Revitalizing Downtown San Jose: There was a symphony of hope in downtown San Jose during the annual meeting. This was a positive note, even though the city was cautious as it tried to emerge from the shadow of the pandemic.
The San Jose Downtown Association and city officials gathered in the beautiful Hammer Theatre Center to discuss how they want the downtown area to be a total of life and community. Some problems loomed, like the highest number of business vacancies in ten years, a cautious return to office space, and the threat of homelessness. But there was still hope.
Alex Stettinski, the determined CEO of the Downtown Association, says that our goal is to lead downtown San Jose into a new era of hope, opportunity, and progress.
Placer.ai data, which showed lessons from how smartphones were moved, showed a paradox in a challenging situation. The number of people walking around downtown in 2019 was only 5% less than before the pandemic, and the number of tourists who came increased by the same amount. Since he took over last year, Stettinski has been aware of the changes in identity and leadership. Omar Torres was elected as a downtown councilman, Matt Mahan as mayor, and Cynthia Teniente-Matson as head of San Jose State University. These jobs brought about change.
Mahan, who wants to revitalise downtown, told the people there to “tell a better story” to make friends and neighbours want to revisit downtown. Mahan was sure the downtown could bounce back from problems like empty storefronts and a changed job market.
There was a slight comeback in empty shops, especially in the Historic District. The city’s business report for June showed that the social and dining scene was doing very well, thanks to places like the Goodtime Bar and El Cabrón Kitchen & Cantina. Torres stood firm and didn’t believe the negative story. He talked about how the city was working hard to bring in new businesses and help people who were homeless.
“As a city, we’re trying to keep homeless people from gathering in front of your business.” They’re not outside your house. Torres said, “They’re not in our parks.”
Stettinski’s idea is based on the fact that more people are walking around downtown. This goal includes removing things that make it hard for businesses to open, making the neighbourhood cleaner and safer, and picturing a colourful tapestry of events happening in the city centre.
Stettinski said, “Downtown Ice will be back,” even though Christmas in the Park was hard because there were illegal street vendors around it. The fact that he was looking forward to a busy Christmas season made him even more determined to write a downtown story with a solid and successful future instead of one full of problems.