Right next to the Caltrain tracks, under the Mathilda Avenue overpass, in the shadow of the empty Mozart buildings and directly underneath every transport plane that touches down at Moffett Field sits a quiet, multicolored, 16-house block of 60-year-old two-bedroom homes, duplexes and newer houses.

N. Taaffe Street, cut off from the downtown by the Sunnyvale Multimodal Transit Station, has had a front seat for much of Sunnyvale's growth over the past half-century.

Lopez, 64, who moved to Sunnyvale from Hawaii with his family in 1945, used to watch car accidents on Mathilda Avenue before the overpass was built.

But one sound residents weren't ready for was the gunshot that rang out on June 19, an incident that resulted in a young man sustaining a wound to his leg. The residents were left shaken after the incident, but they quickly pulled together and helped one another to alleviate fears, and life soon returned to normal.

Fifty years ago, the same street was full of blue-collar workers, many of whom—including Lopez's mother—worked at the nearby Libby Cannery. The street has since evolved into a mix of ages, cultures and interests. The "Libby Cup," the cannery's restored water tower, still stands over the small street, and is, today, used as a meeting place and dog park for local residents.

And smiling right back at the giant can of fruit is 60-year-old Lopez, who has become a vital member of the Taaffe community, eager to provide a helping hand with yardwork or cook a fresh squash for a neighbor's dinner.

With the same care and devotion he shows his backyard garden of fruits and vegetables, Lopez has proudly watched his tiny street evolve from a group of Spanish and Italian immigrants into a microcosm of Sunnyvale, with families of all ages, from all parts of the world.

"I like changes, as long as the new people who move in are nice and their kids respect us on the street," Lopez said.

The Mayor of Taaffe Street

Lopez seems born to help. Fifteen years ago, he moved back into the Taaffe Street house he grew up in to take care of his ailing mother. From the front porch of his pistachio-green house, he's had a front seat for the last 50 years of Sunnyvale's growth. He was part of Sunnyvale High School's first graduating class in the late 1960s, and was excited last month to see the new "Baby Bullet" trains begin running through Sunnyvale.

And while the town only vaguely resembles the Sunnyvale he grew up in, Lopez said he has enjoyed watching it grow. From his front porch, he's had an unobstructed view of Taaffe Street, the people that float by every afternoon, the changing housing styles, and the oak tree across the street he says has stood for more than 200 years.

"I like the change, I like the progress," Lopez said. "I'd like to see Sunnyvale get up and get going a little bit."

At his mother's request, Lopez moved home 15 years ago, after raising a family of his own and working much of his life. He delivered papers for the San Jose Mercury News, picked up bodies for the San Mateo County Coroner's Office and trimmed trees for the city of Sunnyvale.

His mother worked for 27 years in the Libby Cannery, which has now become the Sunnyvale Business Park with only the giant "Libby Cup" left.

Because he can't leave his mother for more than a few hours, Lopez spends all his time on Taaffe Street now, tending to his mother and his garden. But instead of viewing it as a restriction, Lopez has become the unofficial "mayor of Taaffe," acting as a one-man welcoming committee, visitor's bureau, farmers market and handyman for his neighbors.

"I just enjoy seeing my neighbors and doing things for them if they need me to. I'm around, I'm retired, and they always have to work," Lopez said. "And it gets me out of the house."

To provide fresh fruit and vegetables for his neighbors, he tends a lush garden of zucchini, pumpkins, roma tomatoes, oranges, grapes and orchids. Each plant has its own small circle of moist soil, and Lopez walks among his flora like a proud father, praising the good growers and hoping for the best for some of the less-bountiful plants.

His enthusiasm for growth carries into his front yard, where—as he picks weeds underneath a tree full of sour tangelos—he smiles and says hello to every person who passes by his yard.

Lopez is proud of his role and that everyone who moves in knows his name. "Whoever moves in, they know me on the first day," Lopez said. "Everyone who comes by knows me."

It takes him almost 15 minutes to walk the length of his small street because he often stops, to bring his neighbors' garbage cans up to their fence or put their old newspapers on their front step, often laying them right next to a light-green zucchini or other vegetable he left there on another visit.

And whether he's gardening, checking on his neighbors' yards while they're on vacation or reminiscing about his childhood in the area, Lopez—who says he's still 19 at heart—wears a near-permanent smile on his face.

"It's so much easier to smile than frown," Lopez said. "Takes less muscles, you know."

One of the newest residents, 26-year-old Cupertino native Megan Dyer, moved onto the street with her boyfriend of three years last Mother's Day and starts most sentences about the street with "We're so lucky ..."

After stints in downtown Mountain View and San Francisco, Dyer said they wanted to move somewhere where their dog, Austin, could have a yard to run around in, but still keep some of the excitement of living downtown.

"It felt like this area offered more of what you would find in a big city. You can walk downtown to eat, but you're still close to work," Dyer said. "Even if we don't do it all the time, it's good to know there are places around here to walk to."

Crossroads

Every neighborhood in Sunnyvale has its unique concerns and rallying points for its residents. For the homes off of Mathilda Avenue, El Camino Real and other thoroughfares, the concerns are heavy vehicle traffic and noise.

For houses along Evelyn in the center of Sunnyvale, the train tracks bring heavy train traffic and noise at all hours of the day.

For homes near the downtown, the prospect of massive new development brings parking issues, pedestrian traffic concerns and the prospect of exciting new places to go.

N. Taaffe Street has all of those concerns at the same time, and over the years, a number of the residents have pulled together to tackle some of these issues.

Barbara Keegan, assistant director of public works, has worked with residents of Taaffe Street on a number of concerns, including noise from newly installed speaker towers at the train station and insecticide spraying on Hendy Street, which dead-ends on Taaffe.

Keegan began receiving emails from a Taaffe resident after new speakers were installed on the train tracks. The speakers blasted pre-recorded alerts and messages on a regular schedule throughout the day—even on days when no trains were running. Keegan sent the resident to speak directly with the Caltrain staff.

"We're very pleased that they seemed open to studying the issue and working with the city to find solutions for their neighborhood that we may be able to use up and down the tracks," Keegan said.

According to Councilman Fred Fowler—the city's Valley Transit Authority representative—Caltrain is working with residents of the area to deal with the noise.

"It's a great little downtown neighborhood, and it's wonderful when you have residents who take the time to bring things to people's attention to improve their neighborhood,"

But the neighborhood issues on Taafe are not always as severe as noise pollution or unwanted wake-up calls. When the city cut street-sweeping services to save money, Lopez came to the rescue, adding "unofficial street sweeper" to his roles on the street he loves.

"We don't have a street sweeper; they took the sweeper away, and we can't just let the leaves pile up," Lopez said, pointing to a meter-wide pile of leaves he said needs to be swept up soon.

Today, many Taaffe residents are gearing up for Sunnyvale's next big change, the potential redevelopment of the downtown area by the Forum Development Group.

Dyer said she and her boyfriend are ready for the Forum project because it would give them a place to go at night for entertainment, restaurants and shopping. They currently drive to Mountain View for movies and Stanford for shopping.

Lopez and Dyer both said they are not worried about increased traffic in their area, because they think traffic will pour onto Mathilda Avenue and bypass their area completely.

Dyer said she thinks the new developments will only improve the neighborhood, something she looked for in selecting a home.

"I wanted a neighborhood where the houses were only going to increase in value, not a neighborhood where housing values had already peaked, Dyer said. "This neighborhood continues to move up as the city makes investments in the downtown and surrounding area and residents continue to upgrade their homes."

House upgrades and changes have been a constant on the street. Lopez is quick to point out that those changes have been for the better.

As the original Spanish and Italian owners moved out, people from Europe, Africa, Mexico and other parts of the world moved in, bringing international foods and customs to the street.

Dyer—a relative rookie to the Taaffe community—said that after growing up in Cupertino, where racial tensions can run high, she was looking for this kind of friendly neighborhood.

"It's kind of a neat mix, and I like that, it's definitely very interesting," Dyer said. "It's nice to live in diversity of any type. I don't think you want a homogenous mix of any kind."

The buildings have changed some. A few houses have become duplexes, and many have been remodeled. One has been completely redesigned, with pale stucco walls, brass light fixtures and white paint. The Libby Cup, once a cannery full of local workers, is now an impromptu after-hours dog park and meeting place for Dyer and other local dog owners. Many nights they congregate—plastic bags and shovels in hand—under the cup to relax and get to know one another.

"It's definitely a funky neighborhood, but it's what I like," Dyer said. "Every house is unique; that's what gives the neighborhood its personality."