Was redevelopment of Downtown San Jose a success or a failure overall? (San Diego: real estate, apartment)

[Maceart]

Until BART makes its way to Diridon or if VTA finally gets their **** together, San Jose's downtown will never reach the greats of other cities in the USA. It's not even up there with Indianapolis.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

The baseline I use is a childhood memory of riding down San Carlos Street in the back of my parents' car and seeing hookers, scary looking places with bars on the windows and nearly deserted streets with dust and trash blowing around in them.

Definitely a success.

People arriving in DTSJ now have no idea what it used to be like.

Wow, what timeframe was this? My family is all SoCal natives, kids moved to NorCal for grad school, & took us to downtown San Jose for dinner/movie...it is impressive, a place you want to be! I wish more SoCal redevelopment had this feel.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia

Wow, what timeframe was this? My family is all SoCal natives, kids moved to NorCal for grad school, & took us to downtown San Jose for dinner/movie...it is impressive, a place you want to be! I wish more SoCal redevelopment had this feel.

1970s.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia

Wow, what timeframe was this? My family is all SoCal natives, kids moved to NorCal for grad school, & took us to downtown San Jose for dinner/movie...it is impressive, a place you want to be! I wish more SoCal redevelopment had this feel.

Doesn't L.A. or San Diego have this feel?

[WizardOfRadical]

It feels really up and coming. I like it. It's right at that point where it's got everything it needs but people haven't found out yet.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

When I got to San Jose in 1990, I just never go Downtown unless it was for my dentist appointment in Naglee Park, my church at St. Patrick, and the occasional visit to the Main Library (which at the time was located next to the Convention Center. Also, on 4th Street between San Fernando and Santa Clara, I go to Ca Mau restaurant on the west side of 4th and Vinh Quang eastern medicine store on the east side of 4th. Also hit up Ton Tho Tuong BBQ on 10th/Santa Clara. Back in those days there were many Vietnamese restaurants and shops in Downtown and residents as well, due to Downtown having much cheaper rents than the burbs.

Ca Mau and the businesses along the west side of 4th were demolished for the current condos, and Vinh Quang and businesses on the east side of 4th were demolished to build City Hall.

Those were the only times my family and I would go to Downtown.

Back in those days, Downtown did not have very much high-rises. The ones that were not there during my childhood?

- 88
- 360
- Axis
- City Heights
- 1SM
- Centerra
- PWC building
- City Hall
- All of the Adobe towers
- Marriot Hotel
- Deloitte building
- Hilton Hotel (built in 1992)

The massive King library that we have now was not built until 2003. Most of the condos/flats along 3rd and 4th were either low-slung mom-and-pop shops, or huge flat parking lots in my childhood days. Guadalupe River Park looks NOTHING like how it is now--it was much crappier back then. MUCH.

Back then Downtown was, to put it lightly, no man's land in my family. We go in for business and get the hell out, no need to linger. There was always an arid air about Downtown, a decaying scent in the air, almost like a rusted car. You can feel it in the air. You can almost see the sepia tone whenever you go there, because it's just so....decayed. Not boring or even dangerous, mind you, but just "decayed".

Downtown right now is MUCH MUCH better than what it was in the 90's. We still got A LOT of work to do, and I reckon Downtown won't be "satisfactory" until at least another 10-15 years. I hope that my children growing up will be able to enjoy a truly lively and vibrant Downtown that many generations before them (including mine) did not fully get to have.

Also the Fairmont Annex, for which the redevelopment agency paid to move the old Montgomery Hotel for, at the cost of several million dollars. The 4-6 story buildings by 3rd and 4th St. were built in the 90s or early 00s replaced a lot of surface parking lots as well adding a lot of street activity and fixing some of the dead spaces downtown. There is also the Hammer Theater, that at least is better than having a parking lot there, and hopefully will soon see new activity.

[SportyandMisty]

Wait. San Jose has a downtown???

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Wait. San Jose has a downtown???

Yup! Pretty amazing huh? I believe it's been around for quite awhile too, probably over a hundred years! Imagine that!

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by the topper

Downtown San Jose redevelopment for last 30 years a success or failure? The city spent over 3 billion dollars over the years. Is it lively? Was all the investments worth it to revitalize Downtown San Jose?

Now or for all time?

[the topper]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Now or for all time?

both