The transformation of a hotel tower into housing for San Jose State students stands to have a big effect on the character of downtown — but smaller projects will also contribute to the remaking of the city’s core.
Some recent reports on changes downtown, with links to full articles:
1/ Spartan Village on the Paseo. San Jose State University has leased the south tower of the Signia Hilton and said it plans to buy the building. The university will use the tower to house 700 to 800 students starting next fall, with amenities including “an expansive dining area and a community kitchen, a fitness center, a games room, co-learning spaces and a study lounge in the sky bridge,” SJSU said. | More images from the planned makeover
2/ Home Eat. A new restaurant will take over the space formerly occupied by the Flames, in the ground floor of the parking garage across from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.
3/ Housing towers, Fourth & Santa Clara. Investors in a huge downtown San Jose project have embraced plans to switch a proposed office tower to housing high-rises with 600 to 650 units. The project, nicknamed Icon, is at 147 E. Santa Clara, a parcel whose current occupants include a Chevron station.
4/ Food hall. A food hall being developed in stealth mode may open within weeks. The limited details gleaned from planning documents indicate it could accommodate 26 kitchens, a dine-in restaurant and a coffee bar. The 150-year-old building previously housed the Hank Coca furniture store.
5/ Purple Lotus. A cannabis dispensary has signed a deal for a prominent location formerly occupied by a Verizon store and, before that, Peet’s Coffee. Purple Lotus’ founder said the store will open by February or March and expects to draw up to 300 customers a day.
6/ Adobe pedestrian bridge. Adobe last month opened an eye-catching bridge that connects the tech titan’s new Founders Tower with the other high-rises in its downtown campus. | Images from its construction
