PricewaterhouseCoopers is expanding in downtown San Jose, with a move into eight floors of the Sobrato building that has remained vacant for several years. The company intends to create a ‘high-tech global work center’ with ‘an open floor plan, a “work anywhere” wireless network environment on all floors, a fitness center and a cafe.’
At last, a tenant in downtown San Jose’s Sobrato tower – San Jose Mercury News.
Barry Swenson Builder, a San Jose company that was selected to work with the city on a deal to revitalize the properties, will continue to seek the public’s preferences and ideas as the plan to transform almost two city blocks in the middle of downtown proceeds.
MorganHillTimes.com | Public input sought on downtown redevelopment.
Merchants often equate free parking with better business, but unmanaged free parking can actually hurt sales. Here’s a clear case:
NBC News: Free Parking hurts Christmas Sales
Providence, Rhode Island Mayor David Cicilline’s free parking for shopping during the holidays didn’t work so well for some city merchants. Since there’s free parking all day at metered spaces, employees from the nearby courthouse and some from other government offices are taking parking spots early and are staying all day. It’s leaving holiday shoppers out of the stores.
Limiting the free parking to two hours would have solved this problem. But give Providence some credit–this is a bad mistake in an otherwise impressive City revitalization that has taken place over the last ten years.
San Francisco Chronicle’s architecture critic John King discusses ideas for revitalizing downtown Orinda.
Radical plan would awaken sleepy Orinda – San Francisco Chronicle.
Debate over the recently adopted downtown plan continues, with a petition to put the issue to voters. But, according to Inside Bay Area, opponents of the plan are hoping to get the City Council to make changes to the plan before it gets that far.
Opponents argue the plan does not go far enough to require affordable housing and green building practices.
Berkeley downtown plan foes meet signature goal – Inside Bay Area.
Oakland City Council approved rezoning of downtown on Tuesday, according to The Oakland Tribune.
The changes approved by the City Council create four zoning designations for the central downtown business district. Each zone identifies allowable height, bulk and types of use for new construction. The four designations replace a mishmash of 12 zones and bring the area in line with the city’s general plan.
New zoning guidelines shape future of Oakland’s downtown – Inside Bay Area.
This article looks at proposed new rules for the Berkeley and Oakland downtowns, and provides a really good discussion about the environmental benefits of compact development; controversies around balancing green building, affordable housing, density, and building heights; and the impacts that the proposed development standards might have on the likelihood of generating development based on market realities.
Development in Morgan Hill awaits downtown plan update and financing.
MorganHillTimes.com | Sunsweet owner awaits downtown plan update, financing.