Oakland Projects and Business Development (San Jose, Montclair: apartments, lease, home)

[18Montclair]

Oakland center welcomes $4M upgrade.

Oakland is investing over $8 million to make its convention center competitive.

The city’s redevelopment agency has agreed to sublease the 64,000-square-foot Scotlan Convention Center from the city of Oakland for 12 years. It will pay $2 million into the city’s general fund each of the next two fiscal years.

In addition, the redevelopment agency will spend $4 million to renovate the center; it will seek bids as early as next month. The center has not been upgraded since it was built in 1983.

That $4 million augments the $20 million CIM is spending to renovate the Oakland Marriott, which is adjacent to the convention center. CIM has owned the 484-room hotel since June 2007 and it manages both the hotel and convention center. The hotel also has 89,000 square feet of meeting space.



Read more: Oakland center welcomes $4M upgrade - San Francisco Business Times

[jade408]

Originally Posted by tanglenet

jade408, thanks for the rec.

Is Chop Bar located where the 4th Street Cafe or Gorilla Cafe use to be? Or maybe it's still there? It was a place in the middle of the produce district and kind of fell off the radar as the food started going down hill. Primarily a breakfast spot.

Also, have you been to Boots and Shoe Service? I've heard it's good.

I haven't made it to Boot and Shoe. It is packed. Hopefully I can go soon, but last time I tried (9:30 on Saturday) there was a 1 hour wait!

Have you gone to Mua? That place is great. Most food is excellent, but there are a few misses. Stick with burgers, meat, raw or rare fish. I heard the grilled salmon was crappy. There are great drinks and they serve food late. The veggie dishes: the brown butter brussel sprouts and no cheese mac and cheese are excellent.

Also The Layover (the non-dive dive bar) is good: drinks and scene. My sister also loves Penelope, but I haven't made it there yet.

[18Montclair]

A fresh ray of hope has pierced the gloom that overshadows the Bay Area's economy: The Port of Oakland says its container traffic surged during the first half of this year.

During the first six months of 2010, the Oakland Port handled 1.09 million containers. That was up 12.9 percent from the containers the port handled during the first six months of 2009.

The upswing is cause for a positive outlook on the part of port officials -- although they temper it with some caution.
"We are optimistic about the improvement," said Lawrence Dunnigan, manager of business development and international marketing. "But we are watching very closely to whether this continues if inventories get replenished and consumers spend."


Port of Oakland cargo levels rising - Inside Bay Area

[tanglenet]

Originally Posted by jade408

I haven't made it to Boot and Shoe. It is packed. Hopefully I can go soon, but last time I tried (9:30 on Saturday) there was a 1 hour wait!

Have you gone to Mua? That place is great. Most food is excellent, but there are a few misses. Stick with burgers, meat, raw or rare fish. I heard the grilled salmon was crappy. There are great drinks and they serve food late. The veggie dishes: the brown butter brussel sprouts and no cheese mac and cheese are excellent.

Also The Layover (the non-dive dive bar) is good: drinks and scene. My sister also loves Penelope, but I haven't made it there yet.

Haven't been to Mua or Layover or Penelope. I always wondered what Mua was as the roll down door was more graffitti than a regular restaurant / bar sign. I thought it was a night club only.

Thanks for the info!

[18Montclair]

The California Energy Commission's staff recommended approval for BrightSource Energy Inc's proposed 392-megawatt Ivanpah solar thermal power plant in southeast California.

Privately-held BrightSource, of Oakland, California, said in a release it expects to have all of the necessary permits to commence construction in the autumn of 2010.

With the toughest renewable energy mandates in the nation, the California Energy Commission is considering several solar power facilities...

Calif. should approve BrightSource solar plant | Energy & Oil | Reuters

[ssmaster]

i think this will make living in jls and dining in jls more desirable and convenient
i think having it run until 9:00pm would be better


Free downtown Oakland shuttle unveiled - Inside Bay Area

Free downtown Oakland shuttle unveiled
By Chris Metinko
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 08/05/2010 02:40:08 PM PDT
Updated: 08/05/2010 06:16:39 PM PDT


OAKLAND -- A return to the past greeted downtown Oakland workers and strollers Thursday as a new free shuttle service through the city's heart was officially launched.

The Broadway Shuttle, which runs weekdays between Jack London Square and Grand Avenue, is the latest attempt to lure more people and business to the city's downtown. The project is a throwback of sorts -- the city had a similar shuttle which was discontinued nearly a decade ago.

The shuttle, nicknamed the "B," is partially funded by clean-air grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Oakland redevelopment funds and various downtown property owner groups, in association with AC Transit.

[lmk1707]

If they added weekends, I'd be ecstatic. It's a long walk from Grand Lake area to JLS when you feel like visiting the First & Last Chance!

[18Montclair]

Review: Oakland's Chop Bar deliciously inviting

By Jessica Yadegaran
Contra Costa Times

Updated: 08/02/2010 06:14:36 PM PDT

Much like diners in America or tea shops in India, in West Africa chops bars are roadside eateries where locals gather to bend an ear while grabbing a bite. They open early, close late, and you're drawn there whether it's time for cocktails, coffee or a meal.

I wasn't familiar with the term when I first dined at Oakland's Chop Bar, which opened almost a year ago in the Jack London District. I thought the restaurant's name was a reference to chef Lev Delaney's mad knife skills...


http://www.mercurynews.com/restaurants/ci_15659713

Here's a pic...
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2010/0802/20100802__ecct0806dining~1_GALLERY.JPG (broken link)
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2010/0802/20100802__ecct0806dining~1_GALLERY.JPG (broken link)

[18Montclair]

Return to Elegance Envisioned for Century-Old Oakland Landmark

By George Avalos
Oakland Tribune


Posted: 08/18/2010 03:56:12 PM PDT
Updated: 08/19/2010 11:56:51 AM PDT



OAKLAND -- An East Bay developer has bought a century-old downtown building that was constructed by California's "Borax King," vowing to restore the high rise to its elegance of 100 years ago.

A partnership controlled by Orton Development Inc. said Wednesday it has bought the 10-story building on Broadway between 14th and 15th streets in downtown Oakland....


http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2010/0818/20100818__ecct0819orton~1_GALLERY.JPG (broken link)

http://www.mercurynews.com/business-...nclick_check=1

[Mr. Fantastic]

What a waste of money. Restoring an old building for commerce in one of the worst commercial real estate markets of recent memory. They'll be lucky if they aren't foreclosed in 2 years.