The recent letter to the Courier titled "Residents are not crying for a stationery store" is misleading, sarcastic and unworthy of the current debate over the direction of our city.

The Concerned Citizens of Cupertino is a grass-roots organization that emerged from the frustrations of a large number of residents. These frustrations stemmed from citizens who spent months in the General Plan Task Force only to see city officials encourage a minority report championed by developers.

These frustrations were created by planning commission and city council meetings where the objections of citizens to high-density, high-rise housing were ignored in favor of the developers.

Rather than dwell on sarcasm, the CCC has taken a constructive and proactive approach in developing initiatives, which will allow the citizens of Cupertino, not the developers, to determine the future of the city. We are committed to maintaining the quality of our city and to allowing its citizens to decide how it evolves for the benefit of all.

We have also begun working with some city officials to attract much needed retail to our city, but Costco is not among them.

Those who offer no ideas and no solutions while resorting to sarcasm do nothing for the future of the city.

Robert L. Garten

Cupertino

Mixed use is today's answer to '80s strip malls

In response to the ongoing debate about growth in Cupertino, I would like to offer my opinion and personal experience.

Having been raised in Los Angeles, I am very aware of growth gone wrong. Although I was born in Santa Monica, I grew up five miles away in the city of Los Angeles. During the '80s a phenomenon began to occur on nearly every corner in the city; these developments were called strip malls. They were often poorly constructed, often didn't match the architectural style of the nearby neighborhoods and provided little long-term benefit to the local community.

In Santa Monica, the neighboring city, they had to make some tough decisions: Strip malls now for quick taxes or planned, managed and well-executed developments that would reap tax revenues many times over those provided by strip-mall developers.

Santa Monica chose the latter. Home prices in Santa Monica continue to rise faster than similar homes' just five miles away in Los Angeles. Why? Because Santa Monica chooses to do things differently; not always the best decisions, but they are not afraid to tell developers to "go take a hike" if it doesn't enhance the city.

In my opinion the new mixed-use developments coming up all over the Bay Area are the new millennium's equivalent of the 1980s strip mall.

Cupertino has some beautiful developments that have been around for many years, including The Oaks, Vallco and The Marketplace. Don't destroy these gems. As Randol Mackley, the retail specialist hired to educate Cupertino's leaders, said, referring to Vallco, "It's a diamond in the rough." Cupertino is prime real estate; use it wisely. Let's not make the same mistake as Los Angeles.

Dennis Vaughn

Cupertino

Council should adopt a
a flexible general plan

This year our city council will adopt a general plan that will lay the foundation for how our city will look for decades to come. With this, we as a city must decide: do we want to move forward into the future? Or do we try to hold on to the past while the world changes around us?

Most agree that Cupertino needs to attract more retail businesses that can help lift our city out of the recession. But some of the recommended changes to the general plan place undue restrictions on building heights, land usage and street design. They also severely restrict the types of new housing that can be built.

Such restrictions will create a climate that is hostile to new businesses and make it harder for Cupertino teachers and public safety personnel to live in our city.

I urge the city council to reject those specific policy recommendations that are inflexible and would handcuff the city's ability to meet the needs of a dynamic, growing community.

Our city council should instead adopt a general plan that is flexible and gives them and future city councils the option to consider different types of solutions that will improve the quality of life for everyone in Cupertino.

Nolan Chen

Cupertino

Sharing son's story may be helpful to others

Our son, Daniel Steel, was included in the 's cover story, "Straight Talk," on Feb.25. We read the article and have shared with family, friends and co-workers.

We want to thank your paper and the writer for covering such stories with such care and compassion. The most important thing to our family now, besides Dan's health and well being, is to "get the word out."

We know we are not alone. And if sharing our story will help other families we are glad to do so.

The Steel Family

Cupertino and Sunnyvale