CC 10-17-2023 Item No. 8 Blackberry Farm Golf Course_Written CommunicationsCC 10-17-2023
Item #8
Blackberry Farm Golf
Course Feasibility Study
Written Communications
From:Sharon Blaine
To:City Council
Subject:Blackberry Golf Course
Date:Monday, October 16, 2023 7:55:10 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan, Council Members Cheo, Fruen, Moore,
I am writing to you regarding the retention of our local golf course.
Blackberry Golf Course is one of the few golf courses Countywide which providesa place for beginning golfers, family golf outings, seniors with limited physicalabilities, and golfers who want to work on improving their “short game”.
The west side of Cupertino already has acres and acres of natural parklands withmiles of trails within just 1 or 2 miles of the golf course. Here are just a few ofthem:
The Chestnut Parking Lot entrance to Stevens Creek County Park is located just1.3 miles from McClellan Park. This park has over a thousand acres of landproviding natural habitat. Plus over 9 miles of trails.
The Hammond-Snyder Loop Trail is a 2.2 mile trail in the Cupertino foothillsaccessed via either Stevens Creek Blvd. west of Foothill Blvd or via Cristo Rey Dr.Access points are between 1 & 2 miles from Blackberry Golf Course.
Less than 1 mile west of Foothill Blvd, off of Cristo Rey Dr., is one of theentrances to Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve. This parkcovers over 6 miles of land providing natural habitat plus over 29 miles of trails!
These are just a few of the areas located on the westside of Cupertino which provide
habitat to native animal species, birdlife, plants, while providing opportunities for
people to enjoy nature. There are several others including of course, McClellan
Ranch Park, which is adjacent to the Blackberry Golf Course.
In addition there are several city parks also on the westside which provide activitiesfor residents. To name just a few of these there is: Linda Vista Park; Varian Park;Monta Vista Park; Memorial Park; Somerset Square Park; Jollyman Park.
Meanwhile there are hundreds of new housing units now being built and hundredsmore planned for Cupertino. There will be many new residents who will enjoygolfing at Blackberry.
Right now the green fees at Blackberry are much lower than at other comparablecourses. Sunken Gardens (a slightly smaller course) costs $6 more. Pruneridge (aslightly larger course) costs $5 more. Raise the price at Blackberry a few dollars.This will help cover any increased costs.
I urge you to fix up the golf course, use well water for the landscaping, plant nativeplants in the areas not used for golf which will help sustain the wildlife in the area.
Please fix up and retain this recreational gem.
Sharon Blaine (55 year resident)
-- Sharon BlaineCupertino, CA
From:Craig Kessler
To:City Council
Subject:Item # 8 on 10/17/23 Agenda – Support of Staff Recommendation
Date:Sunday, October 15, 2023 11:21:32 PM
Attachments:Item 8 on October 17, 2023 Council Agenda – Support of Staff Recommendation.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Clerk of the Council:
Attached please find a letter from the California Alliance for Golf (CAG) regarding Item #8 on
Tuesday night’s agenda (October 17, 2023) of the Cupertino City Council.
Thank you in advance for placing the letter into the record and transmitting to the Mayor and
Council.
Respectfully Submitted on Behalf of the California Alliance for Golf,
CRAIG KESSLER l Director, Public Affairs
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GOLF ASSOCIATION
3740 Cahuenga Blvd., Studio City CA 91604
(818) 980-3630 ext. 320 / (310) 941-4803 (cell)
www.scga.org
Your Passion. Our Purpose.
California Alliance for Golf
3333 Concours Street
Building 2, Suite 2100
Ontario, CA 91764
October 17, 2023
City of Cupertfno
City Council / City Hall
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertfno CA 95014
Dear Mayor Wei and Members of the City Council:
Subject: Item # 8 on 10/17/23 Agenda – Support of Staff Recommendation
The California Alliance for Golf (CAG) is a consortfum of non-profit organizatfons that advocate, support, and
advance the game of golf in California.
CAG’s member organizatfons include Northern California Golf Associatfon, Southern California Golf Associatfon,
Northern California Sectfon of the PGA of America, Southern California Sectfon of the PGA of America, California
Golf Course Superintendents Associatfon, California Golf Course Owners Associatfon, and the Club Managers
Associatfon of America. Taken together they represent 380,000 golfers and the PGA golf professionals, golf course
superintendents, and general managers who labor to bring the game to all of California’s 3.3 million golfers.
The Alliance has closely tracked the progress of Cupertfno’s evaluatfon of optfons for the Blackberry Farms Golf
Course but wanted to remain silent untfl such tfme as the city performed its due diligence in corralling and then
packaging the informatfon necessary for Mayor and Council to issue a n informed judgment as to the best course
forward for the parcel – “best course” in terms of financial feasibility and much more so in terms of the wants and
needs of the residents of Cupertfno.
The Alliance breaks its silence to offer two (2) things: 1) Support of Staff’s analysis of the situatfon along with
Staff’s specific recommendatfons in support thereof, and 2) a pledge of assistance should Council concur in Staff’s
recommendatfon and proceed to improve and re-imagine the golf facility as a more environmentally sustainable
golf course and community engaging amenity.
CAG cannot tell Cupertfno and its residents what they want or need, but to the degree to which they determine to
want and/or need a golf facility, the Alliance can offer assistance in support of that decision, albeit we certainly do
concur in the Cupertfno community’s apparent strong support for keeping Blackberry Farms as a golf amenity.
Respectiully Submitted,
Jim Ferrin
Jim Ferrin, President
California Alliance for Golf (CAG)
cc: Ms. Pamela Wu, City Manager
From:Susan Michael
To:City Clerk
Subject:FW: Cupertino City Council / October 17, 2023 Meeting / Blackberry Farm Golf Course / SF Public Golf Alliance
Letter in Support of Blackberry Farm Golf Course
Date:Tuesday, October 10, 2023 9:26:20 AM
Attachments:Ltr.SFPGA.CupertinoCCil.BlackberryFarm.10.10.23.pdf
image001.png
image003.png
image005.png
image007.png
image009.png
image011.png
image013.png
image015.png
Susan Michael
Capital Improvement Programs Manager
Public Works
susanm@cupertino.org
(408)777-1328/(408)510-0622
From: Richard Harris <rharrisjr1@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 9:05 AM
To: City Council <CityCouncil@cupertino.org>; Cupertino City Manager's Office
<citymanager@cupertino.org>; Cupertino City Manager's Office <citymanager@cupertino.org>;
Susan Michael <susanm@cupertino.org>
Cc: Emmypga@aol.com; ferrin.james7@gmail.com; george@tftsv.org; donhalsey3021@gmail.com
Subject: Cupertino City Council / October 17, 2023 Meeting / Blackberry Farm Golf Course / SF
Public Golf Alliance Letter in Support of Blackberry Farm Golf Course
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Cupertino City Council and Officials –
Please find attached above the letter of San Francisco Public Golf Alliance in support of the
Blackberry Farm Golf Course. We understand that the golf course matter will be heard at Council’s
Oct. 17 meeting – though the Agenda for that meeting is not yet (as of Oct. 10) posted on the City’s
website. We ask that our letter be circulated to Councilmembers and included in Council’s Agenda
Packet for the Oct. 17 meeting (or at whatever meeting the matter is to be addressed by Council).
Please confirm receipt, and that our letter is distributed and included in the Agenda Packet.
Thank you and Best Regards,
Richard Harris, President
San Francisco Public Golf Alliance
826 Stanyan St.
San Francisco, CA. 94117
415-290-5718
1
826 Stanyan St., San Francisco, CA 94117 • 415-290-5718 • info@sfpublicgolf.org
October 10, 2023
Cupertino City Council
Mayor Hung Wei
City Hall, 10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014-3202
Re: City Council Meeting, Oct. 17, 2023 (agenda item not yet known)
Support for Continued Operation of Blackberry Farm Golf Course
Dear Mayor Wei and Councilmembers,
We are a charitable non-profit organization of public golfers, most of whose 7,000-plus men
and women members are San Francisco and Peninsula residents, with hundreds of members in
the Santa Clara Valley, including Cupertino. We support continued operation of Cupertino’s
Blackberry Farm Golf Course.
We have reviewed the Blackberry Farm Feasibility Study and the materials cited and linked
in that Study (https://engagecupertino.org/bbfgolfcourse), and wish to highlight the following facts
and testimony for Council’s consideration:
The Minutes of the September 8, 2022 Joint Commission Meeting, report that of the 22
public speakers at that meeting, 16 – 8 men and 8 women – spoke in favor of keeping the
golf course.
2
The Written Communications file from that same September 8 2022 Joint Commission
Meeting contains six public letters – individual letters from 3 women and 3 men – supporting
the golf course, citing reasons from fire safety for surrounding neighborhoods to youth and
senior recreation, to community service. There were only two letters against the golf
course.
We are struck by Edson Whitehurst’s September 7, 2022 letter in that Communications file,
with its heartfelt description of the community meeting place function of the golf course:
“Over the 25+ years I’ve been playing at BBFGC, it has become a second home. . . .
All the friends and relationships over the years. I have met people form all ages and
walks of life and all over the world. There is no other place (or golf course) like it. . .
Where many people over the years learned to play golf. Friends and families from all
over the bay area (and the world for that matter) have met and gathered. Children as
young as 6 learning to play with their parents, to retirees in their 80’s and 90’s.”
Reminding us that for all its other virtues – from open space to fire break to neighborhood
amenity to sport and recreation for every demographic and age group – a town’s public golf
course is a valuable and accessible community meeting place, gathering place, and common
ground.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Harris
President, San Francisco Public Golf Alliance
cc:
Pamela Wu, City Manager
Rachelle Sander, Recreation & Park Director
Susan Michael, Capital Improvements Program Manager
Emmy Moore Minister, Jim Ferrin, California Alliance for Golf
George Maxe, The First Tee of Silicon Valley
Don Halsey