Three years of discussions and public meetings later, the developers of Main Street hosted Wednesday evening, drawing in about 30 mostly-enthusiastic locals.
Next Tuesday, May 15, Sand Hill Property Co. will then bring its plan to the Cupertino City Council before officially breaking ground. The 18-acre mixed use development is the city’s first modern-day attempt to create a downtown environment.
“We’re ready to get this thing built,” said Kevin Dare, Sand Hill Property Co.’s managing director. “We’re ready, it’s exciting.”
The property includes a town square lawn, 78,700 square feet of retail space, 292,000 square feet of office space, an European square parking plaza, 143 condo units for those 55 and older, retail space, and a 250-room Marriott Hotel. The project is bordered by Stevens Creek Boulevard, Finch Avenue, Vallco Parkway, and N. Tantau Avenue.
Addressing an audience member concern about bringing another Marriott into town, Dare said that the Main Street one is geared toward residential stays.
“Business people are now being shipped to Sunnyvale [for longer visits to the area],” said Dare, pointing out the new establishment will also boast full-service kitchens built into every unit.
For the retail section of the building, the businesses will be composed of a variety of tenants, said Dare, not yet naming names.
“We’ll find some unique tenants, but balance that with the tenants you know,” said Dare.
Tackling concerns about noise from the loading area from 7 to 10 a.m. every day, Dare said that the traffic “would occur away from the residents,” in a driveway area that would not generate more traffic.
He also added that festivities would occur in the main square rather than the central lawn. “[Celebrations like] Music in the Park in Los Gatos totally destroys the lawn,” said Dare.
He added that the buildings would also be LEED and CALGreen certified.
Many of the audience members had been following the plans since they were first announced in 2009—and were eager to have a centralized shopping location in town.
“We have hardly any retail,” said Ruby Elbogen, Editor and Publisher of C Magazine and Cupertino-News.com who was present at the original Main Street Focus Group. “Cupertino is only 55 years old and has no downtown.”
“Cupertino desires that downtown community place to go,” said Art Cohen, the co-owner of BlueLight Cinemas. “Apple is also about to build a complex that will feed into the area. It’s pretty exciting.”
For more information about Cupertino's Main Street Project, including traffic and noise studies, visit the official website.
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