"Google's revised project proposal includes up to 7.3 million square feet of office space; 4,000 units of new housing; 15 acres of parks and open space; and 500,000 square feet of retail, culture and art space, among other features.
More than half of the Downtown West project will be allocated for residential and public space and include features such as childcare centers, outdoor learning centers and ecological viewing stations, said Alexa Arena, Google’s district lead for San Jose in a video.
The design "leans heavily on the desire for people to have access to nature even in center cities," she said. "We think this is critically important to help people live healthy and resilient lives."
Australia-based contractor Lendlease will provide master planning, entitlement and development services for the project, as part of the contractor’s $15 billion deal with Google to develop 15 million square feet of residential, retail, hospitality and other projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. The partnership with Lendlease is part of Google's commitment to build 20,000 homes in Silicon Valley to help ease the persistent shortage of housing in the area.
