How Google won over some of its biggest critics to build a megacampus in San Jose

Google’s path to its massive tech campus planning in San Jose; began with activists chaining themselves to chairs inside City Hall; over the city’s decision to sell public land to the tech giant. It ends up with some of its biggest opponents signing its praises.

Last month, the San Jose City Council approved Google’s plan for a mixed-use megacampus that spans 80 acres and 7.3 million square feet of office space in the heart of California’s third-largest city.

Also, to win over critics, Google designated more than half of its campus to public use; and offered up a $200 million community benefits package that includes; displacement funds, job placement training, and power for community leaders to influence how it was spend.

“It’s certainly a much different process in the end versus what we saw at the beginning with regards to community and labor movement,” said Jeffrey Buchanan, director of public policy for San Jose-based community coalition Working Partnerships USA.

However, “It was a reminder of how organizing works and matters,” said nonprofit Silicon Valley Rising director Maria Noel Fernandez. “Now, it really does feel like a partnership.”

The successful partnership comes as tech giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon seek to expand their real estate footprint around the country while residents complain of displacement.

Pathway for the future

It comes two years after Amazon famously abandoned plans to build a campus in New York after communities opposed it. It also comes as labor groups and employees are growing more vocal about the influence big tech companies exercise. Some local organizers said their success with Google is paving a path for future organizing with tech.

But it eventually took four years to get there.

Also, while some critics still remain, organizers say the project has created a positive pathway for future organizing on real estate projects and more.