Liang on Vallco Specific Plan - ground-level parkland should be required at Vallco

From: Liang C

Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 11:48 PM
Subject: Comment on Vallco Specific Plan - ground-level parkland should be required at Vallco
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>, "City of Cupertino Planning Dept." <planning@cupertino.org>

Dear Mayor Sinks, Vice Mayor Chang and Councilmembers,

With 800 housing units at Vallco, there would be in average 2,288 residents (for 2.86 persons/household from 2010 census). Vallco should provide 6.9 acres of parkland or 11.44 ares of parkland under the 5-acre standard. This parkland should not be substituted by the sky park, which may or may not be realized or maintained. The following policies are in both the previous 2000-2020 General Plan and the 2040 General Plan:

Policy RPC-1.2: Parkland Standards. Continue to implement a parkland acquisition and implementation program that provides a minimum of three acres per 1,000 residents.

Strategy RPC-1.2.2: Amend Parkland Standard. Explore increasing the parkland standard to five acres per 1,000 residents as part of the citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Please enforce the General Plan policies on Vallco.

In the so-called 30-acre sky park, visitors have to stay on trail and now allowed to walk on the 'grass'. So, it is really just some rooftop walkways, but not parkland. In a park, kids can run around, play soccer, Frisbee, roll on the grass. But the 30-acre sky park wouldn't allow that. Ground level parkland should be required at Vallco.

The parkland required in the Quimby Act does not include school site or rooftop as parks.

Sincerely,

Liang Chao