SV@Home is a strong supporter of the Vallco Town Center SB35 proposal, which will bring 1,201 affordable homes to Cupertino. We’re excited to see this project move forward and we anticipate that the next phase of demolition permits will be approved soon. While we were disappointed to see the Vallco Specific Plan repealed by the Council after months of engagement by community members, the SB35 proposal will be a major step towards meeting the city’s affordable housing goals.
Since the beginning of the 2015-2023 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) cycle, Cupertino has permitted only 19 new homes for people who make very low incomes, 56 homes for people who make moderate incomes, and none for people with low incomes. This leaves a gap of 719 affordable homes in the current cycle alone. But even this number doesn’t paint the full picture of the need for affordable homes in the city, as only 88 new affordable homes for people with low incomes or below have been built since 2007 and there are currently only 169 affordable rental units for people with low incomes citywide.
Cupertino’s jobs-housing fit ratio is among the highest in Santa Clara County, with nearly 14 low wage jobs for every one existing deed-restricted affordable home. This means that many of the people who work in service jobs critical to the city’s economy cannot afford to live near their job or that they overpay or overcrowd to avoid long commutes.
For these reasons, SV@Home continues to urge the Cupertino City Council to take action to expedite the development of the Vallco SB35 project so that 2,402 households can find a place to call home.