The Cupertino Courier

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N. Vallco is now topic of renewed city debate

A final decision could mean link to coming Apple campus

By HUGH BIGGAR

A Cupertino Planning Commission study session on the future of the North Vallco area generated more questions than answers May 9.

Property owners and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce listed several topics for the planning commission to consider as it moves forward on developing a master plan for an area bordered by Highway 280, Wolfe Road, Pruneridge Road and North Tantau Road.

"It will not be your father's office park," said Steve Piasecki, Cupertino's director of community development.

Hot topics at the study session included:

*Possible development of a vibrant commercial core along Wolfe Road

*How best to incorporate the North Vallco area into a future Apple Computer campus.

*The ripple effect on other areas of Cupertino.

As a part of that process, two current owners of property in North Vallco said they would be interested in tearing down their existing industrial buildings and converting them to residential.

Property owner Kevin Wu said he would like to replace his buildings with townhomes, allowing future Apple employees to walk to work.

Brad Lyman, another property owner, also expressed interest in building some residential sites on his land, residences that would fall into Santa Clara's school district.

"The rents don't support tearing down and rebuilding functionally obsolete buildings," he said. "And rents don't substantiate the value of the property."

Apple's Michael Foulkes also suggested land on the periphery of Apple's new campus might accommodate his company's vendors and partners. Last month, Apple announced it planned to build a 50-acre campus along Pruneridge

Avenue that would accommodate about 3,500 employees. The company acquired the land in parcels, collectively assessed at about $160 million.

"We want to stay in Cupertino and have our vendors and partners close," Foulkes said. "Once land turns into housing, it is the end of the road. There hasn't been any conversion of residential to industrial that I have seen."

With Apple's planned consolidation into its new North Vallco campus, Cupertino's Chamber of Commerce executive director, Christine Giusiana, also questioned the future of its current facilities scattered around Cupertino.

"There will be a lot of empty buildings and the owners will declare them obsolete," she said. "What can the city do to help bring the buildings up to a better standard?" she asked, indirectly raising the issue of whether such properties would stay commercial and industrial.

Cupertino's planning commission is expected to report back to the city council on the North Vallco master plan in July.