News

Sunnyvale City Council to consider General Plan revision: more jobs, more transit, less housing

/ Daniel Howard / 1 Comment

On April 11, City Council is expected to review a revised draft of the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) which is a chapter of the city’s General Plan. The objective is to move Sunnyvale towards being a “Complete Community” that is less dependent on automobiles. Major strategies include:

Village Centers: modify existing shopping districts to include housing. This will increase the housing supply at village centers and expand commercial opportunities for businesses there. Village center will be located near transit lines, improving the odds that residents can commute without driving.

Jobs/Housing Balance: Sunnyvale will add proportionately more jobs than housing. Under present conditions, Sunnyvale has 1.44 jobs per housing unit. By 2035, Sunnyvale will have 1.73 jobs per housing unit. This will make jobs more plentiful, and make it more difficult for residents to secure housing within Sunnyvale.

Multimodal Transit System: city policies will emphasize complete streets, carpooling, mass transit and bicycle infrastructure. As we approach and exceed Sunnyvale’s capacity to transport residents via private automobiles, residents will need better access to more efficient transportation.

LUTE-2035

Development will focus on transit corridors and village centers. Proportionately more jobs will be added. Most existing residential neighborhoods will remain low density.

What do you think? Let City Council know!

Contact City Council to share your thoughts on the LUTE.

City Council is expected to review the changes next Tuesday, April 11, at 7 pm in the City Council Chambers, 456 W. Olive Ave. Members of the public are welcome to speak at the meeting for up to three minutes each.

UPDATE: the City Council agenda for April 11 has been published. Council will review the Land Use and Transportation Element as agenda item #4.

Palo Alto to Introduce Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines

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Eichler homes, the first of which were built in Sunnyvale in 1949, are an architectural signature of the peninsula. In 2009, the City of Sunnyvale adopted its Eichler Design Guidelines, which are available via the Heritage Commission. Sunnyvale’s Eichler Design Guidelines detail a list of Sunnyvale’s Eichler neighborhoods and design guidance to ensure the basic preservation of these distinctive homes. Sunnyvale’s Guidelines suggest that additional protection should be afforded by the creation of Heritage Preservation Districts.

On April 11, the City of Palo Alto is hosting a community meeting to introduce their own Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines project:

Tuesday, April 11, 2017, at 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Mitchell Park Community Center, Midtown Room
3700 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Attendees are requested to RSVP to Eichler@CityofPaloAlto.org

Additional information is contained in this flyer.

Thanks to local realtor John Fyten for the tip.

Congressman Ro Khanna: Cupertino Town Hall March 25

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ro_khanna_official_portrait_115th_congress

Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17)

Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) will discuss recent developments and current legislative activities in Congress and take questions from constituents in attendance

Saturday, March 25, 2017, 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Homestead High School Gymnasium
21370 Homestead Rd.
Cupertino, CA 95014

If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form at the bottom of: https://khanna.house.gov/about/events/march-25-2017-town-hall-meeting

The last Town Hall at Fremont was packed and not everyone who came could attend. The Homestead High School gymnasium seats approximately 1,000 people, and attendees will be accommodated on a “first come, first served” basis. Expressing interest through the RSVP form does not guarantee entry.

Thursday: DIY Native Garden

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(Via John Cordes on NextDoor)

“Install-It-Yourself” Native Garden

This is the second, yet stand-alone, class following the “Design-It-Yourself” talk in January. The speaker will cover the nuts and bolts of lawn removal, sheet mulching, soil percolation testing, transitioning to drip irrigation, plant acquisition, and planting techniques. This lecture provides a lot of material in a short time and is designed for a layperson who wants some tips on how to install a small native garden.

Thursday, March 16
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Library Community Room
Mountain View Public Library
585 Franklin St Mountain View, CA

Deva Luna is a sustainable and Bay Friendly-certified landscape designer who has been teaching and speaking about horticulture for over 20 years. She has a degree in “Plants and Art” from U.C. Davis and works for EarthCare Landscaping in Cupertino.

Gardening with Natives (GWN) is a special interest group within the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society that includes beginning and seasoned native plant gardeners, along with landscape architects and designers. It offers over 30 talks throughout the year at public libraries which are free and open to all. Visit http://www.cnps-scv.org to see videos of past programs, find out about more events, and learn how you can join the chapter.

Mary Avenue Overcrossing

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The city of Sunnyvale is studying a variety of options to connect Mary Avenue to the industrial / office area North of 101 and 237. The options range from a bicycle/pedestrian overcrossing to various alignments of multi-lane roads to support automobile traffic.

Mary-Ave-Overcrossing-Map

A second Community Meeting has been announced:

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Columbia Neighborhood Center Multi-Use Room
785 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94085

Project input is also solicited via Sunnyvale’s Open City Hall: https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/209/Issue_4652

KQED Discusses Caltrain’s Future: Friday Morning at 9:00AM

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Residents interested in Caltrain may wish to turn in to KQED’s Forum program, 88.5FM, at 9:00AM Friday morning. From the KQED web site:

Episode airs February 24, 2017 at 9:00 AM
Arguing that the South Bay’s transportation system is breaking down, the urban planning think tank SPUR released an ambitious proposal for the region Thursday. In its Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan, SPUR proposes improvements to Highway 101 and calls for Caltrain to quintuple its ridership, expand service into downtown San Francisco and upgrade infrastructure. The SPUR report follows the Trump Administration’s decision last week to suspend $647 million in funds for Caltrain’s electrification, a move the rail agency says will hinder its ability to make needed improvements. We discuss the future of Caltrain.

The Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan (Spur.org)

Guests:
Ratna Amin, transportation policy director, SPUR
Randy Rentschler, director of legislation and public affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Seamus Murphy, chief communications officer, Caltrain

Saturday: Bake Sale for Planned Parenthood

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Sunnyvale residents are hosting a Bake Sale this Saturday. Proceeds from the Bake Sale will be donated to Planned Parenthood. This Bake Sale is a local action inspired by the national “Defund Planned Parenthood” rally, taking place on February 11. Resident Manuel Luschas reports the bake sale is “definitely happening rain or shine, we’ll move into my garage if needed.”

When: Saturday, February 11th
Time: 10am to 3pm
Place: 567 Chiloquin Ct, Sunnyvale CA
Contact: laurareinitz@yahoo.com

From the organizers:

We are having a bake sale for women’s health at our home this Saturday. Please stop by and get yourself some delicious treats and coffee/tea!!

All are welcome! Gluten free and healthy options will be available. Stock up on snacks!

Take Action: Trump Administration Threatens Caltrain Electrification

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California’s Republican delegation has submitted a letter to Federal Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao requesting that she cancel $647 million in funding for Caltrain electrification. The GOP delegation explains their intention to hold back the High Speed Rail project, but these specific improvements are badly needed by Caltrain to improve service for local riders. Bay Area representatives have followed up with their own letter to Secretary Chao explaining the need for this funding to be preserved. This issue is explained in detail on the Green Caltrain site.

Call to Action: Green Caltrain would like as many folks as possible to submit emails to Secretary Chao via this link: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/741/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=21065

VTA Fare Review: Public Input

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As part of the VTA’s Next Network project to change the transit system’s design to provide greater service frequency, VTA is reviewing fare policy. VTA invite you to contribute to a Public Input Survey. Surveys are due by February 20.

The survey is accessible here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VTAFareReviewPublicInput

Also, Silicon Valley Transit Users have a nice summary of upcoming meetings for those who wish to learn more about and provide feedback to VTA about the Next Network.