HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 05-19-2026 Item No. 1 Study Session Health and Safety Element Update_Written CommunicationsCC 05-19-2026
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Study Session: Health and
Safety Element Update
Written Communications
From:Lauren Sapudar
To:Tina Kapoor; Michael Woo; Kirsten Squarcia; Benjamin Fu; Luke Connolly; Piu Ghosh (she/her)
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:FW: Written Communications Study Session Item 1
Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2026 1:32:27 PM
Attachments:KM SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DRAFT ELEMENT.pdf
FYI
Lauren Sapudar
City Clerk
City Manager's Office
LaurenS@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-1312
From: Kitty Moore <KMoore@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 1:30 PM
To: Lauren Sapudar <LaurenS@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Written Communications Study Session Item 1
Dear City Clerk,
Please include the attached document for Written Communications, Item 1, Study
Session.
Thank you,
Kitty Moore
Kitty Moore
Mayor
City Council
KMoore@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-1389
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DRAFT ELEMENT
KM, 20260519
FIRE SAFETY & EVACUATION
1. Upgrade Dual Ingress/Egress from Discretionary to Mandatory
Current: Policy HS-3.4.1 lists "more than one point of ingress and egress" as a plan
requirement but does not specify dimensions or mandate enforcement.
Recommended: Adopt objective standards requiring that all new residential developments
of 5 or more units in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones provide a minimum of two
independent, paved access points each at least 20 feet wide. Make this a non-
discretionary condition of project approval, consistent with California Government Code
§65302(g)(5). Cities such as San Jose and Marin County have codified minimum widths in
their Safety Elements.
2. Mandate Zone 0 Non-Combustible Perimeters
Current: The element references defensible space and California Fire Safe Regulations but
does not explicitly require the 5-foot Zone 0 ember-resistant perimeter called for in 2021
CAL FIRE regulation updates.
Recommended: Add a strategy under Policy HS-3.4 or Policy 3.7 explicitly requiring a 5-foot
Zone 0 non-combustible perimeter for all new construction and significant remodels in
Moderate, High, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, consistent with current CAL
FIRE guidance. Reference PRC §4291 and the updated 2021 defensible space regulations
by name.
3. Adopt a Total Evacuation-to -Safety Framework with Dynamic TraYic Assignment
Current: Strategy HS-2.3.3 (Evacuation Route Assessment) calls for periodic review but
uses planning-level V/C ratio methodology with year-2000 capacity data that predates
current rezoning.
Recommended: Add a new strategy requiring the City to conduct a Dynamic Tra_ic
Assignment (DTA) evacuation study updated to reflect post-rezoning buildout conditions by
2028, and to repeat this study with each subsequent General Plan update. The study
should model time-to-safety (not merely bottleneck identification), scenario-based
simulations (Red Flag Warning conditions, school-day evacuation, signal failure),
departure behavior, and phased evacuation by zone. This matches the approach already
adopted by Marin County and recommended by the Fehr & Peers consultant guidance cited
in public testimony.
4. Street-Level Modeling for FHSZ Evacuation Zones
Current: The element does not distinguish between evacuation zones located inside and
outside Fire Hazard Severity Zones for the purposes of modeling depth.
Recommended: Add a strategy requiring street-level tra_ic modeling for any evacuation
zone that (a) lies within a Moderate, High, or Very High FHSZ and (b) has a V/C ratio
exceeding 1.0 under the current analysis. Zones CUP016, CUP017, CUP029, and CUP032
should be called out for immediate priority study. Results should be integrated into phased
evacuation planning and real-time tra_ic management protocols.
5. Identify and Map Single-Egress Parcels
Current: The element does not explicitly identify parcels with constrained single-egress
access as required by California Government Code §65302(g)(5).
Recommended: Add a strategy requiring the City to complete a GIS-based inventory of all
residential parcels in Fire Hazard Severity Zones with only a single point of vehicular egress,
publish this inventory publicly, and use it to prioritize capital investments in secondary
access routes or turn-around facilities. Sunnyvale's Safety Element includes a similar
parcel-level access constraint inventory.
6. Improve Evacuation Map Usability and Public Communication
Current: The City maintains 34 evacuation zone maps (CUP-E001 through CUP-E034)
available as PDFs but without neighborhood labels or contextual geographic references,
making them di_icult for residents to use.
Recommended: Add a strategy requiring the City to (a) label all evacuation zone maps with
neighborhood names, major street intersections, and school or park landmarks; (b) publish
an interactive online version allowing residents to enter their address and see their zone;
and (c) conduct annual community outreach to ensure residents know their zone.
Mountain View's Emergency Preparedness section sets a good precedent for interactive,
address-specific evacuation zone tools.
7. Require Wildfire-Updated Evacuation Modeling Before Ministerial Approvals in
FHSZs
Current: Policy HS-3.4 requires review of new development in Fire Hazard Severity Zones
but does not tie permit issuance to a finding that the a_ected evacuation zone retains
adequate time-to-safety capacity.
Recommended: Add language requiring that, for projects of 10 or more units in High or Very
High FHSZs, the applicant demonstrate through tra_ic analysis that the project will not
degrade the time-to-safety performance of the a_ected evacuation zone below an
established threshold (e.g., 90% of residents reaching safety within 60 minutes of a Red
Flag Warning). This mirrors objective standards used in Marin County's Community Wildfire
Protection Plan integration.
8. Seismic Retrofit of City Hall and EOC — Time-Bound Objective Goal
Current: The element notes that "there may be additional physical and seismic
improvements" needed at the EOC but sets no timeline or funding commitment.
Recommended: Add an objective strategy to complete a full seismic retrofit of City Hall
and the Torre Annex to Essential Facility standards (CBC Occupancy Category IV) within a
defined timeframe, with a funded capital improvement plan adopted by 2027. City records
from 1985, 2005, and 2014 document this need. An EOC that fails in the first hours of a
major earthquake eliminates the City's emergency coordination capacity. Oakland's Safety
Element contains explicit seismic retrofit timelines for critical public facilities.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
9. Require Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for Historically
Industrial/Commercial Parcels
Current: Policy HS-5 (Hazardous Waste and Materials) calls for coordination with state and
federal agencies but does not require site assessments as a condition of development
approval on potentially contaminated parcels.
Recommended: Add a strategy requiring that any development application on a parcel with
a documented history of industrial or commercial land use must include a Phase I ESA
prior to entitlement approval, and a Phase II ESA if Phase I identifies recognized
environmental conditions. This is standard practice in San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa
Clara's Safety Elements and is especially relevant given Cupertino's proximity to Silicon
Valley semiconductor and industrial sites along with historic dry cleaners.
10. Adopt Numeric PFAS/PCE Cleanup Thresholds Referenced to California EPA
CHHSL
Current: The element does not set numeric thresholds for contaminant cleanup in
connection with development approvals.
Recommended: Add a strategy stating that no certificate of occupancy shall be issued for
residential use on a previously contaminated site until soil and groundwater contaminant
levels have been remediated to or below California Human Health Screening Levels
(CHHSL) for residential land use, with specific reference to PFAS and chlorinated solvents
(PCE, TCE) given their documented presence in South Bay groundwater. Mountain View's
Safety Element (which addresses the Superfund site history in that city) provides useful
precedent for CHHSL-referenced occupancy standards.
11. Address Artificial Turf as a Hazardous Material and Heat Hazard
Current: The element does not mention artificial turf, despite Cupertino having
approximately 18 acres of it at its three high schools alone, and despite California's DTSC
designating PFAS-containing artificial turf as a Priority Product in 2025–2026.
Recommended: Add a new strategy under Goal HS-5 (Hazardous Materials) and cross-
reference under Policy HS-9.4 (Extreme Heat) that: (a) prohibits new City-funded
installation of artificial turf or poured-in-place rubberized surfaces on public property,
parks, and school grounds, consistent with DTSC Priority Product findings; (b) requires
existing turf to be inventoried for PFAS content and replaced with natural or certified PFAS-
free surfaces upon end-of-life; and (c) discourages residential artificial turf installation
through public education. Note surface temperature hazards (160–180°F) as a heat risk
consistent with Policy HS-9.4. Several Bay Area cities including Berkeley have adopted
similar restrictions.
12. Microplastics and Stormwater from Synthetic Surfaces
Current: The element addresses stormwater and permeable pavement (HS-9.3.2) but does
not address microplastic runo_ from synthetic surfaces.
Recommended: Add language under the stormwater or hazardous materials sections
noting that synthetic surfaces including artificial turf shed microplastics into stormwater,
the Bay, and ultimately drinking water sources, and that this is inconsistent with the City's
water quality and environmental health goals. Require microplastics impact analysis for
any new synthetic surface installation on public property.
13. Strengthen PFAS Policy in Groundwater Protection
Current: Goal HS-5 addresses hazardous materials generally but does not mention PFAS,
which is the most widespread emerging contaminant in Santa Clara County groundwater.
Recommended: Add an explicit strategy directing the City to partner with Santa Clara
Valley Water District and the Regional Water Quality Control Board to monitor, map, and
communicate PFAS contamination status across Cupertino's groundwater basin. Require
disclosure of PFAS contamination status in project environmental review documents
where applicable. This reflects the approach taken in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara's recently
updated Safety Elements.
NOISE
14. Add Nighttime Lmax Standards for Industrial Truck TraYic
Current: Policy HS-8.7 addresses trucking noise through coordination with the County and
restricting truck hours on Foothill and Stevens Creek Boulevards, but relies on CNEL (24-
hour average) standards that do not capture sleep disturbance from peak single-event
noise levels.
Recommended: Add a strategy establishing a Maximum Noise Level (Lmax) standard — not
to exceed 65 dB — for industrial trucks operating in or adjacent to residential zones
between 10 PM and 6 AM. CNEL averages mathematically obscure late-night Lmax peaks;
the WHO recommends single-event nighttime Lmax as a more health-relevant metric. San
Jose's Noise Element includes both CNEL and Lmax standards for sensitive receivers.
15. Formally Advocate for I-280/SR-85 Noise Barrier Eligibility Review
Current: Policy HS-8.4 mentions rubberized asphalt along SR-85 and I-280 but does not
call for systematic noise barrier evaluation or advocacy with Caltrans.
Recommended: Add a strategy directing the City to formally request that Caltrans evaluate
the I-280 and SR-85 corridors, including the Foothill Expressway interchange, for eligibility
under the Caltrans Retrofit Noise Barrier Program. Include a timeline for initiating this
request (within 12 months of element adoption). Where soundwalls are infeasible due to
ramp geometry, the strategy should require evaluation of alternatives including sound-
attenuating fences, acoustic panels on chain-link fencing, and noise-reducing vegetation
bu_ers. Neighboring cities including Los Altos and Sunnyvale have pursued similar formal
Caltrans requests for retrofit noise barrier studies.
16. Require Noise Mitigation Analysis for Interchange Improvement Projects
Current: The element does not specifically address the noise exposure gaps that occur at
freeway interchange zones where soundwall geometry is interrupted by ramp
configurations.
Recommended: Add a strategy recognizing freeway interchange zones as a distinct and
underaddressed category of residential noise exposure, and requiring that any future
Caltrans or VTA interchange improvement project within or adjacent to Cupertino include a
noise impact analysis and mitigation plan as a condition of City comment and cooperation.
This directly addresses the gap at the I-280/Foothill/SR-85 interchange identified by a
resident whose neighborhood experiences 70 dB levels — above both EPA (65 dB) and
WHO (40 dB) daytime thresholds.
17. Adopt VTA Rubberized Asphalt Advocacy as a Named Strategy
Current: Policy HS-8.4 calls for roads to be "designed and improved" to minimize
neighborhood noise, including rubberized asphalt, but does not name VTA as a specific
advocacy target.
Recommended: Add a strategy explicitly directing the City to formally advocate with VTA for
use of rubberized asphalt on I-280 within Cupertino's geographic limits. Rubberized asphalt
can reduce tra_ic noise by 4–6 dB — a meaningful, cost-e_ective reduction. Given VTA's
jurisdiction over portions of this roadway, formal City advocacy is the appropriate
mechanism.
18. Establish a Noise Monitoring Program with Public Reporting
Current: The element does not include any ongoing noise monitoring or community
reporting mechanism.
Recommended: Add a strategy directing the City to establish a periodic (biennial) ambient
noise monitoring program at five to ten representative noise-sensitive locations, including
sites along I-280, SR-85, and adjacent to major industrial operations. Results should be
published on the City's website and used to evaluate the e_ectiveness of noise mitigation
strategies. Oakland and San Jose both include noise monitoring programs in their Noise
Elements with public-facing dashboards.
EXTREME HEAT AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE
19. Designate and Expand OYicial Cooling Center Network with Performance
Standards
Current: Strategy HS-9.4.3 calls for developing a Heat Action Plan and identifying cooling
centers but sets no timeline, minimum number, geographic distribution requirement, or
operating hour standards.
Recommended: Add specific performance criteria: the Heat Action Plan (to be completed
within 18 months of element adoption) should identify a minimum number of publicly
accessible cooling centers distributed across the city such that no resident is more than
one mile from a designated site; specify extended hours (minimum 8 AM–8 PM) on days
when temperature exceeds 95°F; ensure ADA accessibility; and include a transportation
strategy for residents without vehicles. Partner with CUSD and FUHSD to make school
gyms available during heat emergencies. This mirrors standards in the City of San Jose's
Extreme Heat Action Plan and Sunnyvale's updated Climate Resilience chapter.
20. Set Measurable Green Roof and Living Wall Targets
Current: Policy 9.9 (Nature-Based Solutions) encourages green roofs and living walls but
sets no goals, timelines, or metrics.
Recommended: Add a strategy establishing a target — for example, green roof or living wall
features incorporated into at least 25% of qualifying new commercial and multi-family
developments of 20,000 sq ft or more — and a monitoring mechanism to track citywide
cool-surface coverage. Reference the cooling benefit quantification methods used in
Oakland's Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategy.
21. Install Cooling Infrastructure in High-Use Public Spaces
Current: Strategy HS-9.4.1 and HS-9.4.2 address shading at transit stops and parking lots
but do not address active cooling in crowded public gathering spaces.
Recommended: Add a strategy directing the City to install misting or evaporative cooling
features combined with shading structures in high-use public spaces such as town
centers, parks, and school-adjacent areas where residents congregate during hot weather.
Prioritize spaces with high youth and senior foot tra_ic. This aligns with heat mitigation
approaches used in Phoenix, Sacramento, and parts of San Jose.
22. Integrate Artificial Turf Prohibition into Climate Resilience Policies
Current: Policy HS-9.4 (Extreme Heat) promotes shading and vegetation but does not
address heat-intensifying synthetic surfaces as a counterproductive practice.
Recommended: Add cross-reference language within the Extreme Heat section noting that
synthetic impervious surfaces such as artificial turf contribute to the urban heat island
e_ect and are inconsistent with the City's extreme heat reduction goals. Direct that city
capital projects avoid these surfaces and that private development projects in areas
subject to urban heat island mitigation requirements use vegetated or high-albedo
alternatives. This directly aligns with the CAP's vulnerability assessment (Table 2)
identifying extreme heat as Cupertino's highest risk.
OVERARCHING STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS
23. Transition Key Safety Standards from Discretionary to Objective and Non-
Discretionary
Current: Much of the element uses language such as "encourage," "support," "consider,"
and "where feasible" — discretionary language that can be preempted or ignored.
Recommended: Conduct a systematic review of all fire, evacuation, and hazardous
materials policies to identify which should be converted to mandatory objective standards.
Priority candidates for mandatory language include: dual access requirements in FHSZs,
Phase I ESA requirements, PFAS cleanup thresholds, and Zone 0 perimeter requirements.
Objective standards in Safety Elements provide regulatory certainty and are more
defensible under state housing streamlining laws. This reflects best practices in Marin
County and City of Oakland Safety Elements.
24. Add a Climate-Integrated Cumulative Health Impacts Section
Current: The element addresses noise, hazardous materials, heat, and fire as separate
sections without explicitly assessing their cumulative health impact on sensitive
populations (seniors, children, low-income residents, residents with chronic illness).
Recommended: Add a brief section or strategy identifying locations in Cupertino where
multiple hazards overlap — for example, areas near I-280 that experience both high noise
levels and urban heat island e_ects — and direct the City to prioritize these areas for
cumulative mitigation investment. This approach is used in Oakland's Environmental
Justice chapter of its Safety Element and is consistent with California's SB 1000
environmental justice requirements.
25. Establish Annual Health and Safety Element Implementation Reporting
Current: The element does not include a monitoring or annual reporting requirement for its
strategies.
Recommended: Add a strategy requiring an annual Health and Safety Element
implementation report to the Planning Commission, tracking completion status of all time-
bound strategies, outcomes of monitoring programs (noise, hazardous materials, heat),
and evacuation planning progress. Make this report publicly available. San Jose and
Sunnyvale both include monitoring frameworks in their Safety Elements, providing a clear
model.
APPENDIX: BENCHMARK CITIES
The following Northern California city Safety/Health Elements were used as benchmarks
for the recommendations above:
City Notable Strength
Marin County Dynamic Tra_ic Assignment evacuation modeling; wildfire FHSZ objective
standards
City Notable Strength
San Jose Lmax nighttime noise standards; PFAS/ESA hazmat requirements; heat
action plan metrics
Sunnyvale CHHSL numeric cleanup thresholds; biennial noise monitoring; Phase I ESA
requirements
Mountain
View Interactive evacuation zone tools; contaminated site occupancy standards
Oakland Cumulative health impact mapping; seismic retrofit timelines; urban heat
island targets
Berkeley Artificial turf restrictions; nature-based cooling mandates
From:Liang Chao
To:City Clerk
Subject:Written Communication for the Health and Safety Element update
Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2026 3:43:27 PM
Here is a list of suggestions I have made to the City Staff through the City Manager.
They are summarized here as a written communication on this item for the reference by
the public.
Part A: Proposed revision for the Policy HS-3.4.1 and HS-3.9 in the draft
to add evacuation route study and mitigation when necessary:
HS-3.4.1 (Recised) : Review in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
For proposed development in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity
Zones identified by CAL FIRE, prior to issuance of the first permit, whether
ministerial or discretionary, plans shall include, at a minimum:
Site plan, planting plan, planting palette, and irrigation plan with designs to
reduce the risk of fire hazards and with consideration of site conditions,
including slope, structures, and adjacencies.
Development and maintenance of defensible space.
More than one point of ingress and egress to improve evacuation, emergency
response, and fire equipment access, and adequate water infrastructure for
water supply and fire flow that meets or exceeds the standards in the
California State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations, including Subchapter 2,
Articles 1–5, commencing with Section 1270, and Subchapter 3, Article 3,
commencing with Section 1299.01.
An evacuation-route assessment when the project would add residential
units, increase occupancy, or intensify land use in an area served by an
evacuation route segment classified as at capacity or over capacity under
the City’s adopted evacuation route capacity assessment. For purposes of
this review, an evacuation route segment shall be considered at capacity
when the V/C ratio is 1.0 or greater, over capacity when the V/C ratio is 1.5 or
greater, severely over capacity when the V/C ratio is 2.0 or greater, and a
critical bottleneck when the V/C ratio is 3.0 or greater.
Where a project would add evacuation demand to an at-capacity or over-
capacity route, plans shall identify feasible measures to avoid, reduce, or
offset added evacuation constraints, such as additional ingress and egress,
emergency access improvements, site design changes, evacuation
management plans, parking management, traffic-control measures, or
evacuation-route improvements.
Class A roofing assemblies for new and replacement roofs.
Location and source of anticipated water supply.
Policy HS-3.9 (Revised): Access for Fire and Emergency Vehicles and
Equipment
Require proposed development to provide adequate access for fire and
emergency vehicles and equipment that meets or exceeds the California State Fire
Safe Regulation standards, Santa Clara County Fire Department standards, and
City standards. These standards are found in two parts of the California Fire Safe
Regulations (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 1.5, Chapter 7):
Subchapter 2, Articles 1-5 (commencing with Section 1270, SRA Fire Safe
Regulations); and Subchapter 3, Article 3 (commencing with Section 1299.01, Fire
Hazard Reduction Around Buildings and Structures Regulations). Developments
must also comply with the applicable provisions of the California Fire Code
(California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 9) to ensure fire safety measures,
including emergency access, fire protection systems, and defensible space
requirements, align with statewide fire prevention standards and include adequate
unobstructed roadway width, vertical clearance, grade, turning radius,
turnarounds, load-bearing surface, fire lane parking controls, and emergency
access easements, as applicable, to allow fire engines and aerial apparatus to
safely access and maneuver, including right-turn and turnaround movements, as
approved by the Fire Code Official.
For development in Fire Hazard Severity Zones, hillside areas, evacuation-
constrained areas, or areas served by private or dead-end roads, require
confirmation that fire engines and aerial apparatus can safely access and
maneuver on-site and off-site, including right-turn and turnaround movements,
through compliance with adopted fire access standards or a turning-movement
analysis approved by the Fire Code Official.
Part B: Proposed policies on Evacuation routes
Policy HS-2.11A: Evacuation Route Capacity and Bottleneck Reduction
Maintain and periodically update an evacuation route capacity assessment that
evaluates evacuation routes, roadway capacity, safety, viability, evacuation
locations, and distance to evacuation gateways under a range of emergency
scenarios, including wildfire, earthquake, roadway closures, school-day
conditions, visitor activity, and power outage conditions.
For purposes of this policy, an evacuation route segment shall be considered at
capacity when its V/C ratio is 1.0 or greater, over capacity when its V/C ratio is 1.5
or greater, severely over capacity when its V/C ratio is 2.0 or greater, and a critical
bottleneck when its V/C ratio is 3.0 or greater under any adopted evacuation
scenario.
The City shall prioritize mitigation, operational strategies, and emergency planning
for route segments meeting these thresholds, especially routes serving
neighborhoods with limited evacuation alternatives, longer distances to
evacuation gateways, schools, vulnerable populations, or visitor-serving open-
space areas.
Policy HS-2.11B: Development Review in Evacuation-Constrained Areas
Require discretionary development in wildfire hazard areas or evacuation-
constrained areas to evaluate whether the project would increase evacuation
demand on any evacuation route segment classified as at capacity, over capacity,
severely over capacity, or a critical bottleneck under the City’s adopted
evacuation route capacity assessment.
Where a project would add evacuation demand to such a route segment, the City
shall require feasible measures to avoid, reduce, or offset added evacuation
constraints, such as improved emergency access, site design changes,
evacuation management plans, traffic-control measures, parking management,
transportation demand management, one-car-per-household evacuation
planning, shelter-in-place or nearby shelter strategies where appropriate, or
contributions to evacuation-route improvements.
Policy HS-2.11E: Evacuation Corridor Design Standards
When resurfacing, redesigning, or improving critical evacuation corridors, evaluate
design treatments that preserve or increase emergency evacuation capacity, such
as mountable or painted medians, emergency shoulder use, emergency vehicle
access features, traffic signal backup power, and designs that can support
temporary traffic control during evacuations.
Policy HS-2.11H: School and Visitor Evacuation Coordination
Coordinate with schools, parks, preserves, golf courses, and open-space
managers in the evacuation area to prepare site-specific evacuation plans, parent
reunification plans, bus or shuttle staging plans, and traffic-control protocols.
Part C: Proposed Policy to provide standards for city infrastructure
projects involving roadway changes
Policy HS-3.X: Emergency Access Standards for City Infrastructure
Projects Involving Roadway Changes
City infrastructure projects involving roadway changes, including lane
narrowing, road diets, protected bike lanes, raised bike-lane dividers,
medians, curb extensions, traffic calming, resurfacing, restriping, or other
changes to the public right-of-way, shall maintain adequate emergency
vehicle access, fire apparatus access, ambulance access, and emergency
vehicle maneuvering.
Such projects shall meet applicable California Fire Code, California Fire Safe
Regulations, Santa Clara County Fire Department standards, and City
standards for unobstructed roadway width, vertical clearance, grade, turning
radius, right-turn movements, turnaround access, load-bearing surface, fire-
lane parking controls, hydrant access, and emergency vehicle maneuvering.
No raised divider, curb extension, median, traffic-calming device, or
protected bike-lane barrier shall be installed where it would prevent the
design fire apparatus or ambulance from meeting required turning
movements, right-turn movements, turnaround movements, or minimum
clear access width, unless the City Council makes findings, based on
substantial evidence and after consultation with the Santa Clara County Fire
Department, that equivalent or improved emergency access and emergency
response performance will be maintained through other design or
operational measures.
Projects shall not reduce emergency access, fire apparatus access,
ambulance access, emergency response times, or evacuation route
capacity unless the City demonstrates, in consultation with the Santa Clara
County Fire Department, that equivalent or improved emergency access and
evacuation performance will be maintained through other design or
operational measures.
For designated evacuation routes, projects shall preserve the City’s ability to
implement temporary evacuation traffic controls, including managed
outbound flow, lane conversion, turn restrictions, emergency shoulder use,
or other evacuation operations.
Liang Chao
Vice Mayor
City Council
LChao@cupertino.gov
408-777-3192