Civic Center Master Plan - Driven by Everything Other Than What Residents Want by Brooke

From: Brooke
To: citycouncil@cupertino.org
CC: cityclerk@cupertino.org
Sent: 7/6/2015 8:31:21 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Civic Center Master Plan

  

Dear Mayor Sinks and Council Members,

I am writing to address the new Civic Center Master Plan.  This plan seems to be driven by everything other than what residents want.  There is seemingly little desire by the city to build a city hall complex that is attractive or within the city’s budget or does not eliminate green space and trees.  In addition, the city seems to have become stridently authoritarian when dealing with residents.

The buildings in the current city/library complex area are traditional in nature.  They seem to be either Mediterranean or Eichleresque; based on the renderings there appears to be no attempt to have the proposed civic center fit into the surrounding area.  The proposed city hall is ghastly; residents in the neighborhood need appeal to the tax assessor for lower rates to compensate for looking at the monstrosity across the street.  Did the city have an architectural ugly dog contest and this was the winner?

  Secondly, how can the city afford this $54 million dollar folly? The city moved $30 million from one fund to another fund giving the illusion the city budget is $119 million, when in fact it has an annual budget of $89 million—less than half the cost of proposed city hall. How will this be financed? How many 40 year bonds will be floated for this? The City does not have enough money to address traffic issues or the increase of crime, but there is enough for a new city hall? My street lacks a speed limit sign because of budget limitations, there has been an increase in residential burglaries of 22% in the last six months if I understood Captain Sung’s presentation correctly, and there has been an armed robbery in Cupertino, but the city has the money for this monument to hubris?

Why is there a drive in Cupertino to obliterate every tree, every blade of grass, any green space at all?  We are consistently told that Cupertino is built out, but more building is always on the agenda. We are told trees the marked for death will be replaced with new trees; since it takes roughly ten years minimum for trees to grow significantly, this seems to be a poor second.  68 more parking spaces and less land for the playing field at the library—does anyone notice the soccer and cricket games there? More parking spaces do not build a community.

  Finally, like many citizens I am offended by the tone the city is taking with its residents.  My last issue with the Civic Center Master Plan is the City’s disclaimer “If you challenge the action of the City Council in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else has raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Cupertino at, or prior to, the public hearing.” What exactly does this mean? Is this attempt to limit the amount of dissent because the City does not want to hear our objections? Is it a coercive and preemptive attempt to discourage people from seeking legal redress? Or does it mean the City suspects there may serious issues with the plans that the City may or may not be aware of, and wants to be given a pass before they materialize or are discovered?

 

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Brooke Ezzat