Willow Glen Resident

News

County looks at ways to reuse fairgrounds, San Jose City Hall

By Eli Segall

Sweeping revitalization projects are on the horizon for dormant government facilities in San Jose.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors discussed a wide range of options on March 27 that pertained to various unused properties, including the old San Jose City Hall, the county fairgrounds and a surplus U.S. Army base. Some of those possibilities included mixed-use developments, new government offices and park and music venues.

The supervisors want to acquire the old San Jose City Hall on N. First Street, and the adjacent U.S. Army Reserve base. The former home of San Jose's government closed in 2005 when the city government moved to its new site on E. Santa Clara Street.

Santa Clara County executive Peter Kutras told the board that one option currently under review is to tear down the former city hall and build a new county government facility. The county government is currently at 70 W. Hedding St.

Other options for the site--and the 8-acre Army base, which was declared surplus by the U.S. military last year--include mixed-use housing and retail laced with pedestrian walkways and open space areas.

While future use of these facilities is still in the exploratory stages, a decision on the fairgrounds may be imminent. The board will discuss bid proposals for the 136-acre site by the end of the June.

Pumping life into the empty fairgrounds continues to be a hot topic. Several residents came to the meeting to show their support for reviving the idea of a music venue at the site along Tully and Senter roads.

Plans to build a 7,000-seat theater were squashed in 2004 when the city of San Jose sued the county, claiming any theater plans needed city approval. The two agencies settled out of court last year.

In addition to creating a music venue, ideas such as retail stores and housing wrapped around the fairground borders were discussed.