CC 11-17-2020 Item No. 13 Linda Vista Trail Project_Written CommunicationsCC 11-17-20
#13
Linda Vista Trail
Project
Written Comments
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Gregory Tice <gregt@mac.com>
Sent:Friday, November 13, 2020 8:46 AM
To:City Council
Subject:Linda Vista extension of the Stevens Creek Trail
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Dear Cupertino City Council,
Thanks for supporting the Linda Vista extension of the Stevens Creek Trail.
It’s one of those small things that help make Cupertino a great place to live.
I also support the funding Regnart Creek Trail so I hope that the Council supports that as well.
I work for Apple and many of my colleagues bike to work, and the Regnart Creek Trail will make their commute safer.
Greg Tice
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Katriina Laihia <katriina.laihia@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, November 13, 2020 3:13 PM
To:Steven Scharf; Darcy Paul; Rod Sinks; Liang Chao; Jon Robert Willey
Cc:Seema Lindskog; Jennifer Shearin
Subject:SUPPORT Regnart Creek Trail – and other Cupertino trail projects
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Esteemed Cupertino City Council Member,
You have been elected to your position to serve all Cupertino residents. That is: ALL Cupertino residents. That means
serving also the residents not being able to or not willing to use a car to access the services or public places in their city:
minors, elderly, handicapped, people not able to afford car ownership, people advocating healthy lifestyle and the
environment, people wanting to reduce car traffic, etc.
I urge you to support the Regnart Creek Trail project and other trail projects on the agenda on Tuesday, Nov 17th, for all
Cupertino residents.
Many bike‐pedestrian trail projects have been on your table for a while now, and it is my sincere hope you keep on
working towards making them a reality. As I support any and all of these projects in our city, in this letter I’ll
concentrate on the Regnart Creek Trail, which would have the greatest impact for my neighborhood.
I’m a resident of the Fairgrove neighborhood since 2004, mother of two CHS students, and I was the Hyde Middle School
Safe Routes parent volunteer for three years. I know first hand how people complain about the traffic, demand
something be done to reduce it, but when they themselves have to do something about it nothing changes.
It is my firm belief that people will not start walking and biking in big numbers BEFORE walking and biking trails are
built. People did not start driving cars before the roads were built, either. Cities need to be built for the change we
want to happen. As the opponents of the Regnart Creek Trail said in their lawn signs: consider alternate routes. Please
do just that: consider building this trail, as it will offer an alternate route that is not intermingling with car traffic, not
putting pedestrians on collision course with cars backing off from driveways, not forcing bicyclists to cross busy streets in
unprotected places.
It has been said in many letters and meetings before: this trail would be used by school children, families, students
biking to the library to study, dog walkers, joggers. Now add to the list all the people living around the library area
wanting to access Main Street shopping and restaurants on foot or by bicycle. The truth is, the people possibly using the
trail do not need to sign a contract of use before the trail gets built – if you build it, they will come!
Just imagine if the bike‐pedestrian bridge crossing from E Estates Drive to Creekside Park was demolished. Many of the
Regnart Creek trail opponents would be crying foul, lamenting the loss of easy access to the park so close to them and
having to use what they call alternate routes. I imagine back in the day when this bridge was being built there were quite
a few people against it, yet it was built, and having it has proven beneficial to us all. Continuing this same trail all the way
to the library would provide the residents on the East end a convenient and walkable access to the library and the
surrounding park. Fair is fair.
Building the Regnart Creek Trail is a great long term investment: with very reasonable initial building cost our city
would gain a permanent public space that will increase the enjoyability of the area and improve accessibility to city’s
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public spaces for all. Maintaining the trail is cost wise comparable to maintaining any city street, probably requiring less
frequent re‐paving than streets. People in this city come and go, the trail would stay and keep on giving.
What has become costly in this project is giving in to all kinds of unreasonable and unfounded requests for building
private fences on tax dollars for the residents next to the projected trail. Why do I say unreasonable and unfounded?
Here’s why: in my neighborhood, dozens of houses have their back yards facing school yards, with only a chain link fence
(CHS and Sedgwick Elementary) or no fence (Hyde Middle School) limiting the access from school yards to private
properties. The property owners themselves have built their own back fences to their liking to ensure privacy. At Hyde,
some residents even have a gate access directly onto the Hyde track. Over the years, I have seen precious few
complaints from these property owners on Nextdoor about people peeping over fences, teens vandalizing or invading
their properties, noise complaints or anything the like. In fact, I cannot recall a single one, despite the fact that people
complain about every little thing on Nextdoor!
Same trend seems to be going on with all the numerous corner lots in Cupertino: sidewalks wrap around the lots on two
sides and the property owners have to build their privacy fences on their own dime – or they can choose not to build
one. If all the school children, dog walkers, joggers and evening strollers using the sidewalks were such a noisy nuisance,
the sheriff’s department should be absolutely flooded with complaints. But they are not.
Trails do not promote vandalism, they don’t worsen the homeless problem, they don’t turn our teens into hooligans or
our neighborhoods into gangland.They just improve accessibility, increase convenience, provide a way for us all to enjoy
our communities on foot or by bicycle. That is all. YES ON TRAILS!
Sincerely,
Katriina Laihia
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Earthlink <pamc1979@earthlink.net>
Sent:Friday, November 13, 2020 6:28 PM
To:City Council
Subject:Linda Vista extension
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I walk my dog frequently in Blackberry Farm and am in favor of the linda Vista extension of the Stevens Creek Trail. Trails
are such a nice addition to the community.
Regards,
Pamela Courtright
Sent from my iPhone
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Samuel Feldman <js.feldman@outlook.com>
Sent:Friday, November 13, 2020 10:11 PM
To:City Council
Subject:Please Approve Trails
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sender and know the content is safe.
Hi,
I’m writing to voice my support for the two trail funding items, Item 13 and Item 20, on the upcoming council
agenda. Let’s avoid rehashing these issues and issue the necessary approvals!
Thanks
Samuel Feldman
Monta Vista
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Dave Ghiselli <dhghiselli@yahoo.com>
Sent:Saturday, November 14, 2020 9:11 AM
To:City Council
Subject:Linda Vista Trail
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.
It has been brought to my attention that the council agenda for Tuesday, November 17th, includes an item to authorize the
construction contract for the Linda Vista Trail project. I encourage all council members to do so. I am a resident and
property owner in Cupertino for over 50 years and I frequently walk the streets and trails of the city. I also play golf at
Deep Cliff Golf Course and have (fortunately very infrequently) sent a ball in the direction of this adjacent trail. The
proposal for this trail is something that I am very positive about, fully support as a citizen, and look forward to utilizing
upon completion.
Thank you for your consideration,
Dave Ghiselli
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Anne Ng <anneng@aol.com>
Sent:Saturday, November 14, 2020 4:19 PM
To:City Council
Subject:linda vista trail
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sender and know the content is safe.
Honorable Councilmembers:
Thanks to the City of Cupertino for providing Stevens Creek Trail with its most beautiful stretch (my
opinion), between Stevens Creek Blvd. and McClellan Road, and for approving the plans to extend
the trail south to Linda Vista Park on land donated to the City. Now I urge you to simply leave Item 13
on the Consent Calendar, which will authorize a construction contract to extend the trail south to
Linda Vista Park--assuming it fits the budget. The extension will bring more trail pleasure to more
Cupertino residents, while bringing the dream of a Stevens Creek Trail that extends from the Bay to
the mountains closer to the goal.
Thank you!
Anne Ng
6031 Bollinger Road
Cupertino
Friends of Stevens Creek Trail board member