The San Jose government has approved Google’s plan to build a massive campus in the heart of California’s third-largest city. For the project, called Downtown West, Google will develop 33 hectares in downtown San Jose, including 7.3 million square feet of office space for 20,000 employees and 1,000 housing units.
Downtown West will be the first multifunctional and one of the largest Google campuses, writes CNBC. There will be 4,000 housing units on campus, 1,000 of which will be devoted to affordable housing. In San Jose, residents who fall under the “extremely low-income” category earn 30% of the median income.
Downtown West will include up to 300 hotel rooms and 800 short-term residences for Google corporate guests. More than half of the project is dedicated to residential and public spaces such as parks, restaurants, retail, entertainment and natural areas.
Construction could start in 2022, but the entire project is expected to take 10 to 30 years. The approval from the San Jose government came after four years of planning, approvals, and support from residents and housing advocates. The Airport Land Use Commission rejected the project in December, citing concerns about high-rise buildings on the way to the airport.
Not counting offices, Google will pay more than $1 billion for parks, walkways and heritage conservation. In addition, the company will pay $266 million in fees for the use of land and infrastructure, as well as $200 million in community benefits.