Chao, Liang-Fang 3-12 3-20pm-UnredactedLiang-Fang Chao Sent via email Monday 3/12/2018 3:19 p.m.
As you estimate the trips generated for shopping, please also distinguish the trip
patterns between retail in mixed use projects with token retail space and the trip
patterns to a major shopping area with a critical mass of a variety of shopping,
restaurants, and entertainment experiences.
For example, people tend to spend more time for a trip to a shopping mall with
substantial components, you shop, dine, watch a movie, everyone in the family
purchase something or browse something by visiting multiple stores.
Yet, if these shops are scattered in token retail in mixed use, a family would have to
make multiple trips to individual stores in multiple locations. Thus, more trips will be
generated.
If the family goes to a shopping mall 10 miles away or 20 miles away, more miles
traveled.
When there is not a sufficient concentration of retail shops, families often have to make
multiple trips to find the proper apparel for their family members or gifts for friends
and relatives.
So, a larger shopping mall with substantial retail component to provide vibrant and
worthwhile experience saves multiple trips traveled. Much better for the environment
and reduce greenhouse gas emission. Especially in this area where there is literally no
transit as an option.
Commuter trips can be serviced by corporate buses or car pools due to the regularity of
such trips. However, family errands, trips to visit customers, trips for social and
entertainment purposes are usually more individualized and cannot be serviced by
commuter buses or car pools.
Therefore, for better environment, we need to place a substantial component with retail,
dining, entertainment, fitness and community gathering at Vallco Shopping District to
be at least 1.2 million square feet to serve the growing population of Cupertino,
Sunnyvale, west San Jose, and Santa Clara areas. The reduction in miles traveled for
such substantial components comes from not only the reduced distance, but also
combined trips since one trip can serve multiple purposes.
Please take this into consideration in your EIR analysis.
Liang Chao
Cupertino Resident