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'Heart of Cupertino' beats with enthusiam
New complex to include 24 housing units, CCS offices
By GEORGE MOORE
It took more than four years, but Cupertino Community Services and its supporters witnessed an official groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the new Heart of Cupertino complex at 10114 Vista Drive Oct. 25. The complex, next door to the new Fire Station Number One, will include 24 affordable housing units and a new office for CCS.
Jaclyn Fabre, CCS executive director, said it was a very exciting day for everyone involved with the project.
"It has been a long time coming," Fabre said. "A culmination of community and regional efforts made this possible."
Instead of traditional gold shovels used in groundbreakings, key officials of the project operated toy bulldozers to break the soil on a parcel of land previously owned by Santa Clara County.
City Councilman Don Burnett said the county bought out the land, which was mostly undeveloped except for a used-car lot.
"The county owned the whole parcel," Burnett said. "The city had to work very hard to obtain it."
Mayor Sandra James spoke about the project's history at the ceremony--a project she has been involved with since its inception. James said that four and a half years ago, Mary Ellen Chell, former executive director of CCS, came to her with a twinkle in her eye.
"She had a dream and worked hard to pursue it," James said. "This is one of the most paramount examples of how one person can make a difference."
But the project blossomed into a collaborative effort between CCS, city government, local banks and businesses and residents of the community.
"It was a labor of love and a lot of hard work," Chell said. "It was so clearly the right thing to do and a model for future projects."
Vice Mayor Richard Lowenthal has been very involved with the project, occupying a seat on the board of CCS, as well as the building committee. He said he was impressed with the involvement of the community and the receptiveness of its neighbors.
"Many communities struggle hard gaining support with these type of projects," Lowenthal said. "Issues the neighbors had were worked out, and in the end they were very supportive. I'm honored that we have people like this in the community, and I hope others show this kind of spirit. This project should serve as an example for other cities."
Don Allen, chairperson of the fundraising campaign, said the Cupertino community has come of age, recognizing that it raised $1.8 million in less than four months for the project.
"The folks who are going to reside here are part of the group who make Cupertino the nice place it is to live," Allen said.
Carol Atwood, director of administrative services, said the project was clearly a regional fundraising effort, with neighboring cities like Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Saratoga and Santa Clara contributing. In return, she said constituents from these cities are eligible tenants of the housing project.
Atwood said it took two years to secure the $7 million needed to finance the project, including costs related to the issuance of bonds. The housing project includes a new 4,500-square-foot office for CCS, which previously had its headquarters at the Quinlan Community Center. One possibility for the vacated space at Quinlan is a new youth center.
Burnett said neighbors of the project's site were taken on a tour of other low-income facilities to break any stereotypes people may have had regarding such projects.
"They were shown just how nice this type of development can be," Burnett said. "The design is a reflection of what they wanted."
The new neighboring fire station wants to get involved with the project, possibly building a playground area within it. The grating and roads for the new development should be completed in a few weeks, and the buildings themselves should be finished in about a year.
James said it's a good feeling to be involved with something at the idea stage, to watch the evolution and still be there at the end.
"The reason I was able to sell it was because I always talked about the partnerships," James said.
The collaborative efforts of the partnerships and the hundreds of individuals and groups involved in bringing the project to fruition give true meaning to its name--The Heart of Cupertino.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
