The Cupertino Courier
News
Developer considering town house project for North Vallco
By Hugh Biggar
A Cupertino developer has initiated the formal approval process to build 125 townhomes on N. Tantau Boulevard--a proposal that could spark another debate over growth in the city.
Pacific Resources Development Inc. met with the city's environmental review committee in December to discuss preliminary plans for the development of 9.3 acres at 10300-10400 N. Tantau Ave. There are vacant commercial buildings on the site.
The company said a residential complex seemed the best fit for the property.
"We looked at a lot of options, including a medical center, and decided residential could be an alternative," said Kevin Wu, company vice president.
Even so, Pacific Resources' plan could prove controversial given the ongoing battles over residential development in Cupertino. Voters in November rejected two city-approved residential projects at Vallco Fashion Park and on vacant land at Finch Avenue and Stevens Creek Boulevard.
"I would be generally concerned about the conversion of the land from commercial to residential," said Ned Britt, a member of Concerned Citizens of Cupertino, a local growth group. "That would hurt city revenue generated from sales taxes."
Rancho Rinconada resident Jennifer Griffith also expressed concern about losing industrial land.
"I think the North Tantau site is very important as tech park property for Cupertino," she said.
For the project to proceed, the city council would need to approve rezoning of the property from planned industrial to planned residential. It would also have to approve a use permit to build the homes and a small park on a site that borders Santa Clara.
If the project is ultimately approved, students from the residences would attend Cupertino Union School District schools and Cupertino High School.
Crowded schools as well as the potential impact on infrastructure and traffic flow from proposed residential projects have been topics of concern among some Cupertino residents.
Wu said other possibilities for the site, such as renovating the existing buildings or attracting a retail tenant, seemed problematic.
"There are a lot of problems with the existing buildings since they are 30-year-old Class C space and have an obsolete design," he said. "We also talked with major retailers, and they said they wouldn't want to be on a secondary road, preferring Stevens Creek, Homestead or Wolfe."
Britt said that road's secondary status could change when Apple builds its second campus across N. Tantau Avenue. The Apple campus is expected to house 3,000-3,500 employees.
The property is also just south of a toxic waste site on N. Tantau Avenue. Wu said Pacific Resources had hired a consultant to determine the safety of the property and had been told it was clean and in compliance.
"We don't know if this will work," said Wu, of the proposed development. "We'll also look at what's best for the community."
