Walking Tour of Downtown Project

By Pat Meyering

Weds. Oct. 14th at 6:00 p.m.

Walking Tour of perimeter of Sunnyvale's abandoned downtown project.

Walking Tour of perimeter of Sunnyvale's abandoned downtown project.

Experience the real character of Sunnyvale's Downtown Development Project with knowledgeable guide, Pat Meyering.

Tour Highlights

• Enjoy spectacular views of construction that was abandoned in Feb. 2009, by the current City Council's developer,

• Hear lively descriptions of the colorful history of Sunnyvale's original downtown with stories of earthquakes, fortunes and fame.

• Visit famous Dry Cleaners' locations, where underground storage tanks of Perchloroethylene, leaked the toxic chemical into the groundwater. [City took ownership of these lots in a swap where City gave up ownership of uncontaminated lots.]

• Be amazed by the story of how the City's current dysfunctional project came into being,

• Learn about the thousands of dollars, given by the chosen developer to Councilmembers who subsequently voted to approve his project and then voted to cancel his $3 million penalty for failing to complete the project,

• Gain insights into how the written Agreement with the City Council's Developer/Contributor) was fatally flawed by the omission of cross-collateralization of the developers' other assets, by the omission of a requirement to post an overall Performance Bond, and by the City Council's permission for the creation of a limited liability company that left the City dealing with an organization that had no financial resources,

• Learn about the financially-shaky foreign lender the current City Council agreed to partner with on the development project,

• Stroll Mathilda Ave, with its fabulous panorama of the 15-foot rust stains on the new Retail spaces, completed just before the current Council's developer walked away from the project earlier this year,

• Watch as the setting sun casts a gentle glow on your Downtown's diverse types of open beams and steel girders.

1. to be acute observers of the "partially built environment" and

2. to value their Councilmembers' fondness for contributions of campaign money from unreliable developers.

Unlike at city council meetings, every effort will be made to answer each question you have. Please call or email ahead of time if you have any particular areas of interest! (408) 725-7505. election@pmeyering.com.

We meet on the sidewalk outside and between the entrance doors to the landmark Macy's Department Store (Sunnyvale Ave. side), and the left corner of the building, (where the loading dock is.) The sidewalk is along Macy's building and the parking lot.

This leisurely stroll down Sunnyvale Ave. to Iowa Ave. to Mathilda Ave and Washington will last about 45 minutes to an hour.

No reservations required. FREE for those accompanied by at least one person of voting age.

Voter registration forms WILL be available! (Deadline for registration is Oct. 19th.)

This Walking Tour is "low impact" (no hills). HOWEVER, because the current City Council has neglected so much street repaving, sidewalk leveling, curb ramps and crosswalk striping and because of the City's slowing emergency response time, each participant,

By Showing Up, Assumes All Responsibility

for any and all eventualities (including accidents, breakdowns, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc. and loss of or damage to property.) Those without health insurance, WATCH where you're walking!

Bringing a sweater and wearing comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

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Sunnyvale's current Council members took thousands of dollars from the downtown developer and then CANCELED his $3,000,000.00 penalty for stopping construction.

We need to stop the repeated mistakes being made in the redevelopment of Sunnyvale's downtown. Missed deadlines, years of delay and the loss of Millions of Dollars in sales tax revenue to the City have seriously hurt Sunnyvale residents and business owners.

The City has repeatedly failed to enforce penalties for the delays. The contract with the developer was not written to protect the interests of Sunnyvale residents.

The developer decided not to abide by the agreed deadlines, because rent levels for commercial space were trending down. There was a possibility that his profit might have been less than he desired. This could have happened if the retail space rented more slowly or for fewer dollars than he desired. This is the usual risk that every developer faces.

The developer, with current Council approval, decided to leave Sunnyvale's downtown unfinished for one year. This had serious negative effects for the residents, the business community and the City's tax collections, and ultimately led to the whole project being stopped.

Sunnyvale's Council members (who took thousands of dollars from the downtown developer) then CANCELED his $3,000,000.00 penalty for stopping construction.

A defunct downtown eliminates a potential source of jobs for residents. The unfinished construction is an eyesore. It discourages shoppers from coming to the currently open businesses on Murphy Ave. It precludes increased sales tax and property tax revenues from being paid to the City. The estimate of the amount of sales tax revenue that would come from a functioning Downtown is $2 million/year.

In the City report regarding changing the construction deadline, it was revealed that the City knew since September, 2008 about the developer's plan to stop working. On October 15, 2008, the City issued a press release stating that construction on Sunnyvale's Downtown Development was proceeding on schedule. Why would the City issue such a release when it already had knowledge that construction would be halted?

The City also agreed to pay an unlimited amount (potentially Millions of Dollars) to clean up environmental contamination at the site. The City Council voted in April 2007, to pay most of the cleanup bill, with no dollar limit. Sunnyvale has agreed to pay for cleanup even under private property owned by the current construction company

The soil and groundwater beneath our downtown were contaminated with the poisonous chemical, perchloroethylene. The City agreed to pay the unlimited amount without taking the time to:

1. determine the extent of the contamination, or

2. know the cost of the cleanup.

Most cities limit their expense for environmental cleanup by imposing a cap in the agreement with the construction company. Again the contract, this time with a new construction company, was not written to protect the interests of Sunnyvale residents. The City Council has virtually given a blank check to the company. Your tax dollars will fund the blank check.