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For the past 10 years, the block of Murphy Street between Washington and Evelyn avenues—known as the historic downtown—has been a vibrant area. Its many one-of-a-kind stores and authentic multicultural dining experiences greatly enhance our community. In contrast, the Town Center mall, which is mainly composed of large chain stores, has languished since it was built in 1976. In 2002, plans were begun to revitalize the mall. Council members, residents, developers, business owners, and consultants created a downtown plan that was approved by the city council in October 2003. This plan provided for a new open-air mall that was elegantly integrated with the existing downtown.
About a year ago, however, the Forum Development Group bought the property and proposed a new plan, which it hopes the city council approves on Aug. 17. As it stands, Forum's plan could very likely lead to the death of historic downtown. If independent businesses are not given a chance to survive, Murphy Street could become an unappealing block of bars, empty buildings and constant turnover. Do we want the historic downtown to maintain some traditional small-town charm or do we want our downtown to be only a mall?
A few minor changes to Forum's plan could help the historic downtown thrive and enhance the new development. The Sunnyvale Downtown Association (a subsidiary of the Chamber of Commerce and the organization that puts on the Wednesday night summer series) has asked the city council to do the following:
1. Reinstate the Murphy-Washington plaza. In the original plan, this corner plaza provided an attractive pedestrian link between the new mall and the existing downtown businesses. The Forum plan converts this plaza to retail space that could easily be relocated. Without this open space, the mall becomes a four-sided fortress that cuts off the new from the old.
2. Provide access to old downtown. The Forum plan eliminates a vehicular and pedestrian exit at the corner of Murphy and Washington. An exit/entrance at this corner would make it much more likely that customers who park in the new parking garage will visit the old downtown.
3. Provide sufficient parking. As the Sunnyvale Cherry Orchard and the Santa Clara Mercado illustrate, the customary business-to-parking-space ratio seems flawed. The Forum plan allocates at least 100 fewer spaces than its proposed restaurants and theaters require. (Speaking of restaurants, the Forum plan has 70,000 square feet of restaurant space plus 11,000 square feet of outdoor dining—much more than Santana Row has.) A parking squeeze at the new mall puts an unwarranted burden on historic downtown.
These minor changes would have a huge impact on historic downtown's chance of survival, which, in turn, will mean a much richer experience for all of Sunnyvale's citizens. The city council has given the Forum group everything it's asked for: $38,000,000 in redevelopment money, 92 extra housing units, 100,000 square feet of additional office space, and land paid for by the parking district. We ask for only a few concessions that would benefit all of Sunnyvale. Let the city council know you want to save historic downtown. Call, write, or, best of all, attend the Aug. 17 meeting at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave.
Joe Antuzzi is the owner of Il Postale restaurant, the chairman of the Sunnyvale Downtown Association and chairman of the Downtown Specific Plan Stakeholders Committee.
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