Google Focuses on Retail at San Jose Campus Site

After pulling back last year on its timeline for building an 80-acre urban village campus known as Downtown West in San Jose, Google is focusing on the development of retail “placemaking” in the footprint of the project site.

The tech giant is partnering with Jamestown to develop a lively street scene in the area near the Diridon train station site, an experience-oriented strategy Google calls Creekside Socials.

“We have entered into a multi-year lease with Jamestown to expand the Creekside program by transforming sections of Barack Obama Boulevard and South Montgomery Street into a vibrant area with retail experiences,” Google said, in a statement provided to SiliconValley.com.

Over the past year, Jamestown and Google have hosted more than 60 community events as part of the Creekside Socials program, bringing food vendors, artists and non-profits to the downtown neighborhood, attracting an estimated 3,500 visitors.

In early 2025, the partners said they plan to add a series of new food and beverage outlets, health/wellness and other retail concepts at the Downtown West site.

According to the report, the site of the former Kearney Pattern Works and Foundry, a century-old industrial site at 57 Barack Obama Boulevard that closed in 2018, is being eyed as a location for a beer garden and other dining spots.

Google also is in discussions with the city to develop affordable housing at 720 West San Carlos Street, where one of the buildings at the shuttered Orchard Supply Hardware store was demolished earlier this year.

City officials expressed hope that the activation of portions of the Downtown West site is an indication that Google eventually will proceed with the massive mixed-use development.

“We’re making downtown San Jose the safest and cleanest urban center in the Bay so that partners like Google will continue investing,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said. “Community events, small businesses, recreational activities, and restaurants are the foundation for downtown’s future growth as a social center.”

When Downtown West was approved by the city council in 2021, the 80-acre transit-oriented development included plans to build 7.3M SF of offices, 4,000 homes, 500K SF of shops and restaurants, a community center and 15 acres of parks.

The estimated economic impact of the project, designed to house up to 25,000 Google workers, is $19B.

In April 2023, Google slammed the brakes on the project a few weeks after laying off 1,600 workers in the Bay Area and announcing it was reassessing the timeline for Downtown West.

In November, Australia-based Lendlease ended its contract with Google to develop four new campuses in San Jose, Sunnyvale and Mountain View encompassing 15M SF, including the Downtown West project.