Google’s big plans for downtown San Jose — answers for all your questions

There’s been a lot of buzz about Google gobbling up land in San Jose and big plans for an overhaul of the city’s sleepy downtown train station. But when will it all start to happen?

When will we see those artist renderings of the tech giant’s gleaming new campus or shovels hitting the ground and cranes crawling across the sky? When will the first BART trains roll into Silicon Valley’s new futuristic station? And what has to happen along the way before any of this gets done? Read on to find out.

The area around Diridon Station looks pretty quiet right now. So what will change that?

What for years has been a largely industrial area with squat buildings and sprawling parking lots is set to transform over the next decade into a densely packed extension of downtown — with taller structures, more public transportation and a lot more people.

VIDEO: Reporter George Avalos explains why Google chose this location for its San Jose campus — and how quickly it’s been gobbling up property

Perhaps best known is that Google is planning to build a major campus with offices, homes and commercial space near Diridon Station. But the station itself is also set to get an overhaul because city planners expect it to serve thousands of more travelers in the coming years.

One reason? BART is extending from the East Bay through downtown San Jose and eventually to Santa Clara. At some point, high-speed rail could also connect Silicon Valley to the Central Valley.

Another big change? San Jose’s height limits. For years, the SAP Center has been the tallest building near the station because of the planes flying into nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport. But the City Council recently voted to allow buildings more than twice the height of the arena in the area — so Google and other developers will have more access to real estate in the sky than ever before.

So when does it all happen?

Caltrain is already converting from diesel- to electric-powered trains, which will mean more frequent train service down the Peninsula to San Jose. That process should be completed by 2022.

Next up will be the BART extension. New stations are scheduled to open in Milpitas and Berryessa later this year. Then, sometime in the next seven or so years, BART plans to add four more stations in Alum Rock, downtown on Santa Clara Street between Market and Third streets, at Diridon and in Santa Clara. BART and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which is funding the construction and operating costs of the extension, are working on the design, schedule and funding. If everything goes according to plan, construction could start in 2021 and the four stations could open in 2026.

Around the same time construction begins on the BART extension, hammers and nails could start flying on the Google project, with some of the first buildings possibly being completed by around 2024-25.

Construction is expected to begin around 2025 on a new downtown transit station that by 2029 or so should allow easy access to BART, trains, buses and more. San Jose has held a series of community meetings to discuss ideas for how the station could look, but planning is still in the “big picture” phase, with big questions remaining — like where to put the station’s main entrance.

Drafts of environmental documents are expected in December for the high-speed rail project that could connect San Jose to Merced, and if funding comes through, the earliest trains could be running is by 2029.

How will the Google development look?

The short answer is, we don’t know yet. What we do know is that the company has spent more than $300 million purchasing a stretch of land — roughly the length of the suspension span of the Golden Gate Bridge — from north of the SAP Center south toward the old Orchard Supply Hardware near Interstate 280.

Some of the land came from the city and some from private sellers. Likely later this summer or early fall, Google is expected to outline, broadly, where it wants to locate offices, housing and other parts of the project.

In the fall, the tech giant is expected to submit an application to the city, which will trigger a formal environmental review that will provide estimates on the project’s impacts on everything from traffic to wildlife.

VIDEO: Reporter Emily DeRuy explains why the city eliminated building height restrictions to allow taller buildings around the SAP Center

Whatever application they submit to the city could include renderings and more specifics than we’ve seen so far, but the final development could ultimately look very different because the project will need to go through various city departments and ultimately to the City Council for approval. By Fall 2020, the city and Google are expected to finalize a development agreement, paving the way for building permits and construction in 2021.

What’s a development agreement?

It might sound boring, but this agreement will have repercussions — good or bad — for years to come. It’s where San Jose’s leaders and Google work out exactly what the tech company can do with the land it purchased and what the city’s residents will get in return.

Some residents and city leaders are concerned that the Google development will drive up home prices and displace longtime low-income residents. This agreement, which should be worked out by late 2020, is where the city can require Google to build a certain amount of affordable housing. The city could also push for computers or programs for local schools, local hiring requirements or other community benefits.

Separately, the city also is exploring new requirements for businesses in the area beyond the development agreement with Google. While Google is set to be the largest developer near Diridon Station, with about 50 acres, there are another 200 or so acres near Diridon. Some of that land is likely to be developed by other companies as office space, housing or retail. The city is considering imposing a fee that companies like Google would pay to support, for instance, more affordable housing.

Traffic and parking are already bad. How will this make it worse?

We still don’t have enough specifics to know exactly what the impacts of the Google project will be. The tech giant could bring 20,000 workers downtown, and other companies that move into the area could drive that number up. When Google turns in its application this fall with more details, San Jose can begin to evaluate how the project will affect everything from housing demand to local school enrollment.

What about construction?

Residents and visitors to San Jose will certainly see the consequences of so much construction, from street and sidewalk closures to reduced parking spaces, noise and dust. But there is some good news. The BART extension will be constructed using a single, deep underground tunnel that will avoid the need to tear up big sections of Santa Clara Street rather than a more invasive approach that would involve removing large sections of road and be far more disruptive to shops, businesses, pedestrians and drivers.

How do I keep up with what the city is doing?

Diridonsj.org has details about not only the redesign of Diridon Station but the coming Google campus. It also has information about the city’s efforts to update what’s known as the Diridon Station Area Plan, a document that guides development near the station. San Jose adopted a plan for the area back in 2014, but circumstances were different then. The city was anticipating an A’s ballpark that never materialized. Google also hadn’t come to town as a major anchor for the area, and the city hadn’t raised height limits yet. If the city makes major changes to the plan, they will have to go through a review process, which could kick off in the next year or so.

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San Jose mayor seeks Sacramento help for Google village There’s also a group of residents and local leaders who serve as members of a Station Area Advisory Group, which discusses all of these projects and provides feedback to the city and developers. The meetings are open to the public. The next meeting is expected to take place sometime in August, and future gatherings should continue every couple of months or so after that.

Anything else?

Yes, it’s worth emphasizing that this timeline could — and, in some ways, will certainly — change. With so many different agencies and officials involved — and some major funding questions for things like the BART extension still unanswered — delays are likely. Other factors like a possible recession — which economists say is looming — and changing political leadership — Mayor Sam Liccardo has championed Google, but he terms out in 2022 — could also affect whether these projects are delayed or even derailed.

What other questions do you have? Send them our way at googlesj@bayareanewsgroup.com

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