CC 06-22-01 CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL
Regular Adjourned Meeting
Friday, June 22, 2001
ROLL CALL
At 8:05 a.m. Mayor James called the meeting to order in the Blackberry Farm Conference
Center, 21975 San Fernando Avenue, Cupertino.
City Council m¢cabers present: Mayor Sandra James, Vice-Mayor Richard Lowenthal, and
Council members Don Burnett and Michael Chang. Council members absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager David Knapp, Administrative Sen, ices Director Carol Atwood,
Community Development Director Steve Piasecki, Parks and Recreation Director Therese
Ambrosi Smith, Public Works Director Ralph Quails, Deputy Civil Engineer Michael Fuller,
Senior Planner Vela CH1, Senior Planner Colin Jung, Senior Planner Aarti Shrivastava, Deputy
City Attorney Eilcen Murray, and City Clerk Kimberly Smith.
Participants and audience: Redevelopment Agency attorney Nicole Murphy from Murphy and
McNay, Campbell Redevelopment Manager Kirk Heinrichs, Wayne Okubo from the
Marketplace Shopping Center, Robert Levy, citizen, and Housing consultant Melanie Shaffer
Freitas.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Robert Levy, 10802 Wilkinson, discussed vandalism that had been done to the property of
original members of the Monta Vista High School parking task force. He said the parking
problem should be solved by the School District. He also said the City should solve the traffic
problem around the school and fund busing through taxes.
STUDY SESSION
1. Review of Redevelopment options for Vallco Fashion Park.
Community Development Director Steve Piasecki said that this meeting was to provide
information to the Council on the Master Developer Site (MDS) process. He said that the
process entails doing a Request For Proposal (RFP) and the development community has
an opportunity to respond and show how they can meet the criteria. In this case, the
property owners have a chance to respond to the RFP to be the redevelopers for the
shopping center, but it is complicated because the City has a development agreement with
the owners at the same time. This doesn't mean the City can't specify a land-use mix that
may be more constraining than what the development agreement would like.
lune 21!, 2001 ~'~upertlno City Council & Page
Cupertino Redevelopment Agency
Campbell Redevelopment Manager Kirk Heinrichs discussed the Master Developer Site
(MDS) process as a redevelopment tool that allows the City to have more control than
usual over private property. He discussed two pwjeets in Campbell. The first step is to
identify an area as a MDS, which puts the public, the property owners and the tenants on
notice that the agency has a plan to see the property redeveloped. He said that there must
be community support as well as the political will to move forward with the process.
After reviewing the development proposals, a master developer would be designated and
negotiations initiated for a development agreement. The property owners must be allowed
to submit a proposal to be part of the review process, with or without development
experience. Heim'ichs described the Summerhill redevelopment project in Campbell,
which included industrial and warehouse buildings, and he also described the parking
structure project in Campbell. He said the agency designated the site as a MDS, put out
an RFP, and got an appraisal of the fair market value of the property. The cost of the
project came to about $10million. He said the development agreement established the
terms under which the pwperty would be developed including the timing of it.
Redevelopment Agency attomey Nicole Murphy said that the City has a pre-existing
development agreement with Jacobs Group until 2007 and that Jacobs has the absolute
right to build up to 500,000 square feet of commercial space. In the development
entitlement, Council pledged not to enact any ordinance which would prevent
development under that agreement without the Jacob Group's consent. She reiterated that
the current property owner(s) must be given the opportunity to submit a competing
proposal and the agency would have broad discretion to decide how and by whom the
pwject will be developed, including financial ability, qualifications and experience, past
track record and the kind of development pwposed. This proposal must be looked at in
good faith, along with other proposals.
There followed a discussion about ways to encourage the redevelopment of the Vallco
Shopping Center. Heindch talked about how the eminent domain process can be used as
leverage. The MDS is one way of getting the property owners to become committed.
Murphy said an exclusive negotiation agreement could be developed, which would be in
effect about 90-100 days. If the agreeaient doesn't work out, then the Council could set
out the goals and objectives in an RFP.
The Council agreed that they wanted the Vallco Shopping Center to have healthy retail,
no commercial, some housing and possibly a hotel, and asked staff to prepare a synopsis
of their comments to be given to the Jacobs Group.
The Council recessed at 9:46 p.m. Housing consultant Melanie ShatTer Freitas joined the
group, along with Senior Planner Vera Gil. Heindch, Levy and Okuba left.
The Council reconvened at 10:16 p.m.
2. General Plan
A. Major Themes
June 22, 2001 Cupertino City Council & Page 3
Cupertino Redevelopment Agency
Community Development Director Steve Piasecki reviewed the staff report. He said that
the major themes, in draft fo~iii, are outlined in the handout under the rifle, "Guiding
Principles." He said that principles are an elaboration of Cupertino's Community Vision
statement, which is also stated in the handout. He also handed out "Strategies for
Success" that highlighted a quality-of-life assessment process.
The first principle, neighborhoods, was discussed. Lowenthal suggested the need for a
balance between neighborhood and community, for example with the trails issue. People
who come to trail meetings say they want the trail, but those who actually live on the trail
don't.
Council concurred that community needs to be the number one priority and offered
suggestions for rewording the neighborhood principle and to make community the
number one principle to reflect this priority.
A powerpoint presentation was shown on the General Plan review process, which will
also be shown at the community meeting on July 17.
Council comments on the presentation included: slow down the pace to allow rime to
read ail slides; ask more questions about where additional housing will go and how will
traffic be impacted; discuss what kind of housing is desired and emphasize for sale
housing that is affordable; almost 50% of commerciai space is in the fo,u of bonuses that
are put in at the last minute and never presented to the public; Tandem land is zoned for
office and Burner thinks a better use for the land would be for housing; consider a zero-
base for commercial or a zero-base fi'om a goals standpoint in regards to growth in order
to justify change; Lowenthal thinks community and waikability is one reason for
allowing change; encourage combining and connecting developments - how do people
get from the mall to the Market Place Shopping Center, and traffic around schools.
Council continued to discuss the Guiding Principles section of the Community Vision
B. Housing Element
Piasecki reviewed maps showing the area for potential housing and Council discussed
density, height and affordability. He introduced Housing consultant Melanie Shaffer
Freitas. She showed a powerpoint presentation on the Housing Element and the needs end
goals for 2001-2006. She discussed the state requirements that the Association of Bay
Area Governments (ABAG) indicates for housing development.
Council comments on the presentation included traffic issues from high-density housing.
Council concurred to set the next City School Summit meeting for August 28 from $:00-8:00
p.m. at the Senior Center. Council concurred to meet as the Redevelopment Agency in a closed
session first and then an open session on July 11 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
June 22, 2001 Cupertino City Council& Page
Cupert/no Redevelopment Agency
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjoum~l at 12:07 p.m.
Kim~City Clerk -