Cupertino, California, Vallco Town Center Development, Measure D (November 2016)

• Text of measure
  • Ballot question
  • Impartial analysis
• Support
  • Official argument
• Opposition
  • Official argument
• Path to the ballot
• See also
  • External links
  • Footnotes
• More
  • Local ballot measures
  • State ballot measures
  • Local politics

Measure D: Cupertino Vallco Town Center Development
The basics
Election date:
November 8, 2016
Status:
d Defeated
Topic:
Local zoning, land use and development
Related articles
Local zoning, land use and development on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Santa Clara County, California ballot measures
See also
Cupertino, California

A measure to enact the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan was on the ballot for Cupertino voters in Santa Clara County, California, on November 8, 2016. The measure was defeated.

A yes vote was a vote in favor of enacting the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan, which allows office and residential development and competes with another initiative, Measure C.

A no vote was a vote against enacting the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan, which allows office and residential development and competes with another initiative, Measure C.

Election results

Measure D
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		12,790	54.83%
Yes		10,536	45.17%

Election results from Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters

Text of measure

Ballot question

The following question appeared on the ballot:

“

Shall an initiative be adopted enacting the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan for the 58-acre Vallco Shopping District Special Area requiring residential (approximately 389-800 units, including approximately 20% senior housing), office (2,000,000 sf), commercial (640,000 sf), hotel, park, civic/educational uses; requiring funding/community benefits for transportation (approximately $30,000,000), schools (approximately $40,000,000), green roof (approximately 30 acres), recycled water; granting initial entitlements; establishing development standards and limited future approval process; and making related Cupertino General Plan and Municipal Code amendments?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Cupertino City Attorney:

“	Measure D was placed on the ballot by a petition signed by the requisite number of voters. If approved, Measure D would adopt the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan and make related amendments to the Cupertino General Plan and Municipal Code. Together, the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan, General Plan amendments, and Municipal Code amendments would govern development within the 58-acre Vallco Shopping District Special Area, the majority of which is currently occupied by the Vallco Shopping Mall. Specifically, the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan would: Establish permitted land uses, including: Residential: 389 units (up to approximately 800 units, with a conditional use permit); Office: 2,000,000 sf (minimum 100,000 sf for incubator, cowork, or multi-tenant space); Commercial: 640,000 sf (minimum of 600,000 sf retail, entertainment, and personal services; up to 40,000 sf may be fitness); Hotel: 339 rooms (148 already approved by the City); Public/Civic: Minimum 50,000 sf (may be increased to 100,000 sf if office space reduced commensurately); Open Space/Parks: 30-acre green roof, accessible to public, with at least 3.8 miles of public trails, and two "town squares" comprising at least 3 acres. Adopt development standards, including height, setbacks, and parking requirements. Maximum building heights range from 30-95 feet; roof heights range from 0-25 feet above buildings; and rooftop pavilions cannot exceed 24 feet above the roof. Require the developer to provide enumerated "community benefits" and "environmental design features," including: approximately $40,000,000 in facilities and programs for local schools as provided in donation agreements between developer and school districts; approximately $30,000,000 toward transportation improvements for the I-280/Wolfe Road interchange and other freeway segments; $6,000,000 for bike/pedestrian trail along I-280; additional offsite roadway, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements; a portion of funding for a community effort for a free community shuttle in partnership with other agencies; green roof and town squares (see above); senior housing (minimum 80 units, or 20% of all units); community banquet/event hall, hub building, amphitheater, and playground; charitable lease(s) for civic space; extension of recycled water pipeline. Measure D would also: Require a mix of uses, including retail, hotel, residential, office, open space and parks; Establish the "Vallco Town Center Specific Plan" zoning district; Limit City discretion to deny projects that are in "substantial conformance" with the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan or to deny conditional use permit for additional residential units; Ease restrictions on subdivision ("parcelization"), with adequate protective measures; Make related General Plan and Municipal Code amendments; Require voter approval of any changes to its provisions made prior to January 1, 2027. Measure D would not change the development allocations currently set forth in the General Plan (Table LU-1). "Yes" is a vote to adopt the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan and related General Plan and Municipal Code amendments. "No" is a vote not to adopt the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan and related General Plan and Municipal Code amendments. If both Measure D and a conflicting measure are approved, then only the measure with the highest number of affirmative votes shall take effect.	”
—Cupertino City Attorney

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:

• Vicky Tsai, Initiative Proponent & 2005 Cupertino Small Business of the Year

Owner

• Dolly Sandoval, Former Cupertino Mayor & Senior Housing Advocate
• Donna M. Austin, Cupertino Historian & 2010 Cupertino Citizen of the Year
• Rammohan Varadarajan, High Tech Entrepreneur & New Innings Sports Foundation President
• Xiaofeng Xiong, Inventor & 20-year Cupertino resident

Arguments in favor

Official argument

The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:

“

Measure D would allow a viable and long overdue revitalization of the dying and nearly vacant Vallco Shopping Mall. Measure D will revitalize Vallco as an innovative, sustainable mixed-use town center as called for in Cupertino's community-created General Plan. What Measure D Provides for Cupertino Residents: 30-acre Community Park and Nature Area with trees, trails and open space A destination Town Center square, performance venues, a unique amphitheater and play space for children. Free space for nonprofits and civic organizations, a banquet hall and community center. Over $40 million in onetime revenue for Cupertino's K-12 school districts to reduce class sizes and enrich education, millions more annually for local schools, and over $1.2 million annually for Foothill-De Anza Community College District. Sets aside new homes for local seniors and results in a $50 million contribution to affordable housing for Cupertino's most deserving residents and families. A carefully-engineered transportation plan that minimizes traffic impacts, including a free community shuttle, transit center, I-280 improvements and tens of millions of dollars for local roadway improvements. A LEED Platinum plan with the highest standards of environmental sustainability, water conservation and mandated recycled water use. To guarantee these benefits to Cupertino residents, they have been written into Measure D and will become a binding legal mandate of any redevelopment. Measure D: The Right Choice for Revitalization Voting Yes on Measure D means an innovative and beneficial revitalization of empty, decaying Vallco Shopping Mall, transforming it from a dated eyesore into a lively, attractive center of community life. Voting No on Measure D means Vallco Shopping Mall will stay empty and unusable for decades, eliminating a once-in-a-generation chance at revitalization and rejecting millions for Cupertino schools, residents and our community. The choice for Cupertino's future is clear. Please join California Assemblymember Evan Low and neighbors from across Cupertino in supporting Measure D. Learn more at RevitalizeVallco.com.

”

Opposition

Opponents

The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:

• Steven M. Scharf, Proponent of Measure C
• Anne Brooke Ezzat, Proponent of Measure C
• Xiangchen Xu, Proponent of Measure C

Arguments against

Official argument

The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:

“

The following Argument Against Measure D represents the OPINIONS of the authors, who are long-term residents advocating sensible growth in Cupertino. We encourage you to read the initiative and decide what you think. A No vote on Measure D would allow sustainable alternatives to be considered through the standard project approval processes and impact analysis and mitigation. A Yes vote on Measure D would maximize developer's profits, while offering non-binding yet alluring promises and negative environmental impacts to the community. Developer's Measure D: Too Dense! Too Tall! Destroys Vallco Mall. Replaces the mall with a massive office park, including limited retail and housing. Does not mitigate significant impacts; the environmental analysis from the City deems most mitigations insufficient. The "benefits" touted are NOT binding commitments. Imposes extreme building heights up to 120 feet. The site would be turned into a concrete jungle with insignificant ground level green space. Too Much Traffic! Aggravates the traffic nightmare by doubling daily commute traffic on local streets and highways. Worsens the Housing-to-Office Deficit! Teachers, first responders, and other service professionals will have longer commutes or greater challenges finding housing because they will be competing for road access and housing with 10,000 new workers at Vallco. Not Accessible, Except on Foot! Renders promised shops inaccessible due to insufficient vehicle parking. Bike paths and bike parking are insufficient and substandard. Transforms neighborhood streets around Vallco into unofficial parking lots. Sidesteps the Process! Does not require a development agreement. Circumvents required environmental impact analysis and mitigation. Delays checks for infrastructure, such as traffic, water, sewage, from the time of project approval to the first issuance of building permits. Vote Yes on C, the citizens-sponsored initiative. Vote No on D, a developer-sponsored initiative.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a successful initiative petition campaign.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Cupertino. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Cupertino, California, Vallco Town Center Development, Measure D (November 2016) - Google News

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2016
• on the ballot

• Santa Clara County measures

California

• November 8, 2016 measures in California
• Local ballot measures, California
• Cupertino, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

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External links

Suggest a link

• Santa Clara County Elections Office website