"We knew when we couldn't walk along the fence line and pick cherries from the trees that the orchard wasn't plentiful anymore," Morais, president of the Old Orchard Townhouse Association, said.

And now after losing their free backyard snacks, Morais and his wife, Pamela, may also lose the orchard they have looked out on for 27 years; the orchard was one of the primary reasons they moved into the area.

On June 28 at 8 p.m., the Sunnyvale Planning Commission will discuss the development of the orchard property into 38 townhouses and a small retail center where the Arco station now stands. The project also calls for the cancellation of the Williamson Act in this case to disestablish part of the property as an agricultural

preserve. The Williamson Act was established to allow cities to preserve land for agricultural uses.

Yvonne Olson Jacobson—who owns and grew up on the property—has applied for a special permit to allow development on the site, the last of her family's orchards still standing. Jacobson says the time is right for the site to evolve.

She said the property needs in the area have changed a lot along with the local industry, and just as farmers moved on in favor of tech wizards, it's only fitting that the orchards change as well. This particular orchard has not produced fruit in two years, due to its poor health brought on by warmer winter temperatures, natural aging and an invasion of oak fungus.

"Cherry orchards, like all orchards, have a lifespan," said Laura Babcock, planning commission chairwoman. "And this one has passed."

"Sunnyvale has transformed from being in the center of one of the best growing valleys in the world into being the center of the Silicon Valley," Jacobson said.

Jacobson would retain possession of the just over 1 ¹/2 acres of commercial property, but would lose control of the more than two acres underneath the proposed townhouses.

"I think of it as a logical conclusion to what has come before," Jacobson said. "I think it's appropriate that it's being done, because it's very difficult to run a working orchard in an urban area."

Jacobson and her husband, William, finally decided to move forward with development last June after years of interest from developers. William estimates that more than 100 groups have come forward in the past 30 years, looking to build high-rise offices, apartments, shopping centers and hotels.

They decided to develop the property now because they said they both still have the interest and energy to make sure the project meets their expectations for the site.

'We're not getting any younger. Either we're going to develop this and do something, or someone else is," William said. "I don't think our children are interested in taking it over."

And while he's sad about the orchard's potential loss, Morais said he understands the push for development in the area, and the Jacobsons' desire to leave their land in good hands.

"We're disappointed. We've always thought that the orchard should be there," Morais said. "But it's valuable property, and I can understand why they want to develop it."

The Jacobsons have gone to great lengths to include the surrounding community in the planning process for the project. The Jacobsons, along with Classic Communities, the developers of the residential portion of the land, have met with the Old Orchard Townhouse Association five times in the last nine months to work out details of the project.

Morais said half of the members of the 40-unit association took a signed petition to the planning commission almost nine months ago to discuss their desires for the site, including building townhouses to match the lot that backs up against the orchard and a sound wall between the parking lot of the retail area and their homes.

"Having dealt with the Jacobsons, they were very open with the things we wanted to do and very receptive to what our concerns were," Morais said. "If they build it out the way we've talked about, then it may be a plus, another place to walk to."

To make sure the land's legacy is not lost, the Jacobsons are currently looking into art—including statuary, mosaics and relief art—to tell the story of the cherry orchards. And along Mathilda, they want to plant a row of flowering cherry trees—which do not produce fruit but are known for their colorful blossoms—to bring back the look of the orchards in bloom.

"We want to integrate a visual history of the changes in the valley," William said. "At least during springtime, people passing by will have a recollection of the valley's past."

Yvonne Jacobson said that losing this orchard will not rob Sunnyvale of its ambiance or history, as long as the story of the valley's past is carried on.

"I'd like the monument to reflect the historical value of the land, and that once, land like this and its uses for orchards were everywhere in the valley," she said.