A place inspired
by San José

We’re working together to imagine this part of downtown — one that draws from San José’s culturally-rich history, vibrant personality and innovative spirit.

Wall mural with a patchwork of colorful pictures
Neon sign that says, “Stephen’s Meat Products” People walking down a busy urban street

Here’s an overview of Downtown West

Location

Downtown West

In 2021, the San José City Council approved the Downtown West mixed-use plan. It builds on the City of San José’s Diridon Station Area Plan to create a mixed-use urban destination near public transit. We worked closely with the City and community to help bring this vision to life through Downtown West.

Priorities

Delivering on San José’s goals

We heard from San José - and we set the priorities for Downtown West together. The project and its programs are designed to respond to these meaningful and ambitious goals—and to also grow and evolve together with the community. Downtown West includes the following benefits, which we’ll work towards meeting throughout the development of the project.

  1. Local job opportunities

    5,700+ prevailing wages construction jobs (with supplier diversity and local hire targets), and new job opportunities in technology and other industries

  2. More housing, and affordable housing

    4,000 new homes, and support for 25% affordable housing in the Diridon Station Area

  3. Help strengthen the community

    ~$150M Community Stabilization & Opportunity Pathways Fund rooted in social equity and community participation

  4. An inclusive place

    15 acres of public parks and open space with free year-round programming

  5. Ambitious climate targets

    Zero net new carbon emission and 65% non-single-occupancy vehicle trips (walking, biking, carpooling, or public transit) 

  6. Enhancing ecological health

    ~4.25 acres of enhanced riparian habitat, 2,280 new trees planted

Plan

A mixed-use plan for a variety of experiences

  • Trees line a creek as the sun shines in the sky. Text reads, “Varied experiences at the creek”.

    A range of urban to nature across open spaces

  • A train pulls out of a station. Text reads, “World-class multi-modal transit hub”.

    World-class multi-modal transit hub

  • High-rise buildings, trees, and a sun. Text reads, “Local neighborhoods with diverse character and community”.

    Local neighborhoods with diverse character and community

Downtown West will be a connected hub of activity and culture with easy access to nature and transit.

  • 7.3M sf

    Office

  • 4,000

    Housing units
    *Studying up to 5,900 units

  • 15 acres

    Parks, plazas and green spaces

  • 500K sf

    Retail, cultural, arts, education, hotel and more

Proposed land use

Map of proposed land use for the Downtown West Plan shows different zones.

Legend

  • Augmented Trail icon Office
  • Proposed Trail Connections icon Residential
  • Existing Trails icon Land dedicated to City for affordable housing
  • DSAP Boundary icon Land dedicated to City for Unentitled DSAP potential affordable housing
  • Newly Proposed Office icon Active use (retail, cultural, arts, education etc)
  • Housing icon Parks + plazas + green spaces
  • Hotel icon Downtown West Project Boundary

How it all comes together

Take a walk across the site

Downtown West is designed to provide a range of experiences from urban to nature, while fostering a lively and welcoming public realm, including free year-round programming.

  • The Gateway

    On the eastern edge of Downtown West, the Gateway will act as an immersive learning exchange that brings San José’s entrepreneurial, innovative spirit to life. It will bolster connections to adjacent neighborhoods and Downtown by offering a flexible plaza for temporary pop-up programming and events, while also celebrating adjacent natural resources.

    Rendering of proposed plaza with The San Jose Water Company Building in the background

  • The Creekside Walk

    Bounded by South Autumn Street to the west, Los Gatos Creek to the east, West Santa Clara Street to the north, and the VTA light rail corridor to the south, the Creekside Walk will be a part of the social heart located at San José’s transit gateway emphasizing health, wellness and environmental education.

    A rendering of proposed bridge crossing over Los Gatos Creek with people walking around with shops and Diridon Station in the distance

  • Daytime on The Meander

    A central social gathering place with shops, local food and places to learn and experience art and culture, the Meander will bridge natural open space areas with more civic, active areas. It’s situated between West San Fernando Street and Park Avenue, serving as a pedestrian-only extension of South Montgomery Street. A flexible lawn accommodates workshops, classes and events, and is framed by adjacent temporary and permanent structures.

    A rendering with people walking on an urban promenade with the Hellwig Iron Works building in the background

  • Evening in The Meander

    The Meander comes alive at night, bringing neighbors out to restaurants, bars, and exhibitions — or just for an evening stroll. A mix of businesses and organizations build on San José’s existing culture of food and art. Public seating, native plantings, outdoor art and cultural performances enhance the actively programmed public realm.

    A rendering of the proposed Meander at nighttime with people walking with string and city lights in the background

How we think about placemaking

Four guiding principles

We know when our local communities thrive, Google thrives. As we think about designing great places for people, we look to four guiding principles.

Google wants to be a helpful neighbor Principles of place

Community

Places are about people and connections between them.  We want to contribute to vibrant places that promote well-being, inclusion, and interconnectivity.

Innovation

We aim to have a healthy disregard for the impossible. We design for adaptability and flexibility.

Nature

The well-being of people depends on the health of the planet. We aspire to build spaces and places that are resilient and circular, connect people to nature, and help us conserve resources and reduce waste.

Economics

We invest in bold ideas that create replicable solutions for a better future. We want our designs to give something back to the world that wasn’t already there.

We want to hear from you!

We want to hear from you!

If you have questions, comments or ideas, reach out to us any time at DowntownWest@Google.com.