Phase 2 of Steelwave’s America Center in North San Jose is ready for occupancy. Cushman & Wakefield is overseeing leasing at the two 229K SF buildings at 6220 and 6280 America Center Drive. Leasing activities are being led by Cushman & Wakefield Executive Managing Directors Jeff Cushman and Mike Connor and Senior Director Scott Dever.

The 65-acre bayfront site comprises 1.1M SF of office across four existing buildings and one to-be-built building and surrounded by an open space preserve providing access to jogging and bike trails.

The LEED Gold-certified and Energy Star-rated buildings have modern lobbies featuring Nana sliding doors, natural stone, wood paneling, glass walls, high-end furnishings and natural light. The buildings also include View Dynamic Glass. An amenity center includes a café, a bar, a yoga studio, a fitness area, changing rooms and a rooftop putting green that overlooks the bay and the plaza between the buildings. The amenity center is next to a parking structure.

Cushman said he expects the campus to attract workers and employers from both sides of the bay since it is near Highway 237, which connects to the 101 in the west and 880 in the east.

While the Great America corridor has experienced some softening in rents in the last 18 months, Cushman said a lot of it has to do with tech companies moving into newer buildings and subleasing older space. He said the softness is a little deceptive especially since Silicon Valley has been doing very well and has been an active region.

“By and large I’m pretty optimistic about the area and all of Silicon Valley going forward,” Cushman said. “Next year is going to be a very positive.”

While other industries may consider America Center, Cushman said he expects the large space there to be attractive to the tech sector. This industry has been particularly active in leasing large blocks of space ranging from 150K SF to 200K SF, especially space that allows for future growth.

“Having the ability to grow and expand and not relocate is an important factor,” Cushman said.

Campus projects tend to do well because companies can set their roots for 10 or more years. He said this is one reason why Irvine Co.’s Santa Clara Square has had strong leasing activity. Once Santa Clara Square is fully leased, which he expects will be done in 2018, leasing activity will pick up in other parts of the Valley, including North San Jose.