Cupertino City Council
September 17, 2024

CITYCOUNCILMEMBERREPORT*Meeting:Wednesday,September17th,2024 +forthe“CouncilmemberReports”agendaitemunderthe“COUNCILREPORTS”section ReportingCouncilmember: CouncilmemberLiangChao
ReportDates: 8/27/24to9/10/24
Section1: ActivitiesbyDate(Date, Title, andDescription):

NOTE:● This list does not include internal meetings with staff only, such as prep sessions or meetingswiththeCityManager.● This list includes activities to “represent the community I amelected to serve”, “to respondtocommunity needs and complaints,” and “to communicate policies and programs to residents,”amongotherresponsibilitiesof aCityCouncilmember.● Due to my work schedule, I have cut down on the event aendance for ceremonial purposes,especiallythose I haveaendedalmost everyyearinthepast. Instead, I focusmoreof mytimeonconstituent services. 2024-08-27Zoommeetingwithresidentswhoareconcernedabout 10231Adriana- Planningcommissioner Muni MadhdhipatlaandCouncilmemberKiyMoorejoinedthemeetingwithresidents. About 10residentsaended.- They really appreciated the aendance of a Planning Commissioner since they did not knowPlanningCommissionexistsoritsroleintheapproval processof development projects.- CouncilmemberMoore'semail capturedtheirconcernsandquestionswell.- Myfollow-upemail about HEprocessandrelaxedR3standard, whichmight beapplicable.- CouncilmemberMoore’sfollowupquestionsandresponsesfromstaff 2024-08-27Request toagendizeDeAnzaBufferedBikeLanefor9/4Council meeting(email thread)- PerMuni CodetheMayoralonecanagendizeanitem. Mayor Mohanrespondedthat aninfomemowill comeout later Friday. 1 2024-09-03HousingElement sitesforaspecificsiteoraspecificneighborhood?(email thread)- IntheAugust 29, 2022StaffPresentationontheHousingElement, therewasoneslideforeachneighborhoodandthedensitybeforeup-zoningandafterup-zoning. Seescreenshotsinmyemail.- But noclearinformationwasprovidedtotheresidentslaterinanycouncil meetingorinthedraftHousingElement.- Thestaffreplies“theeasiest wayforresidentstolearnmoreabout theadoptedHousingElementandhowit affectstheirproperty/ neighborhoodistoengageadiscussionwithcitystaff. Theycandosobyeithercalling, visitinginpersonorsendinganemail.” 2024-09-03CityCouncil meetingonboth9/3and9/4?- confusingcalendarlisting(email thread)- Followinguponresidents’ inquiryonconfusingcalendarlisting.- Staffresponded: “wearecurrentlyintransitiontoanewwebsiteplatform. Issuesthat you’veidentifiedbelowmight beresolvedoncethemigrationiscomplete.” 2024-09-05MeetingwithAmyChan, representingMarinadevelopment- Theyplantosubmit arevisedproposal, whichwill likelyrequireaGeneral PlanAmendment toupzoneslightlylaterthisyear.- Amysaidtheyhaveagreedtohost acommunitymeetinginOctober/Novemberabout theirrevisedproposal 2024-09-05Bright LEDlightsfromsolarpanels- communicationswithCUSDSuperintendent (emailthread)- Acoupleof residentscomplainedabout verybright LEDlightsfromsolarpanelsat SedgwickElementarySchool. Someresidentsmentionedoppositiontosolarpanel installationat theStocklmeirElementarySchool inSunnyvale.- I reachedout toCUSDSuperintendent StacyYao. Shesharedthe3-phaseplanforinstallingsolarpanelsonall school sites. Shewill investigatetoseehowthebrightnessof LEDlightscouldbelowered. 2024-09-07AendedthecelebrationluncheonbytheNorthernCaliforniaChineseCultureAthleticFederation(NCCCAF) inQuinlanCenter- NCCAFhostsanannual sport tournament forthelast 22years. Theyhavetournament infieldsports, tennis, pingpong, basketball, volleyball, soccer, pickleball, marshall art, golf andevenchess. 2 2024-09-05Sent arequest toMayortoagendizeadiscussiononDeAnzaBufferedBikeLaneat the9/17Council meeting(email)- MayorMohandidnot respond, althoughperMuni CodetheMayoralonecanagendizeanitem. 2020-09-09Not all emailssent totheCouncil wereincludedinthe“WrienCommunication”fileofaCouncil meeting?(email thread)- Therehasbeensomeconfusionexpressedbyresidentsthat someemailsonatopicareincludedinthe “WrienCommunication”fileof aCouncil meeting, but somewerenot.- I askedtheCityClerkandtheyclarified:- Emailedcommentsthat arerelatedtoanagendaitemandreceivedfollowingtheagendapublicationpriortoorduringthemeetingwill bepostedtotheCity’swebsite.- Emailedcommentsrelatedtonon-agendaitemsandreceivedfollowingtheagendapublicationpriortoorduringthemeetingwill beposteduponrequest. 2024-09-10Confusiononthewhereabout oftheLindaVisaPetitionsignedby600residents(emailthread)- Apubliccomment at the9/4Council meetinghasmentionedapetitionsignedby600residents.But I havenot receivedanythingabout it.- It seemsthepetitionwashandedtotheCityManagerfromtheMayor. But thenit wasnot enteredintothepublicrecord. Andit wasnot forwardedtoanyotherCouncilmember.- Todate, I still havenot seenthepetitionsignedby600residentssincethepetitionisjust filedwithCDDundertheproject files.- Thecityconfirmedthat thepetitionwon’t beroutedtoothercouncilmembers. eventhoughthepetitionhasindicated"WerespectfullyasktheCityPlanningDepartment, Department ofEmergencyPreparedness, theSantaClaraFireDepartment andMayorSheilaMohanandothercouncilmembers". 2024-09-10Respondedtoareporterabout VallcoandmisinformationontheVallcoselement“All of thecandidates, except RayandKiy, havecloserelationshipswithfor-profit interestswhowishtodensityCupertino, whilewaivingfeesandgivingawayexceptionsat theexpenseofCupertinoresidentswhowill bepayinghighertaxestomitigatetheimpact of rapiddevelopment.

Sinks, Gilbert WangandChangremovedheight limit at VallcoShoppingMall whentheygavethem2Msqft officespaceinDec2014. AfterSB35passedin2017, theyhadachancetorestorebuildingheight andremovethehugeofficeallocation, but theyrefused. Today, CupertinoendedupwiththemassiveVallcoproject whichtheCouncil northeresidentshaveapprovedbecauseofthe2014loopholecreatedbySinks, G. WangandBarry.Wei andBonohavepraisedthesepeoplealongthewayandcelebratedVallco, whiledownplayingthemassiveofficeanditsimpact.

Thecityrecentlywasforcedintoaselement toVallcodeveloperahugeamount of feewaiver.But MayorMohanwroteinhernewsleer“TheCitywill receive$43millionand10acresof parkspace[fromVallcodeveloper],”whichisfarfarfromthetruth. 3 Instead, asapart of theselement, thecitywaivedat least $77millionimpact fees, whichotherdevelopershavetopayandwouldonlyreceive$43millionof therequired$120Mfees. AndwiththestandardintheQuincyAct, thedemandforparklandfromresidentsat Vallcowouldbe10acres. But theRise(thelatest proposal forVallco) didnot provide10acresof parklandat all. Theproject onlyprovides7.4acresof “publicopenspace”, whichconsistsof multipletinypiecesofareas, whicharenot necessarilyturfedparkareas. 2024-09-10Responsetoresident email “Homelessencampment behindTarget”(email thread) 2024-09-10UpdateontheFireIncident at LawrenceMiyPark(email fromCitystaff) Section2: CommieeAssignment
- Nomeetingthisperiod.

Section3: OtherInformationofInterest toMyConstituents:

1. UpdateontheVallco(theRise)project
- Vallcogets$77MinfeewaiverfromtheSettlement Agreement:AsstatedintheJuly16StaffReport, “Thefeeswaivedwouldbesubstantial (totalingapproximately$77million, ascalculatedundertheFY2024-25feeschedule). However, thedecisiontoenterintotheSelement Agreement reflectsthelegal riskanduncertaintysurroundingtheabilitytocollect thefull amount of impact feesthat wouldbeowedbytheproject.”Thetotal amount ofimpact feesisabout $120millions. Toavoidadditional legal feestocollect thefull impact fees, thecityseledtoreceiveonly$32.5millions.ThenewsleerbyMayorSheilaMohanstatedthat fromtheselement withVallco, “thecitywillreceive$43million”. That statement bytheMayorisinaccurateandmisleadingsincethetotalamount owedtotheCityshouldhavebeen$121million.Everydevelopment project paystheimpact feestomitigatetheimpact intraffic, parklandandbelow-market-ratehousingneeds. ThesefeesaredeterminedbasedonaNexusStudytodemonstratetheactual impact totheCity. WhenevertheCitygivesanyfeewaivers, theCitystillhavetomitigatetheimpact withthegeneral fundorwithadditional taxes. - 7.36acresofPublicOpenSpace, not parkland, not 10acres:ThenewsleerbyMayorSheilaMohanstatedthat fromtheselement withVallco, “thecitywillreceive10acresof parkspace”. That isnot accurate. FromboththeSettlement Agreement. andtheNov. 2013PlanSet, it isclearthat theRiseonlyincludes7.48acresof“publicopenspace”(not parklandnorgreenspace), whichconsist of small piecesof openspacehereandthere.- “Cityagreesthat basedontheProject programasapproved, theProject yieldsaparklanddemandof9.61acres, ascalculatedbasedontheCity’srequirement of threeacresof park4 per1,000residentsandtheaveragehouseholdsizeof 1.8personpermultifamilyunit."(FromtheSelement Agreement) Out of the7.38acres, about 3.5acresin3smallerpieces,seemtobeaturfedarea. -
- 2Millionsq.ft. OfficeSpace:Theproject has2millionsquarefeet of officespace, whichwouldlikelyaccommodate10,000workers, withtheindustrystandardof 200sq. ft. perworker. Evenwith50peopleperbusload,that wouldmean200busloadof peoplewhowill commutetothesitedaily, sinceusuallynomorethan5%workerslivewithinwalkingdistanceof theirjobs. - VallcoHasNoBuildingHeight Limit?:VallcoShoppingMall hadaheight limit of 45-60feet before, but the2014CityCouncil (with4:1vote- RodSinks, Gilbert Wang, BarryChangandSavitavotedyes) removedthat height limitwhentheygaveawaythe2millionsq.ft. officespaceallocation. Theyhadachancetorestoretheheight limit inNovember2017whenSB35wassignedintolawandwill beenactedonJan. 12018,but themajorityof the2017Council (with3:2vote, RodSinksandtwoothers) refusedtorestore 5 height limit orremovetheofficeallocation. TheseirresponsibledecisionsbythesepreviousCityCouncilmembershaveresultedinaSB35project withalargeamount of officespacetoworsenthehousingcrisis, withnoheight limit.- BuildingHeight is228feet, equivalent to19storieswith12feet/story:SincetheSB35project anditsrevisionwouldnot needtheCouncil approval, I hadtolookupthePlanSet of theNov. 2013revisiontofindout thebuildingheight. Thetallest buildingwill be18storiestall withaheight of 228feet aboveground. Myemail responseincludedscreenshotsfromtheNov. 2013PlanSet.

2. HousingElementUpdate:- Highlights of the HE: 4,588unitsarerequiredfortheHE, but thecurrent HEhasplanned5,881units, about 28%morethanrequired. (May14AgendaItem1, Minutes)- Bynot counting1,500 units inalreadyapprovedprojects andunderestimatingtherealistic capacityfor mixeduse projects (countingonly70%), Cupertinoupzonedmorepropertiesthanrequiredtomeet theRHNArequirements.- The density (units/acre) of many sites will increase from 20 units/acre to 50-65 6 units/acreandsomewill increaseto65-80units/acre.- Some R1 lots in residential neighborhoods are upzoned to R3-THdesignationtoallow5-10units/acre.- R1 corner lots will be allowed to develop with R2 standards to allow duplex,triplex or quadruplex. (Every R1 lot already allows up to 3 ADUs due to statelaws)- BrokenHEProcesssofar….- Thefinal draft of theHousingElement andtheGeneral Planamendment areapprovedbythemajorityof theCouncil onMay14. Unfortunately, theenvironmental impact analysishasminimal information, eventhoughwearelookingat anunprecedentedgrowthratewithover6,200unitstobepermiedin8years.- Althoughthisisthefirst Council meetingwherethedraft HousingElement isontheagendafordiscussion, therewerenowrienanswersprovidedfromthestaff,asnormallyprovidedforotheritemsontheCouncil agenda. Giventhetimeconstraints, onlyafewquestionswerecoveredonthedais. Thus, manyquestionsfromthecommunityandthecouncil membersstill left unanswered:- Herearesomequestionssubmiedandsomewithanswers: 15morequestionswithout answers, questionsarecornerlotswithanswers,additional questionsfromthecommunitywithout answers.- Theresult of thebrokenprocessisthat Cupertinoup-zoned2,600unitsmorethanthelegallyrequired4,588units. ThisoverlydensifiesCupertinothannecessaryandleavinglileroomforadjustment inthefuture. - Latest: The ordinance to upzone properties is adopted at the July 2 Council meeting(AgendaItem7, Minutes)- The staff recommendation already meets all legal standards and HCD’srequirements, but Cupertino adopted an ordinance to upzone thes HEsites plus 7 unnecessary provisions proposedbyCouncilmembers FruenandWei to relax thezoningstandards.- Chao moved and Moore seconded to approve the staff recommendedactionwithminor adjustments. Themotiondidnot pass. CouncilmembersFruenandWei proposedseveral significant revisions torelax thezoningstandards after the public comment closed, which increased allowedfloor-area-ratio, increased allowed lot coverage, reduced parkingstandards. reduced setback and given the staff authority to make morechanges to increase “flexibility”. The Council voted3-2 to pass the muchrelaxedzoningstandards.- Next Step: Therewill bedesignstandardupdates, suchasR2standardsforthecornerlots. andotherordinancestoimplement thepoliciesoutlinedintheHousingElement.

Section4: InformationAccessUseful toMyConstituents:1. “WrienCommunication”foraCityCouncil meeting:- Whenwill anemail sent totheCityCouncil beincludedinthe“WrienCommunication”fileof aCouncil meeting?- FromtheCityClerk:- Emailedcommentsthat arerelatedtoanagendaitemandreceivedfollowingtheagendapublicationpriortoorduringthemeetingwill bepostedtotheCity’swebsite.- Emailedcommentsrelatedtonon-agendaitemsandreceivedfollowingtheagendapublicationpriortoorduringthemeetingwill beposteduponrequest.

2. RecordingsofCommissionMeetings:Starting in June, commission meetings will be recorded for viewing later, although noteleconferencingtoallowremoteparticipation.- Findtherecordingshereundereachcommission.

3. SB330PreliminaryApplicationandBuilders’ RemedyProjects- An info memo is published on July 25: “Scofield Drive SB330 Preliminary Applicationpursuant to Builder’s Remedy” was posted (The memo was requestedbythe Council attheJuly2Council meetingafterhearingpublicconcernsontheproject)- Thememoalsoincludesalist of eight SB330applicationsreceivedsofar. Fourof themareutilizingtheBuilders’ Remedy(BR) provisionsof HAA".

4. InformationMemopostedontheCitywebsite:CityCouncil Informational MemosarenowavailableontheCitywebsite. TheinformationcanbeaccessedfromtheCitywebsiteat cupertino.org/memosandtheCityCouncilmemberspage. Youcanalsofindthepageviathe“Our City” banner andbyenteringsearchtermsinthe“SearchtheSite” boxat thetopof thewebsite. AnyonemayusetheeNotificationsignuptoreceiveinformational memoupdatesbyemail. 8 4. HowtoSearchanagendaitem:Acommunitymembershowedmeawaytosearchforitemsonthepast citymeetings:● Gotothispage: hps://cupertino.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx○ Makesurethat “Calendar”isselectedfromthetoprowof tabsandthe“List View”isselectedfromtheboomrowof tabs.○ Enterthesearchterm, suchas“investment report”. Choosetheyearorselect “AllYears” (LastActivityReportintheSeptember4,2024CouncilMeetingAgenda.) 9