Exhibit CC 10-6-15 Item #4 M-Group agreementKirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Hi there,
Rocky Lin <rockychlin@gmail.com>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 10:32 AM
City Council; board@cusdk8.org; school_board@fuhsd.org
City Clerk; info@thehillsatvallco.com
Thoughtful growth
CC 10/6/15 Item #4
I would like to express my thoughts on the un thoughtful growth that is being planned at the Vallco site. I am
against the rezoning of the current retail site due to various issues that have not been mitigated to handle the
changes that would result from rezoning.
1) The school in Cupertino are already overcrowded, adding 800 new residences would exacerbate the problem
significantly. My child has spent over 1/2 of her elementary education in a "mobile" classroom. These
classrooms are not meant to be utilized as· a pennanent solution for overcrowding. They do not provide the
right environment for providing world class education in Cupertino since they are not adequately insulated for
noise, the air conditioning/heating system is noisy, and in general are a poor substitute for building a new
school. A 1 OM contribution to the school is a meager amount for 800 new residences. In most new areas of
construction there is an additional assessed Melo-Roos that covers that cost of infrastructure needed for that
new home. A 1.5% levy imposed on the new rezoning/construction as a tax over 20 years would easily result in
over $12M per year which is $240M of additional taxes that can be utilized to build new schools.
2) There has been no thoughts on how the additional traffic to the Vallco site would impact the surrounding
neighborhood. There is no comprehensive plan to handle transportation for additional employees/ residents of
Vallco. The solution to utilize buses is a very short sighted solution that does not even come close to handling
the influx of new users. A light rail system would make significantly more sense, however I do not believe
Sand Hill Capital is willing to invest in that type of infrastructure.
Overall, I do like the idea of revitalizing Vall co, however revitalization requires more thought than interesting
plans for a roof and converting commercial to a more lucrative residential/office space. The current community
should not be burdened with the construction/rezoning plans.
-Rocky
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Victoria <victoria8288@yahoo.com >
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 10:15 AM
City Council; board@cusdk8.org; school_board@fuhsd.org
City Clerk
Re: Rezoning of Vallco
Please include my letter among the public records regarding the Valko development project.
cc 10/6/15 Item #4
I am NOT in support of rezoning Valko into a mixed use site. As a resident of the eastern part of Cupertino, we will be
impacted directly from the traffic, overpopulation in schools and parks. I am frankly disappointed and angry that the city
council (or majority of) seem to be only concerned with benefiting the developers instead of the city's residents. We
want a shopping area, not the massive amount of office space and apartment housing that Sand Hill is trying to hide in
its ad slicks.
We want the city council to be realistic and sensitive to the fact that we have no space for so many additional students
in our schools, which is by the way, the reason why we poured our life savings into buying a home in this city ... for its top
notch schools. We also don't want to sit in traffic on city streets for over 15-20 minutes. Our roads and freeway
entrances are not meant for this big of an influx of residents and workers! Please see that what is proposed and what
the council is trying to sneak into our city is not beneficial in the long run!
Victoria Lau
Cupertino Resident
Sent from my iPhone
Kirsten Squarcia
Subject: FW: Hills At Vallco
From: RD J [mailto:pv r959@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October OS, 2015 1:07 PM
To: Rod Sinks
Cc: Varsha Joshi
Subject: Hills At Vallco
Dear Mr. Sinks:
CC 10/6/15 Item #4
As a long time Cupertino resident (>20 yrs) living in the Vallco neighborhood, I have seen the change
at the Vallco mall going from bad to worse. The current project -Hills at Cupertino is an example of
the "worse". It is a very poorly conceived idea for a number of reasons.
1. We don't need the extra 800 multi family housing especially when it adds to the congestion in the
Miller -Stevens Creek corridor especially when the Apple Campus ramps up. Just a few months ago,
to cover the distance from Miller to Lawrence took 5 mins, now it takes 20 mins with traffic lights at
every 100 feet or so with the retail space in front of Tantau has yet to be constructed fully to add to
the congestion.
2. That particular developer has a poor history of development projects with similar projects either
unfinished or tied up in litigation -we would not want such a stigma in our city.
3. I am very surprised that the city council held meetings beyond midnight to pass these projects-
don't you want to have these forums attended by the residents to voice their opinions and discuss
them live?
4. Please don't show statistics that several people "overwhelmingly" support this project-for
relevance please take a poll of residents within a 5 block radius of the project and see what their
views are-they should have the heaviest of all votes.
5. The idea of having another elementary school near Collins is ludicrous-where will the children
play? In Portal park-which will get annexed by the school (thus depriving the neighborhood of a
park), not to speak of the congestion during school hours.
6. The idea of office space equivalent to the empire state bldg. in New York is absurd -this was
supposed to be a bedroom community, please keep it so.
I clearly see my quality of life rapidly eroding if this project comes to pass.
Finally, I urge you and your leadership team of Cupertino to act responsibly -please stop the project
NOW and not commission any environmental studies as we cannot afford those frivolous expenses-
the residents in the nearby community have and will act again to overturn any decision you may make
to support this project.
Sincerely,
Rajeev Joshi
email: pvrjoshi@yahoo.com
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Urs Mader <Urs.Mader@maximintegrated.com>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 9:34 AM
City Council; City Clerk
info@thehillsatvallco.com
CC 10/6/15 Item #4
Subject: Concern about amount of office space in the Valeo Hills development
Dear City Council,
I am very concerned about the Hills project rezoning Valko for more offices and residential. I initially liked "The Hills"
proposal with the recycled water green roof, but as I have taken a closer look and thought about the more deeply, it
feels like we are very likely in a development bubble for office space that I am doubtful will end well. Please consider
cutting the office space component completely as this is out of balance with long term development and mixed use
goals for our city, and threatens to make traffic an expensive long-term problem. Traffic is a city's responsibility to
coordinate and solve; the developer will not do this job for you. Please do your jobs.
The "Main Street" development is a perfect case example where the builder was able to change things as the project
progressed into an office space development with Cafeterias in the parking lot facing Steven's creek. The developer's
profits probably seem like they lie in the office space parts of the project since they are by far the largest, and the least
mentioned in the PR campaign. They will pull every trick in the book with the city to try to maintain and maximize these
gains on their investment. It is your job to hold the line here to make the project more reasonable.
We have all seen office space bubbles like what occurred in the late 80's. I think we are only now completing the traffic
projects (25 years later) to adjust both in downtown San Jose, and in Orange County where they still have a mess. It is
the cities and individuals in the surrounding communities that are left holding the bag after developers complete, sell
and walk away. If you want to leave a legacy you can look back on and point to a proud moment, this is where to hold
the line and show that you have the vision to place the people and community's interest first. I think it is no secret that
the council and city is being closely watched and is under community scrutiny today.
Urs
Urs Mader
Distinguished Member of Technical Staff IC Design
Office: +1 (408) 601-5878
Maxim Integrated I www.maximintegrated.com
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Liana Crabtree <lianacrabtree@yahoo.com>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 5:18 AM
City Council; board@cusdk8.org; school_board@fuhsd.org
City Clerk; info@thehillsatvallco.com
Keep Vallco %100 Retail Use
Dear City Council and School Board Members:
Include my letter among the public records regarding the Vallco development project.
CC 10/6/15 Item #4
I have included the School Boards in this letter because it is my understanding that CUSD and FUHSD are both on record as
supporting changes to the zoning at Vallco from 100% retail to mixed use, including the addition of substantial office space use and
housing use. ·
I support the designated use of the Vallco property as 100% retail. I do not support any changes to the zoning of the Vallco property
that would introduce office or manufacturing use of the real estate. I do not support any changes to the zoning of the Vallco property
that would introduce luxury housing or market rate housing use of the real estate.
I find arguments that Vall co cannot support 100% retail use as spurious and counter to my own experiences as a shopper. Vallco of
today, with its empty storefronts and outdated decor, is the result of deliberate and sustained neglect by its past and current owners.
This purposeful neglect has driven many savvy retailers and shoppers away from Vallco. My own family has started shopping at the
Great Mall of Milpitas. The Great Mall has a mix of moderate priced shops, entertainment options, and dining that my family enjoys. Am
I angry that I must drive 16 miles from my home and then queue up for parking to shop at the Great Mall when I could walk to Vallco, if
only Vallco offered for sale the things my family needs and wants to buy? Yes.
I see no benefit to the residents of Cupertino to rezone Vallco that would offset the devastating effects of traffic gridlock, over capacity
use of utilities, including water and sanitation services, and more overcrowding at our local schools. I see no credible plans that would
mitigate or avoid the problems that will come if mixed-use zoning is introduced at Vallco.
I urge you all to fully consider who benefits if the Vall co property is rezoned from 100% retail to mixed use, including commercial and
luxury or market rate housing. Your electorate has entrusted you to represent their interests and to act on their behalf. Wealthy
developers and their billionaire investors who do not reside in Cupertino neither need nor deserve your support, especially when the
changes they propose threaten the quality of life for so many who call Cupertino home.
Thank you for your consideration.
Liana Crabtree
Resident, Taxpayer, and Voter in Cupertino, California
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
To Whom it may Concern,
Tina Virshup <tvirshup@gmail.com>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 6:38 AM
City Council; board@cusdk8.org; school_board@fuhsd.org
City Clerk; info@thehillsatvallco.com
Proposed Vallco Development Project
CC 10/6/15 Item #4
Please include this letter among the public records regarding the Vallco development project.
I am shocked and dismayed that the Cupertino City Council would even consider the monstrosity that Sand Hill
Development is proposing for the Vallco Shopping Center site. This city does not need more office space. We
do need a viable retail center that is comprised solely ofretail developmeti.t. No more office space! No more
housing units! And no more partnerships with Sand Hill Development who have already shown that they do not
live up to their promises and do not care if they ruin a city but are only concerned about lining their pockets
with money and our pockets with broken promises.
I am asking the Cupertino City Council to grow a backbone and stand up for their city and its residents. Return
Vallco into a much needed retail-only shopping center and NOT into yet another mixed use office park.
Thankyou-
Anita Virshup
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
To whom it may concern,
Carrie Oleary <carrieoleary@gmail.com>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 12:07 PM
City Council
City Clerk; info@thehillsatvallco.com
City Council Meeting Questions re: No Rezoning of Valko
Ratio of Retail Space to Office Space -Santana Row, Main Street, The Hills at Vallco.pdf
I'm writing to express my antipathy for the plan to re-zone the Vallco Shopping Mall into a mixed use
space in any way. I'm hoping my email letter here will be entered into the record as a set of concerns
pertaining to your City Council Meeting tonight regarding the ongoing possibilities of rezoning the
Vallco space from it's current Retail Only status.
As a resident of the Ranch Rinconada neighborhood, my family will be immediately impacted by any
changes made to the zoning ofVallco.
For your records, I would like to see the following at the Vallco site:
-Instead of changing Vallco from the Retail-Only model it is currently zoned for, I would like the mall
developed as it is -Shops and more shops, with upgraded aesthetics and favorable leasing to attract
stores, and only stores.
In addition to my stated interest as a close resident to Vallco, I'd like answers to these questions
regarding the process going forward:
1. Are you aware that the proposed 2 million square foot of new, un-zoned for office space or the 800
new un-zoned for apartment homes are *out of sight* on the direct mail advertising of the Hills at
Vallco?
-Do you think these mailers are accurate and useful to the public, without disclosing the proposed re-
zoning and the amount of new office and housing added to our neighborhood, at the expense of retail
and at the expense of quality oflife for residents?
2. How will you address mine and other's concerns, when you have recently passed changes to your
process that allow new projects to be proposed and permitted 'at your discretion'?
-What were the needs you were addressing in adopting such a business-friendly approach to city
development?
-What cities have used this model before?
-What challenges do you see for policing yourselves with this amount of 'discretionary' power?
3. How will you off-set the huge disparity to Cupertino High School if you allow the 800 apartment
houses to be built?
-As I understand it, Lynbrook has 1000 students currently, while Cupertino High has 1800 -already
an inequitable number. If this unwanted Hills at Vallco is built, I've seen projections for Cupertino
High of up to 2800.
-Are you prepared to bus students to other campuses or enact other measures to bring numbers for
the high school densities inline across FUHSD?
4. What pa1t of the development and permitting process allowed for the adjustments, after the fact, to
the Main Street project so that approved Senior Housing, the Park, and the Exercise Club were
removed and replaced with Office Space?
-How can we avoid seeing changes like this in future developments?
5. Sandhill Developers have had significant difficulties working successfully to plan on the Sunnyvale
Downtown development and on Cupertino's Main Street. Why are you working with them after two
notable and major failures?
6. Major traffic, sewage, water use, air pollutino, and school overcrowding are the inevitable
challenges caused by the proposed Hills at Vallco. Why are you allowing Sandhill to continue stating
in advertising mailers that they'll work with all involved to mitigate these concerns when they have a
record that shows the opposite?
-Sandhill promised Senior Housing at Main Street but found themselves not skilled enough in the
end to complete their proposal, and were allowed to substitute much more lucrative office space.
-Sandhill promised to pay back their loan to Wells Fargo loan to build downtown Sunnyvale and
defaulted, and left the project unfinished.
7. Can you explain why the mix of office, residential and retail proposed in the Hills at Vallco ·will
benefit residents of Cupertino, as it is out ofline from other successful mixed use developments?
-Notably, the Valley Fair/Santana Row development has 65,000 sq. ft. of Office Space, 622 Housing
units, and 650,000 sq. ft. of Retail on 42 acres. (As you know, millions of dollars are spent to upgrade
and maintain this site annually.) That is a 10:1 Retail to Office Space ratio.
-The Hills at Vallco, in contrast, is proposed to have 65,000 sq. ft. of Office Space, 800 Housing units,
and 625,000 sq. ft. of Retail on 53 acres. (Has any money been spent to maintain and upgrade the
Vallco site in any of the previous owners history?) That is a 3:1 Retail to Office Space ratio.
I look forward to hearing your response to this letter and an answer to my questions.
Sincerely,
Carrie O'Leary
Ratio of RETAIL space to OFFICE space in 3 mixed-use developments
Santana Row is a shopping mall with a little bit of office space.
Main Street and "The Hills at Vallee", developed by Sand Hill Properties (SHP), are office parks with some retail shops on the side.
Retail Housing
Develop space units
-ment 1000 s.f.
Santana 650 622
Row
(+212 hotel
42 acres 1 rooms)
Main \ 130 120 I
Street
(+180 hotel I rooms)
800
(SHP)
19 acres
The I 625
Hills at
Vall co
(SHP
proposal
)
53 acres!
Office
Space Retail:
1000 s.f. Office
65 10: 1
260 I 1 : 2
2,000 I 1 : 3
I
I
Ratio of retail soace to office soace (aooroximate
r-•,,-or:J _,. ·1r-~I ·-.. l.
-@!!!!I
~ J 11_1 ~
_JJ l!8!!!!I
AfiI~ ....
Graphic
k
...
Santana Row specifications from the following sources:
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/12/05/from-domes-to-homes-santana-rows-western-addition.html
http://www.santanarow.com/concierge/about/
Main Street specifications: http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=1127
"The Hills at Vallco" specifications: http://www.biziournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/08/26/vallco-plans-revealed-30-acre-sky-park-over.html
CRSZaction.org and BetterCupertino.org Cupertino Residents for Sensible Zoning Action Committee, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC #1376003 2015/09/04
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Dear Council Members,
bcha la m@yahoo.com
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 12:28 PM
citycouncil@cuperitno.org; City Clerk
Regarding Re-zoning Vallco mall
This is Balaji Seshachalam , resident of 18820 Barnhart Ave, Cupertino.
I have seen lot of flyers from Sandhill Properties claiming they are all
good for the residents, we have already seen the traffic increasing due
to the Biltmore apartments many other new apartments.
We pay huge property taxes as resident of cupertino to enjoy a good
quality of life not for developers to benefit by building rental units where
the renters pay no property taxes but get good school system out of
our property tax dollars.
As a long time resident would humbly request that, the elected council do not
approve re-zoning for residential or office spaces, and to keep it as
pure retail space.
When Valleyfair can thrive Vallco can easily thrive by bring the right
mix of high end retail shops.
Yours Sincerely
Balaji Seshachalam
Kirsten Squarcia
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Dear Council Members:
mludwig417@earthlink.net Mail Account <mludwig417@earthlink.net>
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 2:23 PM
City Clerk; citycouncil@cuperitno.org; info@thehillsatvallco.com
Change plan for Hills
I have not given my input about the plans for The Hills until now since I was analyzing the plans. I live in the Fairgrove
Eichler Community just off of Bollinger and Miller. When I went to one of the very first symposiums asking for input, I
heard that there would be senior housing in the new development. Am I correct, is that still part of this plan?
I might still want to live in the area if I sold my house.
I am most concerned about the traffic which such a facility would cause. Already the Apple Complex has severely limited
access to Wolfe and Homestead and Tantau roads.
I have been a loyal customer of Penny's and Sears for 43 years. Where am I to shop now? As a senior citizen I sincerely
hope that the new facility will have moderate retail in addition to the top of the line such as I need.
I am not sure that we can trust the developers to stick to their plans which they have not done in the case of the new
buildings on Stevens Creek.
Until I see a clear plan for how the traffic flow will be determined on Wolfe I am not in favor of building more
apartments and office space.
Marcia Ludwig
6247 Shadygrove Drive
Cupertino, CA 95014