[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6473638,"mediaKeyId","5744740-b9e70f8e141d26aa9ca54285e03a71c3","parentId",5744740,"title","Planning Commission supports Active Transportation Plan; asks staff to broaden school proximity and add safety projects","audioSeconds",3804,"startMs",3417000,"endMs",7221000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5744740-b9e70f8e141d26aa9ca54285e03a71c3&start=3417&end=7221","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5744740-b9e70f8e141d26aa9ca54285e03a71c3/thumbnail_3417000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6473638/Cupertino/Santa-Clara-County/California/Planning-Commission-supports-Active-Transportation-Plan-asks-staff-to-broaden-school-proximity-and-add-safety-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6473638-c62c5345d12e9ff404677ee1ccc202b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770746190&Signature=ipjT~Eelop4PHjDzwICpoue0MPArgx98GhDBTk-hN5HBuJvi-814CngRmq-2WprRh5oIGMxh2ZOQbeSzrFrWbbEKWZPjsbyGNjX5XaMxPRfBcPEzbbPZJfYFC9xcjooB0jOwh8Ucdt1BUkTeWjhOd8TfIND5J7GKcdZU5L5lGGAF9h1cRSUE0m5B~nTrMICd6X9oCeiysMdhBInMuXZBE9yc4OtuqkX8eZ7RFoR229sELLndnEvEKA1rXLeS8LWBEHUQ8eA5F2RZ~efT0IEaiFt0lDY~9XpqlYuyN4liuyy5A2TQSplRBCqTC02VAV4ht8LW3ulA4nAugl3ojlq0KA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cupertino","date","2025-09-10T00:19:35Z","article","The Cupertino Planning Commission on Sept. 9 received an update on the city’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and unanimously passed a motion directing staff to revise the draft project prioritization criteria and add specific implementation items, including a new project to address safety on the city’s high‑injury network.

Transportation staff framed the ATP as a citywide planning effort to unify prior biking and pedestrian documents and create a single prioritization framework. \"We hope [the ATP] will be a road map for a safer, more active Cupertino into the future,\" Transportation Manager David Stillman said. Alta Planning and Design summarized phase‑one outreach and technical analysis: \"Across all forms of input, we've received almost 3,000 public comments and reached over 1,300 people,\" consultant Petra Reyes said. Alta's technical lead, David Wasserman, described an analysis that combined short‑trip potential and level‑of‑traffic‑stress mapping. \"Roughly 30% of all car trips starting or ending in Cupertino are 5 miles or less,\" Wasserman said, underscoring the potential to shift short vehicle trips to walking or biking if barriers are reduced.

What commissioners decided: After discussion and public comment, the commission approved a motion (unanimous) that asked staff to update the ATP prioritization matrix and to add a separate, actionable safety project. Key direction included:

- Increase the school proximity score to include projects within a half mile of schools and add senior‑facility proximity as an access metric. Several commissioners and student speakers argued a quarter‑mile buffer was too tight to capture typical student commutes.

- Replace the draft \"sustainability\" criterion with an explicit \"connectivity\" criterion and award points when projects are within a quarter‑mile of a trail or a low‑stress facility (for example, a Class 4 protected bike lane).

- Remove the \"fairness\" score based on raw counts of public comments; commissioners said that criterion risks gaming and is not an objective performance measure.

- Adjust the \"balance\" or roadway‑impact penalty so that small removals of parking yield a modest negative score while large removals (for example, five or more regularly used spaces) or elimination of a travel lane carry larger penalties; staff were directed to revise the specific point levels.

- Add a named project to pursue intersection and corridor‑level solutions on the high‑injury network, using tools such as red‑light cameras, speed enforcement technology, and adaptive right‑turn controls that restrict turns when a bicyclist or pedestrian is present. The commission did not specify a citywide rollout; it directed staff to scope corridor or multi‑intersection projects for grant applications.

- Require baseline bicycle counts for major proposed bicycle projects so the city can measure utilization before and after improvements.

- Replace the single named training partner in the draft with a more general directive to \"partner with bicycle education providers\" to offer routine adult and family bicycle safety and skills classes in Cupertino.

Public input: Students, parents and local bicycle and pedestrian advocates commented during the public comment period. A Cupertino High School student urged broader school proximity weighting, saying typical commute radii extend beyond a quarter mile. Several commenters urged prioritizing safe routes to schools and warned that subtracting points for parking impacts could have deprioritized previously popular projects such as the Regnard Creek Trail.

What the ATP staff presented: Alta walked the commission through the analysis approach: (1) active‑trip potential using origin‑destination mobile data; (2) pedestrian and bicycle levels of traffic stress (LTS) that rate corridors on a 1–4 comfort scale; and (3) a gap‑score methodology that aggregates suppressed short‑trip demand. Alta recommended a project toolbox of intersection treatments and a prioritization rubric weighting safety and access most heavily. Staff confirmed the plan is funded with the city’s share of MTC TDA‑3 money (formula allocation) and that MTC requires the plan to be completed within three years in order for the city to receive reimbursement.

Ending and next steps: Staff will update the draft ATP prioritization criteria and the project list to reflect the commission’s directions, incorporate the requested baseline counting approach, and bring a revised draft back to the commission and then to City Council. Consultants expect to present a draft plan for public review early next year and seek council adoption in spring.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cupertino Planning Commission Meeting - September 9, 2025 (Live Streamed Version)","oneSentenceSummary","The Cupertino Planning Commission on Sept. 9 received a staff and consultant update on the city’s Active Transportation Plan and unanimously directed staff to revise draft prioritization criteria — including expanding school proximity, adding senior facilities and connectivity measures, removing a public‑comment fairness metric, and adding safety projects that could use cameras and adaptive turn controls.","taxTitle","Cupertino, Santa Clara County, California","taxId",3985,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6473643,"Planning Commission backs code changes to align with state SB450/SB9 but removes non-state-law additions",2094,1155000,3249000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5744740-b9e70f8e141d26aa9ca54285e03a71c3&start=1155&end=3249","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5744740-b9e70f8e141d26aa9ca54285e03a71c3/thumbnail_1155000.jpg","/articles/6473643/Cupertino/Santa-Clara-County/California/Planning-Commission-backs-code-changes-to-align-with-state-SB450SB9-but-removes-non-state-law-additions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6473643-6de63f36597fd0889472316d9cce1255/orig.mp4?Expires=1770746190&Signature=NMHL4ldR3Mg7cnVpjkWk6BzNNGMfHzfIUf5LQXrUrGhZ76Rtg~eD2XRz5rofakBhbj2-9q-FNgugZE-yg5p6tMSe646TvxpoU7R-Z5uwpgtJALEuL77G9cuyKSaHLjVUZv3oEFFbJIzyqFqMq-HZtqGRvZb-KQv4vmpPr8b~fSaCfB8yPiMWSqw34Qsm7vYpxE2LLJ3PxWrzGZvXqGrbn~~dj3ike8RKjoCIpgTt70fuVm7p2jYyl55lpSAEKmWxS-0QukNNwo8yvhpN2VLFRyaAqpZ8ojKYXE~IpRLyatLqLlFcTBABU3NeIGwhnN7ra1SG36oo0OFXW4FpU0SK3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cupertino Planning Commission on Sept. 9 voted unanimously to forward to City Council a set of municipal‑code amendments intended to align the city’s single‑family development rules with recent state changes around SB9 and SB450 — but the commission directed staff to remove newly introduced administrative items that are not required by state law and return them as a separate agenda item.

Planning staff presented the package as a mix of state‑law compliance and local code cleanups. \"These modifications are being brought to you today in an effort to align our municipal code standards with current state law as well as internal practices,\" project manager Emmy Sugiyama told the commission. Sugiyama said the changes would apply to several chapters of the Cupertino Municipal Code (including title 14 and title 18) and were intended to make standards more objective and easier to apply.

Why it matters: The amendments respond to SB450 (which staff said became effective in early 2025) and affect how the city reviews SB9 projects — duplexes and two‑lot subdivisions in single‑family zones — including timing for approval and which objective standards the city may apply. Under SB450 as described in the staff presentation, the city generally must approve or deny a complete SB9 application within 60 days or the project may be deemed approved. Other code changes in the staff package would harmonize single‑family development standards across R‑1 and RHS zones, revise definitions (balcony, deck, porch, gross lot area), and add two administrative rules: a 180‑day expiration for inactive applications and a restriction limiting demolition where replacement housing is not proposed.

Commission discussion focused on two recurring concerns: the cost and scope of requiring peer review of applicant‑supplied arborist reports, and the proposed 180‑day lapse/expiration rule for inactive applications. Commissioner Fung pressed staff on the arborist peer‑review requirement and the potential cost burden to homeowners. Sugiyama noted the city offers an alternative: applicants may use an arborist retained through the city’s on‑call consultant list, but acknowledged costs vary by project. On the record, a staff member referenced a recent example of an arborist review that cost about $2,000.

Several commissioners also questioned the effect of an application lapse on homeowners. \"They're given courtesy notices to let them know that we're looking for more information,\" Sugiyama said, adding the proposed 180‑day expiration had been adopted internally as a practice in some form but had not previously been codified. Commissioners said they were concerned that codifying expiration could unintentionally force homeowners with legitimate delays to refile and pay new fees.

In response to those concerns, Chair Rao moved to adopt the staff recommendation to advance state‑law changes and editorial corrections, but to remove any additions not required by state law and return those items to the commission as a separate agenda item. The motion — as amended to allow state‑law changes and ordinary spelling/readability corrections to proceed while taking other administrative additions back for separate review — carried unanimously.

What the change will mean next: Staff will forward the SB450/SB9‑related ordinance language to the City Council and will prepare a separate package and public hearing for the non‑state‑law administrative changes (including the 180‑day lapse and the demolition restriction) so the commission and public can review them with fuller exposition of costs and alternatives. Sugiyama said the package also included a recommended finding that the council could find the amendments exempt from CEQA.

Ending: The commission’s action advances state‑required updates to Cupertino’s development code while pausing local administrative additions so staff can return with more detailed cost and implementation information. The City Council will receive the commission’s recommendation at a future council meeting.
","The Cupertino Planning Commission on Sept. 9 recommended that the City Council adopt municipal code amendments to align local standards with state law on SB9/SB450. Commissioners voted unanimously to advance state-required edits while removing other, city-initiated administrative changes for separate review.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning Commission supports Active Transportation Plan; asks staff to broaden school proximity and add safety projects

Planning Commission backs code changes to align with state SB450/SB9 but removes non-state-law additions