Looking at the City of San Jose Online Permits page, we see that a development is being planned for the area where Empire Seven studios and E.T. Tires are located.
City of San Jose Online Permits
PDC16-028
535 N 7th Street
Planned Development Zoning from Heavy Industrial (HI) to R-M(PD) zoning district to allow for the construction of up to 92 multi-family attached units on 1.25 gross acre site.
What could this portend for the future?
Japantown Redevelopment News 