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PC 04-16-91 CI~Y OF CUPERTINO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA 10300 Torre Avenue cuper~ino, CA 95014 (408) 252-4505 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL STUDY SESSION OF THE GENERAL PLAN HELD ON APRIL 16, 1991 SALUTE TO THE FLAG: ROLL CALL: commissioners Present: Chairman Mackenzie Vice Chairman Fazekas Commissioner Mann Commissioner Mahoney Commissioner Austin staff Present: Bob Cowan, Director of Community Development Mark Caughey, City Planner Ciddy Wordell, Associate Planner staff Presentation: Mr. Bob Cowan stated the meeting at this time is to look at the final work for the alternative specification. Four growth scenarios have been developed on an continuum to help evaluate the possibility of having a final plan in this spectrum. The Market Driven Plan reflects the objectives of the major institutions and major property owners in cupertino. The purpose of tonight's hearing is to hear from the major property owners to give their view points. He noted at the next meeting the citizens will give their view points. Chr. Mackenzie asked the presenters to limit their presentations to 15 minutes and public input and questions will be held at the end of the meeting. Ms. Patricia Lamson, Superintendent, cupertino Union School District, gave an update on where Cupertino School District is in the use of their current land. She noted they do not have a major development plan at this time. There are 18 elementary schools and four junior high schools, seven reside in the City of Cupertino, there are also three surplus sites which are being used for district functions and leased out for other functions. She noted the Sedgwick site is designed to house students in the near future. She stated that they predict their enrollment peak to be in 1993 and feels comfortable they are meeting the needs in school enrollment as they presently stand. She noted they are looking for school sites to house approximately 600 students for a number of reasons. Transportation is being studied wi thin the school district, and they are looking at the possibility of eliminating junior and elementary school transportation, as it is a major PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Special Study Session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 2 incumbrance to the district and therefore takes away from the everyday instruction of the students. Enrollment trends are being studied. She noted future development would mean looking at joint development that would allow a stream of income not received from the State. In response to Com. Mann's question Ms. Lamson stated the enrollment peak period is projected over a five year period. In response to Corn. Austin's question regarding charging for transportation Ms. Lamson stated the money charged is in an escrow account, but the School District is being sued by the State as it is illegal to charge. She noted $200,000 would be saved if transportation was eliminated. In response to Com. Austin's question she noted the average class size is 29. In response to Com. Fazekas' question regarding the three surplus sites, Ms. Lamson stated that at this time they will be leased out to ensure a steady income. She noted programs will be reduced, but no layoffs at this time. Mr. Cowan noted Fremont Union School District do not have any land use related topics and will not be present at this meeting. He noted Foothill/DeAnza are not present at this hearing but would like to make a presentation in the near future. Glen Barber, Director of Real Estate Construction and Facilities, Apple Computer Inc., speaking on behalf of Prometheus Development and Sobrato. He noted Apple Computer have a large presence in the Community and have watched the development of the General Plan and favor the concept of allowing for reasonable and controlled development along the major arterial transportation feeders of the community. He noted Apple Computer is anxious to continue to grow with the community. They would like ability to further develop on the Prometheus site, City Center. He noted Apple computer is now an owner in the community. He noted the Prometheus Group have approached Apple Computer with a proposition as a joint venture partnership for development on the City Center site. Mr. Bill Valentine, Architect, pointed out the open space available for development on the City Center site and explained what is being proposed for this site. He noted retail is proposed as well as underground parking. Mr. Mark Kroll, Prometheus Development, discussed the residential portion proposed for City Center. He noted they are proposing an additional 200 units of housing adjacent to the existing housing. He stated it is an appropriate location for housing and would try to provide affordable housing. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING special study Session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 3 Mr. Bill Valentine explained the architecture of the proposed office building and residential units, he presented slides. He noted the housing would face the park and amphitheater. Mr. Frank Robinson, Director of Real Estate & Construction, Tandem Computer noted they will be focusing on land use and intensities. Mr. John Haley, Project Manager, Tandem computer, noted they have participated in the Goals Committee Process and agree that the Vallco area is unique. The specific uses are office and retail. He noted they are proposing the office area south of the I-280 be designed in a sand-pile effect. They prefer a high rise building pushed back and a lower profile building associated with Stevens Creek. They feel this is a significant statement for the future of Cupertino relative to light rail. He noted the hotel site on the corner of Finch and stevens Creek is predominantly shown as a major corner and is a prominent corner for a hotel. The open space shown is projected for an activity area with buildings on either side. The housing to the north of I-280 is proposed of approximately 500 ownership quality housing. Renovation is proposed for the Cupertino Village to make it more attractive to surrounding new developments. Day care is also proposed for employees. He noted Tandem Computer is requesting an additional 1.1 million square feet which would permit growth over 10 years. Mr. Haley noted Tandem looks forward to working with staff, Planning Commission as well as residents in the area. Mr. Sherman Davis, Director of Facilities, Measurex, pointed out their site adjacent to Bubb Road & McClellan, with five buildings on the site. He noted their present plans are to build one more building on the site at which time the FAR ratio will complete the amount of space they can build. They will also be connecting an egress road to Imperial Ave. He note Measurex will be requesting a FAR of .35 instead of .33, which would allow a bigger building to be built. He noted there are no plans at this time for the rest of the site. Mr. John Sobrato, Sobrato Development Co., noted two presentations will be made at this hearing, the first being the joint venture with Apple Computer, the second, st. Joseph's Seminary. Fr. Eugene Boyle, Diocese of San Jose, noted it is necessary to convert their property into preforming endowments and noted the Diocese is committed to an environmentally enriching development that incorporates a responsible use plan and is keenly sensitive to the environmental concerns and needs of the community. He noted they are working with people representing various civic entities in this area. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Special study Session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 4 Mr. John Sobrato gave a slide presentation of the alternatives for the property in question. He noted the first alternative would preserve the current institutional use on approximately 32 acres of the property, which is adjacent to the open space preserve and Rancho San Antonio and develop the balance of the property with 293 lot sUbdivision, which is allowed by the current General Plan. He noted significant amounts of open space has been retained through which there would be an extensive trial system linking the residents with Rancho San Antonio and the open space preserve. The second plan would take the 32 acre institutional use and subdivide the property into approximately 80 or 90 additional lots and still preserve open space links with approximately 293 units. He felt that staff should clarify what is meant by institutional use back in 1985 when the Forum property received PD use. Also the issue of acreage should be clarified at the General Plan stage. Mr. Sobrato showed slides of the residential housing and explained their plans. He noted lot line fencing would be prohibited and explained the planting that would be used and the preserving of trees. Sides of the open space and trail proposed was shown. He noted play facilities are being considered and some of the hill top area will be preserved for open space. Mr. Glenn Barber noted that Apple is proceeding with building the approved R & D campus of approximately 800,000 s.f. as deliberations for the General Plan go on. He requested that if densi ties are being increased in the City that this site be considered for future density. He noted what they are looking for in the community is the ability to plan growth and have options. Mr. Sobrato stated in order to accommodate Apple's growth plans in the long term, Sobrato has come up with a plan to add more buildings and explained were these buildings would be and the size. He noted parking would be placed underground and open space would be allocated. Mr. Sobrato presented slides showing their proposed additional buildings and designs. Mr. Sobrato explained the TDM program as proposed by Apple and if successful will generate approximately 628 trips less than was assumed by the 1983 General Plan, this would then provide additional square footage. He noted employee density has changed since 1983, there are now less employees per square foot. Mr. John Endicott, Westfield Inc., advised the City on the current application before the city. He noted there are other areas of development, including 300,000 s.f. of development which could be added to the proposed development in Vallco over a 10 year time frame. He noted he has worked with Tandem in the past discussing opportuni ties for shared parking etc. and would be happy to participate in meetings involving the General Plan. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Special Study session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 5 Mr. Dick Rosemyer, site Operations Manager, Hewlett Packard, explained the location of the Hewlett Packard site in Cupertino, which encompasses approximately 100 acres. He noted there are nine buildings on the site. They have 3500 employees in addition to several hundred contract people, mostly involved in the design and marketing of the products. In 1985 approximately 30 percent of the si te was devoted to manufacturing acti vi ties, which no longer exists. There are over four acres of computer rooms on the site. He noted the Cupertino site is the largest and densest site in the company. As for the future, they are beginning to examine options and excess real estate requirements in the bay area of which they have about 10 sites in the Bay Area. They are beginning to form an outline of what business will be like in the next 10 years and shared their views. They have no future plans to purchase land in cupertino, but are hoping to increase their people count and floor space in their existing buildings. He noted the Cupertino site is the headquarters for Computer system Business and would like to move more people into the area. He noted higher density is being considered and does support more density for the area and are working on traffic mitigation and offering transportation alternatives. In response to Com. Mahoney's question regarding additional space within a 10 year time frame Mr. Rosemyer stated they are talking about up to 1 million square feet additional space. He noted the use permit allows an additional building up to 250,000 s.f., the additional 1 million s.f. is on top of this. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding mixed-use, Mr. Rosemyer noted they are limited to space on this site. He noted housing would not be considered on the site. In response to Chr. Mackenzie's question Mr. Rosemyer noted this is the densest site with regards to employees rather than square foot. Ms. Ciddy Wordell questioned if the increase in density related to employees or square footage. Mr Rosemyer stated in order to accommodate more employee a greater density would be required than is currently allowed in the Use Permit and the FARs associated with this. In response to Com. Mahoney's question Mr. Davis, Measurex, noted they are requesting an additional 91,000 s. f. Chr. Mackenzie questioned if the egress is on the commercial side of Imperial Ave. Mr. Cowan stated it is within the industrial portion of Imperial. Mr. Davis noted the proposed new building would be where the commercial begins. At present there are two buildings on-site devoted to manufacturing, but may request more in the future. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING special study Session of the General Plan, April l6, 1991 Page 6 Mr. John Haley, Tandem Computer, explained the color schemes used in his graphic. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding quality housing being open not only employees, Mr. Haley stated at this point the primary issue is quality and are considering ownership options by employees. In response to Corn. Mahoney's question Mr. Haley stated the Jackpot is a Use Permit which was granted for an eight story office building and is included in the 1.7 million s.f. In response to Com. Mann's question Mr. Haley stated the green space would be accessible to the public. In response to Com. Fazekas' question regarding retail and housing on Stevens Creek Blvd., Mr. Haley stated they are in support of the grand blvd. concept and are proposing a general land use and intensity picture at this time. In response to Chr. Mackenzie's question regarding child care Mr. Haley stated the limited use of child care is with regards to chemicals being used at the various buildings. In response to Ms. Wordell's question regarding number of housing units proposed, Mr. Haley stated they took the approximate acreage of certain areas and proposed 30-35 dwelling unit per acre ratio. He noted it was not related to the increase in jobs. In response to Com. Mahoney's question regarding building number one in the City Center, Mr. Barber noted what is being proposed as a joint venture between Apple and Prometheus is an additional 150,000-200,000 s.f. He noted there are four buildings on the site presently, the additional square footage would be building five. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding housing, Mr. Barber noted there is already mixed-use on the site. What Prometheus and Apple Computer are proposing behind the office building is a second building which would add housing units. He noted the housing would be a separate building. In response to Chr. Mackenzie's question regarding the three buildings on the Sobrato site, Mr. Haley stated the specific uses have not been identified, but if increase density is allowed they would like to work with this. In response to Com. Austin's question regarding housing on the Prometheus site, Mr. Kroll stated affordable housing is possible and believe it is their responsibility, as well as other major tenants in the city to provide affordable housing. They would also like to add retail, noting this is a good site for retail. In response to Com. Fazekas question Mr. Kroll stated 200 units is the proposed number, but it could be more. In response to Corn. Mann's question regarding the Diocese property relating to the open space, Mr. Sobrato stated at this point he did not know if it would be open for use by the general public or only residents. In response to Com. Fazekas question regarding the thought process of how Sobrato arrived at the layout of their PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Special study Session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 7 development, Mr. Sobrato stated at this stage it is very preliminary and final calculations have not be~n arrived at. He noted the concept is to take and enhance open space, which adds value to the adjoining residents. He stated that privacy must be adhered to, but at the same time allow the public to enjoy the open space. Mr. Sobrato noted at this stage 20 to 30 percent of the space is devoted to open space. Mr. Cowan noted there are two tracks in the Diocese property, he stated the present General Plan now states development on the property and private recreational facilities, but there is the possibility of public access which the Parks and Recreation Department are working on. Mr. Sobrato noted in preliminary discussions with staff, the possibility of creating a link to Stevens Creek Blvd. that would be available to the pubic and join up to Rancho San Antonio park was an important factor when developing these plans. In response to Com. Austin's question Mr. Sobrato explained the two plans before the Commission, one being an institutional use the other being residential. Chr. Mackenzie opened the meeting for public input. Ms. Ann Anger, President, Monta vista Improvement Association, noted that zoning is very important and would like to see good development for the future of Cupertino. She stated she has worked very hard to improve Monta Vista and would encourage careful development. Ms. Anger expressed concern regarding Measurex property and requested it be cleaned up. Mr. Allen Bidwell, Chamber of Commerce, noted residents and business residents have taken part in the Goals committee Process. He added the presentations that local businesses provide today include provisions for open space, housing, child care and traffic concerns. He requested the Planning commission take into account some of the provisions. Mr. Phil zietman noted there is not enough land in Cupertino to provide developers with their requests. He expressed concern regarding height of buildings. He applauded Tandem for their concern regarding housing. Mr. zietman expressed concern regarding the Diocese property and felt it should be open space for public use. Ms. Bees Jones, Goals Committee, stated the density being requested is in the areas where the Goals Committee felt density should be increased. She noted increased density is needed were the light rail would be and the City should work on keeping the Companies in PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Special Study Session of the General Plan, April 16, 1991 Page 8 Cupertino to help provide for the amenities the residents want. Chr. Mackenzie noted the next meeting would be April 30, 1991 at 6:00 p.m. to receive public input. Mr. Cowan reviewed what will happen at the next General Plan meeting and restated the purpose of tonight's meeting adding that all the figures presented by the major landowners were the same as what was portrayed to staff previously with the exception of Hewlett Packard and asked whether the maximum plan should be change to reflect that. Com. Mahoney questioned the Marchese Property in Santa Clara asking if it would be included in the maximum build-out. Mr. Cowan stated this would be included. Mr. Cowan noted the Special Study meeting will be held in the Council Chambers on May 2, 1991. ADJOURNMENT: Having concluded business, the Planning commission adjourned at 8:25 p.m. to the next Regular Meeting of April 22, 1991 at 6:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~ M·f2.~aA Catherine M. Robillard, Recording Secretary Approved by the Planning Commission at the Special Study Session of April 30, 1991 ~ aIrman f Atte5tj: ~ i/~ 4l¡~i«t¡ 00rothy CornelIus, Ity C erk