18. Villa Serra Apts.COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
CITY HALL
10300 TORRE AVENUE= • CUPERTINO, CA 95014-3255
C V P E RT 1 N O (408) 777-3308 • FAX (~L08) 777-3333
Summary
Agenda Item No. ~ Agenda Date: March 17 2009
SUMMARY:
Update of Construction Activities at the Villa Serra Apartments located at 20800
Homestead Road
BACKGROUND:
At the March 3, 2009 meeting, the City Council referenced receipt of emails from
residents of the Villa Serra Apartments expressing concerns about safety matters and
hazardous conditions from the construction activities occurring at the apartment
complex. As a result, the Council requested staff to provide a status report of the
construction activities at the project site, anti to address the concerns raised in the emails.
Since the Council meeting, the City received two additional emails from Villa Serra
residents also expressing concerns about: the driveway conditions and night time
lighting.
Staff also received a phone call on February 26, 2009 from a resident, of the Villa Serra
Apartments expressing his discontent about availability of parking, and that he felt the
apartment management and Prometheus were not responsive to this matter. The
resident stated that there were occasions when he could not find any available parking
on site.
The Villa Serra Apartments are currently undergoing renovation of the existing
apartment buildings, aimed construction of 7.16 new apartment units and a new .64 acre
park that the City Council approved as pert of an Architectural and Site Approval on
July 3, 2007.
DISCUSSION:
The emails (See Exlubit A) sent to the City Council and to the owners of the Villa Serra
Apartments (Prometheus) were sent by Villa Serra residents who feel the City and Villa
Serra Apartments have not been responsive to their concerns. Additioi~ally, the emails
list the particular matters that the residents are concerned about and including the
following:
is-~
Villa Serra Constnaction Activities
Page 2
1. Drivewav Road Conditions
^ Driveway conditions have deteriorated
^ Driveways are bu_izlpy, muddy, water
dark
^ Some portions of the driveway are
dangerous particularly around corners
March 17, 2009
clogged and dangerous to tread after
single-lane making driving conditions
2. Parkin
^ Parking areas are being blocked off with notices to prevent parking to allow for
construction activities
^ Parking is inconveniently unavailable as early as 7 a.m. before many residents
head to work
^ If construction does not begin until S a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., why are those
parking areas tuzavailable by 7 a.m. and till 6 p.m.?
3. Towing Threats
^ The warning notices of towing feel like threats to residents
^ During the rainy season, residents are forced to park 150-200 yards away from
their units and to walk through muddy driveways
^ Options they feel that the apartment complex has given are not adequate,
includuzg first-come, first serve basis and off-site parking at the City Center
without transportation means to and from the apartments.
4. Parking Lot Lighting
^ Lighting conditions at night are poor and hazardous
^ Residents have to walk Long distances as they cannot find parking places near
their apartments
Staff Site Visit
On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the Chief Building Official, Environmental Programs
Manager and PlaiZning staff conducted an on-site inspection to verify if there were any
hazardous conditions or safety matters as mentioned in the emails. The inspection was
conducted during a rainy period which helped staff assess conditions in uiclement
weather.
Staff identified only one condition that was considered an immediate safety matter,
which was not a planning or building issue, but afire department issue. The Chief
Building Official noticed that the fire access lane along the Homestead Road driveway
entrance was not accessible per the fire department standards. As a result, the Fire Chief
was notified and Villa Serra is in the process of correcting this situation.
Other than the fire access lane, no other immediate safety matters were visible. The
existing sidewalks providing access from the carports to the individual units were intact
and well maintained. Some of the driveways within the active construction areas around
the perimeter of the site were in disrepair, due to the trenching in the middle of the
is-z
Villa Serra Construction Activities AQarch 17, 2009
Page 3
roadway to uildergrotuzd utilities, construction and resident vehicle traffic and the rains;
however, these types of driveway conditions are anticipated at this time due to the
construction activities and are still coi~sidered accessiUle. The driveways will be
corrected as part of the remodeliulg of the site. No parking issues were apparent at this
time; however, the site visit was not conducted during the peak demand time for
parking u1 the complex.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, staff conducted a follow-up site visit, and found the
construction site to Ue generally iz good condition for a construction site, except for
some of the trash containers that appeared to Ue floating near the driveway aisles.
Additionally, the fire access lane was Ueizg corrected. Staff was unaUle to eonfinn other
conditions, such as the adequacy of night title lighting; however, Michael Ducote of
Prometheus explained that there have Ueen temporary lighting poles installed to provide
additional lighting i1 the driveway areas. He also explained that the removal of some of
the carports that had lighting might also Ue the reason for reduced night time lighting iz
the parkilg lots. Mr_ Ducote further indicated that driveway closure notices have Ueen
provided on site in advance where roadways on site are not accessiUle, Uut alternate
access routes are made availaUle for residents.
The followilg photographs were taken to illustrate the construction activity.
Driveway laize painting
e
Trash containers i~z driveway
1:' ~ '`
18-3
Driveway conditions
Fire access lane corrections
Villa Serra Construction Activities
Page 4
March 17, 2009
Response from Owners of Villa Serra (Prometheus)
lit response to the emails the Council received front the two residents, Michael Ducote of
Prometheus suUnlitted an email and plan (See Exhihit B) descriUing the current parkiuzg
situation during the phased construction of the project, the necessity for towuzg vehicles
on site, and Prometheus' efforts to clean up the driveways to improve the condition of
the roadways.
Since receiviulg complaints on parking, Prometheus has temporarily added 20 additional
parking spaces on the north side of the project site. Additionally, they will add
approximately 50 permanent new parking spaces as soon as weather permits to
reconfigure the construction area.
CONCLUSION:
Most of the coinplaizts center on issues of iuzconvenience or a degradation of the quality
of the grounds at the Villa Serra Apartments during construction. Issues of safety or
code violations have and will continue to Ue dealt with. Staff recommends the council
is-a
•---. t.-..--. n?.=-'---. - - - - -
- - _ ~ _ ~r<=' '_--
- ~^=_~~-
~_,.
_ -•---
Parking spaces along Homestead Road
Walk~lrays from carport to complex
Villa Serra Construction Activities March 17, 2009
Page 5
hear testimony from tenants and the ownership. Staff will continue to monitor the
construction activities throughout the construction of the project.
Prepared by: Aki Honda Snelling, AICP
Reviewed by:
~~z~z---
_ _ -~
~ar5 ao
City Planner
Approv~d b~~~
Steve'T'iasecki
Community Development Director
C~~~ ~J/~
David W. Knapp
City Manager
Attachments
Exhibit A: Emails sent by Villa Serra residents
Exhibit B. Email from Michael Ducote of Prometheus dated March 6, 2009
~s-5
Aki Honda
Exhibit A
From: David Knapp
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 4:42 PM
To: Steve Piasecki; Aki Honda
Subject: FW: [villa serra tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800
Hometead Rd, Cupertino
From: David Knapp
Sent: March 02, 2009 8:57 AM
To: Ralph Qualls
Subject: RE: [villa_serra_tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd,
Cupertino
No_ Just info. Our pal Jon.
From: Ralph Qualls
Sent: March 02, 2009 8:34 AM
To: David Knapp
Subject: RE: [villa_serra_tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd,
Cupertino
Dave--This is building official stuff--is there something you wanted me to do?---RalphO
-----Original Message-----
From: David Knapp
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 8:26 AM
To: Ralph Qualls
Subject: FW: [villa_serra_tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead
Rd, Cupertino
From: Orrin Mahoney [mailto:orrinmahoney@comcast.net]
Sent: March 02, 2009 8:05 AM
To: David Knapp
Subject: FW: [villa_serra_tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead
Rd, Cupertino
Dave,
Don't know if you got this?
We can discuss later.
Orrin
From: Srini Parimi [mailto: pa rimi_srini@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 7:2Z AM
To: villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
Cc: corozco@prometheusreg.com; dsandoval@cupertino.org; omahoney@cupertino.org; kwang@cupertino.org;
gwong@cupertino.org; msantoro@cupertino.org; rstandard@prometheusreg.com;
18-6
mducote@prometheusreg.com; emeadows@prometheusreg.com; villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [villa_serra tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd,
Cupertino
S azup,
Cupertino city members or building or planning departments are not interested in our problems.
We tried in the past with no success.
Villa Serra has strong lobby/friends in the city.
As far as we are concerned the city members/aut]iorities does not exist.
Srini
On Mar 1, 2009, at 9:21 PM, Sarup Paul <saruv.uaulCcr7,emaiLcom> wrote:
Hi Chantae (Resident Relations Coordinator),
I'm writing this mail to express my concern on the increasing harassment due to the
construction activities azound my apartment.
1. Road Conditions: Increasingly the road conditions have deteriorated being bumpy,
muddy, water clogging and some times too dangerous to tread after dark. Some of the
roads around the complex are forced to be single laved around corners, which makes
driving within the complex dangerous.
2. Parking: Till recently, there were block=ed areas, now even azeas that are open are being
tagged with notices mazk:ing them unavailable starting as early as 7:00 AM. Some of us
work late and usually head to office only by 9:00 AM or later. If construction is
scheduled to start at 8:00 AM through to 5 PM, what is the need to clear parking areas by
7:00 AM and up till 6 PM?
3. Towing threats: There are constant notices sent threatening towing away of vehicles.
During the rainy season, we are forced to park at least 150-200 yards away from our unit,
and walk back on muddy roads to our units. Today I received a notice marking 30
parking areas blocked due to trenching. The options that are provided are <15 first come
first serve areas (some of which are again blocked due to trenching) and off site parking 2
miles away (with no commute facilities). This is clearly not a balanced solution.
I have been a resident at Villa Serra for around 2 years, and it saddens me to see, such
shoddy state of the complex, due to the development activities. We are offered to leave
the complex at 30 days notice, however, ]: do not think that is the only solution. There are
residents who decide to stay here due to riumerous constrains. There needs to be a more
managed way of approaching this project, with limited impact to the residents.
I'm mazking my mail to city council members, senior managers of Prometheus and the
community group email. I urge the city council members to make a visit to the complex,
and assess the ongoing activities. Similazl_y, the senior managers should visit to asses~$ _ ~
z
and determine, if this complex (and the development management) is suitable to bear the
Prometheus tag. If you do care about residents, please make a visit during evening hours
after 8 PM to see the actual plight of the residents.
Request immediate attention to these concerns
thanks
sarup
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Aki Honda
From: Gary Chao
Sent: Tuesday, March 1 O, 2009 2:57 PIVI
To: Aki Honda
Subject: FW_ Conditions at Villa Serra 20>:t00 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
We should include this letter as well.
Gary Chao
City Planner
City of Cupertino
408.777.3247 {Direct)
408.777.3333 {Fax)
From: David Knapp
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 3:41 PM
To: Gary Chao
Subject: FW: Conditions at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
Pls ask someone to check this out and report back to CC.
From: Orrin Mahoney [mailto:orrinmahoney@comcast.net] ~____`
Sent: March 03, 2009 10:40 AM
To: David Knapp
Subject: FW: Conditions at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
Last one.
Orrin
From: Rajesh Goyal [mailto:rajeshkgoyal@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, March O1, 2009 10:49 PM
To: dsandoval@cupertino.org; omahoney@cupertino.org; kwang@cupertino.org; gwong@cupertino.org;
msa nto ro @cu perti no. org
Subject: Conditions at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
Kind Attn: Cupertino City Council,
This is to bring your kind attention to the unsafe road conditions at Villa Serra Apartment complex.
It is not only dangerous to walk, it is unsafe to drive even on the East side of the complex..
Roads are muddy, riddled with potholes, loose stones, bumpy and blocked by unsafe pillars and posts which are
not visible at times in night.
(Very unsafe for pregnet women: unsafe to ride, unsafe to walk as they can trip over a stone or edges
of uneven steel plates any time)
Lighting condition is very poor at night. Often residents have to walk long distances as they can't find parking
place near their apartments.
is-s
Request ininiediate attention to these concerns and would request visit by the council and housing safety
commission to see the plight of the residents.
A visit after 7.30 PM would give you all the story.
Regards
Rajesh Goyal
~a-~o
Aki Honda
From: Gary Chao
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 2:58 PM
To: Aki Honda
Subject: FW: [villa Serra tenants] Concerns Related to Construction Activities at Villa Serra 20800
Hometead Rd, Cupertino
This too
Gary Chao
City Planner
City of Cupertino
408.777.3247 (Direct)
408.777.3333 (Fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: David Knapp
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 8:38 AM
To: Steve Piasecki; Gary Chao; Greg Casteel
.Subject: FW: [villa Serra tenants] Concerns Rel-ated to Construction Activities at Villa Serra
20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
-----Original Message-----
From: M Tared Finder [mailto:jared@hpalace.com]
Sent: March 09, 2009 10:03 PM
To: villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Orrin Mahoney; David Knapp; mducote@prometheusreg.
Subject: Re: [villa Serra tenants] Concerns Related to
20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
Hello Orrin,
com
Construction Activities at Villa Serra
I want to add that Prometheus has placed a lot of blame on the City as
well! When I talked on the phone with Michael Ducote and Elizabeth
Meadows about the parking situation, they placed most of the blame on
the City of Cupertino, not on their choices. They said that they did
not need to open up more parking because they were above what the city
recommended in terms of parking. They said they could not open more
parking because the city required them to use the back wall for storing
construction vehicles. When talking with the residents, Prometheus has
off-loaded the blame to residents, to the city, to the weather, to
everyone and everything other than themselves.
I realize that, especially this far into the construction, it would be
bad for the city and for Prometheus to halt the construction. However,
when Villa Serra refuses to show us their construction plans (I had an
employee claim they were business secrets), claim that they could not
provide extra parking and then suddenly about face, claim that they
could not provide water during water shutoffs, and then suddenly
about-face it makes the tenants feel uncomfortable. And when those
tenants talk to the city, but the city does not respond, it makes them
feel overlooked. I agree with Srini -- if the City has done something
ie-ii
to help the residents here, can you share that with the group? It would
certainly make me feel better, as well as all the residents at Villa Serra.
-- M7F
Srini Parimi wrote:
> Hi Orrin,
> You are the first one from the City council to respond. Thanks for
> your response. So far no one really bothered to act on many complaints
> we had sent to the city.
> I understand the long term benefit to the city when new building are
> constructed which generates tax revenue.
> But at the same time, city and Villa Serra Management completely
> ignored the residents how it affected the lives of 300 families.
> Because City is quiet (for what ever reason), Villa Serra did not do
> enough to mitigate the issues we are facing. Even today there is no
> proper communication.
> I personally met building department and planning department officials
> to explain the same to them. Many residents sent emails to council
> members and city departments.
> As far as we (residents) see, nothing is being done by City to help
> the residents. If City has done something in this regard, can you
> share with me and the group? That will help all of us.
> Sorry for the strong emails I had sent, but If you live here you will
> know what residents are going through.
> Best Regards,
> Srini Parimi
> 408.203.4358
> *From:* Orrin Mahoney <orrinmahoney@comcast.net>
> *TO:* Srini Parimi <parimi_srini@yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* Dave Knapp <davek@cupertino.org>; mducote@prometheusreg_com
> *Sent:* Monday, March 9, 2009 4:55:46 PM
> *Subject:* RE. [villa Serra tenants] Concerns Related to Construction
> Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
> Srini,
> 7ust for the record, Villa Serra and/or Prometheus, has no "friends"
> in the City. we make our decisions on what we think is best for the
> City in the long run. Unfortunately, there may be short term impacts
> on residents or neighbors. In this case, it appears that those impacts
> are greater than expected. City staff is continuing to monitor the
> situation to see if there are areas where we can have a positive impact.
> Regards,
18 - 12
> Orrin Mahoney
> Mayor, City of Cupertino
> Home: 408-725-1767
> email: orrinmahoney@comcast.net
> **********************************
> *From:* Srini Parimi [mailto:parimi_srini@yah~oo.com]
> *Sent:* Monday, March 02, 2009 7:22 AM
> *To:* villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
> *Cc:* corozco@prometheusreg.com; dsandoval@cupertino.org;
> omahoney@cupertino.org; kwang@cupertino.org; gwong@cupertino.org;
> msantoro@cupertino.org; rstandard@prometheusreg.com;
> mducote@prometheusreg.com; emeadows@prometheusreg.com;
> villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
> *Subject:* Re: [villa Serra tenants] Concerns Related to Construction
> Activities at Villa Serra 20800 Hometead Rd, Cupertino
> Sarup,
> Cupertino city members or building or planning departments are not
> interested in our problems.
> we tried in the past with no success.
> Villa Serra has strong lobby/friends in the city.
> As far as we are concerned the city members/authorities does not exist_
> Srini
> On Mar 1, 2009, at 9:21 PM, Sarup Paul <sarup.paul@gmail.com
> <mailto:sarup.paul@gmail.com » wrote:
» Hi Chantae (Resident Relations Coordinator) ,
» I'm writing this mail to express my concern on the increasing
» harassment due to the construction activities around my apartment.
» 1. Road Conditions: Increasingly the road conditions have
» deteriorated being bumpy, muddy, water clogging and some times too
» dangerous to tread after dark. Some of the roads around the complex
» are forced to be single laved around corners, which makes driving
» within the complex dangerous.
» 2. Parking: Till recently, there were blocked areas, now even areas
» that are open are being tagged with notices marking them unavailable
» starting as early as 7:00 AM. Some of us work late and usually head
» to office only by 9:00 AM or later. If construction is scheduled to
» start at 8:00 AM through to 5 PM, what is the need to clear parking
18 - 13
3
» areas by 7:00 AM and up till 6 PM?
» 3. Towing threats: There are constant notices sent threatening towing
» away of vehicles_ During the rainy season, we are forced to park at
» least 150-200 yards away from our unit, and walk back on muddy roads
» to our units. Today I received a notice marking 30 parking areas
» blocked due to trenching. The options that are provided are <15 first
» come first serve areas (some of-which are again blocked due to
» trenching) and off site parking 2 miles away (with no commute
» facilities). This is clearly not a balanced solution.
» I have been a resident at Villa Serra for around 2 years, and it
» saddens me to see, such shoddy state of the complex, due to the
» development activities_ We are offered to leave the complex at 30
» days notice, however, I do not think that is the only solution_ There
» are residents who decide to stay here due to numerous constrains.
» There needs to be a more managed way of approaching this project,
» with limited impact to the residents.
» I'm marking my mail to city council members, senior managers of
» Prometheus and the community group email. I urge the city council
» members to make a visit to the complex, and assess the ongoing
» activities. Similarly, the senior managers should visit to assess,
» and determine, if this complex (and the development management) is
» suitable to bear the Prometheus tag. If you do care about residents,
» please make a visit during evening hours after 8 PM to see the actual
» plight of the residents.
» Request immediate attention to these concerns
» thanks
» sarup
> _ _,.
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>.~ Files
~a-~a
4
Aki Honda EXhibit B
From: Ducote, Mike [MDucote@promel:heusreg.com]
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 1:28 PM
To: Aki Honda
Subject: FW: Villa Serra
Attachments: Villa Serra parking stall site plan 3-6-09.pdf
Aki,
Attached is the email I sent to Greg Casteel addressing the concerns raised in the resident emails sent to the City
Council (Sarup Paul, Srini Pazimi 8c Michael Finder). I am also going to elaborate on the parking count and
have attached a site plan showing the parking for the project. Please review and let me know if you have any
questions.
Pursuant to the email below we have added on a temporary basis twenty pazking spaces until such time (3
weeks) we are able to construct the approximately fifty permanent parking spaces. We are confident that the
addition of the fifty pazking spaces will eliminate the current pazking concerns at the property. The City
Council approved a variance of 1.78 parking spaces per unit versus the standazd of 2.0 parking spaces per unit
when the project was approved. The 1.78 requirement assumes the new project is completed. As part of the
entitlement process the traffic consultant hired by the city conducted a number of parking studies while the
project was fully occupied (95%) in the evenings when most if not all residents were home. The conclusion
was that the project was parked at 1.21 vehicles per unit. During our planning for the project a number of
analyses were performed to determine the impact the construction would have on the parking. It was
determined to phase the project over three years to avoid major impacts to the residents including pazking. As a
result of the parking study and our experience at many projects in our portfolio we targeted 1.4 parking spaces
per unit as the count we wanted to maintain during the construction project. Right now the project is 85%
occupied as a~ result of the construction project and there are 1.34 parking spaces per unit or 382 parking
spaces. After the fifty pazking spaces are constructed there will 1.44 parking spaces per unit or 412 parking
spaces. It is important to note that by the end of summer 2009 the work (site utility and roadway
reconfiguration) will be completed allowing most of the parking to return which will get us closer to the 1.78
parking spaces per unit or 897 pazking spaces.
As part of the site utility work there are areas that we must have clear to perform necessary work which requires
a coordination to have residents remove vehicles during certain hours of the day. On numerous occasions there
have been vehicles which have not been removed delaying work from starting and as a result we have been
forced to implement a towing policy. We have also been towing vehicles that have been parking in fire lanes to
maintain emergency vehicle access at the project. The r<:asons for the notices are to avoid as much as possible
the towing of resident vehicles. They are not "threats" rather an attempt to keep residents out of fire lanes to
provide access and to avoid the need to tow their vehicles.
Below you will see that we have been attempting to clean up the roads by using hot asphalt rather than base
rock to fill the trenches. Now that we have good weather for a sustained period of time we will be able to
complete the hot asphalt installation which will greatly improve the condition of the roads.
We take the concerns of our residents at Villa Serra very seriously in regard to this project. There is an extreme
amount of time put in by myself, the site management team and the general contractor to insure that the
residents well being is taken into account. Every constriction related exercise is planned around the fact that
the project is occupied and its impact to the residents. V~'e will continue through the duration of the project to
operate in this manner to make sure that the residents aze impacted as little as possible.
Let me know if you have any further questions. ~ e ~ s
Michael Ducote ~ Senior Development Manager
I'1:t~ME:`I`HEUS
Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc.
1900 S. Norfolk Street Suite 150 ~ San Mateo CA 94403
Direct 650.931.3457 Fax 650.931.3657
mducoteCa?orometheusreg.com ~ httD://www.orometheusreg.com
From: Ducote, Mike
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:04 PM
To: 'Greg Casteel'
Subject: RE: Villa Serra
Greg,
Thanks for sending me an email detailing the concerns raised by the various departments. I apologize that the
City Council has to be involved with the issues our residents are bringing up. We have been and are committed
to working with our residents to resolve any concerns they have. We are also conunitted to working with
Building, Planning, Public Works and Fire to resolve any concerns they may have.
It was brought to our attention recently by some of our residents that they had concerns in regard to limited
parking on the site. Yesterday we were able to temporazily provide twenty spaces on the North side of the
project to address their parking concerns. As soon as weather permits we will be configuring approximately
fifty pazking spaces to permanently address the residents concerns regarding parking. At this time the twenty
temporazy spaces will be removed to accommodate the new construction in that azea. We anticipate having the
utility work and site work completed by the end of s»mmer 2009 which will include returning most of the
permanent parking for the site.
We aze proactively inspecting the site to determine what storm drains need new fabric or waddles to provide
adequate protection. Once we receive Cheri's notice we will make sure any additional items aze also taken care
of. My understanding is that the General Contractor has been working closely with Cheri to take care of any
concerns she has had in the past. They will continue to do so throughout the duration of the project.
A few weeks ago we made a decision to hot asphalt the catch basins, joint trench and wet utility trenches to
resolve the unstable conditions in the drive aisles. We were able to complete the hot asphalt for the catch basins
and joint trench. Last week we were scheduled to complete the hot asphalt of the wet utility trenches but the
weather prohibited us from doing so. As soon as the weather permits we will complete the hot asphalt in those
areas thus taking care of the access concerns of the Fire Department. In the meantime we are filling in the
sinking azeas with base rock to temporarily address their concerns. Tomorrow morning we are scheduled to
have base rock installed at the North entrance to provide access to the middle road. The weather has not
allowed us to finish the work on the new permanent roadway in that area. As soon as the weather permits we
have another four weeks of work in that azea to construct the new road. We have been and will maintain the
required twenty foot clearance on all access roads at the site. By the end of the week we will have ID plaques
installed on the new buildings pursuant to Wesley's request. Our policy for no smoking in the new construction
azeas has been in place and will continue to be in place. The General Contractor is going to revisit this topic
with all of their subcontractors.
We will take a look at the City Council meeting online to determine what exactly the concerns raised were so
we may address them. We are also planning on attending the next council meeting on March 17°i.
18 - 16
Thanks again for giving us a heads up so we may address the concerns raised. If you have any further concerns
please do not hesitate to give me a call.
Sincerely,
Michael Ducote
Prometheus Real Estate Group
From: Greg Casteel [mailto:GregC@cupertino.org]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:30 AM
To: Ducote, Mike
Subject: Villa Serra
Good morning Mike,
As you know the City received a complaint the other da~~ that didn't go to me but was to council, City Manager
and other managers. Myself, Aki and Cheri from public works made a site visit to see the conditions that were
described in the complaint.
The complaint received isn't a building department issue: except for the fact that we issue the permit for the
project.
Aki is dealing with the parking with you.
Cheri has been dealing with the mud and such that could. affect the storm drains. There were some drains that
were not properly protected since the fabric was not intact and provided no filtration benefit. I am sure Cheri
will be in touch with whoever her contact is at the site.
Wes left a message at the site about the fire accesses in the past and apparently not much was done with the
info so yesterday he left a notice that would be important to follow through with. I also met with Dirk on the
issue yesterday and received an e-mail from him today. "the notice is requiring the roadways to be improved
immediately or a stop work notice will be issued. Apparently Wes is going back out today to see what progress
is being made. The fire access issues are a condition for the project and this as you know isn't the first time it
has been brought up. On my visit yesterday it looked very bad.
The next item you should be aware of is your project came up at the council meeting last night probably due to
the complaint that was received. I haven't reviewed the meeting so I do not know firsthand how it came up and
what was said. Perhaps there was a resident that came and spoke, I am not sure. I am told council directed staff
to come back to the March 17`}' meeting with a report. I tissume it would be to your benefit to attend that
meeting.
Well, that's all I have at this point. Please be aware the council meeting part I have not personally verified as to
how and what came up or the direction given for a report. 'I1iis came from the City Planner, Gary Chao but I
will be involved and will be at the meeting. I didn't want to waste too much time investigating before I put a
bug in your ear.
Sorry this isn't better news!
Greg
~a-»
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l___ a ~s of 31~I~1.
e ;a
°'9
°~
illy
F1
G9 rz~: ,.., _ .ti
Number Denotes Number of Building
Lower left Hand Corner Letter Denotes Duwnstaii
Apartment Location
Upper Right Hand Corner letter Denotes Upstairs
Apartment Location
larger Letters Denote Special Building or Features;
R VILLA SERRA CLUB
S SWIMMING POOLS
T HYDR07EIERAPY POOL
U AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY FACILITIES
V TENNIS COURTS
W VOLLEYBALL COURT
X SHUFFLE BOARD COUk1S
Y MANAGER'S OFFICE
Lc 31r~/oy
-~t~
Grace Schmidt
From: Aki Honda
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 6:14 PM
To: Kimberly Smith; Grace Schmidt
Cc: Steve Piasecki; Gary Chao; Greg Casteel
Subject: FW: Villa Serra
Hi Kim and Grace,
Could you provide this email as a desk item for Tuesda~i's CC meeting on the Villa Serra item?
Thanks,
Aki
From: jnred@hpnlnce.com [fared@hpnlnce.com]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 4:00 PM
To: Aki Honda
Cc: snrup.paul@gmnil.com; parimi_srini@yahoo.com; jnred@hpalace.com; rajeshkgoynl@gmail_com;
villa_serrn_tenants@ynhoogroups.com; Gary Chno; Kimberly Smith; Grace Schmidt
Subject: Re: Villa Serrn
Aki Honda,
There are some major problems with these "additional' spots that prevent them from being n complete
solution.
Michael Ducote has failed to mention that n significantr amount of the parking spots available at any one
time are not available between the hours of 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. This makes these spots unavailable to
anyone who does not leave for work until after 7:00 am. This is not reasonable for people working
standard 9:00 - 5:00 jobs. And considering that n significant amount of the people in Cupertino are
software engineers which traditionally have much more: Inx hours, I think you will find that these spots
are generally not nvnilable for most residents.
Also, Michael Ducote has failed to mention that the "20 extra parking spots" today are the type of spots
that are not nvnilable between 7:00 nm and 5:00 pm, aid so are not useful to most residents.
The information Michael presented makes me very concerned about the City of Cupertino's overseeing
of this construction project. 1.2 parking spots per unit used sounds extremely unreasonable to me.
Santa Clara County has on average 2.0 cars per household
[http://www.mtc.ca.gov/library/nbcs_of_mtc/bnsics.pdf, page 2], which is well over the 1.2 parking
spots per unit used or the 1.4 parking spots per unit Mr. Ducote claims should be sufficient. I nm scared
that the parking situation is not being measured nt its worse.
Was the inspection done close to midnight? The parking situation is significantly worse around then, as
is the lighting. There are still significant Wrens in Villa Serra that are not properly lit at midnight.
I would like to have time to give n presentation on the tenant's view point during the upcoming City
Council meeting. Will there be time set aside for us to give our side of the story?
-- Michael Jared Finder
Apt 4F
> Dear Paul, Srini, Jared, and Rnjesh,
> Please find attached the Exhibit B portion of the March 17th City
> Council Status Report on the Villa Serra Construction Activities. This
> is an email from Michael Ducote of Prometheus, inclu~~ing a parking plan.
> Please feel free to call or email me if you hove any questions. I can
> be reached by phone nt (408) 777-3313 or by email of
> akis@Cupertino.org<mailto:akis@cupertino.org>. If you plan to contact
> me today, please contact me by email as I am out of 1-he office today
> (Friday).
> Thank you,
>
> Aki
> Aki Honda Snelling, AICP
> Senior Planner
> Community Development Department
> City of Cupertino
> 10300 Torre Avenue
> Cupertino, CA 95014
> (408) 777-3313
> From: Ducote, Mike [MDucote@prometheusreg.com]
> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 1:28 PM
> To: Aki Honda
> Subject: FW: Villa Serra
> Aki
> Attached is the email I sent to Greg Casteel address;ing the concerns
> raised in the resident emails sent to the City Council (Sarup Paul,
> Srini Pnrimi & Michael Finder). I nm also going to elaborate on the
> parking count and have attached a site plan showing the parking for the project.
> Please review and let me know if you have any questions.
> Pursuant to the email below we have added on a temporary basis twenty
> parking spaces until such time (3 weeks) we are able ~Yo construct the
> approximately fifty permanent parking spaces. We are confident that
> the addition of the fifty parking spaces will eliminate: the current
> parking concerns at the property. The City Council a~~proved a
> variance of 1.78 parking spaces per unit versus the si-andard of 2.0
> parking spaces per unit when the project was approved. The 1.78
> requirement assumes the new project is completed. ,AS part of the
> entitlement process the traffic consultant hired by 1-he city conducted
> a number of parking studies while the project was fully occupied (95%)
> in the evenings when most if not all residents were h,~me. The
> conclusion was that the project was parked at
> 1.21 vehicles per unit. During our planning for the project a number
> of analyses were performed to determine the impact the construction
> would have on the parking. It was determined to phase the project
> over three years to avoid major impacts to the residents including
> parking. As a result of the parking study and our exE~erience at many
> projects in our portfolio we targeted 1.4 parking spa~~es per unit ns
> the count we wanted to maintain during the construction project.
> Right now the project is 85% occupied as a result of the construction
> project and there are 1.34 parking spaces per unit or' 382 parking
> spaces. After the fifty parking spaces are construered there will
> 1.44 parking spaces per unit or 412 parking spaces. It is important
> to note that by the end of summer 2009 the work (site utility and
> roadway reconfiguration) will be completed allowing roost of the
> parking to return which will get us closer to the
> 1.78 parking spaces per unit or 897 parking spaces.
> As part of the site utility work there are areas that we must have
> clear to perform necessary work which requires a coordination to hove
> residents remove vehicles during certain hours of the day. On
> numerous occasions there have been vehicles which heave not been
> removed delaying work from starting and ns a result we have been forced to implement a towing policy.
> We have also been towing vehicles that have been parking in fire
> lanes to maintain emergency vehicle access at the project. The
> reasons for the notices are to avoid as much as posshble the towing of resident vehicles.
> They are not "threats" rather an attempt to keep residents out of fire
> lanes to provide access and to avoid the need to tow their vehicles.
> Below you will see that we have been attempting to clean up the roads
> by using hot asphalt rather than base rock to fill the trenches. Now
> that we hove good weather for a sustained period of time we will be
> able to complete the hot asphalt installation which will greatly
> improve the condition of the roads.
>
> We take the concerns of our residents at Villa Serra very seriously in
> regard to this project. There is an extreme amount of time put in by
> myself, the site management team and the general contractor to insure
> that the residents well being is taken into account. Every
> construction related exercise is planned around the fact that the
> project is occupied and its impact to the residents- \Ne will continue
> through the duration of the project to operate in this manner to make
> sure that the residents are impacted as little as possible.
> Let me know if you have any further questions.
>
> Michael Ducote ~ Senior Development Manager
> [cid:image001.jpg@O1C99E4F.73673B40]
> Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc.
> 1900 S. Norfolk Street Suite 150 ~ San Mateo CA 94403 Direct
> 650.931.34571 Fax 650.931.3657
> mducote@prometheusreg.com<mailto:mducoteC~promc:theusreg.com> ~
> http://www.prometheusreg.com<http://www.promethE~usreg.com/>
>
> From: Ducote, Mike
> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:04 PM
> To: 'Greg Cnsteel'
> Subject: RE: Villa Serra
4
> Greg,
> Thanks for sending me an email detailing the concerns raised by the
> various departments. I apologize that the City Council has to be
> involved with the issues our residents are bringing up. We have been
> and are committed to working with our residents to resolve any concerns they have.
> We are also committed to working with Building, Planning, Public
> Works and Fire to resolve any concerns they may have.
> It was brought to our attention recently by some of our residents that
> they had concerns in regard to limited parking on the site. Yesterday
> we were able to temporarily provide twenty spaces on the North side of
> the project to address their parking concerns. As soon as weather
> permits we will be configuring approximately fifty parking spaces to
> permanently address the residents concerns regarding parking. At this
> time the twenty temporary spaces will be removed to accommodate the
> new construction in that area. We anticipate having 1-he utility work
> and site work completed by the end of summer 2009 which will include
> returning most of the permanent parking for the site.
> We are proactively inspecting the site to determine what storm drains
> need new fabric or waddles to provide adequate prote~etion. Once we
> receive Cheri's notice we will make sure any additional items are also
> taken care of. My understanding is that the General Contractor has
> been working closely with Cheri to take core of any concerns she has had in the past.
> They will continue to do so throughout the duration of the project.
> A few weeks ago we made a decision to hot asphalt tF-~e catch basins,
> joint trench and wet utility trenches to resolve the unstable
> conditions in the drive aisles- We were able to complyate the hot
> asphalt for the catch basins and joint trench. Last week we were
> scheduled to complete the hot asphalt of the wet utility trenches but
> the weather prohibited us from doing so. As soon as the weather
> permits we will complete the hot asphalt in those nreczs thus taking
> care of the access concerns of the Fire Department. In the meantime
> we are filling in the sinking areas with base rock to temporarily
> address their concerns. Tomorrow morning we are scheduled to have
> base rock installed nt the North entrance to provide access to the
> middle road. The weather has not allowed us to finisih the work on the
> new permanent roadway in that area. As soon as the weather permits we
> have another four weeks of work in that area to construct the new
> road. We hnve been and will maintain the required tuienty foot
> clearance on all access roods nt the site. By the end of the week we
> will hnve ID plaques instnlled on the new buildings pursuant to
> Wesley's request. Our policy for no smoking in the nE:w construction
> areas has been in place and will continue to be in plac~z. The General Contractor is going to revisit this
topic with all of their subcontractors.
> We will take n look nt the City Council meeting online to determine
> what exactly the concerns raised were so we may address them. We are
> also planning on attending the next council meeting or. March 17th.
> Thanks again for giving us a heads up so we may addrE:ss the concerns
> raised. If you have any further concerns please do not hesitate to
> give me a call.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Michael bucote
> Prometheus Real Estate Group
>
> From: Greg Casteel [mnilto:GregC@cupertino.org]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:30 AM
> To: Ducote, Mike
> Subject: Villa Serra
> Good morning Mike,
6
> As you know the City received a complaint the other ~~ay that didn't go
> to me but was to council, City Manager and other managers. Myself, Aki
> and Cheri from public works made a site visit to see the conditions
> that were described in the complaint.
> The complaint received isn't n building department issue except for
> the fact that we issue the permit for the project.
> Aki is dealing with the parking with you.
> Cheri has been dealing with the mud and such that could affect the
> storm drains. There were some drains that were not I~roperly protected
> since the fabric was not intact and provided no filtration benefit. I
> am sure Cheri will be in touch with whoever her contact is at the site.
> Wes left a message at the site about the fire acces.:es in the past
> and apparently not much was done with the info so yesterday he left a
> notice that would be important to follow through witFi. I also met with
> Dirk on the issue yesterday and received an a-mail from him today. The
> notice is requiring the roadways to be improved immediately or a stop
> work notice will be issued. Apparently Wes is going bcick out today to
> see what progress is being made. The fire access issues are a
> condition for the project and this as you know isn't tFie first time it has been brought up.
> On my visit yesterday it looked very bad.
> The next item you should be aware of is your project came up at the
> council meeting last night probably due to the complaint that was
> received. I haven't reviewed the meeting so I do not I<now firsthand
> how it came up and what was said. Perhaps there was a resident that
> came and spoke, I nm not sure. I am told council directed staff to
> come back to the March 17th meeting with a report.:[ assume it would
> be to your benefit to attend that meeting.
> Well, that's all I have at this point. Please be aware the council
> meeting part I have not personally verified as to how and what came up
> or the direction given for a report. This came from the City Planner,
> Gnry Chao but I will be involved and will be nt the me~zting. I didn't
> want to waste too much time investigating before I put a bug in your ear.
> Sorry this isn't better news!
> Greg
~ c~ 3~r~ toy
~~~
Grace Schmidt
From: Aki Honda
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 9:00 AM
To: Grace Schmidt; Kimberly Smith
Cc: Gary Chao
Subject: FW: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Hi Grace and Kim,
Could you forward this email to the City Council as a desk item for tomorrow night's meeting? This is also related to the
Villa Serra report.
I'll let Srini and Jared know that they will have an opportunity to speak during the meeting.
Thanks,
Aki
From: Srini Parimi [mailto:parimi_srini@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 6:43 PM
To: Aki Honda; sarup.paul@gmail.com; jared@hpalace.com; rajeshkgoyal@gmail.com;
villa_serra_tena nts@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Dolly Sandoval; Gilbert Wong; Kris Wang; Mark Santoro; Orrin Mahoney; David Knapp; Steve Piasecki; Greg Casteel;
Gary Chao; CityAttorney; mducote@prometheusreg.com; Cheri Donnelly; Grace Schmidt; Kimberly Smith
Subject: Re: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Hi Aki,
Thank you for the email.
As Jared mentioned can we get the chance to voice our concerns in the meeting? Is it open to public?
Also one more thing is, we had series of Water/utility outages before. Now parking issue. What next? That is the big
question? What can city do so that these issues or any other nc:w issues does not happen in future.
Can city enforce/review any new activity that will add new inconveniences to residents? Can city review and
approve/disapprove those before Villa Serra proceeds with those. Also can the residents get 2 weeks advance notification
of such changes. As far I know we get 24 to 48 hour notice in many cases if we get all. I would request this to make sure
Villa Serra does not do what ever they want to do with little or no information to residents.
Also is there any specific authority to deal with individual issue:> of residents. I heard there is project sentinel or something
like that. But we do not have any information around that. If you can share with the group that will be great help.
The pictures attached in the city report are "picture perfect" with no single leaf on the road. We rarely get to see this clean
roads even when there is no construction activity. This shows that Villa Serra is well prepared before the inspectors took
photos of the property.
Appreciate your help in improving the living conditions at Villa sierra.
Best Regards,
Srini Parimi
408.203.4358
From: Aki Honda <AkiH@cupertino.org>
To: "parimi_srini@yahoo.com" <parimi_srini@yahoo.com>; "sarup.paul@gmail.com" <sarup.paul@gmail.com>;
"fared@hpalace.com" <jared@hpalace.com>; "rajeshkgoyal@gimail.com" <rajeshkgoyal@gmail.com>;
"villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com" <villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: Dolly Sandoval <DollyS@cupertino.org>; Gilbert Wong <gvrong@cupertino.org>; Kris Wang
<Kwang@cupertino.org>; Mark Santoro <MarkS@cupertino.orq>; Orrin Mahoney <Omahoney@cupertino.org>; David
Knapp <Davidk@cupertino.org>; Steve Piasecki <SteveP@cupe~rtino.org>; Greg Casteel <GregC@cupertino.org>; Gary
Chao <GaryC@cupertino.org>; CityAttorney <CityAttorney@cul~ertino.org>; "mducote@prometheusreg.com"
<mducote@prometheusreg.com>; Cheri Donnelly <CheriD@culpertino.org>; Grace Schmidt <graces@cupertino.org>;
Kimberly Smith <KimS@cupertino.org>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 1:00:20 PM
Subject: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Dear Villa Serra Residents:
Based on the recent concerns raised by several Villa Serra Residents, the City Council directed staff to inspect the
construction area of the apartment complex. Building and Planning staff conducted a site visit on Wednesday, March 4,
2009 and the following issue was identified:
- Inaccessible fire access lane per Fire Department requirements (Prometheus has since worked with the Fire Department
and corrected this issue) -
While there were some temporary rough roadway conditions due to construction activities and the recent poor weather, no
other immediate health and safety issues were identified. Generally, the construction area and the roadways are in
acceptable and accessible condition that are common to a construction site.
Parking and lighting issues were not apparent at the time of our inspections. However, Michael Ducote of Prometheus
was made aware of these concerns, and has provided an additi~~nal 20 temporary parking spaces on site. Prometheus
has confirmed that approximately 50 permanent parking spaces on site will be made available in about 3 weeks. Mr.
Ducote also explained that it may appear that the lighting has besen reduced due to the removal of the carports that had
lighting provided for areas underneath the carports. However, b=_mporary lighting poles have been installed on site.
The City Council will receive staff's formal status update at its public hearing on Tuesday, March 17th (under the Staff
Reports section of the agenda). A copy of the report is attachecl for your reference. If you have any questions or need
additional information, please feel free to contact me at (408) 77'7-3313 or akisCc~cupertino.org.
Sincerely,
Aki
Aki Honda Snelling, AICP
Senior Planner
Community Development Department
City of Cupertino
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 777-3313
-~ c'c s !r~ ~o~
Grace Schmidt ~ t
From: Aki Honda
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 8:21 AM
To: Grace Schmidt; Kimberly Smith
Cc: Steve Piasecki; Gary Chao; Greg C:asteel
Subject: FW: Property Walk on March 12 X109
Attachments: March 12 at 1021 pm Total 75.doc; March 12 at 1221 am Total 68.doc; March 12 at 21 1 am
Tota 162. doc
Hi Grace and Kim,
Could you also add this to the City Council's desk items fir tomorrow night's meeting?
Thanks,
Aki
From: Ducote, Mike [mailto:MDucote@prometheusreg.c~~m]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 3:14 PM
To: Aki Honda
Subject: FW: Property Walk on March 12 2009
Aki,
We had our site staff perform night walks including 2AM in the morning which proved out that there is quite a
bit of unused parking. Thought you might want to have this information for our meeting Tuesday.
Michael Ducote I Senior Development Manager
~ 1'RO1vtE-rHEVs
Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc.
1900 S. Norfolk Street Suite 150 I San Mateo CA 94403
Direct 650.931.3457 Fax 650.931.3657
mducoteCa7orometheusrea.com ~ http://www.prometheusrea.com
From: Dasari, Usha
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 2:13 PM
To: Meadows, Elizabeth; Ducote, Mike
Cc: Orozco, Chantae; Fernandez, Victor; Dasari, Usha
Subject: FW: Property Walk on March 12 2009
HI Elizabeth and Mike
This is the information from Chantae's walk. I did total tv/o walks. One at 3.OOam and there were 60 parking
spaces available and at 6.30am there were 69 available. Only two of them were used from tam to Sam and
seems like few residents left early.
It was an interesting night with lot of available parking. Vi/e will do another one on Monday so we can have
few reports for our Tuesday's meeting.
Usha Dasari ~ Property Manager
1'12QME~T1-iE.US
Villa Serra ~ The Grove Apartments
10870 N. Stelling Road ~ Unit #27D
P- 408 257 1060 ~ F- 408 257 3137
udasariCc~Drometheusreg.com ~ htto://www.orometheusreg.com
"You can change your tomorrow, if you seek your dreamy today. "
From: Chantae' Orozco [mailto:chantaerenee@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 1:34 PM
To: Dasari, Usha; Fernandez, Victor
Cc: Orozco, Chantae
Subject: Property Walk on Mazch 12 2009
Good afternoon team!
Here aze the results of the Property walk done last night.
First walk: 10:21 pm = 75 total open spaces
Second walk: 12:21am= 68 total open spaces
Third walk: 2:1 1 am= 62 total open spaces
Please find detailed reports attached to this email.
Thanks!
Pro er Walk: 3/12/2009
Start Time: 10:20 m Eind Time: 10:41 m
Re ort Com leted B Chantae' Orozco
Phase 1 (buildings 1-19 Bc 32-39)
Carports:
98, 27, 50, 51, 55, 68, 122, 124, 141, 146,
149, 150, 153, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161,
162, 163, 164, 166, 167, 289, 293, 298,
300, 330, 331, 334,
Total: 3 O
Uncovered S aces: Phase 2: (buildings 20-31)
Carports:
177, 187, 189, 201, 204, 207, 218, 219,
231, 227, 252, 248, 253, 273, 278, 258, 266
Total: 17
L~ncovered S aces:
Amount: Where: Amount: Where:
1 Buildin 12 1 Buildin 20
6 Buildin 13 7 Buildin 27
1 Buildin 15 1 Buildin 28
1 Buildin 14
3 Buildin 39
7 Buildin 1
Total: 19 Total: 9
Pro er Walk: 3/12/2009
Start Time: 12:20am End Time: 12:43am
Re ort Com leted B Chantae' Orozco
Phase 1 (buildings 1-19 Bc 32-39)
Carports:
122, 124, 129, 130, 141, 146, 149, 150,
153, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163,
164, 167, 289, 293, 298, 330, 331, 334, 27,
50, 52, 55, 67, 68
Total : 30
Uncovered S aces: Phase 2: (buildings 20-31)
Carports:
187, 189, 177, 201, 204, 207, 218, 219,
232, 234, 227, 252, 253, 273, 274, 258,
256, 283
Total: 18
Uncovered 5 aces:
Amount: Where: Amount: Where:
1 Buildin 12 5 Buildin 27
5 Buildin 13
2 Buildin 14/15
1 Buildin 39
6 Buildin 1
Total: 15 Total: 5
Pro er Walk: 3/12/2009
Start Time: 2:1 lam End Time: 2:35am
Re ort Com leted B Chantae' Orozco
Phase 1 (buildings 1-19 Bc 32-39)
Carports:
27, 50, 51, 55, 68, 122, 124, 141, 146, 149,
150, 153, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162,
163, 164, 166, 167, 289, 293, 298, 300,
330, 331, 334,
Total: 29
Uncovered S aces: Phase 2: buildings 20-31)
Carports:
1"l7, 187, 189, 201, 204, 207, 218, 219,
2=~ 1, 227, 252, 248, 253, 273, 278, 258, 266
Total: 17
Uncovered S aces:
Amount: Where: Amount: Where:
1 Buildin 12 4 Buildin 27
4 Buildin 13
1 Buildin 14
1 Buildin 39
5 Buildin 1
Total: 12 Total: 4
-~
Grace Schmidt
~~
~/~~~09
~~~
From: Aki Honda
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 10:58 AM
To: Grace Schmidt; Kimberly Smith
Cc: Gary Chao
Subject: FW: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Hi Kim and Grace,
Here is another desk item for Council on the Villa Serra item.
Thanks,
Aki
From: cwalker [mailto ceciljwalker@gma~l.com]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 11:56 PM
To: Aki Honda
Cc: villa_serra_tenants@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Dear Aki,
Thanks for taking note of our concerns and taking time to visit the Villa Serra.
All the pictures looks to be of west side of the complex. Where there is little or no effect.
Looks like Villa serra management took the team through easy path and nobody visited the East side of the complex.
Major problems are from Bldg # 1 to Bldg 15. (clockwise startin~3 from Homestead to HWY 280).
Would request team visit the Villa Serra again and take a full round of the complex.
Not only there is problem of bad roads, parking, dust is a major issue too.
In the begining of the project the water was sprinkled to keep the dust at minimum, No body cares now. Dust is in the air
like a Sand storm when ever any vehicle passes.
Allergy is at the Maximum in Villa Serra now. I don't know if Cite is checking pollution levels and tenants inhabitable
conditions.
Hope with City's regular visits things will improve little by little.
Regards,
__
fyi
Best Regards,
Srini Parimi
408.203.4358
----- Forwarded Message ----
Prom: Alci Honda <AIciH@cupertino. org>
i
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com>; "jared@lhpalace. com" <jared~hpalace. com>; "rajeshkgoyal~ email.com" <rajeshkgoyal~
email.com>; "villa_serra_ tenantsC~fyahoogro ups.com" •cvilla_serra_ tenants~yahoogro u~s.com>
Cc: Dolly Sandoval <DollyS@cupertino. org>; Gilbert Wang <gwong~cupertino. org>; Kris Wang
<Kwang@cupertino. org>; Mark Santoro <MarkS~cupeitino. org>; Orrin Mahoney
<Omahoney~cupertino. org>; David Knapp <DavidkC~cupertino. org>; Steve Piasecki <SteveP@cupertino.
org>; Greg Casteel <GregCCaPcupertino. org>; Gary Chao <GaryC(~cupertino. org>; CityAttorney
<CityAttorneyC~ cupertino. org>; "mducotel~prometheus rea.com" <mducoteCaAprometheusr ea.com>;
Cheri Donnelly <CheriD(~cupertino. org>; Grace Schmidt <graces~cupertino. org>; Kimberly Smith
<KimSC~cupertino. org>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 1:00:20 PM
Subject: Cupertino City Council Meeting Re: Villa Serra Resident Concerns
Deaz Villa Serra Residents:
Based on the recent concerns raised by several Villa Serra Residents, the City Council directed staff to inspect
the construction area of the apartment complex. Building and Planning staff conducted a site visit on
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 and the following issue was identified:
- Inaccessible fire access lane per Fire Department requirements (Prometheushas since worked with the Fire
Department and corrected this issue) -
While there were some temporazy rough roadway conditio~is due to construction activities and the recent poor
weather, no other immediate health and safety issues were identified. Generally, the construction area and the
roadways are in acceptable and accessible condition that are common to a construction site.
Parking and lighting issues were not apparent at the time o:F our inspections. However, Michael Ducote of
Prometheus was made awaze of these concerns, and has provided an additional 20 temporary parking spaces on
site. Prometheus has confirmed that approximately 50 permanent parking spaces on site will be made available
in about 3 weeks. Mr. Ducote also explained that it may aI>peaz that the lighting has been reduced due to the
removal of the carports that had lighting provided for areas underneath the carports. However, temporary
lighting poles have been installed on site.
The City Council will receive staffs formal status update at its public hearing on Tuesday, March 17th (under
the Staff Reports section of the agenda). A copy of the report is attached for your reference. If you have any
questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me at (408) 777-3313 orakis~u~cupertino.
org.
Sincerely,
Aki
Aki Honda Snelling, AICP
Senior Planner
Community Development Department
City of Cupertino
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
~` ~ ~ g
C C 3 ~l 7 ~Oq
March 3. 2009
0 City Council referenced receipt of emails from Villa Serra residents
0 Emails expressed concerns about parking, safety matters and
hazardous conditions resulting from construction activities
O Council requested a status rep~~rt of construction activities
March 4_ 2009
0 Chief Building Official 8c Planning staff conducted site inspection 8c
identified one safety/hazard violation -inaccessible fire access lane
that has been corrected. No other safety/hazard violations were
identified.
0 During construction, Building &. Planning staff are limited in abilities
to control construction activities unless they are immediate
safety/hazard violations or code violations.
~rivewav Road Conditions
o Driveway conditions have deteriorated
o Driveways are bumpy, muddy, water clogged 8c dangerous to
tread in dark
o Some portions are single-lane & dangerous to drive around
corners
Parkins
o Parking areas are blocked off for construction activities
o Parking is inconveniently unav~~ilable as early as 7 a.m., before
many residents leave for work, and as late as 6 p.m. as
residents return from work
Towing Threats
o Residents feel threatened by warning notices
o Residents are forced to park ].50-200 yards away from units
walking in muddy conditions
o Option of parking first come, first serve 8c offsite at City
Center w/out transportation is not adequate
Parkins Lot Lighting
o Lighting conditions at night are= poor and hazardous
o Residents have to walk long distances in dark since parking
spots are not closely accessible to their units
2
382 spaces
~ ~ ~ ~ ~..
1.34 sp/unit ~~' '~»' ~'"` >u't~'` ~ ~~~ ~+ ~ ~~rtrb ~: * ~,'~
20 temp t' `? ~ ~ ~ k --~*- ~ `'~e~ 6~t "-~'a' ~xrm3 "~_ =t7:
spaces ~` f ~ "~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ yr ~ ~,n~
added ~~. ~~ti ~~~~ iTb'3.T'f"e ~' [
s0 new ~- _.~ - x - ~_ ~ _._ _ ~~- ~
permanent ~#~` 4-i~ = ~~ ~ _
spaces to be ~~- '` k ~ ~ [ lc~ t~``?< (1c
added ' y~-y'
~-:. ~ ~~{f(~ -
1f +.1?(~+ ~ w ~t-~~
O Most complaints center on issues of inconvenience or
degradation of quality of the grounds due to the
temporary construction activities
O Safety and code violation issues have 8~ will continue
to be dealt with
O Staff will continue to monitor the construction
activities to the end of construction
s