 |
Santana Row: San Jose, CA
Failing San Jose Shopping Center Gives Life to Vibrant Urban Neighborhood
In the heart of California's Silicon Valley lies the City of San
Jose — a postwar city one million strong. San Jose is the oldest
settlement in California, dating back to 1777, and was the State's
first capital. Until the 1950s, it was a small community, but a
shockwave of growth struck San Jose in the 1960s and 1970s making
it one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. As growth continued
at rates far exceeding projections, San Jose developed as the region's
bedroom community. During the mid 1990s, low-density residential
uses proliferated, accounting for 59% of the City's developed urban
land.
The San Jose 2020 General Plan prepared in 1994 emphasized that
further economic development was necessary to generate a more robust
and stable tax base that would support the city's urban service
needs. The Plan identified the need to provide varied housing options
for all segments of the population, including the increasing number
of seniors, families without children, and singles. The Plan also
recognized the need to contain the low-density sprawling development
that had characterized most of the City's growth and identified
infill development and redevelopment of underutilized parcels as
an important means of controlling service costs through increased
efficiency.
 Santana
Row, a new greyfield development in suburban San Jose meets all
of these goals. Bounded by Interstate 280 and 880 and South Winchester
Boulevard, it is the largest mixed-use project ever built in San
Jose. Santana Row is a reincarnation of the former Town & Country
Mall — a single-story outdoor strip mall that suffered from
reduced patronage and sales tax revenue. The 43-acre site was purchased
by the developer, Federal Realty Investment Trust, for $41 million
and the mall was razed. In its stead Santana Row will provide a
"unique mix of shopping, dining, entertainment and living designed
to enhance the individual experience." The one billion dollar project
will feature 680,000 square feet of retail space; 1,200 luxury rental
units including townhomes, lofts, and flats; a 214- room boutique
hotel; a 12-screen cinema; 5,200 parking spaces; a pedestrian-friendly
main street; public open space; plazas and courtyards. Long-term
plans include light-rail and bus service, but no transit is currently
in place.
While some observers hail Santana Row as a model for Smart Growth,
the project has not been without controversy. Located just 3 1/2
miles from downtown San Jose and across the street from another
shopping mall, there are concerns about Santana Row competing too
aggressively with the newly revitalized downtown and the highly
successful Valley Fair Mall. However, according to retail tenants
and the developer, these claims are unwarranted. They insist that
Santana Row is filling a retail niche that will attract a distinctly
different market.
The backbone of the project is a 1,500-foot Mediterranean main
street with curbside landscaping, wide sidewalks and intimate seating
areas. Urban lofts with ground floor retail line the main street
and green spaces and high-quality landscaping are woven into the
pedestrian streetscape. Retail tenants include Gucci, Crate and
Barrel, and Borders.
 Residential
amenities include a concierge, 24-hour fitness center, locker rooms
with steam showers and sauna room, lounge, billiard room and sports
lounge, gourmet kitchen and temperature controlled wine cellar,
outdoor terrace, wading pool, business center and large conference
room. Housed in ten residential buildings, the units range from
one- to four-bedroom units and are housed atop ground floor retail.
Developer Federal Realty Investment Trust hired Liquid Agency,
a "brand" firm, to market the project and its associated lifestyle.
A web site (http://www.santanarow.com)
highlights the "live", "eat," "shop," "stay," and "play" experiences
of upscale Santana Row. Virtual tours of townhomes, lofts, apartment
flats and executive suites are available on the web, and a second
phase of the web site will allow visitors to arrange furniture on
residential floorplans according to Feng Shui principles!
In August 2002, the largest fire in San Jose history destroyed
Santana Row's largest building one month before its scheduled opening.
The opening was rescheduled for November 2002.
For more information about Santana Row, visit http://www.santanarow.com.
Return to Model Projects | Reports
|
