At the Board and Membership Meeting of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) on October 11, 2018, the board members issued a position paper to Mayor Sam Liccardo, and the City of San José's Planning Department, supporting the Google Campus proposal & Diridon Station Area Plan.
The paper relates to the project on the Diridon Station Area Plan and Google, the Silicon Valley technology company that intends to develop a major transit-oriented campus in the core of the city, expanding the present-day downtown San José. This potential mixed-use master plan development includes offices, residences, retail shops, restaurants, and open spaces, and it's estimated that Google will employ 15,000 to 20,000 people.
On September 13, 2018, the representatives from Google visited with the City of San José in the Willow Glen neighborhood to tell us more about its plans, and how that fits in with the City of San José's Diridon Station Area projects. See that news story here, as well as in the below page flip in this article.
The WGNA position paper was endorsed by the WGNA Board and reads in part:
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) would like to offer our support and endorsement for the Google Village project in the Diridon Station area in San Jose. As you may know, WGNA – the oldest neighborhood association in San Jose celebrated 45th anniversary in 2018 -- was established for the sole purpose of creating a stronger and more tightly-knit neighborhood. Our Board of Directors is comprised of established professionals with expertise in various fields, including, but not limited to, public safety, education, land development, small business and many more, with the ultimate goal to keep residents informed on a range of topics pertinent to the life in Willow Glen and to act as an agent of positive change by getting involved in advocacy activities on behalf of our members.
Thursday 11 October 2018,
re. Meet San José Mayor Sam Liccardo
Mayor Sam Liccardo made his address with open house participation and questions by public.
The event was hosted at Willow Glen United Methodist Church on Minnesota and Newport Avenues.
See Mayor Liccardo's web page at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/mayor
Thursday 13 September 2018,
re. Google Campus prosal & Diridon Station Area Plan
A Guest Speaker Presentation by the City of San José
The guest speaker at our last meeting on September 13th was the City of San José presenting on the topic of the Diridon Station Area Plan and Google, the Silicon Valley technology company that intends to develop a major transit-oriented campus in the core of the city, expanding the present-day downtown San José. This potential mixed-use master plan development includes offices, residences, retail shops, restaurants and open spaces, and it's estimated that Google will employ 15,000 to 20,000 people. The company visited with the City of San José in the Willow Glen neighborhood to tell us more about its plans, and how that fits in with the City of San José's Diridon Station Area projects.
Kim Walesh, Deputy City Manager, Director of Economic Development presented on behalf of City of San Jose, and provided:
- Background information on the Diridon Station Area, including the main plans that are guiding its development, the planned transit improvements, and the partnership with Google;
- An overview of the City’s community engagement process this year;
- A brief summary of the main input received to date.
On behalf of Google, managers of the company's department of Government Affairs & Public Policy joined the city's presentation. Javier González and were available to answer questions.
READ MORE (see our original news entry) here.