In response to Frank Denby's letter Sept. 10 regarding the Kim Street barrier—the city council was dead wrong in closing the street in the first place and the error should be rectified now.

About the technical legal points, I cannot knowledgeably comment. However, that a vocal local group of citizens with city connections would get together and force partial closure of a street for their own convenience appalled me at the time.

Where in the world was their concept of citizenship? Didn't they learn anything in high school civics? After all, there are scores of streets in Cupertino similarly trafficked in and out of neighborhoods. If they were all closed where would we be?

Shame on them and shame on the city council for pandering to a selfish, aggressive group.

—Bernard Kalveledge, Cupertino


City, college don't care about Cupertino trees

The Aug. 27 article about the construction projects taking place at DeAnza College funded with Measure E dollars fails to mention the dark side of these changes.

In a timespan of less than five years, De Anza College will have destroyed hundreds of redwood, spruce, fir, cedar, oak, eucalyptus and various evergreen trees to complete these projects. Most of these trees are decades or even centuries old and many easily 200 feet tall.

In July of this year, at least 50 trees were bulldozed to add a few more parking spaces to Lots A & B. The circumference of many of their trunks was such that you'd need a group of friends with linked hands to span their great girth.

In August another 30 or more evergreens that grew along Stelling Road and the perimeter road by Lot C were removed to "improve" the entry and exits. A dozen or more oaks and redwoods disappeared when construction of the Science Center began last year.

And there's more destruction to come. The new Student Center will replace Staff Lot A. Another 13 to 30 redwoods and spruce gone.

The Kircsch Center, will remove 20-40 more redwood and spruce trees. A multistory parking garage in Lot C will emerge and somehow the tennis courts will be relocated north of the archery range, and you guessed it, eucalyptus, oak, more redwood, more spruce, another 50 or more of them, will be gone.

The Cupertino Planning Commission states in its tree ordinance that among the ordinance's purposes is to "protect aesthetic and scenic beauty" and "counteract air pollutants by protecting the known capacity of trees to produce pure oxygen from carbon dioxide" and "maintain and enjoy private and public property to the fullest possible extent."

De Anza's removal of these trees flies in the face of the city of Cupertino's ordinances, yet the work continues. Speaking for the natives of Cupertino, can't the city leave us anything of what we once associated with our hometown? Are the oaks in the Oaks Shopping center next when those condos are built?

The Tree Ordinance needs to be drastically changed. One can't replace wild beauty with tidy landscaping and call it progress.

—Catherine Johnson, Cupertino resident for 40 years


Skateboard park needed; skaters have no place

Currently, many of the teens in this town are facing a dilemma—nowhere to skate.

We have tried the skate mobile, just to be disappointed. We skate around town, only to be kicked out. When we build our own ramps and boxes, neighbors complain.

The solution to this problem is to construct a permanent concrete skate facility. This would make local business happy because we won't be skating on their ledges and stairs, and it will make the local skate community happy as well.

One possible spot could be Creekside Park. It has lots of open grass, and large parking lots.

As for funding, local businesses often donate materials for projects that benefit the youth. Skate parks across the country have had some or all of their concrete materials given outright or at wholesale cost. Skaters and their families would be happy to donate money, and a wall could show all major donors.

A professional designer would create a safer park. Wormhoudt Inc. has been in the business since 1973, and you can really see the improvements they have made over the years.

My friends and I would definitely be happy to support the effort, and you have the full support of Boardmonger.com.

—Zack Kunst, Cupertino


The Oaks doesn't fit with city's future

A slew of Cupertino residents challenged the wisdom of the proposed project and re-zoning of the Oaks Shopping Center at the Aug. 25 and Sept. 8 planning commission meetings. High density housing, reduced parking, increased traffic, overcrowded schools and a negative appearance were some of the issues brought up.

There are two major plans to help guide future development in our community: the General Plan and the Heart of the City Specific Plan. The overall goal of the Heart of the City Plan is to "create a positive and memorable image" of Cupertino. The Oaks is the West Gateway intended to "bring the landscape of the adjacent foothills into the City," according to the Heart of the City Plan.

Under this proposal, a West Gateway visitor's first image of Cupertino would be the rear end of a block of high-elevation townhouses approximately three times as high as the sound wall, with all the attendant bicycles and barbecues displayed on the upper decks. How could this possibly be in concert with creating a "positive and memorable image of Cupertino?" Clearly, it cannot.

It has also been suggested that residential units at the Oaks will increase the vitality of the shopping center. To the contrary, what will beckon neighbors and passersby is a friendly ambiance among The Oaks, and sufficient parking and appealing retail. Multi-level, three-story townhouses wedged into a too small space with insufficient parking says, "Shoppers! Stay Clear!"

The loss of commercial/business land and the impact on the remaining Oaks businesses can never be made up by any economic contribution of the 51 townhouses proposed by the owner of the shopping center. The vitality of The Oaks would be fatally wounded under this plan.

I suggest that the shopping center owner redirect his efforts to recruitment of productive, creative retail businesses well suited to The Oaks environment and that he not raise rents in a lagging economy. I strongly urge Cupertino residents to continue to voice their views at the Planning Commission meeting, Oct. 13.

—Peg Goodrich, Cupertino