The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Residents speak out on new plan for downtown

Merchants complain the city's plan is already 'a done deal'

By Justin Berton

It should have lots of parking.

It should be unique and quaint, much like the one in Los Altos.

There should be no chain restaurants, no buildings more than six stories high and no high-tech architecture schemes.

It should have a grand plaza, with a fountain in the middle and adequate lighting after dark for safe strolls in the warmth of Sunnyvale evenings.

And there should be lots of parking.

That's what 70 Sunnyvale residents who attended the first city forum at the Historic Del Monte Building May 28 told developers and city officials they want their downtown to look like.

The forum, which was facilitated by Community Focus of San Francisco, aimed to pool the ideas from the general public for the revitalization of downtown.

Councilmembers committed to reshaping the downtown in 1993 when they approved the Downtown Specific Plan.

The city is currently in the beginning stages of developing plans for a new downtown and has--for the time being--hired a developer, the Mozart Group, to oversee the project. Councilmembers will decide on June 16 whether to retain the services of the Mozart Group.

At the community forum, architects from Ken Kay Associates, who work with Mozart, presented concept illustrations depicting the style of downtown the architects envision.

Ken Kay, president of the firm, said Sunnyvale's downtown should resemble the unique down-home style of Murphy Avenue, but on a larger scale.

"Murphy Avenue is the fabric of your downtown," he told residents.

Kay also said the landmark essence of the downtown area will give people "the sense that you have arrived, the sense that you are there, and you'll know when you have left."

While the council is still accepting ideas for the downtown, there are several elements they strongly favor, including a 150-room hotel and a plaza.

Dyane Matas, Housing and Neighborhood Preservation officer for the city, said groundbreaking for the hotel in the area north of Washington could happen as soon as September.

As the 90-minute meeting drew to a close, a few residents told city officials they felt plans for downtown were already in the bag, and the community meeting was a cursory event.

Deborah Maxwell, owner of a clothing store in Town & Country Village, told Mayor Jim Roberts, "This already looks like it's a done deal."

Another member from the audience suggested a new downtown should be put to the voters on a future ballot before any final decisions were made.

Roberts became irked by suggestions the meeting was frivolous and responded, "I give you my word before God and everybody, this is not a done deal," he said. "I am not sold on this."

As the meeting broke down into small groups for residents to brainstorm ideas, many discussions centered on the aesthetics of the area and the ability to find parking once there.

"I don't want high-tech," said Jean McLaughlin, a downtown resident who voiced a shared opinion. "We have high tech in the airports, in the schools, in the shopping centers," she said. "Let's have something more like a village."

The green theme was popular among residents who suggested everything from outdoor cafes, to canopied sidewalks and shady areas in the main plaza.

Residents also called for the three buildings that are being considered at the corners of Evelyn and Mathilda avenues not to exceed six stories. The Downtown Specific Plan allows up to nine stories.

Roberts asked for an informal show of hands at the close of the meeting to gauge residents' feelings about the height of the buildings.

The buildings would house retail and office space and be the distinguishing element of downtown's skyline.

But what residents, shop owners and city officials all agreed on was the need for more parking in the already besieged area.

A Sunnyvale resident of 40 years who owns property on Murphy Avenue told his group, "We couldn't find a parking space to get here tonight. It was like a circus. We almost went home."

The city-owned parking lots that sit behind the Town & Country Village that now helps alleviate the weekend downtown parking crunch are the proposed sights for the three new buildings. Kay suggested an underground parking lot could be built beneath the grand plaza, much like the below-surface parking structure under Union Square in San Francisco.

Also in attendance was Nick Gera, who confirmed that his development group, Dubrovnik Associates Inc. will not be purchasing the Town Center.

Gera declined to give specifics on the deal, but said DAI and a consortium of developers pulled out of the deal early on in the negotiating process.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 3, 1998.
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