Redevelopment in San Jose is Hard. Cambrian Park Plaza Shows Us Why.

About this episode

The episode explores the challenges of redeveloping Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose, reflecting broader issues in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cambrian Park Plaza, a strip mall in San Jose, was once the heart of the neighborhood. Featuring a bowling alley, grocery store, post office, clothing stores and more, it had everything nearby residents might need. But it's faded significantly since it's heyday in the 1960s-1980s. Now the smattering of stores that are there are on short term leases, and may storefronts sit empty. On today's show, we explore the fight to redevelop this space, and the market conditions that have made moving forward a challenge. It's the story of one neighborhood, yes. But it's also the story of San Jose, and in many ways the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Additional Resources: Cambrian Park Plaza, a Beloved San Jose Strip Mall, Awaits a New Future Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn…

People in this episode

Host: Olivia Allen-Price

Topics covered

• society
• culture
• places
• travel
• history

Keywords

• Cambrian Park Plaza
• San Jose
• redevelopment
• neighborhood
• market conditions
• strip mall
• 1960s
• 1980s

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Bay Curious

Places: San Jose, San Francisco Bay Area

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