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PC 04-30-91 CITY OF CUPERTINO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA 10300 Torre Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 252-4505 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL STUDY SESSION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION HELD ON APRIL 30, 1991 SALUTE TO THE FLAG: ROLL CALL: commissioners Present: Chairman Mackenzie Vice Chairman Fazekas Commissioner Mann Commissioner Austin commissioners Absent: Commissioner Mahoney staff Present: Bob Cowan, Director of Community Development Ciddy Wordell, Associate Planner 1. presentations from community groups regarding General Plan goals and alternatives. Foothill De Anza Communi tv ColleQe District: Mr. Mall Leal, Director of Business Services, gave a general overview of Foothill/De Anza College District. He noted 53 percent of students are day student, 43 percent evening students, De Anza has a full day starting at 5: 30 am ending 11 pm, which has an effect on the city and its services. He stated they have over 1 million square feet of building space and the new parking structure added one half million square feet to the facility, noting De Anza as a whole entails approximately 112 acres. He noted De Anza is an integral part of the city with many amenities for the residents of Cupertino. Regarding future construction Mr. Leal stated the new parking structure has provided sufficient parking at this time, but they do predict growth within the next five years. 4000 s.f feet has been added to the administration building, they are currently planning and have funding approval for a 65,000 s.f. Advanced Technology building, also an 18,000 s.f. addition to Campus Center. Projects also include a 65,000 s.f. addition to the Learning Center, 7000 s.f. addition to Fine Arts area and 18,000 s.f. addition to Child Care building. In the future there have been plans developed for an addition to the Flint Center as well as to expand the Art Gallery, including a new galleria. De Anza is now looking at changes of about 19,000 s.f. to the classroom area, they hope all construction will start within five to six years. He noted a long PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 2 range plan has been developed through the year 2005, their plans are to add an Academic Conference Center with parking beneath. There are provisions for additional future parking structures and the possibility of housing has been considered. Regarding potential problems, Mr. Leal stated traffic is a problem on stevens Creek and McClellan. He noted they have been working with the City to move the McClellan st. entrance closer to the 85 Freeway. Mary st. entrance will be widened and an r,¡dditional entrance on Stelling is being considered. They are interested in potential for a Mary St. overpass. Cupertino Citizens for Parks (CCFP): Mr. Don Cochran noted the area of interest to this group is the triangle area between Stevens Creek and Rodriguez. Mr. Cochran stated the goal of this area is to see a park on the property with a play area and picnic area, noting it should be a place to get away from traffic and noise. The park should appeal to all age groups and well designed parks near high density population do appeal to people. No sports field is necessary, could be a low maintenance proposition, it would be compact and simple. Some of the benefits are: more open space to local residents; place to escape from the office; sets a standard for City core atmosphere. Consideration has to be given to how it will fit into Grand Blvd. plan. Mr. Cochran went over some of the obstacles, noting there is a policy against parks less than five acres, but this can be worked through, smaller parks are more appropriate for the area. City funding to maintain the park as well as the land being owned by Prometheus are also obstacles. Some of the Recommendations made for the Commissioners to consider is to work together with citizens and staff to get a park in this area, buy land from Prometheus, give density credits to Prometheus in return for a park. Mr. Cochran urged the Commissioners to support a park. Fairqrove Neiqhbors: Ms. Nancy Burnett noted this group formed last August and presented a map showing the neighborhood. The area was annexed inj;o Cupertino in 1978. Two major concerns of the group are traffic and a neighborhood park. She noted they were once promised a park and have been waiting years, Sedgewick school site was a potential until the school district built on this property. She noted they have met with Steve Dowling and Parks & Recreation Commission and shared their concerns regarding the park, but there is nothing firm at this point. She noted the neighborhood supported Measure T so as to retain Fremont Older as open space. She also expressed PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES special study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 3 concerns about losing neighborhood park and the orderly transition of school children. She noted there is a 1 acre site located in their area which may be a potential park. Regarding traffic Ms. Burnett stated this is a major concern and future development will increase the traffic. Ms. Burnett presented graphics addressing the four scenarios for non- residential growth. She also noted the accident statistics in the area as provided by the City are done between May and June which are the lightest months for traffic. She discussed the change area map, num~er 6, noting this is the largest area with the most growth potential and their neighborhood is south of it. She noted they are concerned about the relationship between City revenue and the growth scenarios. Monta vista Improvement Association: Ms. Ann Anger, President, expressed concern regarding the blight in the City. She presented copies of her concern to the Commissioners and addressed it. Ms. Anger noted the City of Cupertino needs an Ordinance declaring trash a public nuisance. She noted the Ordinance is needed to protect property values and neighborhoods and noted she had taken various Council Members and City Officials on tours to show the problem of the blight. Ms. Anger reviewed other cities plans and enforcement to solve the problem of blight. Cupertinians Uraina Restraint on Buildina (C.U.R.B.): Mr. Phil zeitman, Chairperson, expressed concern regarding the high amount of metropolitan type of buildings and the increased density in the City. He noted continued increase of density will create polluted living conditions. He stated the development allowed should be limited to that which will directly benefit Cupertino residents. He stated the needs of the residential community should be a priority and development of non-residential buildings should be limited to what is allowed by the current General Plan. The amount of residential growth should be limited to that required by regional and state mandated standards. Ms. Janet zeitman noted that cupertino is running short of available land and it is important that development is planned carefully. She stated that the needs of Cupertino residents must be met. They want to keep Cupertino a suburban city and to do this the number of building units to be developed as well as height of buildings must be controlled. Ms. zeitman stated there must be minimum sizes allowed for apartment houses, city amenities must be considered. The current General Plan allows for substantial non- residential growth, which will make meeting affordable housing needs difficult. She noted the current General Plan allows for PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 4 enough square footage and not to increase this. Mr. Don Burnett, 729 Stendall Lane, expressed concern regarding increase traffic and stated that efforts to control traffic in the past by major developers has not been successful. She stated the residents need more assurances. Movement within the City should have a high priority. Pedestrian walking is dangerous and this is a problem. Plans for bicycle facilities should be considered. Mr. Dick Carey, Barbara Lane, reiterated CURB's goals and concerns regarding land resources, environmental resources and economic resources. The primary goal on land resources is that Cupertino should not develop non-residential buildings for revenue purposes only, there must be other important values contributing to the welfare of the residents. The integrity of the neighborhood should have top priority when considering building proposals. A major concern of CURB is that decisions are not made on short term gains at the expense of long range consequences. The goal on environmental resources is based upon the recognition that the excess use of natural resources leaves a lasting imprint on the community that cannot be reversed or can only be reversed at a cost. He expressed concern regarding providing water to the proposed buildings. He noted the economic resource goal is for Cupertino to maintain a healthy economic atmosphere and to do this there must be a balance between residential quality of life and the urban production of tax revenue. Mr. Joe Houser expressed concern regarding the quality of life in Cupertino and stated that many who carne to Cupertino came for the amenities it offers and does not want this to change. Each new project must be weighed on the overall impact on Cupertino, the open space left must be maintained. He stated the residents of Cupertino are concerned about over growth. Mr. Phil zeitman urged the Planning Commission to keep within the existing General Plan growth allotment, with abundant open space. Development of hillsides, particularly st. Joseph's property should be weighed fOr the impact it will have on existing city services. He stated protection of neighborhoods should corne before non- residential buildings. Orqanization Advocatinq Keepinq St. Joseph's as Open Space (OAKS): Mr. Stephen Hayes, Chairperson, stated this organization was formed approximately one year ago, with a membership of 125 citizens of Cupertino and surrounding communi ties. He noted the group is dedicated to the preservation of the natural heritage of the st. Joseph's Seminary. He noted OAKS has support from 40,000 residents. The mission of OAKS is to preserve st. Joseph's PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 5 Seminary as open space. He noted OAKS is aware of the complex issues related to the property and they must be addressed. These include: fair return for the Church; available and affordability of housing; the increase demand for infrastructures; environmental damage; need for open space. He noted there is a need for expansion of open space. The OAKS vision is for the preservation of st. Joseph's for family recreation; as a spiritual retreat for the community and at the same time to maintain a wild life sanctuary. He stated it is OAKS intent to maintain the ~edication of urging more open space well beyond the conclusion of the General Plan proceedings. Modern Transit Society: Mr. Mike Bollack, Board of Directors Member, stated that they are interested in all forms of modern transit and the economics of transportation. with regards to the General Plan, he stated the Modern Transit Society does not favor automobile congestion and therefore, favor very little growth beyond the existing General Plan. He noted any economic growth should not occur unless there is a way to handle the traffic associated with that. He noted the General Plan should include triggering mechanisms to allow increased growth, but only if there is effective Transportation Demand Management. He noted the City has a responsibility to locate potential future transit stations, the areas around the station become change areas and would give the City more variation in its character. Mr. Bollack discussed future transit services in the bay area and opportunities for the City of Cupertino to take advantage of these. Mr. Bollack presented a report to the Commissioners explaining a Transportation Demand Management which relates to employee parking and the benefits of this. He felt this TDM program should appear in the General Plan and summarized it as written in the report presented to the Commissioners. Leaaue of Women Voters: Ms. Elaine Lyne, Vice President, statèd the League appreciates and supports the public input to the General Plan and urges this to continue. Ms. Sue Mirch-Kretschman noted the League is committed to an urban environment beneficial to life and resource management in the public interest. She stated the General Plan should be used as an education document to the citizens as well as a guide to the city's growth and to be adhered too, once adopted. She stated communication is important. Land use decisions should relate to and protect the overall quality of the environment with the primary goal of the plan being environmentally beneficial to life. She stated density should be decided on the availability and the PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special Study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 6 potential availability of services. The league of Women Voters encourages the City to develop policies that will assure sufficient land at reasonable costs on which to build housing. She noted housing for low and moderate income families should be provided as part of all planned neighborhoods or communities. JObs/Housing imbalance needs to be addressed. Cupertino Villaqe: Ms. Gail Lee, representing Cupertino Village Merchants, summarized a letter presented to the Commissioners regarding Tandem and Hewlett Packard's Master Plan. She spoke in support of both stating that both plans show far sited, good and responsible planning which will be beneficial to both their own corporations and Cupertino in general. Cupertino Chamber of Commerce: Mr. Herman Hitchman, Vice President of Government Relations, referred to the Written position Paper presented to the Commission. He noted the written position Paper was adopted after a lot of time and thought went into this document. Mr. Don Allen, President Elect, noted members involved in the written position Paper were also involved in the citizens Goals Committee. Mr. Allen discussed the strategic vision of the city and would like to see this carried further. He noted the advantage of specific strategic planning is that there are specific goals and objectives and are held accountable to these as well as having review sessions. Mr. Allen presented slides to the Commission explaining ·~e tax base revenue sources to City; breakdown of expenditures of the city, which do change; fiscal budget for the City of Cupertino; Tax breakdown - make-up of the various types of taxes. The great majority of taxes corne from sales tax. A chart was presented explaining the estimates of revenue vs. expense. He stated they are predicting a deficit in the City within the next six months. Mr. Allen stated the quality of life in Cupertino should be maintained, but the city will go into deficit if changes are not made. He noted if the city is going to maintain today's quality of life, expenses are going to have to be limited as well as augmenting revenues. Mr. Allen Bidwell stated at the last General Plan Review, 10 years ago, when major companies located in Cupertino developed plans there was little or no mention of child care, on-site housing, traffic mitigation, open space, underground parking and quality of life, noting these concerns are now being addressed. He noted many members of the Chamber of Commerce gave their support to Measure T. Responsible and Reasonable growth is manageable and provides the PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special Study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 7 revenue needed to maintain the quality of city services that both businesses and residents desire. He noted sales tax provides more revenue than either property or the utility tax and believed that the additional retail development will provide the funding needed to maintain the quality of life. Chr. Mackenzie stated the suggested proposals from the writing. Director of Community Development various groups can be submitted in Mr. Cowan explained what was meant by Trial Court Funding Bill. He stated Cupertino is considered a low property tax city and the State provides money to make this up, but is unlikely to happen at this time. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding the need for additional lanes on stevens Creek, Mr. Leal stated they hoped to provide more access to the south of the Campus which would reduce the traffic on Stevens Creek. Mr. Fazekas questioned the impact of light rail on the students attending the college. Mr. Leal stated this would reduce traffic, but would depend on the inter connection. He felt if mass transit does occur along the 85 freeway it would reduce traffic by approximately 15 percent and losing lanes would seriously impact the college. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding housing, Mr. Leal stated that housing is a low priority at this time, but would be provided for students primarily. In response to Ch~. Mackenzie's question Mr. Leal stated the parking structure lS part of the 1 million s. f. he addressed earlier. Mr. Leal stated any kind of growth on campus will be multi-story. In response to Ms. Wordell's question Mr. Leal stated they are currently reviewing the campus plan as it relates to both the interface of traffic and foot traffic on and off the campus, in addi tion to this to make better access for buses stopping. He noted they are developing a grand entrance which would be primarily on the Mary st. entrance area. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding traffic on Stevens Creek and how they envision the Grand Blvd. concept, Mr. Don Burnett stated he supports the concept and image projected noting it is a definite visual improvement. He encouraged bicycle commuting and has been working with the traffic engineer on this. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding density on residential property, Mr. Burnett stated the group has not reached consensus on this issue. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special study Session Meeting of April 30, 1991 Page 8 In response to Corn. Austin's question regarding non-residential buildings not being built, Mr. zeitman stated the buildings should not be built unless they are beneficial to the residents not only in tax dollars, but also the quality of life. Mr. Burnett felt there is enough growth left in the existing General Plan that would provide for sufficient revenues to sustain the amenities the city has. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding the Grand Blvd., Ms. Burnett stated the Grand Blvd. has not been discussed within the group, but felt if the Grand Blvd diverted traffic away from their neighborhood while providing city dollars, it may be favorably looked upon. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding housing in the Vallco area Ms. Burnett stated John Haley, Tandem Representative, will attend the next meeting of the Fairgrove Neighbors and they will then understand more of what is being proposed. In response to Com. Mann's question Ms. Burnett stated she was referring to the 1 acre site which is the Anderson site in the neighborhood. In response to Corn. Austin's potential transit stations, Mr. Society do not locate potential question regarding location of Bollack stated the Modern Transit stations. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding the proposals of high density, Mr. Allen stated there must be a balance to what is built, office, retail and housing are needed, which the City can control. He felt it is time to have mixed-use and there is a need to find a way to accommodate people living and working in Cupertino. He noted the Chamber of Commerce vision of the Grand Blvd could create a way of life and a feeling of family in the communi ty. He stated to get people out of cars amenities are needed to encourage this. In response to Com. Mann's question regarding charging for parking, Mr. Allen stated society is not ready to enforce this. Chr. Mackenzie opened the hearing for public input. Mr. Bollack stated with regards to Com. Mann's question, that the proposed TDM program is not paid parking, the plan as set up does not cost to drive everyday, but there is an opportunity to earn money if a person does not use the parking everyday. He noted the same type of plan could be used at apartments. He stated the plan is about choice.