Category Archives: Silicon Valley Transportation

Corporate Buses commute dramatically change Silicon Valley Housing – Rental and Resale

Fleets of Corporate Buses that dot clogged highways have become the concrete symbol of the dramatic expansion in the Bay Area sending rents and homes prices skyrocketing. The gentrification of neighborhoods have dramatically changed Silicon Valley real estate and rents are up as much as 43 percent within a few blocks of company transit to stops in San Francisco, according to one measure.

Google's Fleet of Commute Buses

Mountain View Google’s Fleet of Commute Buses

As Silicon Valley once spanned the short stretch from Palo Alto to  San Jose, the boundaries have expanded marketing prime real estate  as – “Walk to your private bus stop.”

“Transportation is the new status symbol” – the hulking luxury buses complete with Wi-Fi and electricity outlets “signal that you have a job and that you have one with a firm that is forward-thinking and enlightened.” “You live where you want to live, we’ll get you to work,” stated Kevin Mathy, Google’s transportation manager, describing the Internet search giant philosophy. That simple goal has become an economic force.

CLICK HERE for an excellent article by Michelle Quinn, San Jose Mercury News.

Silicon Valley BART and future values of local real estate

By Jeni Pfeiffer, Associate Broker, Realtor

How will the future Silicon Valley BART affect Bay Area real estate values?

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is building the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Project with expected service to begin in 2018. This will extend BART coverage from Warm Springs Fremont to Berryessa with a stop in-between at Milpitas.

What does this mean for Silicon Valley real estate? Reflective in Japan, Sweden, and European countries, transit-oriented development (TOD) have been enthusiastically desirable here for residents seeking alternatives to transportation via car only.

KB Berryessa Project_Courtesy Calthorpe Associates

KB Berryessa Project_Courtesy Calthorpe Associates

TOD developments are mixed-use residential and commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. Builder KB Home, for example, purchased 10 acres on the north side of the 120-acre San Jose Flea Market operation, and has already started selling homes in their Berryessa Crossing Development. Continue reading