Sharks: Downtown projects may force SAP Center exit
‘This is our home. This is where we want to be. Leaving is the last resort’
SAN JOSE >> In an urgent plea to fans for help, the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 12 said the team may be forced out of the city because of big downtown developments near the Diridon train station that threaten access and parking at the SAP Center, where the team plays.
The warning from the Sharks could shove city officials onto a tightrope as they attempt to balance the needs of the city’s highest profile sports team and their quest to dramatically revitalize San Jose’s small downtown district.
“We definitely do not want to leave,” Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said in an interview. “This is our home. This is where we want to be. Leaving is the last resort. But it could come to that if the arena becomes unviable.”
Google plans a transitoriented development of office buildings, homes, shops, restaurants, entertainment hubs, cultural centers and parks near the train station and the SAP complex. More development is planned for areas adjacent to that project, and the Sharks are concerned with parking, traffic gridlock and the impact of ongoing construction.
“For more than a year, we have been sharing our concerns with you regarding the proposed, massive development projects within the Diridon area of downtown San Jose, which surrounds SAP Center,” the Sharks said in a letter to fans and supporters, urging them to contact city officials to voice support for the team.
“For the past several years, we have been sharing those same concerns with city of San Jose officials and Google. Unfortunately, those discussions have yielded limited results and the planners of these projects appear intent on moving forward in a manner that could force the Sharks out of San Jose.”
Mayor Sam Liccardo attempted to allay any worries.
“I am absolutely certain that nothing about our community’s long-standing ambitions for transit and urban development in Downtown West will threaten the Sharks’ treasured tenure here,” Liccardo told this news organization.
The Diridon train station, already a hub for Amtrak, the ACE Train, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor and light rail, is slated to also become a BART stop.
“These projects will bring thousands of BART riders, new residents, workers and fans to the Sharks’ front door — a windfall for any professional sports franchise,” Liccardo said.
Liccardo said the city will minimize the impact of construction, but added, “In any dynamic, revitalizing downtown on this planet, the universal mantra applies: Pardon the dust.”
Potentially 55,000 more workers could appear in downtown San Jose, thanks to the new developments.
Downtown now has enough office space for roughly 44,000 workers. Yet at the same time, parts of West Santa Clara Street — including a section directly in front of SAP Center — will lose street lanes.
Expecting employees to use mass transit, Google plans to create just 2,850 parking spaces for the 25,000 Google workers in its development, called Downtown West.
Daily vehicle trips in the Diridon station and SAP Center area now number 19,200. The development projects eyed in the vicinity could cause those trips to mushroom to 136,600 daily trips.
“It will be harder to get a parking space in downtown San Jose than is the case in San Francisco,” Becher said.
In 2018, the Sharks filed separate lawsuits, one in Santa Clara County Superior Court and the other in federal court, related to concerns about lost parking and construction impacts.
The Sharks lost the federal case but are appealing. Hearings are ongoing in the county case.
Mountain View-based Google said it has been collaborating with multiple parties and groups, including the Sharks, as the tech titan’s game-changing development proposal navigates community scrutiny and the city review process.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Sharks and the city as the process moves forward,” a Google spokesperson said.
The Sharks made it clear that Google isn’t the problem.
“It would be inappropriate to blame Google for all of this,” Becher said. “The city has a delicate balancing act. BART, Caltrain, Google and the Sharks all have to be considered.”
The Sharks noted that the team’s agreement with San Jose requires the city to ensure 4,850 parking spaces are available within one-third of a mile of SAP Center.
But Google has struck a deal to buy from the city the big SAP Center parking lots that would provide part of the land for the Downtown West development.
“The problem is the city’s inability to work with (the Sharks) and find a win-win solution,” said Bob Staedler, a San Jose-based land-use consultant.
The Sharks noted that development could occur over 10 to 15 years and that multiple major construction projects could occur at the same time.
“There does not appear to be a plan that ensures SAP Center patrons can continue to safely and conveniently access the arena, and that our neighbors can maintain their quality of life during this transformational period,” the Sharks stated in the open letter.
The Sharks urged fans to share their concerns with local elected officials in advance of a Monday City Council study session and a Dec. 3 community meeting.
Still, team executives made it clear the Sharks want to stay in San Jose for decades to come.
“We are so optimistic we can work this out,” Becher said. “We want this to be our home. We are not interested in going anywhere else. We could be forced to go somewhere else, but not because we want to leave.”