before or after events or performances at the California Theater, according to Westbank.
Events can also be held at the outdoor plaza that would be developed at the base of the office towers.
The Orchard complex at the Valley Title site is one of several projects that Westbank and Dillabough are planning as part of a longterm effort to create dramatic changes in downtown San Jose.
“When we go into a market, we look to make a difference,” Jacobson said. “These projects are not a one-off. We will have a presence in downtown San Jose over the long term.”