By Lester Chang
Siding with residents who complained about the size of the proposed project, the Sunnyvale City Council voted April 29 to scale back an industrial park for a high-tech firm at Mary and Corte Madera avenues.
Tarigo-Paul Ltd. initially proposed building two six-story buildings totaling 490,000 square feet and two parking structures on a 10-acre site.
It would have housed Sun Microsystems of Mountain View.
Instead, the City Council voted to allow the developer to build a project that would encompass about 400,000 square feet.
The action by the City Council came after residents of Corte Madera Commons condominium complex and nearby apartments complained the project would generate traffic, restrict the use of a nearby park and block their views.
Before Tarigo can proceed, the developer has to submit plans to the city's Planning Department for review.
Some City Council members said they wanted smaller buildings that would resemble a smaller project Tarigo is completing on an adjacent eight acres.
That project involved two office buildings and a parking structure and was approved by the City Council in the mid-1990s.
Judy Gisch, vice president of the board of directors for Corte Madera Commons, insisted the council follow a city policy that allows only 35 percent of an industrial site to be developed.
Triago said it wanted nearly twice the density to meet the space demands of Sun Microsystems.
Gisch said the city has an obligation to restrict the development of a project that goes up near homes.
She also complained that the planned closure of Macara Avenue, which is located next to residential units and the proposed project, will create traffic problems.
Motorists have used Macara Avenue to get to Maude Avenue, which offers a route to highways 237 and 101.
With the closure of the road, they will be forced to take Maude and Mary avenues, which are already crowded during commute hours, Gisch said.
Residents said representatives have told them the road closure will result in minor traffic delays.
Gisch disagreed, saying, "There is no way you are going to send traffic all the way around the block, making left-hand turns through two additional signalized intersections and add only 60 seconds to the drive."
Jay Paul, a managing general partner for Tarigo-Paul Ltd., said the road closure will provide more privacy for residents.
In addition, the company will landscape the closed road so that it complements Encinal City Park, which is located near the site.
Large trees and lush bushes can be used as a break between the condominiums, apartments, park and project buildings, Paul said.
Regardless of what is done, residents would have to compete with Microsystem Sun employees to use the park, Gisch said.
When employees get off work or go to lunch, they will use the park, she said.
In its decision, the City Council also rezoned the parcel to allow for design changes that include the repositioning of the buildings.
The City Council asked the city's Planning Department to work with the developer to move a parking structure farther away from the neighborhood park.
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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 7, 1997.
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