Liang - Follow the Proper Process to Build Community Trust - Re: Vallco

From: Liang Chao
Date: Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 11:11 PM
Subject: Follow the Proper Process to Build Community Trust - Re: Vallco
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>, David Brandt <davidb@cupertino.org>

Dear City Council Members,

I have heard that the City Council "voted" on Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee during the goal setting meeting. I have heard that the Mayor Savita announced to the audience during a Chamber of Commerce event that the city is going forward with Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee. I have heard that the city council discussed the format and composition of Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee in a couple of City Council meetings. I have heard of a budget of $1 million is expected for the Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee.

However, the Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee has not ever been placed on the City Council meeting agenda at all. All of the previous discussions on Vallco Citizens' Advisory Committee are potentially a violation of the Brown Act, the open meeting law, where the council should only discuss items on the agenda.

How about Citizens Advisory Committee for Oaks Shopping Center? How about Citizens Advisory Committee for the hotel at Goodyear Tire site? The property owners of both sites and other Housing Element sites deserve the same attention from the City Council as the Vallco's property owner, don't they?

The 2017-2018 City Work Program from March 7, 2017 City Council meeting agenda states "Since this is a Housing Element site, a Specific Plan required to be approved by May 2018 per Housing Element law." This is inaccurate!

The Housing Element submitted and approved by HCD (Housing Community Development) in May 2015 has a Plan A (including housing units at Vallco) and a Plan B (not including housing units at Vallco). For either plan, HCD does not impose a deadline to require "a Specific Plan to be approved by May 2018". The Work Program and future staff report should not attempt to misinterpret the Housing Element law.

The city should not spend $1 million just to develop Vallco Specific Plan, specially not at a time when the divided community needs time to mend and figure out together what's our vision for the entire city. What's more appropriate is a Citizens' Advisory Committee or a General Plan Commission to look at the direction of development in Cupertino. The current General Plan approved in Dec. 2014 was adopted in a rush, during a meeting focused solely on Housing Element. That General Plan was not developed with the assistance of a Citizens' Advisory Committee or a task force as done previously in 2005.

This time. Please do it properly. Vallco or any other development site should be considered as a part of a citywide plan, not by itself. Whatever is developed at Vallco would impact other development projects in Cupertino due to the sheer size of the project, unless Vallco remained a shopping mall.

The community was divided after Dec. 2014 because the massive office and housing allocation for Vallco wasn't clearly described on the meeting agenda, which only mentioned "General Plan Amendment."

This time. Please do it properly. If Vallco CAC is going to be discussed, clearly describe it on the agenda. If the agenda item is only on scheduling, do not make any substantive discussion on Vallco CAC.

The city had lost some community trust because the deadline of Housing Element for Jan. 2015 was manipulated to push for the entire General Plan to be approved in Dec. 2014.

Many Cupertino residents are now well versed in laws regarding Housing Element and General Plan. It would help built community trust if the city staff is more accurate on what's required or not required by law to avoid confusion.

Sincerely,

Liang Chao

Cupertino resident