Residents start drawing a picture of what Vallco mall can look like

For a change, Cupertino residents have found plenty to agree about as planning continues for redevelopment of the 58-acre Vallco Shopping Mall site.

Affordable housing, retail, improved transportation and new community gathering spaces were high on the wish list for many of the 120 or so residents who attended a community meeting Monday evening to discuss the future of the nearly vacant shopping center.

The city is working to create a specific plan for the site to guide future development proposals.

Monday’s meeting marked the beginning of a series of events designed to gather input from residents to help determine what goes into the specific plan.

“This process of co-design provides the opportunity for the community to build trust amongst themselves and with their government,” said Bill Lennertz, a sub-consultant for Opticos Design, which has been hired by the city to help create the specific plan and conduct community outreach.

The effort began in October when Vallco’s owner, Sand Hill Property Co., sent a letter asking the city to “restart the community planning process.” The letter came less than a year after a local ballot measure to create the $3 billion Hills at Vallco mixed-use development was rejected by voters.

In response to Sand Hill’s request, the City Council in November hired Opticos and a handful of other consulting firms to do some economic and transportation analysis and craft an environmental impact report.

Because Monday’s event drew more people than anticipated, organizers had to scramble to provide enough seating.

Residents gathered around packed tables to discuss the existing site as well as their aspirations for any future development.

“I want this to be the place that everyone thinks of when they think of Cupertino. Now they think of Apple,” one person said.

Many agreed they’d like to see retail, entertainment, affordable housing, walkable spaces and better public transportation.

Many also said they’re against dense developments or too much office space.

Although residents in the past have expressed skepticism that community input will be incorporated into the final design, those interviewed Monday said they like what they are seeing.

“There was a lot of input, a lot of discussion, a lot of thought, and some great ideas,” Rick Haffner said, adding he was also encouraged by how much agreement there seemed to be among those in the room.

“I’m really happy to see the community engagement,” Danessa Techmanski said. “I would have liked to have seen even more people.”

Techmanski said she had supported Measure C, a 2016 ballot measure that sought to limit development at the site to retail, hotel, dining and entertainment uses. The measure, which a majority of voters rejected, was a response to Sand Hill’s proposed $3 billion Hills at Vallco project that included 2 million square feet of office space and about 640,000 square feet of retail.

Referring to Monday’s meeting Techmanski said, “this is what our group wanted before … our big thing is that we wanted community engagement in really large projects that required a lot of general planning in them.”

The specific plan is expected to be completed by early fall. Until then, Opticos will continue to seek public input through interviews, public meetings and two multiple-day “design charrettes.” The next presentation, set for March 13, will focus on existing conditions at the site.

Project organizers have also set up a website–envisionvallco.org–to provide more information on the design process.

The “community driven design process” is based on a model developed by Lennertz, the Opticos sub-consultant.

“For this community, as you know, there’s dissension, there’s some uncivil dialogue,” he said. “I’m excited about this process that we’ve been developing for years to bring it to a new situation to illustrate how when people trust a process, that’s the first step toward making community.

“We had a good turnout tonight, but I know there’s voices that aren’t in the room. We’re going to find out who those people are,” he added.

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