SAN JOSE — Signs have sprouted next to a San Jose State University housing tower set to open this month that’s poised to provide homes for several hundred students in a game-changer for the city’s downtown.
Work has reached the late stages for a downtown San Jose residential highrise for SJSU students in a former hotel tower that now bears the name “Spartan Village on The Paseo,” a direct observation of the site by this news organization shows.
In addition, several banners have appeared outside the future student housing tower. The SJSU logo accompanies declarations such as “Our Home”, “Our Downtown” and “Our University” outside the new Spartan village.
The student housing tower could usher in a new hub of vibrancy and activation for downtown San Jose.
Like countless urban cores nationwide, downtown San Jose is battling to convalesce from coronavirus-induced economic maladies exacerbated by government-ordered business lockdowns to combat the spread of the deadly bug.
The new housing highrise is taking shape inside the former southern tower of the Signia by Hilton San Jose, a landmark hotel in the city’s urban core.
In November 2023, Throckmorton Partners, a Bay Area real estate company, bought the 264-room southern tower of the Signia Hotel from a group headed up by business executive Sam Hirbod as part of a $113 million purchase, financing and renovation package.
Throckmorton and San Jose State University are heading up efforts to prepare the tower to house students.
The tower, a curving building that’s located on South Market Street next to Paseo de San Antonio, will be able to accommodate about 700 student beds, according to SJSU.
“The newly announced housing option for SJSU students truly has it all,” San Jose State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said in comments in a university blog post about Spartan Village on The Paseo.
Occupancy has already topped 90%, according to a source familiar with the efforts to attract students.
Spartan Village on The Paseo is expected to be open to students sometime in the middle of August.
A sky bridge lounge, study sections, fitness room, gaming lounge, film and video screening center and a cafe are among the amenities expected to be featured in the new Spartan Village on South Market Street in downtown San Jose, according to a post on an SJSU blog.
One eye-catching feature of the future student housing is a sky bridge lounge that’s expected to be a gathering area for residents.
“The sky bridge over the Paseo will allow students expansive views in either direction while studying or socializing,” SJSU stated in the blog.
The bridge connects directly to the second floor, which will be a crucial part of the revamp and renovation of the property.
“The second floor of what was formerly the south tower of the Signia by Hilton hotel will be completely re-imagined, with expansive dining offerings that residents can access through the purchase of meal plans,” SJSU stated in the blog post.
