On Tuesday, March 15th, Opticos, the consultant for the City of Cupertino’s Vallco Special Area Specific Plan, held a second community meeting for the Plan Area to provide information and gather community feedback.   The Plan will establish development standards and land use patterns for this 58-acre site at the northwest corner of Wolfe Road and Stevens Creek Boulevard.

Vallco is a premier development site in Cupertino, providing the opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use project with office, retail, and housing uses.  SV@Home supports maximizing housing on the site with a significant affordable housing component. 

At the community meeting, Opticos provided an overview of existing conditions in the planning zone area and considered guiding principles for the next phases of the community driven planning process.  Nearly 80 stakeholders were in attendance, and a small but vocal group of community members expressed frustration and distrust with the process. Nonetheless, the vast majority of people in the room indicated support for “affordable housing at all levels,” followed closely by “activities for all ages – children through boomers.”  We found this support for affordable housing heartening. After years of false starts, open conflicts, and even competing ballot measures, there is a growing consensus that Cupertino needs housing in general, and affordable housing in particular.

The next step for the Vallco Plan is a community Charrette – where there will be more specific exploration of possible uses, heights, and densities – set to kick off on April 9th.  More details on time and location to follow.