UPDATE: Unfortunately Measure D did not pass in the Nov. 2016 election.
Measure D is a smart proposal to create a walkable, transit-friendly town center with homes, shops, and jobs—capped by one of the world’s largest green roofs—at the site of the failing Vallco Mall.
The Vallco Shopping Mall in the center of Cupertino first opened in 1976. Over time, the mall fell out of favor as other shopping areas came onto the scene. Now, it’s nearly deserted, with only a few businesses left.
Measure D is a smart way to revitalize the dying Vallco mall area and transform it into a more sustainable place to live, work, and play. The measure lays out a vision for the site that replaces the car-centric mall with a people-centered town center. It calls for returning to a traditional street grid with extensive new sidewalks and bike lanes, transit hubs, and new shuttle service. It includes homes for residents across the income spectrum, shops and entertainment venues, community facilities, and office space. Topping it off (literally) would be one of the world’s largest green roofs, a first-of-its-kind 30-acre greenway, rising up from street level to form a series of publicly-accessible green spaces on top of the new buildings. The rolling shape of this new community park gives the development proposal its name—”The Hills at Vallco.”
Measure D is particularly important because it would provide new homes in the heart of Silicon Valley to help address the Bay Area’s housing affordability crisis. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Cupertino in August 2016 was more than $3,000 per month, far out of reach for most families. This means more and more people who work in and around Cupertino are traveling to the edges of our region and beyond to find a home they can afford. This generates traffic and congestion and creates new sprawl pressure on the greenbelt lands that benefit us all. Measure D helps to address this crisis by creating new homes close to jobs that are served with great transportation amenities, including 3.8 miles of walking, jogging, and biking trails—helping to improve the quality of life for all Cupertino residents.
Measure D was placed on the ballot in response to Measure C, a misguided ballot measure that would stifle the revitalization of the failing Vallco mall and make finding an affordable place to live in a walkable neighborhood further out of reach for Bay Area residents. (Read more about Measure C here.) Both measures will appear on the November 2016 ballot.
Measure D moves Cupertino toward a more sustainable, affordable, and less car-dependent future. It’s the right choice for Cupertino.
Greenbelt Alliance urges Cupertino voters to vote YES on Measure D.
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