What's Happenin' at Aire?

This year, Bay West is delivering Aire, or what it promises to be the most luxurious modern apartment project in North San Jose that's tailored to the Gen Y demographic, so we figured a visit was the only way for us to stay cool. Bay West Development's Sean Murphy and Matt Gingery, here in front of a psychedelic lobby wall, tells us they're also under construction with a luxury mixed-use project in Campbell (168 units and 15k SF of retail). The team also recently entitled 824 units in the Showplace Square area of San Francisco and are working on entitlements for more than 600 units on Alameda Island. 

Aire's common area will have a hotel vibe, and the units are full of sleek European high-gloss styled kitchens, NEST thermostats, and Grohe plumbing fixtures. In its lobby, pictured, potential residents can tap on an interactive leasing screen to lock down a unit. (For people who like the intimacy of an in-person visit, but crave the feeling of mashing things with your fingers that comes with Internet purchases.) CBRE's Jordan Moss (below, middle) says that's a rare feature for local multifamily.

The 293 units consist of 67 studios at 670 SF; 127 one bedrooms at 790 SF; and 99 two bedrooms at 1,150 SF. They tell us 70% of the units have balconies and there's 426 parking spaces underground. The project will also have electric charging stations in the garage. (Good for secret phone calls that require you to hide in a parking garage. Or, you know, electric cars.) They are releasing the first phase of units next week, with project completion set for August. It took four years to build (two for entitlements and plans and two for construction).

The pool deck will have a SoCal feel, with cabanas throughout and a large BBQ area. It sits across from Irvine Co.'s Crescent Village Apartment Homes, but Bay West thinks they're different because Crescent has a Tuscan-style feel. Nearby big tech names include Lockheed Martin and Broadcom.