Development Comes to South Bay 'Burbs

CAMPBELL, CA-As recently as a few years ago, this city’s downtown was a bastion of quiet. Bland strip malls and office parks mixed to form a rather nondescript strip along Campbell Avenue, the town’s main drag. But Campbell’s location on the southern edge of booming Silicon Valley is changing this city’s face. East Campbell Avenue is host to new venues for dining, dancing and working. And to accommodate a growing number of new visitors, a 300-space parking garage is slated to open in spring.

Recent renovations include the PruneYard Shopping Center, located within a mile of downtown. Early next year, a proposed 30,000-sf office building on East Campbell Avenue between Second and Third Streets is slated to break ground. The necessary approval of the Campbell City Council is expected next month.

City redevelopment officials say Campbell’s location near Highway 17 and Interstate 880 make it a prime spot for future boom-economy development. Also on tap is a downtown community theater development similar to neighboring Mountain View and Saratoga, as well as a proposed train station to heighten public-transit options.