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Providing a fun and safe experience for visitors to downtown San Jose is a top priority for a new proposal for the city’s core entertainment district.
Leading the development is a real estate tycoon gary dirab, he believes that as security improves in San Jose, it will soon be ready for a central entertainment district where locals and tourists gather.City leaders hope to help revitalize area by boosting visitors struggling local businesses.
“It starts with great weather, physical infrastructure, a million people on the periphery … Given its size and purchasing power, San Jose could do a lot of different things very well,” DiRabe told San Jose. spotlight. “I don’t think we’re that far away from doing that.”
Dillabough, founder of Urban Community, a real estate development firm with projects downtown, said that with the combined strength of more than 25 venues downtown, San Jose can host 54,000 visitors on any given night.
Looking ahead to the planning stages of the proposed entertainment district, San Jose Tourism team spokesperson Frances Wong said the city-owned facility could provide the initial foundation for a future thriving downtown.
“We already had the urban layout needed to designate entertainment and meeting areas,” Wong told San José Spotlight. “With a proposed precinct like this, it will better integrate visitor experience and consumption into the downtown economy.”
The desire to create an entertainment district comes at a time when downtown San Jose is facing an uphill battle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Profits at many businesses have plummeted, while others that closed during the pandemic never reopened.this Tabard Theater After more than 20 years in business, it recently closed down.
Derrick Seaver, CEO of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, has lived downtown for more than a decade and is an advocate for the area’s new look. Seaver said he enjoys the many events, such as the First Friday art walks and the SoFa Street Fair, but he would like to see more events throughout the year.
“The biggest change we want to see is consistency,” Seaver told San José Spotlight. “People have come to expect the brand, like First Fridays, but what activates on a Tuesday in August?”
A city center for everyone
Elizabeth Chien-Hale, a downtown resident of the San Jose Downtown Residents Association and the San Jose Downtown Association Board of Directors, said she often visits local venues like the 3Below Theater and attends events such as San Jose Jazz Festival and movie explorationLike Seaver, she said a lack of publicity for the event in downtown San Jose limited the number of attendees.
“We already have a variety of entertainment options downtown. However, I think the way to build a loyal fan base is to consistently deliver high-quality shows in any one area of entertainment,” Chien-Hale told San José Spotlight. “Also, we need supporting infrastructure like easy (and preferably free) parking and good dining options before and after shows. I think we’re selling packages.”
Nanci Klein, San Jose’s director of economic development and cultural affairs, said the entertainment district is more of an idea than a formal structure the city built.
The city is unlikely to enact any policy or zoning changes to help bring Dillabough’s ideas to life. For example, the city allowed larger nightclubs a few years ago, drawing hundreds of young people downtown on some nights, she said. But she recalled that these individuals sometimes engaged in activities that were disruptive and not entirely legal.
“We want to be a different kind of downtown,” Klein told San Jose Spotlight. “Not just a downtown for 20-year-olds, but a downtown for everyone.”
To bring “world-class” talent to downtown San Jose as part of the entertainment district DiRabe envisions, he said venues need to remove barriers from the city’s events calendar. Venues like the SAP Center have attracted top acts, but Dillabough said the Sharks’ arena can’t carry downtown alone.
“We’ve had a lot of great experiences,” Dirab said. “So first we make it a little bit safer, then we remove the lump.”
This year, San Jose has had 120 incidents in 300 days, almost at pre-pandemic levels, Klein said. But she added that there is always room for more visitors.
“The entertainment area itself is here, the foundation, the great element,” Klein said. “We need to add and interconnect it and look for opportunities to reach more people.”
Contact Sonya Herrera at [email protected] Or follow @SMHsoftware on Twitter.
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