New plans emerge for San Jose towers
Rooftop amenities, outdoor activities are part of two new downtown high-rises
SAN JOSE >> Fresh plans have emerged for two towers poised to become landmarks in downtown San Jose that would offer an array of rooftop amenities and outdoor spaces designed for the health-conscious COVID era.
One of the high-rises would be a 20-story office tower that would sprout at the corner of East Santa Clara Street and North Fourth Street, while the other would be an adjacent 26-story housing tower at the corner of East St. John Street and North Fourth Street.
The towers would add modern offices and hundreds of homes to downtown San Jose and help create
activities involving thousands of people next to a future BART station, executives with project developer Urban Catalyst said.
The developers have disclosed
the number of floors in each building and have released new concepts for the two towers that show the development will offer residents and
office workers wide-ranging outdoor amenities.
“We are going to have big rooftop decks on both towers,” said Erik Hayden, a founder and managing partner with Urban Catalyst. “This is going to be a very exciting project that will create new activities downtown.”
The site where the new towers would sprout is on a street corner that is poised to undergo dramatic improvements
and changes, said Mark Ritchie, a commercial real estate broker who arranged the sale of a property at the corner of North Fourth Street and East Santa Clara Street where the office tower is planned.
“Dominated by City Hall and the very visible, justcompleted Miro Towers, we can really see this as the most dense neighborhood on the east side of downtown San Jose alongside BART,” said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial.
The housing tower,
which is called Echo, would accommodate about 300 homes; the office tower, being called Icon, would total about 420,000 square feet, according to the revamped preliminary plans Urban Catalyst has filed with San Jose city officials.
“This is all about adding density at key corners in downtown San Jose,” said Joshua Burroughs, Urban Catalyst chief operating officer and partner. “This is going to really help to activate this area.”
The project could be next to one of the entrances or exits of the future BART
stop.
“The redevelopment of this area will enhance the future BART station’s ridership and vibrancy,” said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use consultancy.
The plans show a rooftop deck for the residential tower with views to the north, west, and east. The office tower will have a roof deck as well as open areas on the side of the building that will be two stories high.
“Echo will have good views of St. James Park,”
Burroughs said. “Icon will have a lot of outdoor spaces.”
The corner of Fourth and Santa Clara streets will feature a new office and residential project, a new Miro housing tower, and the existing San Jose City Hall complex.
“There will be a few thousand people and tremendous density emerging on that corner,” Burroughs said. “These will be really good, very active corners right near BART.”