Residents who live near the Peery Park project site expressed strong concerns about the future of the area as the city of Sunnyvale embarks on developing a guide for future development of the area.
Overcrowding, traffic, public transit, parking, aesthetics and noise were among the subjects addressed by the 20 community members in attendance at a June 25 community meeting aimed at studying environmental impacts at the site.
Peery Park is the area enclosed by U.S Route 101 to the north, Mathilda Avenue to the east, the railroad to the south and the city of Mountain View border to the west. Peery Park improvement and development has been discussed by the city since 2009 and is made up of 446 acres and more than 180 properties which are 77 percent industrial, 12 percent commercial and less than 1 percent residential.
Currently a Specific Plan for the project is in development and when complete, will provide the city, property owners and businesses with a set of guidelines for future development in the Peery Park area.
The June 25 meeting was the first step in developing an Environmental Impact Report for the plan. So far, the EIR is in the first stages of formulation and the one hour meeting was organized by city staff to gain insight into what residents would like to see what environmental issues should be addressed in the plan.
The Specific Plan will provide a general vision to guide development and also provide details on the type, location and intensity of uses as well as address the public improvements and infrastructure needed to support the vision for the area, according to the project website.
Some residents are not so certain that the city will take into consideration direct impacts from the residents’ point of view. Many of the residents came to the meeting well-versed on Peery Park. Some had already read through an ‘initial study’ done by the city that was released earlier in June.
Dwight and Ann Davis, residents on Pine Avenue, expressed worry that more development will affect neighborhoods. The couple is already critical of two large buildings on Mathilda Avenue that the two say is affecting the view from their backyard.
“The draft I saw online indicates that there will be no visual impact by Peery Park. I already have a visual impact,” said Ann. “They said there would be no glare, those (Mathilda Avenue) buildings have a huge glare on them. It said there would be no additional lights, we have lights coming into our neighborhood.”
Other residents want specific information on the amount of housing available when new businesses move into the area.
“When I read through the initial study, I noticed an increasing imbalance between jobs and housing in the city. In fact, it talks about 4,600 new jobs, it only mentions 215 residential units. I think this is a problem,” said Sunnyvale resident Don Vithe. “Competition in apartments makes rents go up, existing housing becomes overcrowded. The plan says that increases in the supply of housing as well as workforce housing within the greater Bay Area is anticipated to take care of this imbalance. But I have my doubts.”
According to Sunnyvale city staff, the next steps in the environmental review process include a fourth community workshop on July 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the San Miguel Elementary School multipurpose room, 777 San Miguel Ave.
To date, two public hearings and three community workshops have been held seeking resident input. The Sunnyvale City Council and planning commission conducted a study session for the Peery Park Specific Plan in February.
“The council is obviously very interested in ensuring that there is sufficient public outreach and that the community is involved in the process which is why they’ve specifically asked us to schedule another workshop in addition to the outreach,” said Hanson Hom, Sunnyvale’s director of the community development department.
From October to November this year, another public comment period will take place when a draft Environmental Impact Report is released. A final EIR that addresses all public comments is estimated for a January 2016 release. A final public hearing on the Peery Park Specific Plan and certification of the EIR could take place in February or March 2016.
For more information on the project visit peerypark.insunnyvale.com.
