The San Jose Planning Director is scheduled to review plans for the two 16-story commercial towers to rise at 33-91 South Montgomery Street in front of the historic Diridon Station. The project aims to create 1.2 million square feet of office space above a mixed-use public plaza activated with retail, entertainment, and landscaping. Caltrain is the property owner and applicant.
Diridon Station Plaza, elevation by Perkins&Will
Diridon Station Plaza ground-level site map, illustration by Perkins&Will
The 265-foot-tall buildings will yield a combined 1.23 million square feet of office space alongside parking for 758 cars and 330 bicycles. The recent application includes the same renderings that were revealed in 2022.
The proposed design by Perkins&Will shows an interesting composition of several stacked boxes. The series of setbacks and cantilevers will afford the structure space for several terraces and tree-lined balconies. The exterior will be clad with curtain-wall glass, bronze cladding, and wood panels along the soffits.
According to the environmental review, construction is expected to be split into two phases, with the first phase to last from early 2026 to mid-2028 and phase two to last from early 2029 through mid-2031. The estimated cost has yet to be shared.
Caltrain Towers Diridon Plaza seating close to the North Building, rendering Perkins&Will
The double-tower project was proposed when Google was more actively pursuing the Downtown West master plan. Google first announced the master plan alongside Lendlease in 2019 and was given final approval in July 2021. Caltrain shared the preliminary plans for Diridon Station Plaza towers in September of 2021, with a significant emphasis on how the project will fit within the wider context of the tech giant’s urban campus.
Over the last few years, the project approval has resulted in the demolition of several low-slung industrial buildings across the neighborhood. However, construction has yet to start for any of the proposed substantial housing or office structures. Most recently, demolition occurred for a former Orchard Supply Hardware store at 720 West San Carlos Street, with construction potentially to start in 2025.
Diridon Station Plaza Towers surrounded by Downtown West masterplan, illustration via Perkins&Will
Diridon Station Towers podium, renderings courtesy Caltrain by Perkins&Will
Diridon Station Towers site map, illustration courtesy Caltrain
The meeting is scheduled to start early tomorrow, Wednesday, December 4th, at 9 AM. The event will be held on Zoom. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the meeting agenda here.
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Since Downtown San Jose’s 11 million square feet of office space (as of October of this year) had a 31% vacancy rate, there is simply no need to create 1.2 million square feet of office space. That vacancy rate might decline marginally over the next decade, but I don’t see it going down to single digit, due to the increasing prevalence of remote work.
Caltrain will probably not, and should not, break ground on this, unless they want to be responsible for maintaining and securing vacant office buildings for the next ten years or more after completion.
There’s a 30% office vacancy rate in downtown San Jose and yet a clueless public agency wants to build 1.2 million more square feet of office space?
Office space means jobs for downtown. New modern building will attract future companies. We don’t want downtown to be a sleeping room.
High-rise, modern office space can enable a consolidation of low-slung, 50+ year old office space. A high vacancy rate should not deter this. So I am in favor of this highrise office construction.
What should not be constructed is low-rise Office or Retail.
Amen
This is exactly where office space should be: centrally located and next to the largest transit station in the South Bay. Developers instead want to build office in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Santa Clara that’s only reachable by cars. Then we wonder why we have traffic problems!
It would be great if it would be built.