What To Do With 'Ghost Town' Vallco Mall: 2 Ballot Measures Offer Different Approaches In Nearby Cupertino

CUPERTINO, CA – Two measures on the Nov. 8 ballot are vying for Cupertino voters' attention with different approaches in redeveloping Vallco Mall, a shopping center that has become a ghost town within the city.

The shopping center in the northeastern section of the city off of Stevens Creek Boulevard and North Wolfe Road has seen many retailers, including department stores close up shop resulting in dwindling business
that has lasted for decades.

Measure C would affirm that Vallco Mall be used for retail, entertainment, dining, hotel and commercial purposes, but not for office or residential spaces.

The measure would require voter approval of any significant changes to height and density on any project that goes against the general plan after reviews by the City Council and Planning Commission and raise the
limit on building heights outside neighborhoods to 45 feet.

Measure D seeks to move forward with the $3 billion Vallco Town Center Specific Plan on the 58-acre property that would set aside space for housing, offices, commercial areas, schools and areas for civic or
educational purposes. Funds would also be set aside to address transportation surrounding the center.

If both measures pass by a required majority vote, the initiative with the most yes votes would move forward, according to an impartial analysis by City Attorney Randolph Stevenson Hom.

The site would be known as "The Hills at Vallco," and set for completion in about five years, according to the project's developer Peter Pau, co-founder of Menlo-Park based Sand Hill Property Company.

The company has reached out to the community to seek feedback on the project in the past two years since it acquired the property, Pau said during a news conference this morning at the mall.

The site would also feature a cultural community center, 30-acre green roof and 800 residential spaces, 80 of which would be dedicated to seniors.

Pau emphasized his long-term commitment to complete the project for the community should Measure D pass, but if the initiative fails the company will accept the people's vote and won't fight to move the project
forward.

The company also developed the city's Main Street Cupertino mixed-use project and Whole Foods Market, both along Stevens Creek Boulevard.

"For the last easily 25 years, people have been talking about revitalizing Vallco," former Mayor Dolly Sandoval said.

Vallco Mall was built in the 1970s and became a "jewel" for the city. The site went through multiple developers starting in the 1990s and saw its investment decline by the end of the decade, Sandoval said.

In the 2000s, an AMC Theatres was built at the mall but didn't attract people who were often purchasing online or going to other malls along Interstate Highway 280, she said.

The project highlighted under Measure D would be a way to make a viable space successful for businesses and current and future residents, Sandoval said.

The former mayor was initially skeptical of how the project would impact traffic, schools, commutes and affordable housing, but became supportive of the measure after spending hours studying the plan.

"This is a commercial project and a community development project put together in one," former Mayor Michael Chang said.

The Vallco site is the only real place and largest piece of available land where the city can build a town center from the ground up, according to Chang.

"Because of online shopping, malls like this are failing everywhere," Chang said.

"Freezing it as a mall is a death sentence," Chang said.

Measure C supporter and 17-year Cupertino resident Steven Scharf pointed to other shopping malls such as Westgate Center in San Jose, Great Mall in Milpitas and The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno that received a
makeover with an emphasis on retail.

Bringing in retailers will help revitalize the mall, but the project would cut the site's current retail space in half from 1.2 million square feet to 625,000 square feet, Scharf said.

The developer plans to build high-rise buildings that Measure C supporters believe would be inappropriate for the suburban town, Scharf said.

Measure C proponents are looking for the Vallco project to be a mixed-use development with a significant amount of retail and less office space, Scharf said.

The developer is also looking to build 2 million square feet of office space that would require more homes and schools to supplement the number of employees in the area, but there's no space available to build in
the city, Scharf said.

If Measure D passes, it could take 10 years for the community to feel the full effects of the project including massive traffic congestion and overcrowded schools, according to Scharf.

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• Measure A's $950 Million Housing Bond Aimed At Affordable Housing; But Will It Really Aid Homeless Crisis?
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• Santa Clara Co. Leaders Respond To Election Rigging, Voter Fraud Allegations
• Prop 59 Supporters Hold County Rally To Eliminate 'Corporate Personhood'
• Rep. Honda Files Suit Accusing Ro Khanna's Campaign Of Espionage, Computer Fraud

--Bay City News/Images via Yelp users August M. from August 2016, Isaac H. from February, and Ryan T. from July.