The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

City gives CalTrain green light to redesign

By Justin Berton

The City Council began an effort to revamp the downtown area at its March 24 meeting by approving a contract to redesign the CalTrain station, possibly as a transit center.

According to the proposal, changes could include a light rail station in the area, a third track for CalTrain and a multistory parking garage to help alleviate the downtown parking crunch.

Developers will also plan more facilities for bicycles before they bring a finished proposal to the council in June.

"It's not just about transportation, it's about the linkage of land use around it," said Ken Kay, president of Ken Kay Associates, a developer that consults with the city.

Ken Kay Associates has worked with the city to redesign the north of Washington area.

The city is engaging in discussions with CalTrain and the Valley Transportation Authority to redevelop the station.

David Boesch, the city's director of community development, said the agencies will also work together to fund the project.

Boesch said $8 million is a conservative estimate of the project's cost.

"The idea would be to directly link commuters from soft rails [light rail and buses] to hard rails [trains]," Boesch said. "But whether that's possible is what the consultant is looking at."

The city lost its chance a few years ago to bring light rail to the downtown area after the VTA chose Mountain View as the extension site, where a multi-modal transit center like the one Sunnyvale envisions will be built.

VTA's decision to route to Mountain View was a controversial one that hasn't set well with city administrators, Boesch said.

Still, the city is hopeful VTA can be lured back.

"We don't want to design out the future of light rail coming to downtown," he said.

Kay said its too early to predict whether a light rail terminal can share a platform with a train, but added optimistically, "We certainly have the right forces working together."

The city also hopes the multi-modal transit station can be a drop-off point for shoppers from outside the area.

"This represents a significant future opportunity if we're able to offer riders yet another reason to come downtown," Boesch said.

The project is the first phase of the city's downtown specific plan, which aims to revitalize Sunnyvale's downtown shopping district.

He also said the length of the construction process--which is still to be determined--will have a negative effect on local businesses.

"Any construction project tends to have an adverse effect [on business]," he said, "but we would look to build in temporary improvements that will prevent too much of an effect."

CalTrain is facing an increase in riders at the station and is looking to lease more parking space from the city.

CalTrain is also considering the idea of adding a third track at the Sunnyvale station. A third track will allow other trains to pass or to stop for more passengers.

Currently, CalTrain passengers who drop their cars off at the station fill up the 200 parking spaces, and the agency is requesting at least another 200.

Boesch said a raised parking structure that will be at least three or four stories high could make room for 1,000 parking spaces.

Kay said Sunnyvale's past moniker "The City of Destiny" will be the inspiration for the aesthetic scheme for the station.

"We see the station as very important to the character of the city," he said.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 1, 1998.
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