Saturday's official grand opening for Plaza de San Jose, the new, grand entrance to East San Jose, will be more than a celebration of the 16-acre Mexican-themed shopping center.

This homegrown fiesta will also be about one of the biggest and most successful economic and social revitalization efforts this neighborhood has seen in decades.

And there's reason to believe the new Plaza, at the historic corner of King and Story roads, will be part of a makeover movement that may eventually extend to other parts of East San Jose.

A lot of people helped make Plaza de San Jose happen, including business, neighborhood and political leaders. But Councilwoman Nora Campos, who grew up near nearby, is the main visionary and motivating force behind the $73.5 million project.

She pushed, along with former Eastside Councilman George Shirakawa Jr., for the Redevelopment Agency to pony up about $39 million and is helping hold the city to its longtime promise to improve life in San Jose's most-ignored community. Some of those improvements now include increased street lighting, widened roads and safer pedestrian walkways near the Plaza.

Campos worked closely with the Plaza's East Bay-based developer, Blake Hunt Ventures, which pitched in $34.5 million and built a shopping center that is safe and stylish. The new shopping area couldn't be more different from the aging, dirty and unsafe strip mall it replaces. There's a Starbucks, Walgreens and lots of useful shops. It's also a good sign that Blake Hunt plans on sticking around as a long-term owner.

And Campos has made sure that this commercial development strikes an important neighborhood balance. The Plaza maintains the neighborhood's cultural identity with its vibrant pueblo color scheme, pre-Columbian statues and imported Mexican-tile touches.

The Plaza also brings other much-needed retail and services to East San Jose. That includes Famsa, a Mexican electronics and furniture store, and a new Wells Fargo branch, the first major bank to open shop at King and Story in a decade or longer.

Visit and you'll see parents, students, shoppers and others enjoying the comfortable benches, outdoor fountains and public art displays.

If managed properly, the new Plaza and its tenants will recapture much of the $528 million or more that East San Jose residents have been spending each year for retail goods and services in other parts of the city or beyond.

The Plaza will not suddenly transform the formidable problems that persist in East San Jose. It won't fix poor-performing schools, high unemployment rates and above-average crime rates. But it could usher in new beginnings.

Campos is working on smaller-scale but similar improvements along the areas of the Story Road and Alum Rock business districts. She wants to see more affordable-housing units, street improvements and commercial developments. And Campos hopes to draw in supportive businesses around the nearby Mexican Heritage Plaza, like restaurants and cafes.

For decades, East San Jose did not receive the kind of attention it needed and deserved from City Hall and developers. But the combination of Plaza de San Jose and the 6-year-old Mexican Heritage Plaza show that this is changing. And that's a great reason to celebrate.