City adopts new plan for downtown development
The ambitious undertaking calls for vast changes to the center
By Jana Seshadri
By approving in concept the most ambitious development plan yet in the history of Sunnyvale, the city has begun the downtown revitalization process, which could take the next 15 years to complete.
The objective, according to Robert Paternoster, Sunnyvale's director of community development, is to transform the present downtown area into a "traditional" downtown.
However, many residents don't see this plan as being traditional or appropriate for the suburban image of Sunnyvale.
"This has to be kept suburban," said Sunnyvale resident Ray Johnson at the public hearing on April 23. "Not urban, like the plan suggests."
After eight months of meetings, public forums and discussions, the Downtown Stakeholders Advisory Committee developed the urban design plan based on a vision of downtown Sunnyvale--an enhanced, traditional downtown serving the community with a variety of destinations in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
The committee, while focusing on the success of the 100 block of Murphy Avenue, outlined changes in the plan that would restore the Manhattan-type street grid, which existed before the Town Center Mall was built in the early 1970s. They hope the addition of a 16-screen movie theater in the mall will strengthen its draw as an entertainment as well as retail destination. The established department stores in the area and the area's proximity to public transit and the Caltrain station may enhance the attraction to visitors.
"Our committee members walked into the meetings with different ideas, plans and concerns," said Joe Antuzzi, chairman of the 21-member committee and the owner of Il Postale restaurant in downtown Sunnyvale, soon after the urban design plan was finalized at the Feb. 12 workshop. "And we walked out with a consensus. Now, it's up to the city to step up to the plate."
And the council followed through by voting 6 to 1 to adopt the plan at the April 23 city council meeting. Vice Mayor Julia Miller cast the dissenting vote.
"This is too much too soon," Miller said.
Council members turned down Miller's suggestion of containing the development at Iowa Street and not stretching it up to El Camino Real.
Grace Witt, who works for Advanced Micro Devices, said at the hearing that her grandparents were forced out of their home on Iowa Street several decades ago to make way for the city's development. Witt said she endorses the new plan, however, and would like to see the old street grid that Sunnyvale used to have in the downtown area.
Extending Murphy Avenue one block south to McKinley, into the area that is currently a parking lot for the mall, has been welcomed by businesses on the street. Thriving with specialty stores and restaurants, the 100 block of Murphy Avenue is currently the main entertainment hub of downtown.
Pauline Hill owns the store Bear With Me, which moved from its location in Town & Country to its current spot on Murphy early this year. Sharing store space with Hill is Donna Dewey, who specializes in chocolate and candy treats, calling them Donna Did It.
"It would be great if Murphy could be extended," Dewey said.
Dewey said Sunnyvale needs a downtown that residents and visitors can visit and enjoy. Right now, when people are in the downtown area, they're usually there for Town Center or Murphy Avenue, she said.
"People don't really say 'I'm going to downtown Sunnyvale,' " Dewey added.
Hence, she said it's time the downtown area grew and developed into a place that attracts people to the whole area.
However, business owners in Town & Country feel threatened by the new plan, which calls for converting the center into a multi-family, high-density residential area with retail units on the first floor. A 1.7-acre downtown plaza for gatherings and concerts will be built next to the Mozart Development Office building complex, which is already under construction along Mathilda Avenue.
Chris Kendall, who owns Yum Yum Tree, a clothing store in the center, said she heard rumors that the whole center will be torn down within a year to pave the way for construction to begin. Kendall said such rumors do not help small businesses, but rather hurt their business.
"We just want to be a part of the new urban plan process," Kendall said at the public hearing. "We don't want to be pushed out."
Dr. Gary Gold, who runs a private clinic in the center, also attested to the rumors about the center being demolished within a year. He said all the businesses in the downtown area should be included in the plan and informed about it.
"We are all part of downtown," Gold said.
Gold added that he would like the city to lay out a detailed timetable of the plan and inform businesses in the area about upcoming construction times and schedules, so they can make appropriate interim arrangements.
"They're discouraging visitors from staying in Town & Country too long," said Nell Gartner, owner of Kiss It Good-Buy, on Murphy Avenue. "They're ticketing the vehicles there now, which they didn't do before."
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission unanimously approved the conceptual plan on March 25. However, according to Yolanda Brown, chair of the planning commission, the plan should be made more widely available to the residents of Sunnyvale.
"Massive outreach is critical to this process," Brown said.
The city's outreach effort will target all property owners and businesses within 300 feet of the location, but that's not sufficient, Brown said. She said the new downtown plan will affect the whole city and every single Sunnyvale resident will feel the impact of all the changes going on in the downtown area. She added that a good way to make residents more aware of what's going on in downtown would be to create a three-dimensional model of the plan.
The general consensus of the advisory committee concerning the Town Center was that it is a white elephant in the heart of downtown. The new plan will open up the mall with more specialty stores, office space and restaurants, and introduce a pedestrian walkway through it, which would connect the Murphy and McKinley extensions. The plan calls for over 1.1 million square feet of office space and over 1.3 million square feet of retail space in the whole area.
At the public hearing, consultants Barry Elbasani from ELS Architecture and Urban Design of Berkeley and Jerry Keyser from Keyser Marston of San Francisco referred to the Town Center mall as a huge liability that is crying out for help. Greenwood Partners--potentially the new owners of the mall--hope to convert the present mall into a multi-family and retail unit.
Nancy Tivol, director of the Sunnyvale Community Services, stressed the need for more affordable housing in Sunnyvale and said she thinks the new downtown plan will cater to that need. By law, the city should allocate 10 percent of all future housing developments to affordable housing, Paternoster said. So, of the 2,274 residential units planned for downtown, more than 200 units will fall under below market rate housing, he said.
Tivol said families need to have adequate child care facilities in order to live and work in the area.
"The plan should incorporate a childcare facility in the area," she said.
The other parts of the urban plan call for adding several parking structures, retail centers and housing units. Mathilda Avenue will be transformed into a boulevard with residential units on the east side and office and high-rise office and retail space on the west side.
Monica Davis from the Charles Street Neighborhood Association said that even though she endorses the plan for future growth, she feels absolutely sure that the high-rise development will diminish the quality of life for residents in the area.
Resident Olaf Hirsch compared the new urban plan design to downtown Long Beach, which has several high-rise buildings. Long Beach being Paternoster's previous home, Hirsch warned residents that Paternoster might have the idea of converting Sunnyvale to look like that area.
Judith Hamilton bought a home near Serra Park 40 years ago and said she would be one of the future downtown shoppers. Hamilton said that the plan would compromise quality for growth.
"The beautiful sunset over Mathilda cannot be seen from the top floor of Macy's, according to this plan," Hamilton said. "I've brought visitors from out of town to see that beautiful sight."
Hamilton said it would be difficult for some residents to envision the plan simply with drawings and urged the city to build a model, which could be displayed in different places and at different city events.
Debbie Owens, chairman of the board of directors of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce and a business owner, has been a resident of the city for more than 20 years.
"We need for people to go downtown and dine, play, shop and stay there," Owens said. "The new plan will enable people to do that."
"I endorse the plan as a citizen of Sunnyvale," said Michael Gulasch, co-president of the Heritage District Neighborhood Association, who lives 11/2 blocks from downtown.
As a member of the committee, Gulasch said he was pleased with the committee's process. He said there was no hidden agenda, the meetings were very open and all the opinions and concerns of the members and the public were accommodated.
Fred Wiesinger, member of the downtown stakeholders and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, agreed. As a private citizen, Wiesinger said he approves the plan because it addresses crucial needs in the downtown area like housing.
As the next step, city staff will work with the planning commission to develop an extensive community outreach plan and begin the translation of the downtown vision into reality by implementing ordinances, zoning changes and documents. The long process will involve further public participation and an environmental impact report, which will take about nine months to complete, Paternoster said. He added that the report will test various alternatives to the plan and that by state law, the city is required to adopt the plan with the least environmental impact.
Resident Werner Gans, a familiar face and voice at city council meetings, was noticeably absent at the public hearing but expressed his feelings of disapproval for the plan by a letter read during the hearing.
"The new plan is so dense that people might be turned away," Gans' letter read. "It's most important that the city listen to what the residents think."
Copies of the plan are available at Sunnyvale City Hall and at the Sunnyvale Public Library. The plan can also be viewed by visiting the city's website at www.ci.sunnyvale.ca.us.
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
