When the San Jose Earthquakes announced that the opening of their new stadium at 1123 Coleman Avenue, just across the street from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport and next door to In-and-Out Burger, the news was not met with a lot of excitement. After all, the long years putting up with the "temporary" facility that is Buck Shaw Stadium were supposed to come to end before next season, and not extend into the summer months. Instead, perhaps halfway through the season, the new stadium will be ready for move-in time. At least there will be a new stadium to move into!
Another aspect of the development was to be the installation of four additional soccer fields that, under the management of the Earthquakes, would be available for public use by the citizens of San Jose. While the start of that project has also suffered due to delays, it is expected that the fields will be open in conjunction with the new stadium. The whole facility will include six fields -- the new stadium and existing training center fields plus the four new public fields -- a provide a true epicenter for San Jose soccer.
So what about the rest of the acreage around the soccer facility? What kind of development is expected for those nearly 100 acres? Perhaps the answers to those questions are becoming just a bit more clear.
When the Earthquakes announced the stadium delay back at the end of July, team president Dave Kaval participated in a Google Hangout through the club's official website to discuss the construction timeline. In the background of the video was a rendering of the new stadium and the potential development around it. What looked like various nondescript buildings, perhaps parking garages dominate the image, but scant details could be deciphered (the Angry Birds were easier to make out in the video).
And then, just over a week ago, a full-length promotional video for a potential commercial-residential mixed-use development was released on Vimeo by the graphics design firm Kilograph that brings Kaval's two-dimensional rendering to life. Called "Coleman Highline" and billed as "a whole new kind of workplace," the project features a large block of residential buildings dominate the north end of the property and commercial-retail buildings fill out the area next to the stadium. Bike and pedestrian friendly paths and outdoor areas add to the appeal of the potential project and could provide ample room for pre- and post-game activities. Even public transportation, courtesy of CalTrain, looks more integrated into the development than originally assumed.
Will this glossy, high-end development really become a reality? A hint to the answer comes from Kilograph's own "About Us" page on their website:
"Renderings and animations are frequently considered little more than a marketing tool. At Kilograph, we take visualization a step further ensuring that these visual assets inspire not only the client but also the designers themselves. As a valuable step of the design process, we strive to make our images as unique as your projects." -- Kilograph.net
So this video is a great representation of what the eventual development around the Earthquakes stadium might look like, but it is clear that it is more a visual treat to advance the conversation of what exactly will make up the project. It certainly looks impressive -- and apparently attracts a lot of very beautiful people -- but any project at the site is still many years away from reality.
(Thanks to @tempofreesoccer for bringing this video to light.)