In July, San José and Google’s Downton West project garnered coverage in two national publications, The Wall Street Journal  and WIRED Magazine.  

The Journal took a forward-looking approach, reviewing the Downtown West vision and reporting on how San José was showing a strong recovery in investment and development. Peter Grant, an editor with the newspaper, reflected on an article he had written two years ago that focused on San Francisco’s challenges in dealing with the pandemic-related downturn, and noted that San José has been able to leverage transit and transportation assets in supporting its relatively robust investment and development prospects, with a strong focus on Google’s Downton West development. The full article is online, although it is behind a paywall.  

Transportation of a different kind is the subject of the WIRED piece that looks into San José’s earliest days as a city. At that time, much of the land around Diridon Station was owned by three men, a brandy-maker turned Civil War general, a railroad baron and a developer/politician.

When they eventually sold portions of their land, a quirk in the property laws of the time meant that the original owners retained rights over the roads and paths, even though the surrounding lots had been sold on. Thus Google is engaged in establishing its rights to develop four small plots of land that are important for the realization of the 80-acre Downtown West project that will bring jobs, housing, retail and public space to the Diridon Station area.  The piece details the legal wrangles, suits and settlements entailed in consolidating Google's control of the development area.  The full WIRED article is online.