Council narrows CIP amid public safety debate; Bollinger study defunded, Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking funding removed pending alternatives

The Cupertino City Council on May 15 reviewed a set of capital-improvement-program projects the council had asked staff to re-evaluate for possible defunding. The discussion focused on transportation and sustainability projects — most prominently Stevens Creek Boulevard Phase 2 protected bikeway work, the Bollinger Road corridor safety study and a photovoltaic (PV) project at the sports center — and featured sustained public testimony urging the council to keep safety projects and preserve award-winning protected-bike facilities.

Public safety and grant risk: More than a dozen residents, cycling advocates and commissioners urged the council not to defund Stevens Creek Boulevard protected bikeways and the Bollinger Road study, calling the projects part of the city's Vision Zero and citing past pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on those corridors. Speakers warned that canceling projects could forfeit regional grant funding; staff confirmed that some grant and developer-in-lieu funds are attached to specific projects and that canceling them could put those awards at risk or require reappropriation.

Bollinger Road study vote: The council debated a $532,000 package for a micro-simulation traffic study, outreach and a one-year pilot of additional traffic enforcement on Bollinger Road. Staff said about 80% of the Bollinger study funding would come from a federal grant and 20% from city funds; they also said the grant agreement had not yet been executed, and the city had not spent project funds. After discussion and public comment, a motion to defund the Bollinger Road corridor study passed. The roll call recorded Councilmember Fruin and Councilmember Mohan voting no; other members voted yes.

Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking: The council also considered a project to build dedicated electric-vehicle charging stations for the Silicon Valley Hopper fleet (formerly the Via Shuttle). Staff said the fleet is currently parked and charged at De Anza College under an agreement that could be terminated on 30 days’ notice; they were also negotiating with the City of Santa Clara for a longer-term option. Following council discussion, the council voted unanimously to remove funding for the Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking project from the CIP with direction to staff to pursue alternative locations and partnerships.

Other projects discussed: Staff described six projects council flagged for review: Stevens Creek Boulevard Class 4 bikeway (phase 2a design and construction and phase 2b construction and related signals), the Bamberg/Van~Blenley(?) (transcript: "Bamley"/Vanleigh) signal upgrades tied to Stevens Creek bikeway, Bollinger Road corridor study, a city sports-center photovoltaic (PV) system design/build project, and sports-center EV charging for the Hopper. The PV project remains contracted for design; staff said lifecycle savings are projected but defunding that project would free roughly $6.2 million back to capital reserves. Staff explained funding and grant details for each item and cautioned that defunding some items would forfeit outside funding (for example, the Stevens Creek project would lose about $807,000 in OBAG funding if canceled).

Council direction and next steps: Council split on the Stevens Creek bikeway discussion; some members said existing design and awarded contracts counsel against stopping the project midstream, while others expressed concern about intersection signal changes and vehicle impacts and said they preferred reallocating funds to other, lower-cost safety treatments citywide. With specific votes the council: (a) approved defunding the Bollinger Road corridor study; (b) directed staff to remove Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking from the CIP pending identification of alternative locations and partnerships (motion carried unanimously); and (c) deferred any final action on the Stevens Creek bikeway phases pending further council direction and the budget process. Staff noted that canceling items could affect MTC/regional grant relationships.

Ending: The debate underscored competing priorities — preserving regional grants and long-planned bicycle infrastructure versus reallocating limited capital funds and limiting intersection redesigns that some residents say have increased commute times. Staff will return with follow-up information on grant agreements, alternative parking/charging options for the Hopper, and a list of projects in the city work program for council to consider during final budget adoption.