A good week for free market developments
Opponents of the widely-supported Google campus near Diridon Station suffered substantial setbacks last week as both the courts and urban planning experts sided with Google and the City of San Jose regarding the proposed development.
First off, what many viewed as a nuisance lawsuit regarding how the City held meetings regarding the proposed development was dismissed out of hand by Judge Patricia Lucas.
Second, Google presented its vision for the campus to the Station Area Advisory Group (SAAG) to substantial acclaim. The sophisticated framework invokes city planning best practices to maximize transit usage, affordable housing development, access to nature and greenspace, and seamless integration into the city's downtown. Read a more detailed explanation of that plan here.
According to San Jose Spotlight, Teresa Alvarado, the San Jose Director for land use think tank SPUR, said she was “blown away” by the framework Google laid out.
“I think that was a very powerful presentation… in particular the commitments and the types of different activities,” she said. “What we were hearing a year ago was eight to 10 million square feet of office. And here we are at 6.5 (million square feet) with a lot more space dedicated to cultural uses.”
The San Jose Mercury News editorial board called the proposal "arguably the most exciting project in San Jose's 241-year history” and "a tremendous opportunity to infuse good jobs and needed tax revenues into a city that has the worst jobs-housing ratio of any major U.S. city."
They added: "Google shows clear signs of wanting to live up to its responsibilities…It's important to remember that Google didn't seek tax breaks from San Jose. Google already has agreed to pay for transit improvements, infrastructure costs, construction taxes and package of community benefits."
The Mercury News concluded its editorial with optimism: "the unveiling of Google's vision for its urban village represents a solid step forward in the effort to transform San Jose's downtown."