Cupertino residents vote on the future of Vallco Mall

A+conceptual+model+shows+the+developer+plans+for+Vallco.+Cupertino+residents+voted+on+the+November+ballot+to+decide+whether+revitalization+of+the+Cupertino+Vallco+Shopping+Mall+will+follow+through.

Ashley Jiang

A conceptual model shows the developer plans for Vallco. Cupertino residents voted on the November ballot to decide whether revitalization of the Cupertino Vallco Shopping Mall will follow through.

by Ashley Jiang and Natasha Maniar

Cupertino residents voted on the November ballot to decide whether revitalization of the Cupertino Vallco Shopping Mall will follow through. Voters either sided with either Measure D, the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan Initiative, or Measure C, the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative.

If they follow through with all aspects that they promised, including the transportation, it would be great for the community,” Mandarin teacher and Sunnyvale resident Shaun Jahshan said. “If they don’t end up finishing it, then it will cause a lot of traffic snarls.”

Developers of Measure D seek to revitalize Vallco into a 53-acre multi-purpose town center, complete with “a variety of entertainment options, senior and workforce housing [and] office space,” according to the official Revitalize Vallco website.

Measure C, as a resident-sponsored initiative, will “support balanced growth where infrastructure is developed in conjunction with offices and housing.”

“I think they are vastly underestimating how many people in the new housing would actually have kids in the district,” Computer Science teacher Marina Peregrino said.

Voting took place on Nov. 8.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on November 16, 2016.