SAN JOSE — Google has floated plans to develop a huge new tech and research hub in San Jose, a project that would greatly expand the search company’s presence and investment in the Bay Area’s largest city.
The tech company has proposed the development of a north San Jose building where Google will conduct research and development activities into new technologies.
Three large industrial and warehouse buildings on Disk Drive in the Alviso district of north San Jose. (Google Maps)
The new development proposal in the city’s Alviso district shows that Google is committed to its ongoing investments in San Jose, Google spokesperson Ryan Lamont said.
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Google has launched major San Jose work hubs in the Alviso district, on West Tasman Drive between Via Montana and Rio Robles, and on Brokaw Road near North First Street.
The tech titan also plans to develop a new mixed-use neighborhood in downtown San Jose called Downtown West that would be built near the SAP Center and Diridon train station, although Google has paused those development efforts.
Google’s anticipated new research and development site in the Alviso district of north San Jose will be at and near 5087 Disk Drive, documents on file with city planners show.
The new tech research center is within an area of north San Jose where Google has bought 10 large buildings in recent years. The buildings are on Disk Drive, Nortech Parkway, and on North First Street next to Nortech Parkway.
When completed, Google’s new site on Disk Drive is poised to be a significant jobs hub.
Why? The tech titan aims to place research and development teams at this location. The planning documents show the tech complex won’t be a data center.
Google plans to develop one to three new buildings at the project site. The new buildings will total as much as 482,800 square feet, the planning documents show. An existing warehouse at the site totaling 162,300 square feet will be demolished.
The tech company also will develop a large electricity facility at the site, according to the proposal on file at San Jose City Hall.
A switching station, substation, and related mechanical equipment will be built at the site. These new electricity facilities will have a capacity of 250 megawatts.
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This building demolition is part of Google’s work with the city and PG&E to secure 250 megawatts of power in north San Jose to support the innovative work happening in the company’s lab spaces, Lamont said.
PG&E will supply all of the power needs of the day-to-day operations in the lab spaces, Lamont said. The new PG&E power facilities will be used solely for the lab spaces, under Google’s current plans.
Google is working closely with PG&E on ways to protect ratepayers from unforeseen costs, Lamont added.
The timeline for development of the new tech research lab spaces wasn’t immediately known.
All told, Google has spent $452 million to buy 10 buildings in San Jose’s Alviso district, including the sites where the new research and development facilities will be built, documents on file with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.
These 10 buildings have effectively become the site of a new Google campus that the tech company calls Meadow Point.
Google could employ thousands of people in the 10-building Meadow Point campus in Alviso.