By: 5:30 am on May 3 The 75-foot-tall apartment complex is expected to create 162 apartments alongside 80 townhomes Parking will be included for 281 cars and 212 bicycles Oakland-based Studio T Square is responsible for the design The latest renderings show the podium apartment complex conforming to the triangular parcel The exterior will be clad with a mix of exterior plaster The 5.24-acre property is located along Sunnyvale Saratoga Road Future residents will be close to several large big-box strip malls anchored by grocery stores The Sunnyvale Caltrain Station is less than ten minutes away by bicycle or bus The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews Here’s a great model for the South Bay for these huge retail+parking lots: – Demolish everything – Ground/First Floor is retail and parking for that retail in a garage – Second floor is a parking garage for residents It’s sad that even these dense developments will be consigned to car dependency Hopefully South Bay will eventually realize they picked the wrong transit modality and start building proper public transit At least increasing density is a step in the right direction it still makes sense to drive a car for the majority of trips because public transit is not there ga('send', 'event', ‘Robert ‘Becker, 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/desktop-ad.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sfyimbyadnews.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sf-yimby-dot-com-graphic.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY LLC TrendingResidentialSan FranciscoAValley Oak Partners gets nod for 242 homes in Silicon ValleyAims to replace former big-box store in Sunnyvale with townhomes Valley Oak Partners has received a green light to build 242 homes on the site of a former Orchard Supply Hardware store in Sunnyvale The San Jose-based developer was approved by the city Planning Commission to construct 80 townhomes and 162 apartments at 777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, the San Jose Mercury News reported The 5.3 acre site is owned by Mardit Properties, based in the city, according to SFYimby Valley Oak filed plans early this year to build the three-story townhouses and a seven-story apartment building designed by Studio T Square Plans for the white and brown complex also call for 2,050 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants The developer would employ Senate Bill 330 to streamline its approval in exchange for 12 units of affordable housing for moderate-income tenants 16 units for low-income renters and eight units for very-low income households Planning Commission Chair Nathan Iglesias said the project will add much-needed housing to the southern part of the city Sunnyvale must also allow the development in order to comply with a state housing mandate that the city plan to build 11,966 homes by 2031 “We are in a housing crisis and this is a very nice solution in an area that probably should be built up,” Iglesias told the commission SIGN UPNot all residents approved of the 242 homes destined for Sunnyvale Saratoga Road A resident who identified herself only as Kim said the area is too small to house such a large development She worried the proposed seven-story buildings will loom over the city and “stick out like a sore thumb.” “I have not met any other resident who is in favor of (the) so-called Manhattanization of the city,” she told the planning commission and has bought redeveloped or is processing approvals for more than 2,300 homes and 1.5 million square feet of commercial building In November, the firm moved forward with a plan to replace a 164,600-square-foot office campus with 737 apartments and townhomes at 211 251 and 281 River Oaks Parkway in North San Jose In March of last year, the developer filed plans to redevelop part of Oracle’s office and research campus in Santa Clara into more than 500 homes 120 apartments and 48 single-family homes on 38 acres at 4120 Network Circle In 2022, Valley Oak paid $22 million for 6 acres near South Third and Keyes street in Downtown San Jose that could be turned into an industrial or commercial center. A year earlier, the firm spent $16 million on on four sites in Milpitas, Campbell and San Jose— Dana Bartholomew Get San José Spotlight headlines delivered to your inbox Sunnyvale is trying a new approach to homeless encampment sweeps by putting people in motels and giving them an opportunity to make necessary life changes 26 placed about 25 unhoused people in 18 rooms across two Larkspur Landing hotels — one in Sunnyvale and one in Milpitas — for 30 days after their encampment near Sunnyvale Public Library was removed a homeless service nonprofit contracted by the city is providing case management and two meals a day outreach case manager on WeHOPE’s Sunnyvale outreach team but have started to open up and are engaging with his team’s case management services “Our team is passionate about this work,” Rogers told San José Spotlight “We’re eager to provide resources that help residents regain their independence to get them rolling.” who moved into the Larkspur hotel in Milpitas had been living in a tent behind the library since September He said staying in a hotel gives him stability as he seeks help for a hip injury and takes online classes toward receiving a Google IT Support Certificate to land a job “I’m very appreciative of all the help and how I can just focus on exactly what I need to do,” Stein told San José Spotlight I’m worried about necessary things I need to do for my life instead of just necessities to survive.” Sunnyvale has about 471 homeless residents, according to a 2023 point-in-time count, though the tally is considered to be an undercount. While officials conducted a new count earlier this year Sunnyvale spokesperson Jennifer Garnett said the hotel rooms cost about $124,000 for 30 days She said unhoused people first began gathering near the library in April 2024 and the city’s outreach team frequently visited but there were few resources they could offer Many of those living near the library previously lived at the North County Shelter, before adult residents were slowly removed as it shifted to a family shelter Jennifer Smith, who lived near the library for more than a year, said they tried to be respectful of the public space by picking up their trash and not keeping as many belongings. Smith has been staying at another of WeHOPE’s temporary shelter programs and said her experiences with the program’s wellness checks and case management have been lackluster The hotel program is another test of Sunnyvale’s attempts to strengthen support for homeless residents. Last year, the city replaced HomeFirst with WeHOPE as its outreach service provider and created a program to temporarily house more people in hotels during inclement weather Garnett said the city has maintained that supporting homeless residents is a priority and continues to explore multiple approaches, such as safe parking sites and hotel stays which will be discussed at a March 13 workshop meeting “Providing hotel room stays is not currently a formal program but it is a service we have explored as part of our ongoing efforts,” Garnett told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" The article notes that it cost the city $124,000 for 18 rooms over 30 days That works out to about $230 per room each day Are the people of Sunnyvale aware of how insane this spending is To put all their estimated 471 homeless people in these hotel rooms it would cost the city over $39 million per year You must be logged in to post a comment San José Spotlight is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom dedicated to fearless journalism that disrupts the status quo holds power to account and paves the way for change We’re changing the face of local journalism by building a community-supported newsroom that ignites civic engagement educates residents and strengthens our democracy 408.206.5327[email protected] Submit a News TipSubscribe to our newsletters San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128 ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " By: 4:30 am on April 29 In addition to representatives from El Camino Health the event also drew notable speakers and attendees such as Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Kline and several health board members The turnout is indicative of the development’s scale with proposed usages that will address multiple crucial needs for the city The new development is part of the larger El Camino Area Plan to redevelop the commercial corridor along El Camino The mixed-use designation of the project is in line with the plan’s goal of creating a higher density of housing and services along the transit-heavy region of the city El Camino Real Corridor Plan Map with 1027 El Camino Real Marked in Red This most recent expansion of El Camino Health will add to the facilities they currently operate in Los Gatos The range of services provided by the other nearby centers will help to support the needs of residents and patients in both the senior housing and the convalescent hospital TrendingCommercialSan FranciscoALinkedIn pays $75M for another Sunnyvale office Social networking firm added R&D property to growing local hub LinkedIn bought a 120,000-square-foot office building near its headquarters in Sunnyvale for $75 million The professional social networking firm purchased the two-story research building at 1022 West Maude Avenue, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported The deal works out to $625 per square foot is a short stroll to LinkedIn’s headquarters at 1000 West Maude Avenue and part of its growing portfolio of offices in and around its Sunnyvale hub LinkedIn’s push down Maude Avenue began in 2021 SIGN UPThe purchase four years ago resulted from a 2016 land swap with Google where LinkedIn assumed two of Google’s leases on Maude Avenue and bought 28 acres from it in Mountain View In return, Google got 10 acres and assumed one of LinkedIn’s leases at Mountain View’s Britannia Shoreline Technology Park, an office complex that Google bought in 2018 for $1 billion LinkedIn’s purchase comes as Silicon Valley’s R&D market is booming with a 50 percent jump in sales volume in the first quarter ending last month the research office availability rate ticked up 0.8 percent to 12.7 percent from the previous quarter while vacancy rose 1.6 percent to 11.2 percent from a year ago and net absorption fell to negative 656,500 square feet after positive absorption late last year — Dana Bartholomew Sunnyvale’s new partnership with Santa Clara County Animal Services has some major glitches The county doesn’t accept healthy stray cats. Its spay and neutering services are limited and it’s more than 40 miles away to the animal services facility in San Martin senior management analyst with the city’s Department of Public Safety presented the situation to the Sunnyvale City Council at an April 22 meeting where councilmembers raised concerns about the 45-minute commute While Hoang said the department hasn’t heard any official complaints with the distance with either the distance or … the question about county facilities,” Klein said at the meeting “(It) has not been a lot at this point but there have been multiple cases.” The city council began scrambling for an animal service provider when Sunnyvale’s 18-year-long partnership with the Humane Society of Silicon Valley ended late January A fire at the Humane Society in December cause more damage than expected forcing Sunnyvale to find another location The city secured an emergency partnership with the county-run San Martin facility in February City spokesperson Jennifer Garnett said the county agreement covers all other animal care needs such as sheltering abandoned or lost domestic animals The county’s emergency contract will run until the end of January 2026 The city is exploring other options for long-term contracts to meet the city’s animal care needs “The only major service impact is the inability to impound healthy stray cats,” Garnett told San José Spotlight Garnett said the city has two animal control officers but Sunnyvale doesn’t keep track of how much time officers spend driving The city couldn’t provide data on how many calls animal control gets about stray cats Santa Clara County has been hit hard by “kitten season,” as stray cat colonies grow in various neighborhoods While other cities struggle to grapple with stray cats Sunnyvale’s stray cat population has been dwindling according to Bay Area Cats founder Vanessa Forney Bay Area Cats is a nonprofit that helps spay and neuter cats across Sunnyvale Forney said the nonprofit has been able to spay and neuter “thousands” of Sunnyvale cats in its five years of operation She said the number of calls for the trap-neuter-release program has dropped in recent years due in part to the nonprofit’s strategy of targeting entire neighborhoods rather than each individual call Because the county can’t shelter healthy stray cats and the extra distance to the county’s spay and neuter clinic Bay Area Cats wants the city’s animal control calls about healthy stray cats to be directed to them Forney said the city risks having an explosion in its stray cat population “You can’t just have an open intake shelter you can’t just have animal control that can help with the healthy cats You need a combination of all of that,” Forney told San José Spotlight “It has to be a whole encompassing solution where everyone is working together.” “I don’t think this is feasible in the long term,” Klein said as we’ve seen … Suspending the ordinance is the right thing to do but having a long-term solution and answering some of those questions ‘how do we figure out a stray is a stray,’ is an important thing.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X Why does Santa Clara County continue to make life so difficult for it citizens…You never hear people brag about living in San jose You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] By: 4:30 am on April 10 A new hotel has been inaugurated at its site located at 1100 North Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale The project proposal included the development of a new hotel building offering 111 rooms The hotel also inaugurated a restaurant named Valley Goat that has been scoring a lot of popularity from the locals Starwood Capital Group is the project owner SB Architects is responsible for the designs 1100 North Mathilda Avenue View via SB Architects Starwood Hotels announced plans to bring its Treehouse hotel brand to the United States by 2023 Starwood officially inaugurated the first Treehouse Hotel The scope work included the construction of a new home building spanning an area of 80,601 square feet and meeting & event space spanning 8,750 square feet the hotel will also feature 7,300 square feet of F&B outlets The building facade will rise up to 75 feet 1100 North Mathilda Avenue Pool Deck via SB Architects As previously covered Renderings reveal a sustainable design for the buildings with facades designed in wood Sunnyvale wants to preserve retail space in an underserved community but the city will have to convince developers the investment is worthwhile The Sunnyvale City Council voted unanimously Tuesday with Councilmember Murali Srinivasan absent to approve a retail preservation program for two aging retail centers slated to be turned into townhomes The program would allow the developers to skirt affordable housing requirements if they add more commercial space The initial proposals don’t include enough retail to sustain the neighborhoods Community Development Director Trudi Ryan said developers aren’t adding as much retail because there’s less financial incentive compared to housing Since both sites’ development plans haven’t been finalized yet Ryan said it’s possible this program could convince developers to increase their planned retail space “In my conversations with the developers of both of those sites but they have not made a commitment,” Ryan said at the meeting and they’re still evaluating whether or not it’s financially worthwhile for them.” Qualifications for the retail preservation program require the aging retail spaces dubbed “village centers,” to be a certain distance away from other retail a certain size and north of El Camino Real Only two meet all the criteria: Fair Oaks Plaza and Lakewood Shopping Center Residents have been sounding the alarm over the plans to eliminate retail, saying the proposals would turn North Sunnyvale into a food desert While councilmembers voiced unilateral support for maintaining retail in North Sunnyvale city officials stressed they can’t outright deny the proposal make it easier to build affordable and moderately priced housing by limiting local government control City Attorney Rebecca Moon said denying the development would open the city up to potential lawsuits “We need to do our best to preserve retail to prevent food deserts,” District 6 Councilmember Eileen Le told San José Spotlight but I don’t think it’s feasible to go to court.” Councilmembers said the original intention of village centers was to create walkable There are seven village centers throughout the city though not all of them have proposed redevelopments in the pipeline The city council will update the Village Center Master Plan later this spring to protect retail space at other sites particularly at the intersection of Mathilda Avenue and Maude Road The master plan was scheduled to be revised in early April District 5 Councilmember Richard Mehlinger said it’s important to update the plan sooner rather than later to prevent other village centers from receiving similar proposals Residents were split on whether to support the program during public comment some saying the program’s voluntary basis wasn’t reassuring enough whose family has lived next to Fair Oaks Plaza for more than 60 years said the redevelopment would uproot community gathering spaces by removing the area’s small businesses wanted the city council to reject the program He said the city needs to find more ways to handle developments that displace small businesses and impairs the neighborhood’s ability to access resources like grocery stores “The city council’s not doing enough to listen to the community,” Sethi told San José Spotlight “I don’t think they’re exploring their options efficiently enough.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Janeth Zarate is a freshman at Fremont High School who wakes up at 6 a.m but for the past two weeks service has stopped due to a historic union worker strike VTA’s operator union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, has been on strike since March 10 The stoppage has thrown Zarate and about 460 Fremont Union High School District students who regularly take buses to and from school into a state of chaos District parents and students living in North Sunnyvale said the journey to school has been a stressor for years but the strike has taken it to the next level “The lack of transportation from VTA hinders kids from going to school … This results in anxiety for the kids and parents too,” North Sunnyvale resident Evelyn Castillo Profeta told San José Spotlight adding her daughter was late to class during the strike’s first week due to lack of transportation To combat the problem, the school district contracted temporary buses to fill the gap Zarate said she used the temporary bus on Tuesday but still had to be dropped off at the bus stop by her mother who usually can’t drive her to school because of work “I just kinda wanna make my commute to school a bit more tranquil,” Zarate told San José Spotlight District spokesperson Rachel Zlotziver said the district surveyed student VTA bus pass holders during the strike’s first week 13 students missed school March 10 for lack of transportation and 45 students said they might have to miss school later in the week The first four days of the contract cost $27 The contract includes eight bus rides every day two buses running two routes twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon Zlotziver said each bus can only seat 55 people so the district is encouraging families to make other transportation arrangements if they can “Our partnership with VTA has proven to be very successful over many years and we are hopeful that those services will be restored soon,” Zlotziver told San José Spotlight Fremont Union High School District serves about 9,343 students and covers multiple cities The district has no school bus system and subsidizes bus passes for students living in three North Sunnyvale ZIP codes Some student commutes can be as far as 5 miles away crossing Highway 101 and the Caltrain tracks The district’s transportation needs existed long before the strike North Sunnyvale resident May Thiers has been struggling to find ways to get her 10th grade son to Fremont High School Her son swims and plays water polo after school and the high school’s pool has been broken so the swim team practices at Cupertino High School and the water polo team is at the Washington Park pool To get him everywhere requires two hours of driving While the district’s temporary buses will help get Thiers’ son to school in the morning she said it won’t help him get home or to either of his after school activities Even before the strike and the high school’s pool broke she said there were no buses to bring him home after practice the transportation to Fremont High School or that area has always been an issue,” Thiers told San José Spotlight but hopefully the school district will hear us eventually.” Trustee Pat Carpio-Aguilar represents North Sunnyvale and said students from her district have had a longer commute for decades leading to quality of life differences for students living further north Students lose more sleep and are discouraged from joining after school activities because they lack transportation while students who live closer to their schools don’t have to worry about travel as much The district’s enrollment projections for its five high schools show Fremont High School is the only one expected to increase Carpio-Aguilar said she wants the district to allocate more resources toward its North Sunnyvale students and consider the option of opening another high school further north “This impacts their sense of belonging at school,” Carpio-Aguilar told San José Spotlight “You are carrying around a lot of unneeded burden as a student because the district is not serving you as they should so the long-term solution is a high school up in northern Sunnyvale and that’s the third rail that nobody wants to talk about.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X I hope both VTA and ATU leaders read it and understand better how urgent it is for them to resolve the dispute Right now I don’t think either party is negotiating like they provide an essential service My children went to Fremont High School but we live pretty close to it and they could walk or bike to school There are no school buses and a lot of students from the northeastern side of Sunnyvale rely on VTA Most of the new housing in Sunnyvale is in the area that used to be served by Sunnyvale High School which closed in 1981 The VTA is in no hurry to settle the strike Most of their revenue doesn’t come from fares and they are saving a lot of money for every day the strike continues since sales tax revenue continues to come in regardless of whether or not the buses and light rail are operating They don’t really care about the riders or the drivers VTA really needs to take full advantage of AB 2553 and go to 20 minute headways on the 22/522 and the 23/523 This would reduce labor and operational costs and only cause very minor inconvenience to their riders They could use some of the savings to offer better pay to their workers though there would be fewer workers and less overtime You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale residents have been waiting for the city to implement its grand plan for a bicycle safety network but a lack of action has led to mounting frustration The city’s plan to build more bike lanes with protective barriers remains stalled because officials haven’t prioritized funding or a way to keep the bike lanes clear of debris Advocates said the City Council might finally consider prioritizing funds in this year’s budget for a specialized street sweeper and more maintenance staff The city is considering one of two options because standard street sweepers can’t fit around protective bike lane barriers It can buy a compact street sweeper and deploy two city workers to sweep the lanes weekly or have four city workers keep leaves and debris off the lanes using leaf blowers Sunnyvale officials are considering both options in the budget proposal Although buying the compact street sweeper would be more expensive it’s more efficient and requires less manpower than maintaining the bike lanes using leaf blowers of which $375,000 would cover staffing costs chair of Sunnyvale’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission said it’s hard to quantify how the city’s lack of a maintenance system has impeded the development of new protected bike lanes He said there have been multiple projects reviewed by the commission that could have included protected bike lanes “It’s right there in the (Active Transportation Plan),” Beagle told San José Spotlight “The city can’t do what the city has declared it wants to do because of this restriction.” Sunnyvale’s Active Transportation Plan proposes 17.1 miles of protected bike lanes on major roads throughout the city the city only has about 0.7 miles — a 0.4-mile segment on Mary Avenue and 0.3 miles on Gibraltar Drive While the city has been slow to build new protected bike lanes known as “Class IV,” city spokesperson Jennifer Garnett said those lanes only make up about 11% of the city’s total planned bike lanes A more significant portion are “Class I” shared pedestrian and bicycle trails which are separate from roads and make up about 23% of the city’s planned bike lanes Installing protective barriers is a clear way to keep cyclists safe on the road Beagle also suggested the city could look into raising bicycle lanes to be at the same height as the sidewalk which would limit the debris build up and further separate cyclists from vehicle traffic founder of the advocacy group Sunnyvale Safe Streets said safety is the primary barrier to biking versus driving “I’m always trying to see how to get more people on bikes so we can reduce our reliance on automobiles,” Liu told San José Spotlight their main concern is that it’s just not safe to bike and I can see what they’re talking about.” Liu proposed having the city study a street sweeper option during the 2023-24 fiscal year She’s encouraged by the budget proposal Certain individual streets are also dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, such as Fair Oaks Avenue Liu said these streets can be improved once the city is able to begin installing new bike lanes The Sunnyvale City Council will review study issues and budget proposals at its workshop Thursday including the compact street sweeper and maintenance staff Beagle said he believes the council will prioritize work on safe bicycle infrastructure “I’m optimistic about the current layout of the council seeing it as a problem and driving it over the line,” he told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X Protected bicycle lanes only are applicable to a small fraction of streets where they are both impractical and often more hazardous especially where there are many driveways and worse cross traffic hazards are created by the lanes where the occupants can’t easily be seen before they reach intersections or for example where they are two-lane paths on either side of a roadway which means some users will be riding the wrong way These aren’t “safety” facilities or improvements not improvements nor safer with the worse designs or implementations It’s also wrong to take roadway for these facilities if it leaves the rest of the streets that are affected under needed capacity will continue as they always have to avoid poor or hazardous facilities and remain in the street I can see the faces of all the City of San Jose leaders after reading this article we need to buy a smaller sweeper to sweep all those narrow lanes we created in the city.” The writer makes the mistake of using the term “protected bike lane” when the state law that established Class IV bikeways uses no such language Bike lanes are Class II bike facilities under state law No separation or “protection,” just paint All protected bike lanes are not practical as people do not use them properly or use them at all… You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale is taking steps to make its downtown more inviting for residents and visitors alike by beautifying its most historic block The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved concept plans to turn the historic Murphy Avenue block of downtown into a permanent pedestrian mall The plans include more bike parking near Washington and Evelyn avenues as well as handrails and sloped paths for better accessibility Sunnyvale Downtown Association Executive Director Mike Johnson said the organization and its board support the plans The concepts have gone through multiple iterations and he said the new plans balance the various needs of potential visitors and businesses along the street “We’ve got about a 2-mile radius that we protect and I think … we’ve done a great job with what we’ve had to work with,” Johnson told San José Spotlight “I think what’s coming is going to be phenomenal.” Converting Murphy Avenue into a pedestrian mall is part of a massive facelift Sunnyvale’s downtown is undergoing. For the past several years, developer Cityline has been building up housing and retail in the area Johnson said it’s important to bring representatives from all types of businesses together to help with the reimagining Most of the businesses along Murphy Avenue and others in the surrounding area are small or family owned Councilmembers asked questions about the plan’s specifics at the meeting such as more signs for parking and cycling City employees estimated construction could begin by fall 2025 and end as soon as early 2026 The city council temporarily closed the 100 block of Murphy Avenue to vehicles in 2020 and permanently in early 2023 The renovation will allow the city to take down old stop and parking signs as well as convert some parking on Washington Avenue for loading and unloading inventory for the businesses whose district includes the historic Murphy Avenue said these renovations will make downtown’s walkability permanent “I’m excited for my kids to be able to grow up there I couldn’t walk to anything,” Cisneros told San José Spotlight The renovations are only part of the overall downtown redesign which Johnson estimated to be more than halfway done Cityline is still in its second phase of development with two major features yet to be built — Block 6 at the intersection of McKinley and Murphy avenues and another parcel at the intersection of McKinley and Mathilda avenues The Sunnyvale Caltrain station is right beside historic Murphy Avenue and the city also opened Redwood Park late last month at the corner of McKinley and Murphy avenues “There’s so much opportunity in District 2 and the downtown area we’re truly fortunate to have these kinds of opportunities,” Cisneros told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale is prepared to launch a guaranteed basic income program — it’s just waiting for funding The Sunnyvale City Council approved the pilot program unanimously last week and instructed city employees to look for external funding The pilot could run for up to two years and provide at least 100 households with about $1,000 per month While councilmembers approved the program’s details at the meeting some officials and residents are skeptical about finding a third-party partner to help fund the estimated $4 million cost Councilmember Omar Din first suggested the program two years ago and said it would benefit the city’s most vulnerable residents He said a guaranteed basic income program bypasses some problems with other forms of government assistance — for example monitoring or limiting how recipients spend their money “The goal for this program is to lead to the best outcome,” Din told San José Spotlight “If you can free (recipients) up to make the best decisions for their specific context then the best outcomes will come out.” 30% of the area median income for a family of four in 2023 was $54,390 Councilmembers initially envisioned the program to serve low-income families with children who the city hired to develop recommendations for the program found it would be best implemented with a broad audience The report found about 8,000 Sunnyvale residents living below the federal poverty line, which is $31,200 for a family of four. Because of Silicon Valley’s high cost of living the report suggested including households living 200% below the federal poverty line which is roughly $62,400 for a family of four Councilmembers are generally supportive of the program and now it’s just waiting for the funding piece to get fully worked out,” Din told San José Spotlight Residents such as Chuck Fraleigh voiced concerns about using the city’s general fund to cover the multimillion-dollar cost a member of the neighborhood advocacy group Livable Sunnyvale said it’s unlikely the city finds a third-party funding source for the program and that he’d prefer seeing city energy directed elsewhere a professor emeritus of management and innovation at Menlo College said the pilot program could provide valuable insights on where low-income residents spend their money the most which could help the city develop future support systems “We know basic income programs are very effective at lifting families out of poverty,” Mehlinger told San José Spotlight “If we can find external funding to support that Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale’s top public safety officer is retiring after eight years of service Public Safety Chief Phan Ngo will step down at the end of April after steering the city through its COVID-19 emergency response and bolstering community trust in the department City Manager Tim Kirby will appoint an interim chief while officials search for Ngo permanent replacement Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety is an integrated department “I feel very fortunate to have been in a position to serve alongside the men and women in this department who I am immensely amazed at the work they do,” Ngo told San José Spotlight “I would put them up against any police department or fire department in terms of the work they produce day in The community has been so welcoming to me and supportive of our officers since day one.” and before that he worked for the San Jose Police Department since 1989 His retirement caps 36 years in Silicon Valley law enforcement He said he pursued a career in law enforcement partly because of a conversation in one of his criminal justice classes at San Jose State University about the lack of Vietnamese American representation in law enforcement Ngo said he was given special assignments around the city’s Vietnamese American community which affected his philosophy of policing as community service He said it emphasized the importance of community policing and regularly engaging residents about their issues That focus helped Ngo begin and lead multiple community-centric programs once he got to Sunnyvale including the Public Safety Citizens Academy and Emergency Preparedness programs Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein said Ngo excelled in connecting with residents and maintaining community trust in the department especially during the 2020 nationwide pushes for police accountability in the wake of George Floyd’s death “I think he’s really led the organization well and ensured that Sunnyvale continues to be the safest city that we continue to have residents that really appreciate our Department of Public Safety,” Klein told San José Spotlight The next public safety chief will have to steer the department through multiple infrastructure projects, including renovating fire stations, and working on an analysis of the city’s need for paramedics political science or a related field and at least seven years in public safety Klein said he wants to find a chief with strong leadership skills who’s community-focused The Public Safety Officers Association ran an internal survey to see what its members want in a new chief The survey found officers are looking for someone to advocate for the department and frontline officers which was echoed by union President Devon Klein He also said the department needs to continue modernizing its technology pointing to the lack of data on medical responses “We’ve had our differences with Chief Ngo over the years but at the same time (we) commend him on his dedicated 36 years of service to the public and to the community,” he told San José Spotlight I can say we continuously worked to get past our differences to do what was best for the safety of Sunnyvale’s residents.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale public safety officers are optimistic a new study will find solutions to the city’s lack of paramedics The Sunnyvale City Council voted unanimously earlier this month to study expanding the city’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) to include city-operated paramedic services. The Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers Association raised the alarm last year about the city’s deficient paramedic support and proponents are relying on the study to provide much needed data — as well as solutions Sunnyvale doesn’t have separate police and fire departments Paramedics differ from EMTs in that they can apply more advanced procedures in dire medical emergencies Devon Klein, president of the Public Safety Officers Association, said the difference in care is vital during more extreme medical emergencies. Two paramedics are needed to transport a patient in an ambulance, and the county’s ambulances can be slow to respond Klein said the county’s response times and shortage of paramedics disproportionately affects Sunnyvale because other jurisdictions have paramedics on their first responder teams That’s why the city needs to look into other solutions “I’m thrilled that the city council listened to us enough to bring this forward for a study session,” Klein told San José Spotlight “It clearly shows they’re willing to look into this issue.” Santa Clara County contracts with American Medical Response for countywide ambulance services DPS Chief Phan Ngo said an agreement with the county and ambulance provider has given Sunnyvale two quick-response vehicles to respond to medical emergencies throughout the city Ngo said Sunnyvale residents have long wait times for ambulances “It’s worth studying,” Ngo told San José Spotlight but it’s worthwhile for the city to look into it and find some options or perhaps solutions to some of the challenges that we’ve been facing.” Ngo said the department doesn’t have specific data on the number of medical calls it receives but he hasn’t heard of a significant increase Sunnyvale has a population of approximately 151,000 residents who worked for the Palo Alto Fire Department for more than 30 years said while the city providing paramedics might not solve the issue of slow transport times paramedics can better stabilize patients while waiting for an ambulance “Hearing from our public safety officers as well as our residents this is an issue that has been there for some time now,” Mayor Larry Klein said “Understanding how we can augment what the county is currently providing making sure that we evaluate those response times and what are services that the city should be providing is part of that whole study and I think the sooner we get that study going Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X I live in San Jose but this article got my attention I had to call 911 and we had to wait around 30 minutes for an ambulance while fire stood by because they couldn’t leave until the paramedics came The paramedics told me they had to transport my husband to VMC because Kaiser does not have a trauma center You don’t know about these things until it happens to you I am glad Sunnyvale recognizes the problem and a big shout out to VMC staff You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Multiple Silicon Valley cities are raking in money for micro-transit programs which transit advocates say is critical for areas with sparser public transportation Sunnyvale has secured a roughly $4.2 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency to cover about half the cost of a micro-transit pilot program for at least five years beginning next year The grant would give the city nine electric vehicles It adds to a recent $500,000 VTA grant received by Cupertino and Santa Clara to support Silicon Valley Hopper a ride-share service where residents can call a car citywide and get to their destination for less than $5 The existing service is funded through fiscal year 2026-27 partially covered by a roughly $8.5 million state grant Sunnyvale has yet to choose a service operator but residents are hoping it selects SV Hopper to expand the service beyond its existing stop at the Caltrain station — something residents say would increase equity in cities with less VTA service Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein said he’s thrilled the city received the grant because he’s wanted a micro-transit service for years. He wants the program to aid underserved communities such as North Sunnyvale. “This provides an option for those disadvantaged in the community that don’t have good transportation,” he told San José Spotlight while it’s very good along El Camino Real and the Mathilda corridor former Sunnyvale Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission chair and resident for about 35 years He said the connectivity between all three cities is vital “This more on-demand service really fits,” he told San José Spotlight Sunnyvale and Santa Clara are designed around a normal transit agency just cannot service that well.” SV Hopper is thriving in Santa Clara and Cupertino which just received its first $1.1 million from the state grant The ride-share service has 13 electric cars chair of pedestrian and bike safety organization Walk-Bike Cupertino and resident for about 18 years said her son uses SV Hopper to get from De Anza College back to high school She said the service is a real asset for her 90-year-old father-in-law when he visits from Sweden “It was like magic because suddenly he’s mobile and it was wonderful because he didn’t have to wait for us to give him a ride anywhere,” she told San José Spotlight “That’s pretty amazing because it just gave him complete independence and freedom.” “I’m thrilled that the city is continuing to find resources for this,” he told San José Spotlight “This helps us reduce traffic and the vehicles are all EVs.” Klein said he’s delighted Sunnyvale will soon have a micro-transit program like Cupertino and Santa Clara regardless of whether it’s SV Hopper or another provider “Having a clean energy shuttle in our system and I’m looking forward to it actually being implemented and moving forward,” he said Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Will support research into chip design and industry-wide collaboration A second semiconductor R&D facility is planned for Sunnyvale the operator of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) announced last week that the state will house a CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility (DCF) In a statement the department said the facility will play an important role in advancing semiconductor design research and collaboration across the entire semiconductor supply chain the DCF will support research in chip design while also enabling collaboration between industry and government partners for the development of next-generation semiconductor technologies for use cases such as AI and 5G No information about how much funding has been allocated from the CHIPS and Science Act for the facility. That same week, $825 million in funding from the Act was awarded to NY Creates to establish an NSTC EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) Accelerator in Albany and dynamic semiconductor ecosystem,” said Deirdre Hanford “Surrounded by established companies and innovative startups leading research and academic institutions and stakeholders from across the semiconductor value chain the CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility in Sunnyvale will encourage and enable NSTC members to work together to address some of the most complex challenges we face as a nation and a world today.” The $280bn CHIPS and Science Act, was approved by Congress in July 2022 with $52bn of the overall funding package designated as subsidies for US semiconductor manufacturers Funding from the act has also been earmarked for semiconductor R&D and incentives for manufacturing chips and specialized tooling equipment Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump criticized the CHIPS and Science Act during a three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan saying that the government should have levied tariffs on the semiconductor industry instead of handing out grants and loans to chip companies Following that interview, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the Republican party “probably will” try to repeal the US CHIPS Act claiming he meant to say the party would instead “further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill - to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.” Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Homeless residents in Sunnyvale will be able to find local shelter from the elements this winter instead of going beyond city limits to get out of the cold The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a pilot program to book up to 10 hotel rooms at Extended Stay America Suites on Orleans Drive Homeless residents can take shelter from storms for up to 20 nights Participants will get two meals a day and can be connected to supportive services The program could launch as soon as next week and is expected to run until April Councilmember Alysa Cisneros has been pushing the city to launch a cold weather shelter since 2022. She said she’s glad to see it come to fruition this winter because it can save lives “We in Sunnyvale leadership should be ashamed of ourselves and understand our failure as leaders every time somebody dies on our streets,” Cisneros told San José Spotlight this is going to bring that mortality rate down immediately this winter.” Homeless people die every year from hypothermia hyperthermia and other ailments related to overexposure 190 homeless people have died in Santa Clara County according to the county coroner’s office Hotel rooms will become available when Santa Clara County officials declare an inclement weather event, such as when the National Weather Service announces a cold weather warning or during continuous rainfall. At that time, Sunnyvale’s homeless outreach team run by WeHOPE would prioritize getting people into hotel rooms The city budgeted $73,185 for this year’s program with about $12,000 in contingency funding in case more rooms are needed for more nights Homeless Services Manager Amanda Sztoltz said the city could consider making the program permanent if it’s successful Inclement weather programs run through a hotel are unusual Santa Clara County does not run a hotel program The Mountain View shelter has 30 beds and serves single women and families from Nov The shelter in Gilroy can serve up to 35 families and will be open from Dec San Jose has two overnight warming shelters with 30 beds each spokesperson for San Jose’s housing department 2 and will be open every night through April 30 Multiple homeless and formerly homeless residents spoke about their experiences at the council meeting said she had been homeless for 16 months and the hotel program could have provided relief “I appreciate the city’s newfound urgency on the issue of homelessness that we’ve seen We have seen a major shift in the city’s approach,” Councilmember Richard Mehlinger said “I’m really glad we’re adopting this program but I have to say that the need to do so speaks to failures at all levels of society and government Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] By: 5:00 am on October 21 Detailed plans have been shared for a new townhouse development at 1040-1060 East El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County The proposal will replace the Bell Plaza shopping center along the commercial thoroughfare with 46 apartments Los Angeles-based Balboa Retail Partners is responsible for the application 1040-1060 East El Camino Real landscaping site map The project will create seven structures with three six-plex and four seven-plex structures the project will create 107,200 square feet including 74,820 square feet of unit space and parking for 96 cars The rest of the site will be improved with around 26,830 square feet of landscaping area and 7,500 square feet of additional surface parking Apartment sizes will vary across the 46 units Seven will be designated as affordable housing to allow the developer to use the State Density Bonus programs and streamline the approval process Illustrations show the contemporary architectural style for multi-unit townhome structures with a sawtooth parapet above the bay windows to add emphasis to each unit The exterior will feature painted stucco and wood siding Balboa Retail oversees a portfolio of 86 properties across 21 states the company specializes in retail and strip mall locations The 2.2-acre parcel is located at the corner of El Camino Real and Henderson Avenue Demolition will be required for the existing single-story strip mall That whole plaza is mostly empty and useless Look at how much surface parking is nearby Many frequent shoppers to India Cash and Carry (the only high-volume retailer near there) can walk to and from if they live in this complex Who will live in all these apartments if companies are laying people off and people are leaving?? We still have a lot of pending backlog to fill these apartments rents will drop and folks can move to these and other newer apartments from those falling apart and still cost 3000$ a month Thank you for completing the form, here is your download: "+jQuery("body").attr("docName")+" Thank you for completing the form, here is the link to your on-demand webinar: On-Demand Webinar Link selected Hexagon’s public safety platform to upgrade and modernize its emergency dispatching capabilities speed response times and support major events and future growth Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety needed a modern next-generation computer-aided dispatch (CAD) solution to serve its growing population HxGN OnCall Dispatch and mobile field applications will bring new advanced response capabilities for the fully integrated public safety agency The department’s first responders are cross-trained as police officers firefighters and emergency medical technicians allowing them to provide services seamlessly across the community Hexagon’s mobile capabilities will equip responders in the field with greater situational awareness for any type of emergency they may face technology such as Hexagon’s will position our city to keep up with today’s data and digital communication demands and be scalable for future growth,” said Ava Fanucchi “Our next-generation 911 solutions will enable this high-tech community to provide the fastest possible response times and unparalleled situational awareness,” said Ben Ernst vice president and general manager of public safety “We’re proud to partner with Sunnyvale as they modernize and upgrade for the future.” For more about Hexagon’s public safety solutions, visit hxgnpublicsafety.com Copyright © 2025 Lexipol. All rights reserved.Do Not Sell My Personal Information TrendingCommercialSan FranciscoAFoxconn unit buys six office buildings in Sunnyvale for $128MIngrasys Technology USA pays an estimated $408 psf for 26-acre campus Ingrasys Technology USA has bought six buildings across 26.3 acres in Sunnyvale for an estimated $128 million The cloud infrastructure unit of Taiwan-based Foxconn purchased 313,700 square feet of flex offices at 1230, 1240, 1250, 1260, 1270 and 1280 East Arques Avenue, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported. The sellers were three affiliates of Menlo Park developer Lane Partners which bought the property in 2020 for an undisclosed sum The deal works out to an estimated $408 per square foot David Sesi and David Ross of JLL represented the buyer The previous tenants were reportedly various businesses of Fujitsu Electronics America which planned to convert the property into three single-story industrial buildings But then Lane decided to sell the property has not disclosed why Ingrasys bought the Sunnyvale campus said Ingrasys bought the campus to enhance operations and help meet customer demand “It’s a strategic investment into the AI ecosystem,” he told The Business Journal citing the land’s proximity to semiconductor manufacturers such as Nvidia Ingrasys, founded in 2002, designs and builds servers, IT storage systems, AI accelerators and data centers for companies such as Nvidia. It’s also an investor in other tech companies, including Los Altos-based Ramon Space The Foxconn firm has offices 2025 Gateway Place and 1768 Automation Parkway in San Jose Sunnyvale officials want to tighten traffic safety near Fair Oaks Park after multiple pedestrian deaths over the past six years Fair Oaks Avenue has become a top safety concern for residents and cyclists The heavily traveled road poses an immediate danger to pedestrians and bicycles with speeds up to 40 mph and limited crosswalks a vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian crossing Fair Oaks Avenue near the Columbia Avenue intersection Sunnyvale has had 11 fatal collisions between a vehicle and bicycle or pedestrian three of which have happened on Fair Oaks Avenue between Taylor and Ahwanee avenues District 5 Councilmember Richard Mehlinger who represents this stretch of Fair Oaks Avenue said the city needs to reconfigure the area for safety parks and other establishments line the street “A lot of the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on that street simply isn’t up to snuff,” Mehlinger told San José Spotlight “This poses a real accessibility barrier and a real safety challenge.” In 2023, Mehlinger introduced a study issue to redesign Fair Oaks Avenue but it was deferred due to lack of resources he reintroduced the same project in segments traffic circles and other safety features at three intersections along Fair Oaks Avenue: Balsam All six of his fellow councilmembers are cosponsoring the study which will be discussed in depth at the city’s Feb city employees have recommended deferring the study citing a lack of resources in the Department of Public Works Mehlinger said he hopes the signal study will be less of a lift compared to the full street redesign “Getting (these studies) prioritized and funded is going to be a lot of work but for now … the lowest hanging fruit is trying to get those intersections signalized,” he told San José Spotlight The stretch of Fair Oaks Avenue between Taylor and Ahwanee avenues is particularly dangerous There are few crosswalks that cross Fair Oaks Avenue and the street separates a large residential neighborhood from the newly renovated Fair Oaks Park Mehlinger said he often sees people jaywalk chair of the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor including La Linda board said she also sees a lot of jaywalking because residents in her neighborhood have to walk about half a mile to get to the nearest crosswalk at either Duane Avenue or Wolfe Road She said the speed limit on Fair Oaks Avenue ranges from 40 to 30 mph making it even more dangerous to bike on or cross without a signal who chairs the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission said Fair Oaks Avenue is one of the city’s most unsafe streets for cyclists and pedestrians with cars and bicycles sharing a lane for large stretches Fair Oaks Avenue has multiple unmarked crosswalks where the pedestrian has right of way but there are no signs or signals to slow cars down Beagle said these are particularly dangerous on streets with higher speed limits “The road needs to be designed with the behavior of people in mind but you can force infrastructure to conform to behavior,” Beagle told San José Spotlight “The number of public safety things for pedestrian and bicycles are far more predominant south of the train tracks than in the north,” she told San José Spotlight but we live on the wrong side of the train tracks.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X This is expected by cyclists and pedestrians as well as by motorists an activist planning effort especially if the bike lanes were hoped to be physically protected It’s also wrong to use protected bike lanes on other than arterials but also on arterials that feature many driveways The revised measure DPW 25-01 that was also delayed contains an oddity “traffic circles” instead of roundabouts at one or more intersection sites Traffic circles are small neighborhood street features and what may be considered are roundabouts Don’t government personnel know which is which Sensible planning begins with looking at the street in a non-activist way There are houses and some apartments along this; the street is so often residential if real instead of activist planning is sought of a conversion to a large or major collector featuring two wide through lanes (one in each direction) The bike lanes can be painted and made Class II since the roadway is larger than normal for collectors or residential streets so often or ordinarily getting Class III (Bike Route) designation now or it can be left Class III and no bike lanes painted or the right lane converted into parking edge lines or the edge where parking is marked as a shoulder Single lanes in each direction in a wide cross-section make roundabouts at intersections easier to implement (It would depend on what traffic would be like after reconfiguration Fair Oaks the main pair of legs and cross streets with less traffic on their legs leaving the city in better shape for whatever intersection treatments it wants and crosswalk treatments it wants which I favor being raised at least at the intersections but mid-block with HAWK is something else to add have flashing lights in the roadway or sides of the raised crosswalk while at it crosswalk lights for this purpose if it is legal there.) Left out of items to be done on this street including Class II bike lanes if city policy can be changed Aside from current city policy as it applies and for parking on the entire cross-section or altering the configuration some other way but the South Bay includes arterials through residential areas others that have plenty of housing along them as well as business districts and need slowing or traffic calming as a minimum sooner or later and changes to make it safer will be substantial if not radical You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Business Reports Community Profiles Governor’s Report Industry Focus Inside LiveXchange North American Focus Q&A Regional Focus Site Seekers’ Guide Special Reports The Last Word Workforce Focus Recent Issues Digital Back Issues Advertise EmailShareIn the second announcement of its kind in as many days, Sunnyvale, California has been selected as the CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility (DCF) The announcement was made today by the U.S The DCF will be one of three CHIPS for America research and design (R&D) facilities and will also operate as the headquarters for the NTSC and Natcast The DCF is expected to drive more than $1 billion in research funding and create more than 200 direct jobs over the next 10 years It will serve as the center for advanced semiconductor research in chip design and hardware security and will be integral to the country’s semiconductor workforce development efforts “The research and development component of the CHIPS and Science Act is fundamental to our long-term national security and ensuring the U.S remains the most technologically competitive place on earth,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo CHIPS for America is providing access to cutting-edge research and workforce opportunities to communities across the country Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership these new facilities will help secure America’s leadership in global semiconductor technology and manufacturing for decades to come.” (Image: Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian)The Heart Of The Silicon ValleySet within the semiconductor design ecosystem of Silicon Valley the Sunnyvale DCF is expected to be a multi-functional facility serving as a critical location for the operations of Natcast and the NSTC “The Newsom Administration and our partners across the industry know how important it is to shorten the timeframe from R&D to commercialization We are looking forward to a productive partnership with the Department of Commerce and Natcast to ensure that CHIPS for America will be an enduring success not only for our state but for the entire country.” California will encourage and enable NSTC members to work together to address some of the most complex challenges we face as a nation and a world today.” The expected facility will enable collaboration among industry leaders and government partners and build on the local and national ecosystem by providing convening space and initiatives developed through the NSTC Workforce Center of Excellence It will also provide NSTC members access to valuable physical and digital assets to develop next-generation semiconductor technologies for increasingly demanding end uses This sampling of hubs of innovation highlights locations where bright minds come together to create the future. Read more… “California continues to be a global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship translating fundamental research discoveries into foundational technologies,” said Theresa Maldonado Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of California Office of the President “The University of California is committed to working hand-in-hand with Natcast and the DCF on next generation semiconductor research and workforce development to ensure the U.S and the forthcoming CHIPS for America NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility Minnesota is attracting billions in high-impact investments—supercharging job creation and advanced manufacturing across the state Ohio’s technology-driven economy sees increased growth in the manufacturing sector and pioneering initiatives are attracting leading life sciences companies to establish roots in the state With a diverse economy built on industry-leading companies Minnesota is a place where the stars align — geography culture and institutions – to create an unmatched economic landscape See what leaders at Polar Semiconductor believe are the key benefits of doing business in Minnesota Talent Attraction – Engineering in ManufacturingLearn about high-paying careers in engineering and related fields in the manufacturing facilities of the Mount Rogers region in Virginia Doing Business in Minnesota, a Polar Semiconductor PerspectiveMinnesota is a place where the stars align — geography Doing Business in Minnesota, a Rosenbauer PerspectiveBusiness climate. Workforce. Innovation. Infrastructure. Quality of life. Minnesota consistently ranks high for the factors important to success.  Rosenbauer is the world’s leading manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. See what role being located in Minnesota plays in their unmatched success. Business Facilities is a leading full-service media brand specializing in the site selection marketplace Business Facilities has created a dynamic community for C-level executives and economic development organizations Group C MediaThe Galleria2 Bridge Avenue,Suite 231Red Bank 800.524.0337 Sunnyvale wants to replace a vacant Orchard Supply Hardware site with hundreds of new homes The Sunnyvale Planning Commission heard proposed plans on Jan 27 for a 5.24-acre development at 777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road which would include one 7-story building with 162 apartments and close to a dozen 3-story buildings with 80 condos The project will come back to the commission at a later date City planner Momo Ishijima said the developer plans to make the apartment building into 100% affordable housing and offer the condos at market rate Those plans will need City Council approval later in the project The city’s affordable housing guidelines mandate at least 15% of both the apartments and condos be affordable to people earning below the area median income that was $184,300 for a family of four in 2024 will apply for special permits to demolish the existing hardware store Developer representative Doug Rich said they’re excited about the project’s central location “One of the things that really excites us about the site is its proximity to amenities,” Rich said at the meeting “There are great amenities here in terms of retail and commercial and in terms of outdoor opportunities.” Sunnyvale has been bulking up housing near its downtown and Caltrain station over the past year. The Meridian Apartments opened last year offering 89 affordable apartments and townhomes and the Cityline developments have been slowly bringing hundreds more residents to the city Because the project meets state affordable housing requirements it is legally allowed one concession and unlimited waivers — meaning it doesn’t have to meet all of the city’s planning requirements some commissioners balked at the developer’s request for 17 waivers The project is zoned for 54 residences per acre but the development wants to reduce the number to 46.2 per acre Commissioner Michael Serrone expressed disappointment over the number of requested waivers and the project not meeting the maximum number of homes possible “In order to get these waivers, the developer should show they cannot meet the density without these waivers,” Serrone said at the meeting. “Of course we want the housing “We do want as many units as feasible on these sites … but we also want as many affordable units as we can get and that is a balancing act in terms of feasibility,” Commissioner Martin Pyne said “If we’re looking at getting the entire apartment complex being affordable units Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale leaders want to lower the anxiety levels of residents living in their vehicles through a widely supported solution: giving them a safe place to park The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a policy to allow safe vehicle parking sites in the city, with Councilmembers Alysa Cisneros and Omar Din absent. Safe parking sites are locations where homeless residents living in vehicles can park receive supportive services and access amenities Of Sunnyvale’s roughly 471 homeless residents about 147 or more than 30% live in their vehicles The policy outlines two types of safe parking sites — “small sites” for between two and 10 vehicles Large sites will need to be approved by the city Planning Commission and can be appealed to the city council Small sites can be approved by the city’s director of community development and don’t need council approval The city sought feedback from residents over the summer Sunnyvale Homeless Services Manager Amanda Sztoltz spoke with the people living in their vehicles and said their priorities for a safe parking site include 24/7 hours all but one said they would consider staying in a safe parking site Five said they would stay in one regardless of the rules it’s a place of last resort,” Sztoltz said at the meeting “To be able to get them the services (needed) to be able to get back on their feet is really powerful.” Sztoltz said the city will look for locations for a possible city-owned safe parking site as well as a nonprofit to operate the site She estimated the process will take about nine months A site with nine spaces might cost $518,000 between staffing and operating costs while a site with 30 spaces might cost $640,000 annually Councilmembers largely supported the policy impactful way to support the city’s homeless residents as well as address issues residents have raised about parked vehicles “I think that a really good program is one that has wide community support that staff has researched (and) gone the extra and it is seen in the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of this,” Councilmember Linda Sell said “I support this wholeheartedly and I can’t wait to see it open.” nonprofit leaders and advocates spoke in support of the policy Helping Hands Silicon Valley co-founders Alpana Agarwal and Pratima Gupta said it would have a big impact on the city’s homeless residents councilmembers approved a potential grant for groups that want to offer safe parking to cover one-time startup costs like installing showers or bathrooms Leong said the pandemic halted MOVE Mountain View’s own plans to start a similar grant program “To see it resurrected here was amazing to me because nobody else has been able to do it,” Leong told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale officials prioritize certain projects Some projects made it over the finish line this year such as a new mobile application for city services Here’s how the list stands at the end of 2024 and what’s rolling into 2025: The city placed a high priority on expanding its homeless support services. Sunnyvale hired a full time homeless services manager, who’s moved multiple projects forward, including an approved safe parking site policy for people living in vehicles While Sunnyvale has made strides in the homeless sector it still needs to finalize an emergency family shelter in the city It also wants to identify a safe parking site in 2025 The city was more aggressive in approving affordable housing, with multiple projects moving forward this year. On the flip side, the city’s guaranteed basic income program was paused due to lack of funding It’s ready to launch once funds are identified City officials wanted to use a general obligation bond to pay for public library renovations, but it failed to reach the 66.6% approval threshold in November city leaders are optimistic about renovating Sunnyvale’s main library and finding other funding The library is the second part of a three-phase plan to modernize the city’s civic center. The first phase was Sunnyvale’s new city hall that opened in 2023 The final phase will be a new public safety building Construction has already begun on the city’s second public library — the Lakewood Branch Library, located in North Sunnyvale, a historically underserved Residents say the new library will provide much needed resources and community space to the neighborhood The branch library is expected to open by the end of 2025 Sunnyvale’s downtown, sandwiched between the Caltrain station and civic center, has been transformed into an entertainment destination. Cityline developments are nearing completion and have been bringing in new residents and retailers This past year, the city council approved concept plans to turn the historic Murphy Avenue downtown block into a permanent pedestrian mall along with some highly anticipated housing projects Residents, however, are apprehensive about the planned installation of a new pedestrian path and bike lane on Tasman Drive. The city council is expected to take up the issue in early 2025 To see the city’s full list of policy priorities or to find more information on projects, see the city’s study issue site Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale could have a new City Council and mayor next year with multiple seats up for election come November Four seats on the Sunnyvale City Council will be on the ballot — the mayor and council districts 2 District 4 Councilmember Russ Melton is terming out and challenging Mayor Larry Klein for his job District 6 Councilmember Omar Din did not file for reelection leaving three candidates vying for his seat In late September the candidates attended a San José Spotlight forum where they discussed housing City voters will also weigh in on two ballot measures. Measure E is a $290 million general obligation bond to rebuild the Sunnyvale Public Library The renovations will include expanding community areas and event space seismic retrofitting and modernizing the library’s facilities and electricity systems will be levied at a rate of $27 per $100,000 assessed value Measure F asks voters to make changes to the city charter namely using gender neutral pronouns and adjusting the number of council meetings annually from two every month to 24 throughout the year It would also remove the citizenship requirement to serve on city boards and commissions Here’s a roundup of Sunnyvale’s candidates: is the city’s first mayor elected by voters the position was decided by councilmembers He served as mayor for two other years while sitting on council Before being elected to the city council in 2016 he served on the city’s Planning Commission for nine years but we are handcuffed to a certain degree by that 20-year plan We don’t start a lot of programs,” Klein told San José Spotlight “I’m happy to see the city is being a little more forward thinking and trying to do things faster and better than what they did before it’s continuing to keep moving the city in the right direction.” The city is working on safe vehicle parking policies, which Klein prioritized in his first run for mayor. He also wants the city to join the Silicon Valley Hopper ride-share program which already operates in Cupertino and Santa Clara Klein is an advocate for increasing affordable housing in the city, and said he wants to continue work on the housing expansion at Moffett Park He worked on the city’s plan to add 20,000 homes to the region when he sat on the planning commission and now wants to see the plans for a walkable neighborhood Melton but he wants to keep serving Sunnyvale — as mayor Melton was first elected to the city council in 2016 and served on the planning commission for four years before then He also chairs the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission a state-mandated agency that oversees cities in the county’s urban development and said he’s proud of the organization’s efficiency Melton also plans on increasing resources allocated to the city’s Department of Public Safety He said the city’s officers are overworked clocking a combined 80,000 hours of overtime annually across about 200 officers He plans on hiring seven more officers and assembling a burglary suppression unit to curb property crimes across the city overworked officers,” Melton told San José Spotlight “What you want is officers with good physical health good work-life balance and opportunity to get sufficient rest because that job is so critical and so difficult.” Melton said he wants to establish a safe vehicle parking program He also plans on hiring more city employees to better maintain services as the city’s population grows and would focus on maintaining existing city infrastructure like the city’s sidewalks and sewer systems bordered by the Caltrain tracks in the north and El Camino Real in the south the city’s downtown and Washington Park Incumbent Alysa Cisneros is running against former Councilmember Jim Davis wants more people to get involved in local policy making Along with representing District 2 since 2021 she teaches political science at De Anza College where she encourages her students to engage in local government On council, she has pushed the city to expand its services for homeless residents and improve metrics on those services’ success. She also advocated for the permanent closure of Murphy Avenue, which was turned into a pedestrian mall in 2023 and for the city to pursue safe vehicle parking Cisneros wants to continue working on improving the city’s housing approval process and quality of life for residents downtown “Voters can go back over four years and see how I think about issues and I am comfortable letting my work over the last four years speak for me,” Cisneros told San José Spotlight “I encourage them to go and ask the same of my opponent … I encourage voters to base their decision on that because you are very fortunate to not have unknowns here.” said he wants to jump back into the elected office after hearing complaints from residents that his opponent has been difficult to reach Davis said he enjoys engaging with constituents even while not on the dias He’s a professional Santa Claus who has donned the red coat for downtown Sunnyvale’s Christmas tree lighting for the past 10 years Davis wants to prioritize listening to residents’ concerns and plans on holding monthly community meetings. He wants the city to move faster on creating a safe parking site to get RVs off residential streets. He suggested the city acquire the former Orchard Supply Hardware on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road for safe parking. He also wants to ensure the city’s money is spent efficiently on services adding he wants to expand the city’s public safety budget “We can immediately start safe parking there and tear down the building and start building low-cost housing in there and just build that out as it goes but nobody seems to want to move forward,” Davis told San José Spotlight “We just let everything happen and we react to it rather than be active.” It’s bordered by Central Expressway in the north and Homestead Road in the south Wolfe Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in the west and Lawrence Expressway in the east It encompasses Peterson Middle School and the Lawrence Caltrain Station is running an uncontested race for District 4 Chang is the government and community affairs officer at San Mateo County Transit District and she’s previously worked for Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and state Assemblymember Alex Lee Chang said her priorities include keeping Sunnyvale residents safe emphasizing the importance of pedestrian and cyclist safety She also wants to increase pedestrian safety at major intersections and roads Affordable housing is another primary focus and she wants to find ways to streamline the city’s backlog of projects and speed up the process “I’ve been more comfortable being the behind the scenes person but it was a lot of friends and supporters pushing me (to run),” Chang told San José Spotlight ‘You’re the one who understands how it works you can do more with the role where you can be that advocate and help people directly.’ I do really appreciate the constituent services aspect of it.” Its southern borders are Central Expressway and Highway 101 It encompasses Moffett Park and the Sunnyvale Baylands County Park Councilmember Omar Din did not file for reelection Sunnyvale School District Trustee Eileen Le and finance analyst Richard Lesher are vying for the job She filed to run when she saw that District 6’s seat was open and thought it would be a good opportunity to throw her hat into the ring Blau said she didn’t have any platforms at first but developed some after listening to her neighbors One of her priorities will be preventing the closure of New Wing Yuan Market which sits on a lot the city has marked for potential mixed-use redevelopment of housing and retail The developer’s proposal slashes the lot’s retail space leaving residents worried that North Sunnyvale could become a food desert She also wants to limit the use of non-recyclable plastic and develop fair rent policies for mobile home communities “I volunteered on political campaigns before I’ve always been curious about it,” Blau told San José Spotlight so I’ve had life changes that made me realize maybe I want to do something with my life that’s not just work for the man.” wants to focus on better accessibility for those who are disabled and greater equity on the city council With the city planning to build 20,000 more homes in Moffett Park Le wants the city to be strategic with how it adds resources in District 6 Le said she wants to improve pedestrian and bike access and increase public transit noting that seniors trying to get from their homes in North Sunnyvale sometimes have to walk a mile to the nearest bus stop Le said her experience on the school board has shown her how governing bodies operate and has made her think more about the community’s overall health Having more after-school activities options will improve public safety especially for those living in North Sunnyvale “District 6 is like the local equivalent of flyover country,” Le told San José Spotlight why are there no coffee shops?’ It needs to change and you need someone on the dias talking about that.” Lesher has ample experience with managing finances a skill he hopes to bring to the city council while representing District 6 He decided to run after comparing his qualifications with other councilmembers and not feeling represented by outgoing Din said he wants the city’s plans to develop Moffett Park to move forward faster He said the Moffett Park redevelopment could provide an opportunity to add services in North Sunnyvale since there are few grocery stores and no pharmacies “Housing and accessibility are the big things,” Lesher told San José Spotlight “I’m not proposing any new grand ideas for housing let’s execute what we said we’re going to do.’” He also said he wants to allocate resources toward hiring a paramedic in the city. The Department of Public Safety is integrated, meaning every officer is trained as a police officer, firefighter and emergency medical technician. Still, the city lacks its own paramedic support and instead relies on the county’s ambulance services Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X They have a solid group of elected officials You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128. | All donations are tax-deductible Shuttered electronics chain sites slated to become tech, manufacturing, R&D hubs. According to documents filed this month in Santa Clara County tech giant Applied Materials has closed on a $100M deal to acquire the 13.6-acre site of a 152K SF big-box Fry's Electronics store at 1077 East Arques Avenue in Sunnyvale The premium purchase by Applied Materials is the latest addition in a five-year acquisitions binge that has seen the Santa Clara-based semiconductor equipment maker spend nearly $400M to buy or lease properties encompassing two dozen buildings and an estimated 2M SF along a four-mile stretch near Central Expressway in east Sunnyvale and North Santa Clara which include a tech campus formerly leased to Apple on East Arque Avenue that was purchased by Applied Materials in 2019 for $100.9M are expected to be part of the company's plan for a massive complex of facilities devoted to semiconductor process innovation and commercialization which makes the machines that make silicon wafers measured in molecular nanometers announced last year it plans to build a $4B research facility known as the EPIC Center on its Santa Clara campus is short for "equipment and process innovation and commercialization." The facility will enable chip manufacturers and academic researchers to test new chip designs on a production line with the most advanced equipment With cleanroom space the size of three football fields planned for the facility competing semiconductor manufacturers will be able to conduct research in separate sections of the center at the same time The EPIC facility will rival the Albany NanoTech Complex at SUNY Poly's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as the most advanced chip-design research facility in North America tapping into Northern California's leading research universities Sterling Organization filed plans to convert a former Fry's Electronics store in Fremont into an advanced manufacturing and tech research facility The West Palm Beach-based firm bought the store site at 43800 Osgood Avenue in June for about $38M Sterling plans to fully renovate the 143,800K SF big-box building and expand it with a new façade and a 7,500 SF mezzanine a rising info tech firm with revenue of more than $7B acquired a 20-acre site for $80M in North San Jose that was the iconic headquarters of Fry's Electronics a landmark consumer store known for its Mayan-themed décor Super Micro bought the site from an affiliate of Bay West Development along with entitlements from the city that will allow it to build a 1.9M SF office campus Bay West received approval from the San Jose Planning Commission in January 2023 to build a cluster of seven eight-story office buildings on the site of the electronics store at 550 East Brokaw Road near the 1-880 interchange Also approved were two parking facilities encompassing 1.6M SF and the developer tapped Newmark to market the property for industrial or light manufacturing use The existing structures at the site encompass 294K SF including a warehouse and office that served as the corporate headquarters for Fry's and the San Jose SaberCats arena football team Super Micro signaled that it intends to follow through on the original plan to demolish the structures and replace them with a huge tech office campus A former Fry's Electronics store in Concord is now operating as the Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park Campbell Bintang Badminton and The Hub Pickleball are operating at a former Fry's store in Campbell Multifamily and lodging saw "substantial increases," according to Trepp and continued unpredictable actions will likely negatively affect performance The food and beverage category has accounted for a 27% share of all store-based retail sales for over two years Leveling Up: Choosing the Best Renters Insurance Partner for Your Multifamily Housing Portfolio Picking the right renters insurance can be a headache This guide will help you find the perfect partner for your multifamily properties so you can boost resident participation and lower your risk Browse More Resources › The Return to Office: Recovery Still Underway Are you noticing unexpected shifts in office occupancy and commuter behavior This report reveals how evolving work patterns are challenging CRE brokers and offers crucial Discover a detailed analysis of office visit fluctuations real-world examples to inform strategic decisions and actionable metrics to guide client advising The State of Commercial Property Management Technology in 2025 Commercial property teams are navigating changing times where technology plays a crucial role in operations based on insights from 370 industry professionals and opportunities for CRE technology adoption in 2025 / For questions about GlobeSt.com, please call 800-458-1734 (9:00am-5:30pm ET, Monday through Friday, except holidays), or send an email to [email protected] By: 5:30 am on September 22 The Sunnyvale Planning Commission has unanimously approved plans for a six-story mixed-use development at 1027 and 1035 West El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County. The project will provide independent and assisted living units next to a three-story, 52-bed convalescent hospital. Solana Beach-based PMB The 75-foot tall senior housing structure will yield around 203,500 square feet Parking is included for 172 cars and 99 bicycles The ground-level space will consist of retail and an amenity fitness center The two buildings will be separated by an internal driveway connecting West El Camino Real to West Olive Avenue The 59-foot tall hotel will yield around 63,000 square feet WATG is the project architect for the senior living and San Diego-based Material Design Architects is overseeing the hospital design Both buildings will be wrapped with stucco The landscaping scheme provides a comprehensive ground-level improvement with planters A dining terrace will provide residents a place to have meals outside across from Olive Street or on the sheltered second-level amenity deck Additional outdoor amenity decks will provide entertainment spaces on levels three and six 1027-1035 West El Camino Real aerial view from over the ECR Demolition will be required for two existing auto sales buildings The 2.4-acre property is located along El Camino Real Future residents will be close to two grocery stores The Sunnyvale Caltrain Station is just under two miles away and can be reached in 24 minutes by bus or 11 minutes by bicycle PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS YOU TAKE SENIOR HOUSING APPLICATION Thanks for finally writing about > Senior Housing & Hospital Approved for 1027-1035 West El Camino Real Sunnyvale – San Francisco YIMBY roulette online Sunnyvale voters are on track to reelect Mayor Larry Klein and fill two open City Council seats with women of color As of 4:58 p.m. on Friday, Klein is leading with 72.9% of the vote Councilmember Russ Melton is trailing with 27.1% of the vote Melton is terming out of his District 4 council seat and Charlsie Chang ran unopposed to replace him The county’s voter turnout is about 53.9% and more than 565,000 ballots have been cast As of Friday there are 238,000 ballots left to be counted The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters which counts votes for ballots county-wide does not have a breakdown of votes by city yet has served as mayor since 2018 and was the city’s first mayor elected by voters in 2020 He said networking is a key component of being mayor as building relationships with other leaders can help bring new ideas or programs to Sunnyvale He also centered his work toward starting a citywide shuttle service and increasing affordable housing in Sunnyvale He said his overwhelming lead means voters support his leadership in City Hall it’s being ready now to just get back to work and do the job of mayor for another four years,” Klein told San José Spotlight Councilmember Alysa Cisneros is heading for a reelection Challenger Jim Davis has received 31.6% of the vote Cisneros, 37, was first elected to the council in 2020 and has been pushing for Sunnyvale to expand and better measure its services for homeless residents She previously said voters could look at her track record over her past council term to see what to expect in the future served on the city council from 2012 to 2016 and said he was encouraged to run after hearing complaints from residents that his opponent has been difficult to reach leaving an open race for his seat in District 6 Sunnyvale School District Trustee Eileen Le is leading with 54.7% of the vote She is tailed by finance analyst Richard Lesher with 30.2% of the vote and software engineer Beverly Blau by 15.1% of the vote Le, 37, said she wanted to bring greater equity to the city council. She also wants to be strategic with how resources are added to North Sunnyvale, especially with the city’s plans to add about 20,000 more homes to Moffett Park She said she feels good about the first rounds of results It’s my turn to put my faith in them to see how it shakes out,” Le told San José Spotlight wanted to bring his experience managing finances to the council He wanted to focus on the city’s plans to develop Moffett Park and speed it up to increase housing and other amenities in North Sunnyvale Sunnyvale voters also decided on two measures — one to fund a new public library and another that would have made adjustments to the city charter Neither look to be passing as of Wednesday a $290 million general obligation bond to rebuild and renovate the Sunnyvale Public Library has 58.6% approval and needs 66.6% to pass Measure F has 37.3% approval and needs more than 50% to pass It would have changed the charter’s language to be gender neutral adjusted the way city council meetings are scheduled and allowed non-citizen Sunnyvale residents to sit on city boards and commissions Klein said the city council will have to return to both of these topics especially to look for other ways to finance rebuilding the library Klein said they are probably failing due to a lack of community outreach on the issues “I thought these were three relatively minor changes when it really came down to it and I think that there wasn’t an active campaign to educate residents,” Klein told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X functioning local government system and the elected officials really seem to understand their constituents priorities and do their jobs accordingly Good luck to the Mayor during his 2nd term – and the entire Sunnyvale community You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] ‘Top Chef’ and ‘Iron Chef’ star Stephanie Izard debuts her new Sunnyvale spot on March 31 The menu zigzags across different types of cuisines and utilizes locally grown produce for a mix of dishes filled with “bold globally inspired flavors,” per a Valley Goat press release Fans of Izard’s restaurants may spy a few familiar dishes from those spaces such as the goat- and veggie-stuffed empanadas with a “limey” dressing with huacatay expect new creations from Izard that continue her focus on pulling culinary ideas from all corners of cooking Disco fries here get the surprising addition of pork sausage and pickled jalapeños; spiced fish tostadas made with cod; and “spicy handroll” dip made with tuna and hamachi or biscuits with pimiento cheese punched up with chile crunch such as the wood-fired sprouted cauliflower and whole branzino and the restaurant will have brunch offerings on the weekend Valley Goat (1100 North Mathilda Avenue, Sunnyvale) debuts Monday, March 31, and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with brunch on the weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are available via SevenRooms By: 5:30 am on January 19 Detailed plans have been published for a new six-unit development on a wide lot at 640 Lakehaven Drive in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County The low-density project will bring six two-story homes to an acre-wide lot Saratoga-based GSJ & 2LLC is listed as the property owner rendering by Robert Becker for SDG Architecture The project will reshape the one-acre property with six two-story homes. Each structure includes a two-car garage and rear yard. The middle of the lot will feature a small triangle parklet for residents with landscape architecture by R3 Studios SDG Architects is responsible for the design Illustrations show contemporary-style homes wrapped with cement fiber panels and a mix of sloped single-pitch and butterfly-style rooftops The site is located next to Highway 101 on the southwest edge of the Lakewood neighborhood The property had been built as early as 1939 with the Lakehaven Apartments The site was destroyed by a fire in late 2019 and demolished in 2021 The existing application was submitted in March of 2023 City records show the property last sold in 2016 for $3.4 million and was listed for sale in late October of last year for $5.8 million By: 5:00 am on January 27 A new large-scale residential project has been proposed for development at 777 Saratoga Road in Sunnyvale The project proposal includes the redevelopment of a commercial site to a residential complex featuring a seven-story apartment building and three-story townhomes Studio T Square is responsible for the designs 777 Saratoga Road Apartments via Studio T Square The project site spans an area of 5.24 acres The project requires the subdivision of the existing parcel into 19 lots The scope of work includes the redevelopment of a commercial site to an 80-unit three-story townhouses and 162-unit seven-story apartment development 777 Saratoga Road Townhomes via Studio T Square A project review meeting has been scheduled for today, January 27, 2025 at 07 pm, details of joining can be found here The estimated construction timeline has not been revealed yet That empty parking lot from a shuttered Orchard Supply has been unused for the better part of a decade And the proposal for housing is only being reviewed now Good location and a tremendous improvement over the existing commercial uses and parking lot Townhomes are a nice addition for families This needs to be built right now..Cant imagine why we waited so long for development of such prime real estate interconnected neighborhoods could come up short with advocates worried that vital retail services will be slashed City officials have identified seven aging shopping centers with a variety of grocery stores and restaurants throughout the city that are considered underutilized is to redevelop them for mixed-use housing and retail that could include grocery stores Out of the seven village centers, the city is reviewing two proposals for North Sunnyvale — one for the Lakewood Shopping Center and the other for Fair Oaks Plaza. North Sunnyvale is a historically underserved and officials and advocates worry the projects won’t include enough retail space to support the surrounding residents Sunnyvale spokesperson Jennifer Garnett said city planners are still reviewing the proposals to ensure they conform to development standards they will go to the Planning Commission for approval The 2019 state law Senate Bill 330 limits the city’s ability to deny projects While some advocates want the city to institute objective design standards for the centers the state’s density bonus laws could allow housing developers to skip retail space “The state has done a lot of things to make it really difficult for cities to deny housing applications,” Sunnyvale City Attorney Rebecca Moon said at a recent council meeting “All I can say is we’re looking very hard at all of our options to preserve retail North Sunnyvale resident Peggy Shen Brewster said removing retail could further marginalize area residents and it’s going to become even more so with three less markets,” Brewster told San José Spotlight Not only would the grocery stores be removed the redevelopment would also remove local restaurants in both shopping centers which Brewster said are important community gathering spaces “I don’t want this to be another instance where we couldn’t pull through for North Sunnyvale but we did it for the rest of the community,’” Brewster told San José Spotlight The proposals consist of a series of townhomes location is expected to include 62 townhouses and the 1119 Lawrence Expressway location has plans for 95 townhouses 16 accessory dwelling units and about 36,605 square feet of commercial space two more have already been approved by the city The village centers are zoned for 18 units per square acre which Councilmember Richard Mehlinger said is too low to properly support mixed-use developments He said the city is considering increasing the zoned density to better facilitate retail spaces in the other village centers Mehlinger couldn’t speak on the two proposals because of their quasi-judicial nature but said it’ll be important to consider the proposals with an open mind He added that North Sunnyvale has a history of lacking certain services and spaces for residents to gather such as coffee shops in the parts of his district north of the train tracks “North Sunnyvale has really been underserved by amenities like retail for a very long time and the village center proposal was originally intended to help rectify that,” Mehlinger told San José Spotlight what we’re seeing is we’re seeing a real risk that what retail we do have The city has been making plans to add resources in North Sunnyvale, including a branch library but residents still have to travel extra distances to receive things like pharmaceuticals Brewster said she travels about two miles to get to her pharmacy on El Camino Real frequents a Walmart pharmacy located in Santa Clara a member of advocacy group Livable Sunnyvale said redevelopment of these retail spaces will disrupt some of the area’s only community spaces She pointed out that these aging retail spaces are likely to have cheaper rent so they’re easier for small business owners to afford “It’s not the same retailers that are going to be in the same space It’s not a mom and pop,” Rubino told San José Spotlight all of those restaurants would disappear.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X So the 500 or so new housing across the street wasn’t enough The state aims to please developers with a mentally strained ideology as a related rationalization (that’s irrational) Sunnyvale needs to add more housing units as follows this RNHD/RHNA cycle: added to city’s future housing plans https://abag.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2022-12/Final%20RHNA%20Methodology%20Report%202023-2031_update_11-22.pdf this article is about a concern expressed before with the new housing that is being planned and some of which is coming to the Bay Area like others be it according to new zoning or without city zoning conformance or approval This situation is occurring in most Bay Area cities where housing is a more profitable use of the land than retail and Santa Clara are all losing retail businesses due to State laws that have been designed to enrich developers at the expense of residents so every piece of land doesn’t get used for the most profitable use with the property owner and developer reaping huge financial benefits while the residents suffer from food and retail deserts If there is any upside it’s that the developments will be townhouses and not apartments or condos which is what we are seeing throughout the region 18 units per acre is an appropriate density since high-density housing projects are being abandoned by developers throughout the Bay Area due to the glut of empty properties There is really only one solution to this process of slamming housing into every developable lot in Sunnyvale and that is to get a proposition onto state ballot to repeal the state mandates for housing plans and number of units that communities are obligated to build The developer’s remedy is a terrible idea that just shoves more unwelcome housing into the wrong places and rewards only the developers with legal rights to jam it through… There have been plans for such a ballot measure for several years, see https://ourneighborhoodvoices.com/ It takes a huge amount of money to do signature gathering then you have to run a campaign against opposition with essentially unlimited money─developers one state Assembly member once explained why trying to do ballot measures is such a losing proposition (no pun intended) First you spend several million dollars gathering signatures Then you spend another ten million dollars on a campaign where you are outspent by the opposition 10 to 1 and are likely to lose I could be wrong but as I recall Taj Mahal location was a Mexican supermarket before it became the Taj Mahal Send in the wrecking ball and let the free market do what it does You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] Sunnyvale will have a new outreach team assisting its homeless residents after scrutinizing the city’s previous provider The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved a more than $900,000 one year contract with homeless service provider WeHOPE earlier this month 1 and includes a five person outreach team and the organization’s Dignity on Wheels program that provides mobile shower and laundry services It also includes five hotel rooms at an Extended Stay America Suites for homeless individuals engaged with the outreach team WeHOPE President Pastor Paul Bains said he looks forward to the partnership noting city officials are actively looking for ways to support the homeless population “Where there is a need and where there are resources to do something we would want to work with that particular city or that particular county,” Bains told San José Spotlight Councilmembers are enthusiastic about the partnership and this contract’s features Councilmember Alysa Cisneros said the increased service level will be life changing for the city’s unhoused residents and I really like some of the things that were said that we’re better together,” Councilmember Linda Sell said at the meeting “I just think this is a wonderful start of a relationship with WeHOPE and Sunnyvale.” explained the metrics that the city will use to measure the contract’s effectiveness the contract allows for the mobile shower and laundry unit to be parked at two locations in Sunnyvale with each location expected to serve at least 25 people every month The contract with HomeFirst ends on Sept. 30 leaving a month of overlap for WeHOPE’s incoming outreach team to work alongside the outgoing team “We help other people excel,” he told San José Spotlight It’s everyone who wants to participate in the process.” During the public comment portion of the meeting Sunnyvale Community Services Executive Director Marie Bernard highlighted WeHOPE’s Dignity on Wheels mobile unit after the city hosted an event at Trinity Church with a variety of service providers that came to assist unhoused residents “Getting a shower and having clean clothes is a basic need Having other nonprofits offering services and outreach at the mobile shower site is a powerful combination,” Bernard told San José Spotlight “This shows that our city and our community care.” Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] KRON4 Read more: https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/sunnyvale-jewelry-store-employee-chases-off-ram-raid-suspects-with-firearm-suspects-sought-video/ KRON4's Lindsey Ford reports: https://www.kron4.com/?p=2158697&preview=true Made in the Bay Area and being shown on the big screen local filmmakers discuss being featured at SFFilm Festival this year Video shows aftermath of tree crushing San Francisco parklet One man is in jail and another was hospitalized after a seemingly random attack in the Castro on Easter Three people are dead and three more are hospitalized with serious injuries after a Volkswagen Tiguan hit a tree on San Geronimo Valley Road just west of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard shortly before 7:30 p.m San Francisco Fire Department firefighters rescued an injured dog and an uninjured person from a cliffside along Mile Rock Trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Thursday afternoon Bay Area photographer Lani Tinio shared a timelapse of the Moon rising over the Bay Bridge on Sunday with KRON4 and there is no shortage of activities going on around the Bay Area KRON4 Chief Meteorologist Lawrence Karnow has 4 Fun Things going on this weekend The Sunnyvale City Council is about to see a demographic shift that will make its representation more reflective of the city’s population and about half the population is Asian American The city council hasn’t had a female majority since the 1990s Vice Mayor Robin Parker and Councilmembers Frances Rowe and Barbara Waldman served the more you can be reflective of the wider community and then your decisions will be representative of that diversity,” Sell told San José Spotlight She said switching to district elections made running for city council more accessible and is likely the reason the city’s elected officials have been more diverse in the past few years Making elections more accessible helped the city reach multiple demographic milestones Not only was Sell the first Asian American woman on the city council when voters elected her in 2022 Srinivasan also became the first Indian American on the council that year Le said she hopes the shift on the council can be beneficial in multiple ways which is the predominant age demographic in Sunnyvale This lends itself to various policy priorities as Le said she wants to help make the city more accessible to families “There’s a demographic shift within my district (at) the mobile home parks I live near but that shifted to include families somewhat recently,” Le told San José Spotlight “We do need to make this a place where families can thrive and (for) people of all ages.” Klein said he expects the next council to continue the city’s trend toward more progressive policies especially compared to priorities when he was first elected He hopes the increased diversity will bring ideas for how to improve the city and support residents from more perspectives Chang said although councilmembers have different expertise because Sunnyvale’s already been leading in a lot of these issues but in other ways we might want to push faster,” Chang told San José Spotlight Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X You must be logged in to post a comment 408.206.5327[email protected] KQED Live EventsPRX Podcast Garage EventsEvents Around the Bay AreaMember Benefits with KQED LiveVideos from KQED LiveWatch recordings of recent KQED Live events FeaturedThat's My WordAn ongoing exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from this month’s KQED 9 Watch recordings of recent KQED Live events Support KQED by using your donor-advised fund to make a charitable gift Results are a combination of data provided by the Associated Press (AP) and county election offices. The AP calls winners by analyzing vote tallies and other election data Check marks are used to denote a winner only when the AP calls a race the second-largest city in Santa Clara County will directly elect their mayor for only the second time as the city previously appointed mayors from the City Council including a potential doubling of the housing stock to 100,000 homes over two decades but largely has similar responsibilities as other council members: voting on city ordinances the mayor has broader powers to sign or veto bills oversee city departments and make appointments Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Sunnyvale saw less than a quarter of the needed homes built for people earning low and very low incomes from 2015–2023 the city is charged with completing more than 4,500 such homes by 2031 Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety is unique in that it combines police The department is fully staffed with about 200 officers currently do you want to make to the DPS if elected as mayor The city has recently hired a homeless services manager How well do you think the city has done in its efforts to support its hundreds of unhoused residents and what would you do to further address this issue including a revamping of its Moffett Park area on the northern end of the city do you have about the city’s trajectory over the next 20 years To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. See results for all elections on the Santa Clara County ballot Have a correction? Contact voterguide@kqed.org.