Heights, Building Planes and Setbacks Have Changed in Community Vision 2040!, by Peggy

The City Council told us that the General Plan is separated from Housing Element on Dec. 3rd to give the new council members and residents more time to comprehend it.
The Planning staff later told us that heights, building planes, and setbacks in Community Vision 2040 are the same as in 2005 General Plan (a.k.a. 2000-2020 General Plan).
But they have changedin quite a few important locations!

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From: Peggy Griffin
Date: Wed, May 13, 2015 at 5:10 PM
Subject: Request for Information - Redlined version of the 2005 General Plan (2000-2020) changes - Heights, building planes and setbacks have changed!
To: David Brandt <Davidb@cupertino.org>, Aarti Shrivastava <AartiS@cupertino.org>
Cc: City Council <CityCouncil@cupertino.org>, planning@cupertino.org, City Clerk CityClerk@cupertino.org

Dear Cupertino City Manager and Staff,

cc:  Cupertino City Council

 

I am requesting a red-lined copy of the “2005 General Plan” (2000-2020) showing all the changes made to create the “Community Vision 2040” General Plan adopted in December 2014.  This should have been provided for that meeting but was not provided.

 

It is very difficult to see what actually changed.  I am find out that things I care very much about were changed such as heights, building planes and setbacks but we’ve been told they have not changed.  Also, view preservation disappeared!

 

We’ve been told several times that all that was changed was for the Housing Element, Vallco office allocation/housing and “some clean-up” and “consistency” issues to comply with state law.  The examples of changes I have listed below are very important to many, many residents and should not have been “cleaned up”!  Please see the examples below of some of the changes I have found.  These and possibly more items need to be put back into our general plan!

 

REQUEST:  I request a red-lined copy that is a line-by-line mark up of each change (similar to what is provided for changes to our ordinances), that shows exactly what was changed in the “2005 General Plan” (2000-2020) that resulted in the “Community Vision 2040” General Plan.

 

Thank you,

Peggy Griffin

Cupertino resident

 

Examples:

1. View preservation

        a. Listed in GP 2005 (2000-2020), Policy 2-14 Attractive Building and Site Design, Strategy #6:

View Preservation. Devise and Simplement a policy to encourage developers to limit building heights in order to preserve hillside views throughout the City.

        b. Removed from Community Vision 2040!

2. Heights

        a. Exceeding the maximum height
               i.     2005 GP:  specified rooftop mechanical equipment could not be visible.
              ii.     2040 GP:  disappeared!
        b. Vallco
               i.     2005 GP (was):  was specified
              ii.     2040 GP:  removed-now it refers to a plan BUT the GP was not going to be modified for Vallco yet!
        c. North Vallco
               i.     2005 GP (was):  60 ft
              ii.     2040 GP:  breaks it into East and West Wolfe Rd and changes 60 to 75 ft for East of Wolfe Rd

3. Setback Ratios (building planes)

       a. Tantau – changed!
               i.     2005 GP (was):  was 1.5:1
              ii.     2040 GPA (now):   it’s 1:1
       b. Vallco area      
               i.     2005 GP (was):  1.5:1 for Stevens Creek Blvd and Homestead
              ii.     2040 GPA (now):  it separates Vallco into North/South Vallco Park and Vallco Shopping District
                     1.      Removed the 1.5:1 for Stevens Creek Blvd in Vallco!  This will change the look of the area!

 

FROM General Plan 2005, FIGURE 2-D

 

 

FROM COMMUNITY VISION 2040, Figure LU-1 Community Form Diagram (Tiny box in lower right corner)