A new project at 700 Santana Row is set for completion by the end of April, according to architects at WRNS Studio who are working with developers Federal Realty and Westwood Development Partners. It’s part of an expansion of Santana Row that’s been underway that includes another project at 500 Santana Row, which was completed in 2016. The new building at 700 Santana Row will offer 290,000 square feet of office space, 28,000 square feet of ground floor retail and a parking structure with 1,300 vehicle spaces.
The project is located at the corner of Santana Row and Olsen Drive, and the office space, which has been developed on speculation, was leased last year to Splunk, a San Francisco-based software company.
“Splunk is leasing the whole thing and will sublease part of it,” said Dave Sandlin, Executive Vice President at Colliers International. “It helps them plan their own expansion — gives them some wiggle room for the future.”
Santana Row is San Jose’s upscale mixed-use development that draws visitors from around the region. The office space associated with the Santana Row expansion, including 500 Santana Row, is geared to create appealing workspaces for Silicon Valley’s highly demanding workforce. Santana Row is known for its walkability, high-end retail, entertainment options and array of restaurants — all promising amenities for those working in the nearby office spaces.
“700 Santana Row presents a sweeping façade that captures energy of the shopping arcades and creates a gracious elliptical plaza at the terminus of Santana Row’s main axis,” states a description of the project from WRNS Studio.
In addition to the ground floor retail, building amenities include a planted terrace on the 6th floor equipped with a trellis and an urban-styled plaza. The project is targeting LEED Gold status with sustainability features that include “cool roofs,” water-efficient landscaping and irrigation and recycled building materials.
Sandlin commented that the additional office space bodes well for the future of Santana Row but admitted that the current traffic congestion in the vicinity won’t be improved by the new development.
“It became its own destination through the mixture of restaurant, retail and the panache of the place,” said Sandlin. “It just feels like it’s been there forever. It checks all the boxes except for transit. With the expansion it will only get stronger. The transit is not going to be great but the location helps overcome that.”
For comparison, Sandlin said that San Francisco’s North Beach is a popular destination but tends to be very congested with limited parking; however those challenges haven’t appeared to dull the neighborhood’s appeal. In other words, for those that love Santana Row, going there transcends the transportation hurdles. “It’s a cool place,” he added.
Splunk also leases the 500 Santana Row office building. The combined office space at Santana Row including the new project along with 500 Santana Row, 300 Santana Row and offices in other mixed-use buildings equals 690,000 square feet.
“We are thrilled to see our existing tenant Splunk expand their footprint and lease 700 Santana Row,” stated Jan Sweetnam, Senior Vice President/West Coast Chief Operating Officer of Federal Realty Investment Trust. “Santana Row’s mixed-use live-work-play environment and amenities coupled with its superb Silicon Valley location have become an integral part of Splunk’s culture — providing significant advantages in employee recruitment and retention as well as employee productivity and satisfaction.”
