The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

City moves to bolster north side retail scene

By Steve Enders

Sunnyvale's City Council last week followed up on last year's recognized need for creating more commercial retail stores in north Sunnyvale--more specifically, large grocery and drug stores.

An independent consulting firm, the P.J. Donnelly Company, has determined four sites suitable for meeting the needs of the people living in the area.

What came back to the council from planning officials was the recommendation that it take the next step, which is to notify property owners and retail connections about the possible addition of new stores. The following locations, in order of suitability, are being considered: Fair Oaks Avenue at Tasman Drive; the Lakewood Shopping Center; and the Fair Oaks Shopping Center on E. Duane Avenue.

The sites were chosen because of traffic flow on adjacent streets and parking availability on the actual property, as well as the sizes of lots and buildings.

Since all of these sites are privately owned, however, the city can only notify those landowners and make recommendations, according to Dave Vossbrink, Sunnyvale's community relations officer. The property is already zoned for commercial use, thus the function of those property sites would not change, he said.

Vossbrink said the nature of neighborhood retail has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and the decision to look into creating more retail centers was based upon the general need of residents looking for availability to stores.

"The city doesn't have any power over market sources," Vossbrink said. "We can beat the drum and be proactive, but it's up to the individual landowners to make it happen."

The findings will now be forwarded to those landowners, as well as commercial developers and grocery store chain representatives.

One of the reasons the Fair Oaks site sits well with city planners is that it is also where a new station will be installed as part of the Santa Clara Valley Light Rail expansion.

Light rail art approved

In related matter, the City Council made sure this week that those using the light rail in Sunnyvale will have something pleasant to look at, at least while getting on and off the train at two of the city's six stops.

Artist Anita Margrill has been commissioned by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to create artwork for two stops along the light rail line that will continue to Mountain View. The Ccuncil approved her design at its last meeting.

At the Fair Oaks/Tasman stop Margrill's artwork will consist of two half-arches of metallic vines, positioned when seen at a distance to create an illusion of a single archway. When passengers get closer, however, they will notice that the arches are split by 60 feet.

At the Lockheed Station, a tall, metallic palm will loom about 40 feet above the station and will be made to appear different to passersby around the clock. The palm will open at dusk to reveal a lighting fixture that will turn itself off at dawn by closing in on itself.

The palm fronds will operate using a photocell developed by Lockheed/Martin that opens and closes satellite arms in space by measuring sunlight.

Margrill was commissioned through a national search by the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, who is also paying for the artwork.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 17, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.