Music fans throughout the Bay Area can circle June 13 on their calendars when Claude VonStroke headlines a day-to-night open-air gathering at Circle of Palms Plaza. The event stretches from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and places one of house music's most recognizable names inside one of Downtown San Jose's most recognizable public spaces.
San Francisco Bay University has secured roughly 4,000 square feet inside the Center for Employment Training on Vine Street and aims to bring the space online later this year. This move establishes the Fremont-based school's inaugural neighborhood campus right near Downtown San Jose.
Downtown San Jose was more alive today than at any point I can remember. Every street was packed, music was everywhere from the stages to the lowriders cruising the streets, and street food was abundant all throughout the area. San Pedro Square was booming, but so was SoFA, and all of Santa Clara Street. The free drone show at Discovery Meadows was also excellent. If you have the opportunity to get to Downtown tomorrow, take it.
Downtown San Jose is offering a great incentive for shoppers this December with the Shop Small Downtown program from the San Jose Downtown Association. When you spend at least $150 at participating local businesses, you qualify for a $50 gift card in return. This promotion runs through December 24 and focuses on small shops, restaurants, and theaters that define the area's character. The gift card works at over 60 locations across Downtown, making it easy to keep the spending local and discover more spots.
Combine chef-made food and a prime location for art lovers and what do you get? Poppy & Claro, the newest destination dining spot in downtown San Jose. The restaurant, the first from the Jay Paul Co. real estate developer, anchors the high-rise 50 West building that was formerly home to KQED, the Capital Club and Knight Ridder. This is an all-day restaurant that aims to satisfy the food and beverage needs of downtown employees, visitors and residents from breakfast through early dinner.
Each year, the two-acre Plaza De Cesar Chavez is transformed into a holiday fantasy. Walk through the enchanted forest of decorated trees with over 40 musical and animated exhibits, glittering lights, and the 60-foot Community Giving Tree. Some of the original displays are housed in one of the largest exhibits, the Lima Train, which includes a melting snowman, caroling mice, and elf woodcrafters. Step inside the 50-foot Christmas tree, enjoy free photos with Santa, nightly entertainment, and holiday refreshments.
SAN JOSE - A high-profile San Jose development that originally was floated as adjacent housing and office towers has now evolved into a midrise project that would produce well over 600 homes - and no offices - new plans on file at City Hall show. Urban Catalyst, a real estate firm that is active in downtown San Jose, has proposed two buildings, each of them eight stories, that would sprout in downtown San Jose, plans that would replace towers with shorter buildings.
A new addition to the food scene has arrived in Downtown San Jose with the soft opening of Entre Comales at 330 S. Third St. This taqueria and pupuseria steps into the space once occupied by the well-known Iguanas Burritozilla, bringing a wave of Latin flavors to the neighborhood. Residents and visitors now have a new spot to explore authentic Salvadoran dishes right in the heart of the city.
A new spot for all-day meals arrives in Downtown San Jose with the opening of Poppy & Claro at 50 West San Fernando Street, right next to the San Jose Museum of Art. This restaurant fills a hole once occupied by the members-only Capital Club, which closed in December 2024. It's a welcoming venue open to everyone from office workers to museum visitors. Set to launch on Thursday, October 16, it will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
"It became obvious with our partners that the level of business was not sustainable," Levine told San José Spotlight. "We tried multiple pivots over the last nine months in terms of dining room layout, menus, etc. and just didn't find a formula that connected with guests."
I'm glad that instead of building something brand new which it could have done pretty much anywhere Hillbrook decided to bring its students to downtown San Jose and specifically to two historic but vacant buildings near St. James Park that required millions of dollars of renovation. That was a very intentional decision to have a school in downtown San Jose and have this idea of the city as a classroom, Head of School Mark Silver said.
Project developer Jay Paul Co. and broker Newmark, a commercial real estate firm, believe Cityview is one of downtown San Jose's best locations. There is nothing else like Cityview in downtown San Jose, said Phil Mahoney, a Newmark executive vice chairman. This is an entirely new, mixed-use project on 11 acres at the center of downtown. Real estate executives are hopeful because project developer Jay Paul Co. is bolstered by a long track record of success in the Bay Area.
Downtown San Jose has produced an upswing in economic activity, with jobs and foot traffic showing improvement amidst broader economic headwinds. In the 2025 fiscal year, downtown San Jose accommodated an estimated 27,400 jobs, up 8.3% from the previous year. Despite high office vacancy levels at 29%, average asking office rents improved slightly to $4.37 per square foot, signaling positive changes in the commercial real estate market.
Westbank purchased the Charles Davidson Building at 255 West Julian St. in downtown San Jose for approximately $14.2 million, utilizing Acore Capital Mortgage financing of up to $207.9 million.
