The San Jose Planning Director is scheduled to review updated plans next Wednesday for 35 South Second Street in Downtown San Jose, Santa Clara County. The plans, dubbed the Fountain Alley mixed-use project, have shifted from the previous pants-shaped office-housing complex to a 27-story and 28-story tower with 768 apartments and ground-floor retail. The project is part of the wider San Jose master plan led by Westbank and Urban Community.
35 South Second Street seen from Santa Clara Street, rendering by Bjarke Ingels Group
35 South Second Street site plan, illustration by Bjarke Ingels Group
The Westbank master vision for the capital of Silicon Valley started as an ambitious plan for urban density and nearly four thousand apartments across the city. Currently, the team is overseeing six different projects across downtown, including the Arbor Building, Bank of Italy tower, the Fountain Alley project, Orchard Residential, Terraine, 180 Park Avenue, and 300 South First Street.
So far, the two developers have publicly announced several construction start dates for a handful of their projects, with only one project starting at 180 Park Avenue. Demolition started in 2022, and limited excavation started, but work was halted due to an archeological discovery and never restarted. In August this year, George Avalos reported for the Bay Area News Group that Westbank has shifted the 180 Park Avenue plans from offices to residential, including 391 apartments and a data center.
35 South Second Street site view, rendering by Bjarke Ingels Group
35 South Second Street vertical cross section, illustration by Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels Group is once again responsible for the design, with Bionic serving as the landscape architect. Renderings show the two towers lined with balconies and trees. Facade materials will include aluminum, terracotta-toned glass-fiber-reinforced concrete, and curtainwall glass. The design appears similar to the Orchard Residential and office tower that Westbank and Urban Community proposed, designed by James K.M. Cheng Architects and Steinberg Hart.
The Fountain Alley mixed-use project will produce a 279-foot tower and a 289-foot tower, spanning a combined 831,600 square feet, including 771,400 square feet of housing, roughly 45,000 square feet of basement parking, and 10,700 square feet of ground-floor retail. Parking will be included for 417 bicycles, with vehicular capacity across the four-level subterranean garage not specified.
35 South Second Street pedestrian plaza, rendering by Bjarke Ingels Group
The project is expected to include 768 apartments, of which 5% will be deed-restricted for very low-income households. The project utilizes the State Density Bonus law to achieve a high residential capacity. Unit sizes will vary with 177 studios, 413 one-bedrooms, 152 two-bedrooms, and 26 three-bedrooms.
Kier & Wright will serve as the civil engineer, with Glotman Simpson as the structural engineer.
The 1.25-acre property is located along South Second Street between Santa Clara Street and San Fernando Street, around the corner from the Bank of Italy tower.
35 South 2nd Street outlined, image courtesy Google Satellite
The Planning Director Hearing is scheduled to review the plans on Wednesday, December 17th, starting at 9 AM. The event will occur virtually on Zoom, allowing for public comment. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the city website here.
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This is what we need to see all over the Bay Area. Visually appealing towers with only 5% subsidized units? Yes please.
Imagine if San Jose were an actual city…
Just a quarter of the proposed stuff built would have such an immense impact on the quality of life downtown. San Jose without the nightly ghost-town vibes would be fantastic.