Planning for Vallco Mall site to restart soon
New legislation may impede city’s ability to control growth
The Vallco Shopping Mall is back on Cupertino’s agenda, but city officials are mulling whether new state housing legislation may impede their ability to control growth.
The City Council this past week unanimously authorized City Manager David Brandt to sign agreements with three firms to help craft a specific plan for the 58-acre site of a shopping center that’s almost vacant except for a few entertainment venues.
The city’s current General Plan designates the Vallco Shopping District as a mixed-use “town center” that’s allowed a minimum 600,000 square feet of retail space, up to 389 residential units and a maximum of 2 million square feet of office space, according to staff.
The General Plan requires a specific plan for the area to guide height limits, building placements, housing types and other land-use criteria. The plan also calls for community outreach, which staff says would include workshops, online engagement tools and meetings.
Mall owner Sand Hill Property Company submitted a letter to the city in October, asking to “restart the community planning process” for determining what to do with the mall. The letter, written by company managing director Reed Moulds, came nearly a year after voters rejected the $3 billion Hills at Vallco project.
Sand Hill stated indicated it is “now open to other possibilities,” such as the office-centric mixeduse vision in the General Plan, a housing-centric plan or a third, middleground option.
Opticos Design will work with the city to draft the specific plan and conduct community outreach. David J. Powers and Associates will do an environmental impact report and select a transportation subconsultant, and EPS will conduct an economic impact analysis. All contracts and fees total $2,405,549, to be covered by the project applicant.
According to a timeline by Opticos Design, public outreach would begin early next year and continue through the fall. A specific draft plan would be crafted with Planning Commission review in September, and the City Council would weigh in the following month or that winter. Study session
Tuesday’s council vote came under a cloud of controversy as council members reacted to new state housing legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in September, set to take effect Jan. 1.
On Nov. 7, Vice Mayor Darcy Paul had pointed out that Senate Bill 35 could limit the city’s authority on how much housing can go up at the Vallco site. The bill creates a streamlined process for approving certain housing projects under existing zoning in jurisdictions that have not met regional housing needs.
Paul and other council members suggested the city study the bill’s potential impacts and consider amending the General Plan before the new law takes effect. A Planning Commission meeting
was scheduled for this Tuesday to consider whether sweeping changes to the General Plan may be in order regarding housing allocations and land uses.
The discussion set off a flurry of public comments from pro-growth and slowgrowth residents, factions and organizations at Tuesday’s meeting and in the days leading up to it. The city will conduct a study session on Monday where the council will hear from experts about SB 35 and other potential legislative impacts. It starts at 6:45 p.m. in the council chambers, 10350 Torre Ave.
Contact Matthew Wilson at 408-200-1065.