Caltrain eyes towers, big changes near downtown San Jose train station

SAN JOSE — A huge complex of office towers, shops, restaurants, entertainment hubs and plazas could sprout in downtown San Jose near areas where Google is planning a transit-oriented neighborhood.

The governing board for Caltrain has proposed a project on a site adjacent to the Diridon train station and the footprint of Google’s future village, which is formally called Downtown West, documents filed with the San Jose Planning Department show.

“This project will create over 1.2 million square feet of Class-A office space and active ground floor uses on the Caltrain site,” stated a planning document provided to this news organization by the Peninsula Joint Powers Board, the Caltrain governing organization.

Thousands of people might potentially work in the office spaces that the two towers would accommodate.

The Joint Powers Board believes that its proposal is in harmony with the Diridon Station Area Plan and the Downtown West neighborhood of office buildings, homes, stores, restaurants, hotel rooms, open spaces, cultural loops and entertainment centers that Google intends to build.

A site plan for the development shows a northern tower and a southern tower flanking a plaza that would serve as a connector between the train station and a section of Google’s Downtown West village.

“Ground-floor amenities and public open space have been planned and located to be compatible” with surrounding areas in order to create “a seamless whole,” the proposal states.

The Joint Powers Board aims to make the plaza between the two towers a lively section of downtown San Jose.

“Located across Cahill Street from Diridon Station, the site offers a public open space with iconic art features, a comfortable pedestrian environment and vibrant activities along the building frontages,” the planning documents state.

Each of the two towers would include multiple terraces that could be gathering areas for the office workers in the project.

Potentially 5,000 to 6,000 people could work in the offices, based on typical ratios for the number of square feet for each employee.

Within the footprint of the Downtown West neighborhood that Google has proposed, the search giant could employ up to 25,000 people.

The proposal suggests that the construction of the project could begin sometime in early 2024 if San Jose officials approve the development plans.

Site work and demolition are scheduled for the January-through-March first quarter of 2024. The construction would be completed by the July-through-September third quarter of 2026.

All told, about 30 months would be required for the construction work, the Joint Powers Board stated in its submittal.

The conceptual images for the buildings and plaza in the development suggest the project would create a close connection with the nearby train station as well as downtown San Jose in general.

“The development will support transit ridership around Diridon Station by cultivating an accessible arrival experience and providing an inspiring, collaborative work environment,” the planning documents state.