CC 07-01-2025 Item No. 9 DIALOG Design LP for CH Annex_Written ComunicationsCC 07-1-2025
Item No. 9
DIALOG Design LP for
City Annex Project
Written Communications
From:Jean Bedord
To:City Council; City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; Chad Mosley
Subject:Agenda Item #9: Fiscal irresponsibility - 10455 Torre Avenue, Dialog Professional Service Contract, City Council,
July 1, 2025
Date:Monday, June 30, 2025 3:45:40 PM
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Please include in Written Communications:
Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, Councilmembers Fruen, Mohan and Wang,
I object to this contract on the basis of fiscal irresponsibility. Why would the city authorize
$493,243 to do yet another programming and design contract for City Hall Annex, when
construction costs for implementing such a design would cost a minimum of $7 million
(2023 costs)? The city has already paid $4,450,000 for the building, making the total
investment close to $12 million for a mere 5730 sq. ft., which can accommodate only 20-
25% of the space needed as an interim city hall for any renovation/rebuilding of the current
city hall. Staff can't function in a construction zone, so staff relocation has to be the first step
in addressing our seismically unsafe approximately 24,000 sq. ft. city hall. It will take at
least a 1 to 2 years to negotiate a temporary location and make the tenant improvements so
staff can function. An interim city hall needs to function for 3 to 10 years depending on
construction since renovation of the current city hall will cost a minimum of $20 to $25
million ($7 million for seismic updates, plus required building upgrades to meet current
legal requirements).
Council failed to act on 19400 Stevens Creek Blvd, which would have met the city’s space
needs for an interim city hall. Thus El Camino Hospital was able to purchase this building
for a rock-bottom price of $10.4 million for a 20,000 sq. ft. building that can be renovated
for $1-2 million, thus obtaining an asset rather than a lease. Now the city is back to square
one. There is very little suitable office space available in Cupertino -- and the city may have
to obtain a lease with less flexibility than it would have had by purchasing an asset.
The deficiencies at the current city hall building have been on the council’s radar since at least
2018, with seismic safety issues identified as far back as 2011. The building has been declared
seismically unsafe, a concern to both staff members and the public, and identified in the Santa
Clara County Grand Jury Report.
Isn't it time to long-time needs of the city instead of wasting money on wishful thinking? I
urge the council to reject this agenda item.
Fiscal responsibility advocate,
Jean Bedord