The Sunnyvale Sun

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Lockheed's former site is about to become city's biggest plan

By Jason Goldman-Hall

While it is clearly the most talked-about land issue in Sunnyvale, the Town Center Mall does not hold the distinction of being the largest project in the pipeline.

The title goes to developer Jay Paul's Moffett Towers plan, which could result in seven eight-story buildings on 52 acres of land that once housed Lockheed Martin facilities. Planning officer Trudi Ryan said she believes the project is the single largest project ever to go before the Sunnyvale City Council for approval.

The end result--much-needed Class A office space--is intended to help Sunnyvale attract new companies and retain existing companies that may expand in the future.

Since 2004, several companies, including Marvell Semiconductor and Yahoo!, have bought office space in Santa Clara to handle expansion.

"We've always talked about Class A office space, and here is our opportunity to approve it," said Councilman John Howe, one of the six members of the council who voted to approve the project. All seven council members were in attendance.

The only dissenting vote was cast by Chris Moylan, who said he did not want to increase the floor-to-area ratio of the third lot because it was not close enough to public transportation to make its use effective. The council voted to zone lot three as a transit-oriented development, which raised the floor-to-area ratio to 75 percent.

Floor-to-area ratios are based on the actual amount of covered floor space of the building versus the total area of the land it sits on. Larger ratios allow for larger buildings.

Moylan said the additional 3,600 homes that will need to be built in Sunnyvale, and the increase of approximately 700 students in local schools that will result from the increased jobs at the site could anger local residents in the future if the increase is not tempered.

"We're not seeing the neighbors now, but when those 3,600 housing units go in, we will see them," Moylan said.

The majority of other concerns about the project focused on its potential "green" development using renewable and recycled resources and construction methods that pollute less.

Vice Mayor Otto Lee pressed the issue of putting photovoltaic cells atop parking structures and other overhangs to gather power for the buildings, a decision a Jay Paul representative said could save tenants up to 25 percent of their total electric bills.

As an amendment to the final motion, Lee raised the level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification the developers will be encouraged to attain from simple certification to silver.

To get any LEED certifications, developers must earn points by building with renewable resources, using energy-saving heating and lighting systems such as solar cells or installing plants on building roofs to absorb summer heat and cut down on air-conditioner use.

"We're very enthusiastic and very proud of what we've got here," Paul said. "Not only is [green building] good for the environment, but we think it will be very attractive for tenants."

The council also pressed Paul to speed up the potential building period in light of the many delays at the Town Center Mall. Although he preferred a seven-year target, he said three or four years was possible for construction.

"We believe that this project will get built within a couple of years," Paul said. "We're very geared up to start it."