CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting: July 15, 2025
Subject
Acceptance of the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study Recommended Action
Adopt a resolution accepting the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study, including the additional qualifications recommended by the Cupertino Bicycle Pedestrian Commission and Planning Commission, and directing City staff to work through the multijurisdictional working group and Steering Committee to further assess the Study's recommendations and opportunities for implementation.
Discussion
The Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study (Attachment A) is a multi-agency planning study between the Cities of Cupertino, San Jose, Santa Clara, the County of Santa Clara, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). This Study outlines a vision for the future of the nine-mile Stevens Creek Boulevard/West San Carlos Street Corridor, emphasizing the need for coordinated planning and transportation improvements across the participating jurisdictions. The Study builds on prior local planning efforts and incorporates extensive community input to develop recommendations for future infrastructure and policy changes that reflect community priorities.
In 2019, the Cities of Cupertino, Santa Clara, San Jose, and the County of Santa Clara each adopted resolutions expressing support for initiating a project to study the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor. This action formalized a multijurisdictional commitment to create a vision for multimodal transportation along the Corridor. All 2019 agency resolutions are included in this report as Attachment B.
Cupertino’s resolution, adopted by the City Council on July 16, 2019, affirmed the City’s support for a transit efficiency and streetscape improvement study. This resolution emphasized Cupertino's commitment to safe, multimodal transportation while ensuring that transit solutions align with community and regional goals without reducing vehicular capacity. The resolution explicitly laid out Cupertino’s interests as follows:
1) Support efforts to study improving transit efficiency and streetscape improvements along the Stevens Creek Boulevard corridor, and 2) Support continuing ongoing conversations regarding high-capacity transit service along the Stevens Creek Boulevard/ I-280 corridor, with the understanding that it would:
a) Not use general purpose travel lanes or adversely impact vehicular capacity on City surface streets; and b) Be grade-separated and time-competitive with auto travel; and c) Study an alternate alignment in Cupertino along I-280, continuing to DeAnza College at the junction of SR85 and Stevens Creek Boulevard, ensuring service to areas of high employment density and De Anza College while connecting the Cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, and Cupertino, supported by, and developed in collaboration with, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; and 3) Authorizes the City Manager or designee to assess resources needed to develop these projects and report findings to the City Council.
In June 2022, the City Council approved $154,079 in funding to participate in the project. The City of San Jose procured transportation consultant services (Iteris Inc. and Winter Consulting) for the Study and entered into funding reimbursement agreements with all participating jurisdictions. In early 2023, the Vision Study consulting team began early engagement with the various community groups and stakeholders along the Stevens Creek Boulevard corridor.
The Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study presents a set of community-identified programs and projects to enhance transportation options along the Corridor. The Study outlines a long-term community vision for the Corridor that balances the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists, ensuring safety, comfort, and accessibility for all.
The Study was led by a Steering Committee of elected officials from the Cities of Cupertino, Santa Clara, San Jose, as well as Santa Clara County, and VTA. This committee ensured high-level policy alignment and oversight throughout the project. The Steering Committee established a twelve-member Community Advisory Group (CAG) comprising local residents, businesses, and advocacy groups to provide diverse perspectives and critical feedback. CAG participants were suggested by city staff, as directed by the Steering Committee. Prior to the start of the project, a list of stakeholder groups was identified for general project outreach. Those who responded were invited to participate in the CAG. Committee members could also refer individuals they believed would be valuable participants. These referrals were directed to the project team for follow-up. Final decisions regarding CAG membership were made by the Committee Chair. A formal Committee vote was not taken. The CAG met four times in a public open house format to help refine key community priorities.
Public engagement involved surveys, webinars, pop-up events, and other community outreach methods. Winter Consultants was hired to lead the outreach process, and project partner agencies worked collaboratively with Winter to develop an outreach strategy tailored to their respective communities' unique needs.
The Vision Study provides improvement project recommendations, categorized into near-, medium-, and long-term recommendations:
1. Near-Term Recommendations (within 5 years):
• Establish corridor identity and maintenance programs. • Implement transit speed and reliability policy improvements. • Upgrade bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
2. Medium-Term Recommendations (5-10 years):
• Improve intersections and crossings for safer pedestrian and bicyclist movements. • Enhance connectivity between neighborhoods and transit stops through walking and biking network gap closures.
3. Long-Term Recommendations (20+ years):
• Pursue grant funding to study a high-capacity, separated transit system connecting Cupertino to San Jose's Diridon Station, offering a 20-minute travel time.
This is not a prescriptive plan for immediate implementation but rather a collaborative, phased understanding to address community priorities and agency goals. The recommendations focus on near-, medium-, and long-term improvement recommendations that align with community input and policy objectives, with project delivery dependent on interagency coordination and resource availability. If jurisdictions decide to move forward with specific policies or projects, then additional local approval and funding would be required to advance those improvements.
On April 16, 2025, the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission reviewed the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study and passed a motion recommending that the City Council accept the Study with specific qualifications:
The City maintains final decision-making authority regarding any projects or recommendations contained within the Vision Study.
The BPC reaffirms the City’s commitment to the provisions contained within Resolution 19-089.
All projects within the City of Cupertino, including any intersection modifications, will conform to the City’s standard processes, plans, and procedures relating to public outreach and approval.
On May 13, 2025, the Cupertino Planning Commission reaffirmed the BPC motion and voted unanimously to recommend that the Cupertino City Council accept the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study, with the following additional qualifications:
Prioritize investments in identity and maintenance.
Prioritize investments in safety, with a focus on, but not limited to, technology and innovation such as adaptive traffic signalization and active pedestrian detection.
Prioritize cost by limiting the corridor up to Bubb Road and limiting the study of transit alternatives to grade-separated transit.
Invest in off-corridor bicycle and pedestrian networks such as, but not limited to, the Lawrence Mitty Trail and Tamien Innu.
The acceptance of the Vision Study has been considered by all project partner agency Boards and Councils except Cupertino. The actions taken by these bodies are as follows:
City of Santa Clara: The City Council adopted a resolution accepting the Stevens Creek Boulevard Vision Study on May 27, 2025.
City of San Jose: The City Council adopted a resolution accepting the Stevens Creek Boulevard Vision Study on March 24, 2025.
County of Santa Clara: The Board of Supervisors approved the Stevens Creek Boulevard Vision Study on June 17, 2025.
Valley Transportation Authority: The Board of Directors approved the Stevens Creek Boulevard Vision Study on May 1, 2025.
Next steps for the project are still being discussed among the participating agencies but are likely to include keeping the Steering Committee and the working group in their current forms to continue conversations about the corridor’s future. Accepting the study signals Cupertino’s support of ongoing coordination efforts, but it is important to note that if the City accepts the Study, it does not constitute the City’s approval of any or all recommendations listed in the Study, and the pursuit of each recommendation would be at the discretion of each participating jurisdiction.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
The project is not subject to CEQA.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact from accepting the Study.
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Prepared by: Matthew Schroeder, Senior Transportation Planner Reviewed by: David Stillman, Transportation Manager
Approved for Submission by: Chad Mosely, Director of Public Works Attachments:
A – Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study
B – Resolution 19-089
C – Draft Resolution