News...

Check back here regularly to find out what's going in our community regarding hillside and wildlife habitat protection.

The application by Parkside Trails and Standard Pacific Homes which has been before the City of Cupertino for two years has been withdrawn.  This application for a General Plan amendment, rezoning of hillside acreage, parcel realignments and a significant housing development has been withdrawn by the applicants who have cited a lack of community and political support as the reasons.

As required by the EIR process, Cupertino scheduled a Notice of Preparation meeting on March 26, 2015 at the Cupertino Community Hall.The purpose of this NOP meeting was to take public comment regarding the scope and content of the draft EIR. Constructive public comment was welcomed and received. Written comments were accepted until 5:00p.m. on April 1, 2015 at the City Offices.

Copies of the written correspondence can be found here.

NOP Written Comments

The City of Cupertino has changed its position and requested that the Parkside Trails applicant now prepare a complete EIR to more fully understand the significant environmental impact of the proposed project, rather than the more abbreviated, developer-friendly  'Negative Declaration.'  The volume and thoughtful content of public comments presented at the ERC meeting on 8/11/14 led to this decision. This is an example of the power of citizen input to the public policy making process. The EIR Notice of Preparation and date of the associated scoping meeting have not yet been made public by the City. Details will be posted here when available.

The Cupertino Environmental Review Committee (ERC) met on Monday, August 11, to consider the appropriate level of environmental study for the Parkside Trails application for General Plan amendment, zoning changes and 18-unit housing development on protected hillside land. The applicant requested the less thorough 'mitgated negative declaration.' The community at large advocated for the more thorough 'environmental impact review.' The ERC recommended the less thorough approach to the Planning Commission and City Council.

The Cupertino Courier (and San Jose Mercury) article reporting on the meeting can be found here.

Copies of written correspondence to the ERC can be found here.

The City of Cupertino has a General Plan (GP) which sets the "ground rules" for public policy decision-making within the City. Approximately every 10 years the GP is reviewed and updated via an amendment process that involves a represeantative cross section of stake holders within the City. This process takes roughly 18 months to complete. A more detailed FAQ document covering the GP Amendment Process can be found here.

To properly guide the review and amendment process the City prepares a set of Guiding Principles for the people reviewing the GP and formulating amendment recommendations for the City Council. These principles were presented at the March 11, 2014 meeting. Guiding Principle #10: Preserve the Environment  states in part  "Preserve Cupertino’s environment by enhancing or restoring creeks and hillsides to their natural state, limiting urban uses to existing urbanized areas, encouraging environmental protection..."  A link to the Guiding Principles can be found here.

This committment to hillside and wildlife habitat protection is a strong statement about the values of Cupertino which should guide future public policy decision-making.