Do you want to live longer? Well, your chances of living a longer life are better if you live in the City of San Jose. That’s right. According to research by the CDC and online site The Daily Beast, the life expectancy is the highest among US cities right here in San Jose. The life expectancy of San Jose male residents is 79.2 years while San Jose females enjoy a life expectancy of 82.9 years. Maybe its the water here in San Jose! So if you want to live longer, live in San Jose.

For more information or to see the full list, check out The Daily Beast.

Two community-building events are taking place at St. James Park in downtown San Jose over the next two weeks. This Saturday, neighbors and friends of St. James Park are holding a park clean-up. There is a growing concern about the condition of St. James Park from residents in nearby downtown San Jose residential condo complexes such as One East Julian, Park Townsend, The Plaza, and City Heights. The hope is once the park is clean there will be a higher probability of neighborhood activities taking place on this beautiful piece of real estate, and the park will be maintained on an ongoing basis. Come out, get a little exercise, meet your neighbors, and do something good for downtown San Jose. Coffee, tea, and brown bag lunches will be provided.

Tuesday, August 2 is the 28th Annual National Night Out. National Night Out is a Night Out Against Crime. It is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. The St. James Neighborhood Association is hosting National Night Out in St. James Park. Entertainment will include comedy, games and classical and flamenco guitar performances. Refreshments will generously be provided by Morocco’s and Picasso’s Restaurants. Come out, get to know your neighbors and learn more about community projects at St. James Park. Volunteers are also needed. To volunteer, RSVP to the event, or for more information, please call (408) 275-9039.

What: St. James Park Neighborhood Clean-Up
When: Saturday, July 23, 9:00 am – Noon
Where: Meet at 3rd and St. James Streets in downtown San Jose across from the San Jose Athletic Club
For more information call (408) 275-9039

What: National Night Out in St. James Park
When: Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: St. James Park in downtown San Jose

A mixed-use area planned near downtown San Jose’s Diridon Station could turn a now jumbled area of one-way streets and half-empty industrial buildings into a showcase of retail, restaurants, hotels, and high-rise residential units, which would hopefully be crowned by a sparkling new major league baseball stadium, into what the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal is calling the “Times Square of Silicon Valley”. Officially the project in downtown San Jose is known as the Diridon Station Area Plan. A 30-year endeavor, the ambitious plan proposes development of the prime piece of downtown San Jose real estate into 4.95 million square feet of commercial/industrial space, 420,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 2,588 high-rise residential condo units, and 900 hotel rooms.

The Oakland A’s want to construct a new ballpark in downtown San Jose, after its plans to do so in the city of Fremont fell apart in 2009. The San Francisco Giants, who claim territorial rights to Santa Clara County, have raised objections to the move, and Major League Baseball officials have yet to approve the move. In order to put the proposed baseball stadium on the November ballot, the city needs to hear back from MLB officials by August. Although the city of San Jose has committed to provide land for the stadium, no new taxes or other public monies are planned to go toward the construction or operation of the ballpark. The A’s would be responsible for its construction and operation.

While the plan doesn’t hinge on Major League Baseball’s approval of the Oakland A’s moving to San Jose, there’s no doubt that a green light on the baseball stadium would speed up development, as well as influence how much will actually be built out.

One need only look in our own backyard at the SF Giants AT&T Park or San Diego’s Petco Park to see what a major impact a national sports franchise and stadium would have on the local economy. When AT&T Park was built in the China Basin area of San Francisco, it doubled the surrounding commercial values. It attracted new residential high-rises and tourist-dollar-worthy restaurants and retail. The same can be said for San Diego’s downtown. With the addition of Petco Park, downtown San Diego has become a world-class destination, with a rejuvenated Gaslamp Quarter, new hotels and high-rise residential, and an expanded convention center. In downtown San Jose, add in all that plus a new transit hub housing Caltrain, Amtrak, VTA light rail, and future BART and high-speed rail lines, and you can hear the city’s coffers filling with hotel and sales tax revenue, with the welcomed addition of thousands of local jobs. Get out your shades - the future looks bright for downtown San Jose.

To see the City of San Jose’s full Diridon Station Area Plan, click here.

Visit www.baseballsanjose.com to learn more about bringing the Oakland A’s to downtown San Jose.

Frank Penrose, a member of the Facebook group San Jose: Downtown Dwellers, is asking for our help with ideas for revitalizing downtown San Jose’s St. James Park and making it a more family and community oriented environment. He’s hoping that those of us who live, work, and/or play in downtown San Jose are interested in the POSITIVE revitalization of St. James Park into a more family friendly, prominently recognized historical landmark with reduced crime, beautification efforts (if you’ve walked past the northeast corner of the park recently, you’ll see what he means), and increased “programming” that will in turn make St. James Park known for its positive image in terms of community, aesthetics and humanitarian issues throughout the city.

If you’re interested in the helping Frank, here is his strategy:

1. FEEDBACK
He’s getting together with various agencies (non-profits, gov’t, etc.) to assist in getting a Friends of St. James Park committee started - their guidance, assistance and recommendations are necessary to get an organization like this off the ground.

2. RESULT TO YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF YOUR INTEREST
Frank will take a “first step” in terms of formulating a strategy.

3. TIME LINE for this 1st step
Gathering interest to setting a first meeting - not necessarily the first meeting – will take place within 30 days.

4. HOW DO YOU CORRESPOND?:
Please provide your acknowledgment to Frank’s personal email at penrose964@yahoo.com.
Begin email correspondence with “HELP St. James Park” on the subject line. Provide contact info and why you would be interested in revitalizing St. James park as mentioned above.

The San Jose: Downtown Dwellers Facebook page is for everyone who LIVES, WORKS AND PLAYS in Downtown San Jose and would like to become a part of their virtual community.

I. RECOMMENDED FOR:
- Neighborhood Associations
- Residents
- Businesses & Visitors
- Non-Profits, Groups, Clubs, Organizations & Institutions
- Activists, Advocates, Community Leaders, Etc…
… All Downtown Stakeholders!

II. POST YOUR:
- announcements & events
- discussion topics
- news, info & fyis
- opinions & recommendations
- press releases & alerts
- questions & comments
- etc, etc…
…reach out now!

III. MISSION:
Connecting people, neighborhoods, businesses and government. Advocating change through partnership & consensus.

IV. GOAL:
To connect our assets and our people, ensuring the positive development of our downtown community.

V. PUBLIC WALL:
The Public Wall is where you can meet your neighbors, find new neighborhoods and seek out San Jose’s hidden treasures. We welcome Neighborhood Associations, non-profits, local government, activists and other Downtown folks to announce, advise, invite, promote and engage in healthy conversations – right here.

VI. DISCUSSION BOARDS:
It’s about dialogue, baby, dialogue. Post a topic, thought, position, opinion - get feedback and share your thoughts with others.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Be a part of creating the Downtown San Jose we want to LIVE, WORK and PLAY in.

For more information about Friends of St. James Park project and the San Jose: Downtown Dwellers Facebook page, click here. St. James Park is centrally located in downtown San Jose and close to Trials Pub, Teske’s Germania Restaurant, and residential condo buildings such as St. James Place, 350 N. 2nd St. Lofts, Park Townsend, and The Plaza.

The San Jose Downtown Residents Association (SJDRA) is holding it’s quarterly meeting this Tuesday evening, January 25, at LOFT Bar and Bistro in downtown San Jose. The agenda for the evening will focus on downtown San Jose transportation, with an update on the high-speed rail project. I’m sure many of you are curious about the impact high-speed rail will have on the downtown area, so join your fellow downtown San Jose residents and find out the latest news regarding high-speed rail and other transportation projects. You’ll also enjoy complementary appetizers courtesy of the City of San Jose.

SJDRA Quarterly Meeting
Date: Tuesday, January 25
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location:
LOFT Bar & Bistro
90 South Second Street

For more info or to RSVP for the meeting, contact the SJDRA via email at sjdra@yahoo.com or call (408) 535-0123.

Have you noticed the security fence recently erected on the east side of St. James Park in downtown San Jose and wondered what was going on? Turns out it is part of the St. James Park Master Plan of 2002. What is the St. James Park Master Plan you ask? It is a plan between the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the City of San Jose to revitalize the St. James Historic District, and part of that plan involves restoring St. James Park to its original symmetry and maintaining its National Register of Historic Places designation. Downtown San Jose’s St. James Park has quite a history. Besides the notorious lynching of the Hart kidnapping suspects in 1933, did you know Robert Kennedy made a campaign stop in downtown San Jose? In March 1968 he spoke in St. James Park, three months before being assassinated in Los Angeles. The current construction project involves demolition of the former senior center, and transforming the building site into a grassy area and small plaza with seating areas and tables. With all the new high rises and condominiums in downtown San Jose, the goal is to make St. James Park inviting for all members of the community and to maintain open spaces for outdoor uses.

St. James Park is just down the street from residential condo complexes including St. James Place, The Plaza, Park Townsend, One East Julian, 350 N. 2nd Street Lofts and Ryland Mews. And it is also located directly in front of the vacant First Church of Christ Scientist building and a parking lot that Barry Swenson has proposed building into a residential high-rise, Parkview Towers. But that is down the road. The seniors previously using the center transitioned into nearby Roosevelt Community Center earlier this year. Construction should be complete by February 2011.

For more information regarding the St. James Park Master Plan, visit the San Jose Redevelopment Agency’s website at www. Sjredevelopment.org. For any questions and concerns regarding the current construction at the park you can contact Evelyn Velez-Rosario, City of San Jose, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services at (408) 793-5552.

Speaking of new restaurants in downtown San Jose, Sal Pizarro wrote a nice short piece in his column in the San Jose Mercury about the new restaurants over at San Pedro Square. The restaurants that have recently opened in San Pedro Square and brought back some new life into the area include Los Gatos Brewing Co., The Mmoon Empanadas, and most recently LaPinata Mexican Restaurant. These new eateries join other food and bar establishments in San Pedro Square such as The Old Spaghetti Factory, 71 Saint Peter, Peggy Sue’s, Sonoma Chicken Coop, and The Old Wagon Saloon and Grill.

And we’re are one of many people in downtown San Jose anxiously awaiting the opening of the San Pedro Square Market (aka the Urban Market). We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the San Pedro Square Market will be opening this spring. San Pedro Square is conveniently located in downtown San Jose just down the street from City Heights, downtown San Jose’s first high rise complex, and around the corner from Axis, the downtown San Jose luxury condo community.

Los Gatos Brewing Co.
163 W. Santa Clara Street
San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose
(408) 292-9928

The Mmoon Empanadas
177 W. Santa Clara Street
San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose
(408) 999-0288
www.themmoon.com

LaPinata Mexican Restaurant
17 N. San Pedro Street
San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose
(408) 280-1250
www.lapinata.com

Did you know that you can create your own holiday light scene in downtown San Jose? Its true. If you’ve ever driven down San Fernando Street in downtown San Jose, you’ve probably seen the “light sculpture” on the side of the luxury downtown high-rise complex, The 88. At the light sculpture, which is also referred to as “Show Your Stripes,” you can change the colors and patterns on the LED light display via your cell phone. Dial the phone number (408) 287-0128 and then punch in any 3-digit code to see what dancing light pattern is displayed. Its definitely one of the cooler art pieces in downtown San Jose!

There are thousands of pre-programmed displays on the 3-story tall light sculpture, including several specifically designed for the various holidays. Check out the festive holiday codes below or test out any other 3-digit code to see what shows up. You may get snow swirls, holiday bursts, or a festive color wheel in holiday colors. Your best bet is to be standing on or near the corner of San Fernando and 2nd Streets facing the corner of the downtown high-rise The 88 and its groundfloor retail shop, The Market by Safeway.

Light Sculpture at The 88
Dial 408-287-0128
After the tone enter, any 3 digits on your phone key pad (you can also use # or *)
Then hang up and enjoy the show!

Some colorful holiday codes
766 gets you snow
*25 brings up red/green Christmas colors

If you’ve tried this cool light feature and come up with some cool dancing patterns, feel free to share the entertainment with us.

The San Jose Downtown Residents Association (SJDRA) is holding its Summer Quarterly Meeting this Wednesday evening at the The Old Wagon Saloon and Grill in San Pedro Square. This Quarterly Meeting is also the SJDRA’s Annual Meeting to elect the 2010-2011 Board of Directors for the SJDRA. Also on the agenda for the meeting will be an update on the Urban Market, which is now being named the San Pedro Square Market, as well as a tour of the Urban Market site.

Stop by the SJDRA Summer Quarterly Meeting and meet other downtown residents. This is also a great chance to check out The Old Wagon Saloon which is quickly becoming a favorite dinner spot and watering hole. The Old Wagon has a fantastic outdoor patio space and serve their burgers with 100% buffalo meat. Not beef. Bufallo meat. Check it out!

SJDRA Summer Quarterly Meeting (Annual Meeting)
Date: Wednesday, July 21
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location:
The Old Wagon Saloon and Grill
73 N. San Pedro Street
San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose

For more info or to RSVP for the meeting, contact the SJDRA via email at sjdra@yahoo.com or call (408) 535-0123.

Update: July 22, 2010

Great turnout at last night’s SJDRA meeting at the Old Wagon Saloon. There were a number of people in attendance interested in the update on the San Pedro Square Urban Market project. Steve Borkenhagen, the general manager of the Urban Market, and Tom McEnery, one of the principals of the project, gave a quick presentation and update on the San Pedro Square Market. The project, originally slated to open in August, is now projected to open Phase 1 in November.

Summer season always brings out some of the best events in downtown San Jose. And best of all, many of these great events are FREE courtesy of the San Jose Downtown Association and its many sponsors. This includes the tradition of free outdoor movies, Starlight Cinemas, on Wednesday evenings from June until August. This year features another great lineup of movies starting off with the classic Harrison Ford film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (PG, 1981) this Wednesday in San Pedro Square. Films start at dusk so bring a lawn chair and blanket.

Starlight Cinemas will again be rotating locations this year with movies showing in San Pedro Square (2nd Wednesdays of the month), Historic District on Post between First and Market (3rd Wednesdays of the month), and SoFA District at South First and William Streets (4th Wednesdays of the month).

Starlight Cinemas 2010 Lineup

June 9 – Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG, 1981, Harrison Ford) (San Pedro Square)
June 16 – It Happened One Night (Not Rated, 1934, Clark Gable) (Historic District)
June 23 – This is Spinal Tap (R, 1984) (SoFA District)

July 14 – Batman (PG-13, 1989, Michael Keaton) (San Pedro Square)
July 21 – An American in Paris (Not Rated, 1951, Gene Kelly) (Historic District)
July 28 – Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1975) (SoFA District)

August 11 – The Goonies (PG, 1985) (San Pedro Square)
August 18 – Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3-D (Not Rated) (1954) (Historic District)
August 25 – Zombieland (R, 2009, Woody Harrelson) (SoFA District)

For more information about Starlight Cinemas or the movies shown at Starlight Cinemas, check out the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) website.