Restaurant, beer garden proposed for Willow Glen
SAN JOSE >> A rooftop beer garden and restaurant could sprout in one of San Jose's bustling commercial districts, according to plans being floated at City Hall.
A new restaurant and bar would replace an empty commercial building at 1093 Minnesota Ave. in downtown Willow Glen, one of the Bay Area's most vibrant local neighborhood retail and restaurant districts.
Luke's Rooftop Beer Garden and Restaurant is the name of the new business that's proposed for the development site, according to documents on file with San Jose planners.
The Willow Glen project would be a two-story dining and drinking establishment, the city documents show.
“A dining room, kitchen, restrooms and brewery space for making beer” would be located on the first floor, according to the planning proposal. “The main dining room as an open rooftop terrace” would be slated for the second floor, the documents stated.
The project plans envision the demolition of an existing building that totals 2,100 square feet. The prior tenant was a convenience and liquor store operation.
A building totaling 4,800 square feet would rise in its place, according to the development proposal.
One of the project applicants is Russ Fukushima, an entrepreneur who is a co-owner of Water Tower Kitchen, a Campbell restaurant that has earned an average rating of 4.5 stars in Google reviews.
The site is owned by an affiliate controlled by Sridhar Equities, whose principal executive is venture capitalist and real estate entrepreneur Matt Sridhar, according to Santa Clara County property documents, state business records and the Sridhar firm's website.
The project location is a door or two away from Lincoln Avenue, the main corridor for downtown Willow Glen.