Tag: Google

Sharks could be odd hockey team out; SJ Planning Commission on board with Google Development plan

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Rendering of the Google Village that is on the drawing board for development literally right at the doorstep at SAP Center in San Jose (image from sanjosespotlight.com and Sitelab Urban Studio)

By Marko Ukalovic and Daniel Dullum

SAN JOSE–San Jose Sharks and Sports Entertainment has two choices regarding the future of the NHL hockey team staying in San Jose grin and bear it lose over 4,000 parking spaces and crater to the direction of new and future neighbor Google and their development of a new Downtown West Village that will feature retail, condos, new housing and 7.3 million feet of office development. Not to mention the remodeling and development of the Caltrain and BART stations that Google will push for as a huge public transit hub right across the street from SAP Center.

The San Jose Planning Commission voted unanimously to move forward with the development on Wednesday night. Meaning Google is getting one step closer towards building their 80 acre campus in the Dirdon/SAP Center neighborhood.

Google’s plans are to be the big business developer in the neighborhood and the Sharks would be welcomed by Google to stay but the mega tech company plans to develop or have the run of their parking lot as they are a major purchaser of the surrounding area.

The Sharks are waiting for the next meeting that will take place with the San Jose City Council who will vote on the development on May 25th. Google needs two thirds of a yes vote from the City Council to move forward with the development.

A two thirds vote is critical to the project because the San Jose Airport Commission voted no to the development because the Downtown West Village does not meet the building height and noise standards. Although it’s hard to say who on the City Council will vote in favor or not Google has made the deal interesting for the City of San Jose by pouring billions into developing the Downtown West Village project and the city is looking at the project as huge revenue and tax money income in spite of the City’s only professional team the Sharks who say they will leave if this project goes forward.

The second option on a possible Sharks move in a worst case scenario is narrowed down to three locations if they look past the project development succeeding, the Oakland Coliseum Arena previously served as a site of the defunct NHL California Golden Seals who played in Oakland in the 1970s. That site most likely won’t work for the Sharks because the Oakland A’s and the City of Oakland are considering developing the Coliseum proper if the A’s can land a new ballpark in downtown Oakland. Also the Sharks like the A’s most likely do not want to play their games at the Coliseum location.

The Sharks could turn to the San Francisco 49ers and Levis Stadium and develop a new arena in Santa Clara near Great America. That is if the Sharks will accept being a tenant of the 49ers. The Sharks really want their own location and own building. Right now being in a downtown setting is what the Sharks want and moving to Santa Clara would not offer that downtown ambiance.

The third location is Quebec City Canada. Quebec City lost it’s hockey team the Nordiques when they moved to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche in 1995 and the city has been hungry for an NHL team ever since and have a NHL regulation facility in the waiting for such a team who is looking for a new home.

It all boils down the the San Jose City Council vote on May 25th and the Sharks will either be happy with the vote if the City Council votes thumbs down to the Downtown West Village project or they will have to look at their options if the vote moves forward with the project.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer and Daniel Dullum does Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks special report: Downtown project could be devastating for team’s future; Sharks could move out of San Jose

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SAP Center in San Jose will have plenty of company when Google begins construction for a downtown village and other projects around the arena (photo from Sports Net)

By Daniel Dullum and Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Back in November 2020 a San Jose Sharks press release to fans and media said the team was considering the possibility of moving out of SAP Center and San Jose if a proposal between Google and the City of San Jose is not met regarding selling SAP Center parking lots A, B, and C to Google which are located right in front of the arena which would be used for Google parking. Google is planning to build a downtown west village and other construction projects around SAP Center.

Sharks Sports and Entertainment strongly made it clear to the city and Google that they wanted to work with them and that purchasing the parking lots for Google’s use was at one time on the table. But since November have not moved an inch on their plans. Google and the city are sticking to what they have on the drawing board and what the Sharks are afraid of a huge downtown village and project with massive construction that would impede the Sharks conducting business, huge traffic snarls, and multiple construction projects for Google’s downtown village.

SAP and Shark Sports Entertainment reiterated again on Sunday through a press release that the city and Google have not revised their documents and looks like they will go forward with their plans that still would require huge traffic environment impacts in the Santa Clara Street downtown west area where SAP is located that would interfere with arena business whether for hockey games or concerts.

In the November letter the Sharks have said for more than a year they have shared their concerns with Google and the city about the massive proposed development projects around the arena that would cause gridlock and cause backed up traffic for fans trying to get to Sharks and Barracuda hockey games. The letter went onto say “Unfortunately, those discussions have yielded limited results and the planners of these projects appear intent on moving forward in a manner that could force the Sharks out of San Jose.”

The new SAP and Sharks letter from Sunday says that the Sharks have tried to work the parking lot issues out with the city and Google but as the documents show they will not modify their construction plans around the arena and the purchasing of parking lots A, B, C, are off the table.

There will be a final phase meeting at the San Jose Planning Commission on April 28th to allow the public to speak and most likely fans and administration staff of the San Jose Sharks not limited to Team President Jonathan Becher who said in November that the Sharks moving out of San Jose would be a last resort. Another meeting on May 25th will be scheduled in front of the city council.

In the event that Google and the City go forward with their plans on the drawing board and the worst case scenario the Sharks decide to move out of San Jose two locations the Chase Center in San Francisco and Golden One Center in Sacramento were raised but neither have NHL regulation ice or dimensions for ice hockey. The Oakland Coliseum Arena which had NHL hockey in the 1970s with the defunct California Golden Seals is the only other possible place left in the Bay Area.

The only other place that has a ready made NHL facility is in Quebec City Canada where Quebec has been waiting for a hockey team since the Nordiques left to become the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. The fans in San Jose have voiced their objections regarding the Google construction because the Sharks have been such a huge part of the San Jose community since they moved into SAP Center in 1993.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer and Daniel Dullum hosts Headline Sports podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com