(http://shoutout.wix.com/so/ad885795-0eab-45eb-a9e6-b90e20aaba08#/main)
If you have
attended the Dec. 2nd and 3rd Council meetings, you will have to attend
May 19th Council Meeting since the Council will find a way to continue
to push for uncontrolled growth in Cupertino. They have not listened to
the residents' concerns. They are not slowing down.
If you haven't attended the Dec. 2nd and 3rd Council meetings, you cannot miss May 19th Council Meeting, since this might be the last chance we have to save Cupertino from uncontrolled growth.
Once land use and development policies are approved in the General Plan or in the form of an ordinance, there is very little we can do when a developer delivers a plan that builds to the maximum limit allowed in the General Plan and the developers will build to the maximum.
The Staff Report for the May 19th Council Meeting seems to suggest no change to the General Plan. But it is proposing an ordinance which would open the Pandora's box to allow many projects to be bundled together to be considered for rezoning. As confusing and as non-transparent as the current GPA process in the last few months, it simply changes a format and a name to hopefully calm the residents down.
We were deceived once in December. We won't be deceived again.
We thought the Council listened to us after December 4th. We were wrong! We were totally played by the City Council or the City Council were all as confused as we were and passed the Ordinance 14-211 by mistake.
All of us who attended Dec. 3rd meeting and all of us who watched the video at home specifically heard that the Council will separate GPA from Housing Element and postpone GPA. They would only discuss Housing Element that night and they would only amend the general plan for items related to Housing Element.
However, after 1am on Dec. 4th without any deliberation, Ordinance 14-211 was passed and it includes the 349-page document "Community Vision 2040," which turns out to be a total rewrite of the existing 2005 General Plan.
The new General Plan is meant to put Cupertino on a fast track to urbanization. It removed policies that preserve the suburban characteristics of Cupertino. It removed policies that attempt to enhance traffic congestion at intersections and perform an annual traffic analysis. Basically, it removed obstacles in 2000-2020 General Plan to keep building height and growth under control. And none of the changes were communicated to the residents during any outreach meetings.
This new General Plan was first available for the Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 14, 2014. The City Council was scheduled to approve it on November 3rd by bundling it together with Housing Element, which has a January deadline. This 349-page document, which is supposed to define the future growth of Cupertino, did not receive any comments from the community at all, since it was released very late in the process and the community didn't even know that it's a total rewrite of 2000-2020 General Plan. It didn't receive any comments from the City Council either, since the Council didn't get a chance to discuss it on Dec. 4 when it was approved.
All along we were led to believe that the General Plan Amendment would simply modify the existing "2000-2020 General Plan" (a.k.a. 2005 General Plan). On April 1, 2014, the staff report still maintained that "the majority of the General Plan’s content will remain the same" and the EIR was ordered based on the direction from that meeting. On Oct. 7, 2014, the staff report still states “The proposed Project .... is not a complete revision of the City’s 2000-2020 General Plan.” Yet, on Oct. 14, 2012, the staff report starts to refer to "the new General Plan."
If you haven't attended the Dec. 2nd and 3rd Council meetings, you cannot miss May 19th Council Meeting, since this might be the last chance we have to save Cupertino from uncontrolled growth.
Once land use and development policies are approved in the General Plan or in the form of an ordinance, there is very little we can do when a developer delivers a plan that builds to the maximum limit allowed in the General Plan and the developers will build to the maximum.
The Staff Report for the May 19th Council Meeting seems to suggest no change to the General Plan. But it is proposing an ordinance which would open the Pandora's box to allow many projects to be bundled together to be considered for rezoning. As confusing and as non-transparent as the current GPA process in the last few months, it simply changes a format and a name to hopefully calm the residents down.
We were deceived once in December. We won't be deceived again.
We thought the Council listened to us after December 4th. We were wrong! We were totally played by the City Council or the City Council were all as confused as we were and passed the Ordinance 14-211 by mistake.
All of us who attended Dec. 3rd meeting and all of us who watched the video at home specifically heard that the Council will separate GPA from Housing Element and postpone GPA. They would only discuss Housing Element that night and they would only amend the general plan for items related to Housing Element.
However, after 1am on Dec. 4th without any deliberation, Ordinance 14-211 was passed and it includes the 349-page document "Community Vision 2040," which turns out to be a total rewrite of the existing 2005 General Plan.
The new General Plan is meant to put Cupertino on a fast track to urbanization. It removed policies that preserve the suburban characteristics of Cupertino. It removed policies that attempt to enhance traffic congestion at intersections and perform an annual traffic analysis. Basically, it removed obstacles in 2000-2020 General Plan to keep building height and growth under control. And none of the changes were communicated to the residents during any outreach meetings.
This new General Plan was first available for the Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 14, 2014. The City Council was scheduled to approve it on November 3rd by bundling it together with Housing Element, which has a January deadline. This 349-page document, which is supposed to define the future growth of Cupertino, did not receive any comments from the community at all, since it was released very late in the process and the community didn't even know that it's a total rewrite of 2000-2020 General Plan. It didn't receive any comments from the City Council either, since the Council didn't get a chance to discuss it on Dec. 4 when it was approved.
All along we were led to believe that the General Plan Amendment would simply modify the existing "2000-2020 General Plan" (a.k.a. 2005 General Plan). On April 1, 2014, the staff report still maintained that "the majority of the General Plan’s content will remain the same" and the EIR was ordered based on the direction from that meeting. On Oct. 7, 2014, the staff report still states “The proposed Project .... is not a complete revision of the City’s 2000-2020 General Plan.” Yet, on Oct. 14, 2012, the staff report starts to refer to "the new General Plan."
This blog article shows quotes from the video of Dec. 3 Council meeting where the Council promised to postpone GPA.
- Cupertino City Council Promised to Postpone GPA, but Recanted after 1AM on Dec. 4, 2014
- Please Rescind Ordinance 14-211 to Correct the Innocent Mistake, by Liang
- Rescind "Community Vision 2040" It's Your Moral Obligation, by Xiaowen
Join us tomorrow (May 17) for our Information Meeting at 1:30pm at Sunflower Learning Center, 19220 Stevens Creek Blvd. We will discuss available options.
- Cupertino City Council Promised to Postpone GPA, but Recanted after 1AM on Dec. 4, 2014
- Here are letters to request the City Council to rescind the decision to approve Resolution 14-211, containing the new General Plan "Community Vision 2040".
- Please Rescind Ordinance 14-211 to Correct the Innocent Mistake, by Liang
- Rescind "Community Vision 2040" It's Your Moral Obligation, by Xiaowen
Join us tomorrow (May 17) for our Information Meeting at 1:30pm at Sunflower Learning Center, 19220 Stevens Creek Blvd. We will discuss available options.
Attend the rally at 6:15pm on May 19th and the council meeting at 6:45pm.
Wear RED to support us.
We need to tell the Council:
- Save Cupertino Schools from uncontrolled growth.
- Keep "2000-2020 General Plan" (a.k.a. 2005 General Plan) until the year 2020.
- Discontinue Developer/Community Benefits program or any form of it.
- Keep Cupertino as a suburban city.
- Grow sensibly and sustainably with infrastructure enhancement.
Together we have made a difference and will make a difference on May 19th.
Wear RED to support us.
We need to tell the Council:
- Save Cupertino Schools from uncontrolled growth.
- Keep "2000-2020 General Plan" (a.k.a. 2005 General Plan) until the year 2020.
- Discontinue Developer/Community Benefits program or any form of it.
- Keep Cupertino as a suburban city.
- Grow sensibly and sustainably with infrastructure enhancement.
Together we have made a difference and will make a difference on May 19th.
