TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Councilmember Omar Torres,
AND CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Jimenez,
Councilmember Cohen,
Councilmember Candelas
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: April 14, 2023
Approved Date: 4/14/23
SUBJECT: Actions Related to the Urban Confluence Silicon Valley Breeze of Innovation Project
RECOMMENDATION
Accept Staff recommendations with the following additions:
(a) Approve preparation of a Park Master Plan consistent with PRNS requirements to consider Plaza de Cesar Chavez as a project site as well as enhance the experience of park visitors through the improvement of public amenities and supporting park activations;
(b) Recommend options to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez at the Plaza, such as commissioning a potential bust or statue of the great Civil Rights leader.
(c) Conduct traffic studies to consider lane reductions on Market Street to create a safer, more pedestrian-friendly environment for park users, and expand the footprint of the park.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 04/04/23
FILE: 23-466
ITEM: 7.2
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
April 10, 2023
Subject: Master Plan for Plaza de Cesar Chavez
BACKGROUND
This memorandum provides a framework for improving Plaza de Cesar Chavez and developing a community consensus on the vision for the Plaza’s future. This inclusive vision embraces events, public access, diversity, public landmarks, and programming amenities to support holiday displays, musical performances, public gatherings, and other activations. It is important to note, the Plaza is a destination because of the amazing quiddities in and around the park such as the water fountains and Quetzalcoatl statue. We commend the conservancy for intentionally working with the city and key community partners to preserve essential components of the Plaza.
Improvements and expansion of park boundaries require a Park Master Plan to confirm the site’s programming, layout, and appearance.
Vision
The Plaza should be part of a larger vision to redesign Park Ave/Paseo and connect the six blocks between the Guadalupe River and San José State University, supporting an East-West pedestrian and biking experience that incorporates the Center for Performing Arts, The Tech, Westbank/Urban Community’s Park Habitat, Jay Paul 200 Park and City View projects, the Signia, Urban Catalyst’s Paseo (formerly Camera 12), the Hammer Theatre and the Paseo Shops.
Plaza de César Chávez should incorporate adequate production space and seating capacity to support musical events so that San Jose has an outdoor venue comparable to other regional venues such as Saratoga’s Mountain Winery and Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater, as well as open display space to support craft fairs, food vendors and Christmas in the Park. In addition, it is imperative that we preserve the water fountains for public use and landmark quality public art appropriately scaled to the park. Specifically, we must highlight and emphasize historical commemorations of the legacy of César Chávez and the founding of California.
Thousands of visitors see the beauty of the Plaza: Music in Park, Christmas in the Park, Silicon Valley Pride, Viva Parks, San José Jazz Festival along with the iconic water fountains and Quetzalcoatl statue. It behooves the City of San Jose to invest in the César Chávez Plaza.
Inclusion
Both The Plaza Conservancy and the Master Plan process should involve the participation of representatives of event producers involved in park activations, local art advocates, and other cultural organizations. Breeze of Innovation organizers, park neighbors, including museums,
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
April 10, 2023
Subject: Master Plan for Plaza de Cesar Chavez
hotels, performance venues, and property developers; representatives of Cesar Chavez’s legacy organizations; PRNS; and District 3.
WORKPLAN
The process participants will be encouraged to identify resources to fund the design and construction of improvements to the Plaza. With ongoing community input, the master plan process will seek to develop a conceptual design consistent with the park’s history, current schedule of public events, and future development plans.
The Conservancy and/or other representatives will engage a professional team of designers to develop plans appropriate to the uses, then use the conceptual design to create formal plans in coordination with other parties involved in efforts to plan and manage the plaza or portions thereof.
The Conservancy and/or other representatives will be involved throughout the design process and will serve as a clearing house representing the common interests of event producers, community representatives, and adjacent stakeholders in presenting a unified vision to the City of San Jose.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.