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http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/06/google-san-jose-craft-search-giants-downtown-expansion/
SAN JOSE — Google is in talks to create a massive tech campus in the heart of downtown San Jose’s Diridon Station area that could accommodate up to 20,000 jobs and transform the area into a transit-oriented tech village, city officials said Tuesday.
Google and the city are discussing a potential mixed-used development that could include more than 6 million square feet of office and research-and-development space, potentially making it the company’s largest collection of tech offices. It would be larger than the search giant’s roughly 3.1-million-square-foot Mountain View headquarters, known as the Googleplex, which currently is its biggest U.S. work hub. The largest single building occupied by Google is a company-owned office tower, a 2.9-million-square-foot art deco skyscraper in Manhattan.
Google ultimately intends to buy all the parcels in a roughly 240-acre area that would be needed for the mega-campus, said a person familiar with the matter.
Google’s expansion plans could dovetail with San Jose’s own quest to maximize transit links in and out of Diridon Station. The area is deemed attractive for offices, homes and retail because it’s a hub for Amtrak, Caltrain and a light-rail system. It’s also slated for a BART station and a possible high-speed rail line connection, although those won’t materialize for years. All the transit upgrades could increase the number of commuters to downtown San Jose by eight-fold.
“Based on our conversations with Google, we share a collective vision for the future of this space, a vision of urban design that will invite the public into the station,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said during an event near the train station to announce the development plans.
SAN JOSE — Google is in talks to create a massive tech campus in the heart of downtown San Jose’s Diridon Station area that could accommodate up to 20,000 jobs and transform the area into a transit-oriented tech village, city officials said Tuesday.
Google and the city are discussing a potential mixed-used development that could include more than 6 million square feet of office and research-and-development space, potentially making it the company’s largest collection of tech offices. It would be larger than the search giant’s roughly 3.1-million-square-foot Mountain View headquarters, known as the Googleplex, which currently is its biggest U.S. work hub. The largest single building occupied by Google is a company-owned office tower, a 2.9-million-square-foot art deco skyscraper in Manhattan.
Google ultimately intends to buy all the parcels in a roughly 240-acre area that would be needed for the mega-campus, said a person familiar with the matter.
Google’s expansion plans could dovetail with San Jose’s own quest to maximize transit links in and out of Diridon Station. The area is deemed attractive for offices, homes and retail because it’s a hub for Amtrak, Caltrain and a light-rail system. It’s also slated for a BART station and a possible high-speed rail line connection, although those won’t materialize for years. All the transit upgrades could increase the number of commuters to downtown San Jose by eight-fold.
“Based on our conversations with Google, we share a collective vision for the future of this space, a vision of urban design that will invite the public into the station,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said during an event near the train station to announce the development plans.
