Main street cupertino (new downtown) hearing at planning comm. On 10/28/08

Sand Hill Property Co. will present it’s plans for developing the 17 acres they own on Stevens Creek Blvd.,bordered by Finch, Tantau and Vallco Pkwy. We hope many residents will come out to hear and weigh in on these plans. While several meetings were held with neighborhood groups and organized public meetings to hear what the people of Cupertino would like to see in their new downtown-like area, the plan they are presenting is not exactly what folks wanted to see.

Most residents in attendance at the meetings wanted a retail downtown-like area with stores, art galleries, coffee houses,restaurants, possibly a smaller market, and possibly an upscale senior
housing complex along, since Sand Hill insisted they needed housing to make the project viable. All this was also to include a town square of open space. Residents wanted the area to connect with the future Rose Bowl area, the existing Metropolitan Condo complex and Cupertino Square.

At the time, Sand Hill thought a small hotel would enhance the area and possibly a health club. The plan being presented instead includes 100,000 sq. ft. of office space, a 5 story garage and a 150 room
hotel, which does not leave much room for even a small downtown area with a street grid to walk and shop. Since offices like Apple and HP already completely surround the Sand Hill property we wonder why this project is asking for what amounts to an office allotment land-grab, and a hotel larger than the Cupertino Inn at De Anza and the 85 Freeway.

To get a space perspective, the Market Place Shopping Center at Stevens Creek at Portal, where Elephant Bar is, happens to be just half the size of the Sand Hill land. Be sure to show up at the Planning Commission
Meeting on Oct. 28th at 6:45 pm to add your voice to the conversation.

Sand Hill has already been approved for a new125 (approx.) hotel at the Oaks Shopping Center, and another upscale hotel has been proposed on De Anza a couple blocks north of Stevens Creek where a car wash and gas station are presently located.- editor



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Posted by donna on Oct 10th, 2008 and filed under Housing, Local News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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