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Residents object to Mary Avenue process; council moves negotiator appointment to later session
Summary
Multiple residents urged the council to pause the Mary Avenue land action, saying a supplemental memo and an 'exempt surplus' classification limited public notice; council pulled the consent item (appointing negotiators) for later discussion and said the item will be heard in a continuation.
Several speakers during oral communications told the Cupertino City Council they were alarmed by the pace and public-notice aspects of the Mary Avenue property action (associated with a proposed development often referred to in public comments as the 'Mary Avenue Villas').
Ranjan Desai told the council he and neighbors were surprised to find the matter listed on the consent calendar and urged the council to delay any action until traffic studies and broader public review occur. The city attorney and mayor clarified that the consent item as agendized was limited to appointing potential negotiators for future real-property discussions, not a final land-sale decision.
Arif (calling from remote) said the supplemental report indicated staff had used an 'exempt surplus' or similar exemption to classify the parcel and that the change had not been noticed for public comment or presented to the full council as a policy decision. "This was not noticed to the public," Arif said, and he asked the council to allow time for public discussion and council deliberation on process and transparency.
Aditya, representing neighbors, raised safety worries about narrowed streets and children biking near the proposed changes, saying residents felt excluded from the decision-making process. San (San Rao) pressed staff and council to explain who directed the change from a possible ground lease to a sale and urged compliance with Brown Act notice requirements.
Councilmembers responded by pulling item 16 from the consent calendar for separate consideration later in the agenda and scheduling an early-December study session on Mary Avenue process questions. The mayor and staff also said that item 16 (appointing negotiators) would be moved to a later meeting and that a special meeting would be noticed to complete tonight’s business after a subsequent meeting continuity was required due to AV issues.
The council did not take a final vote on land disposition at the Nov. 18 meeting; staff said remaining substantive actions would be considered at a noticed continuation or special meeting.
