Vision North San Jose Gets Boost

Just last March, redevelopment plan for North San Jose was stuck --- tangled in a lawsuit by neighboring cities Santa Clara and Milpitas over traffic flow. 

The plantiffs contended that the proposed redevelopment would create population growth and traffic problems that would spill over into neighboring cities as well as I-880.

How quickly things change. 

In December, the Santa Clara County Superior Court approved a settlement allowing the vision for North San Jose to proceed. 

Now, Cadence Design Systems has announced that it intends to perform a major renovation on its headquarters, constructing a five-story 208,000 square-foot building to house all their 2,100 headquarters employees.  They currently have four separate low-rise buildings which will be obsoleted under the plan.

According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, "Under the new plan, the city hopes to bring in 32,000 new homes and apartments, 26 million square feet of new industrial development and about 1.5 million square feet of new restaurants, shops and supporting services."

But more importantly, it increases the density allowed in the region, meaning taller structures and increased urban expansion.  The area is already home to Cisco, BEA and Sony among other companies, and Idaho-based Micron Technology will expand its Silicon Valley facilities into existing buildings there as well.

Project managers for this vision of North San Jose say that the goal is to bring over 80,000 jobs to San Jose, with the focus on attracting high-tech companies and corporate headquarters.  But they also set a goal for creating a "rich pedestrian environment within the core area to encourage use of the transit system."