Transformations at either end of the 50-mile Caltrain main line – in downtown San Francisco and San Jose Diridon Station – are connected – setting the stage for the rail line potentially carrying 3-4 times as many people as today. This week in SF and SJ, you can come learn about this potential future in order to help shape that future.
Tonight, Tuesday 5/29, San Francisco planning department is holding a public meeting to review recommendations to refine the plan to connect the Caltrain tracks to Downtown San Francisco. The meeting will be in the Herbst Theatre Green Room located at 401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister, from 6-8pm.
The city staff’s recommendation includes extending the tunnel along Pennsylvania, connecting the city street grid into Mission Bay, potentially adding buildings on land currently used by Caltrain to store and maintain trains, and moving the railyard location. If you want to see the city move forward to connect trains to downtown ASAP, or want to learn more, come on Tuesday evening.
Thursday, 5/30, City of San Jose is hosting a walking tour of many transformations being planned for the Diridon area, led by Diridon Project Manager Bill Eckern.
The busy transit station is expected to serve many times more travellers with connections to BART and eventually High Speed Rail; trails and parks will be connected, and land covered by parking lots and older industrial buildings are slated to be transformed into an urban area with commercial and residential development, with Google the largest occupant.
The group meets in front of Diridon Station at 6pm. Stops on the tour include:
- Diridon Historic Station (Central Zone)
- Built in the 1930s, the building is part of a National Register Historic District
- Owned by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Authority (Caltrain)
- Parking lots adjacent to the building and across Cahill Street also owned by Caltrain
- Evaluation of potential station improvements (tracks and buildings) will begin spring 2018 through a joint agency (Caltrain, VTA, High Speed Rail Authority, and City of San Jose) effort
- Â Flying Pig and AT&T (Central Zone)
- Surface parking lot owned by Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency (SARA)
- Proposed to be sold to Google
- Existing building (former AT&T property) owned by Google
- Corner vacant site former KNTV building owned by SARA and proposed to be sold to Google
- Â Fire Training Center
- Owned by the City of San Jose
- Proposed to be sold to Google
- A new training facility must be built; location and design TBD
- Santa Clara Housing Authority
- Laurel Grove project
- 81 affordable residential units
- Private residential development
- 205 McEvoy – General Plan Amendment to Transit Residential
- 750 West San Carlos – 56 units, 3,130 sf retail; 7 stories
- 808 West San Carlos –315 units, 23,500 sf retail; 7 stories
- 777 West San Carlos – 148 units, 2,000 sf retail; 5 stories
- 699 West San Carlos Street – General Plan Amendment to Transit Residential
- Sprouts and Orchard Supply
- As of this writing, Sprouts is on hold
- Â Private residential development
- 543 Lorraine Street — 70 units, 2,000 sf retail; 11 stories
- 565 Lorraine Street – 54 units, 1,856 sf retail; 10 stories
- Patty’s Inn/Taiko
- Properties in this block, other than Gas Supply business owned by SARA
- SARA properties proposed for sale to Google
- Gas supply property owned by Google
- Lot D and Los Gatos Creek
- Parking lot fronting Santa Clara Street owned by SARA and proposed for sale to Google
- Within the block between San Fernando and Santa Clara, Google owns four sites
- Across Autumn along Los Gatos Creek, Google owns several sites including the Colliers building
- SAP Center
- This is a City-owned facility managed by the Sharks
- The parking lots on site are under consideration for sale to Google
- Northern Industrial sites
- Google has acquired several properties in this area bounded by the railroad tracks behind Market Center and old Autumn Street
- TMG developers propose approximately 1,000,000 sf of office on the land generally along Autumn Parkway between the Market Center and Julian Street
- Autumn Parkway extension
- The City’s General Plan anticipates extension of Autumn Parkway from Julian Street to St. James Street through this neighborhood.
- The City has acquired some properties in anticipation of the project
- Guadalupe River Park
- Across from the SAP Center is the portion of the Park known as Arena Green
- The River Park is a portion of a larger flood control project built to reduce the likelihood of flood damage to the Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods
- It is envisioned that properties adjacent to Los Gatos Creek can be transformed into parkland and environmentally beneficial uses, similar to the River Park and complete the Los Gatos Creek Trail into the center of San Jose
- Trammel Crow Office/Residential
- This is the site of the San Jose Water Company building that will be re-used and integrated into a 1,000,000 sf office project
- The project also includes 300+ residential units
The big obstacle is the arena which will likely continue to demand high levels of parking. In SF, the lack for cheap parking drives enough demand for a dedicated Caltrain run.
Something similar needs to happen in SJ starting with a dedicated event train – funded by higher parking fees. Street parking could be metered as well.
Lastly, with last Caltrain departing at 10:30, many people drive out of fear of being stranded. Adding one more run at say 11:30 pm should address those fears.