Peery Park Specific Plan

Background

The Peery Park Specific Plan, adopted in 2016, outlines the development of 180 properties that make up the approximately 446 acre area known as Peery Park. Peery Park is comprised mostly of industrial area and office buildings, containing large companies such as Apple, HP, LinkedIn, and Synopsys. The area is roughly bordered by Highway 101 to the north, the city of Mountain View to the west, the railroad to the south, and Mathilda Ave to the east.

The plan governs the type of land use in the area. It plans to implement significant visual enhancements and improved transportation functionality down Mathilda Ave and Mary Ave as well as other streets in the area. These enhancements include reconfigured parking and bike lanes, and tree-lined landscapes down the median. It also includes possible plans to extend Mary Avenue further north, connecting to Moffett Park.

The Plan places a priority on Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and alternative transportation. TDM plans and Transportation Management Association (TMA) membership are both mandatory for all projects within the scope of the plan.

PPSP area

Peery Park Specific Plan Area (in purple)

Policies

The Peery Park Specific Plan emphasizes Transportation Demand Management as a goal for implementation. In pursuit of this goal, the Plan requires TDM plans as a part of the approval process for all projects. The trip reduction requirements are increasingly demanding as property size increases. The Plan also requires property owners to participate in a privately-funded TMA. The responsibility of the TMA is to coordinate TDM programs, monitor and report on traffic performance, and guide place-making improvements.

The Plan provides a vision of improved transit service within the area. Existing VTA service will be increasingly valuable as the design standards of the plan pursue density increases within Peery Park. In addition to supporting VTA services, the Plan allocates $400,000 to a two year provisional shuttle program. The program is free for passengers and is planned to start service in 2020. The shuttle will travel the perimeter of Peery Park to downtown Sunnyvale. Much like employer-operated shuttles common to tech companies, this shuttle would provide service to Peery Park as a whole, capitalizing on the density of employment locations in the area.

The Peery Park Plan provides a set of tools for TDM available to developers, employers, and property owners to craft satisfying TDM plans. The plan breaks them into three categories: Alternative Transportation, Programs and Resources, and Financial Incentives. Alternative Transportation encompasses the District-wide shuttle bus, car and vanpool amenities, bikeshare programs, ride home guarantees, and parking for car share services. Programs and Resources includes informational services, transit information and flexible work schedules. Financial incentives range from transit pass subsidies, parking cash-outs, unbundled parking, and reduction of parking minimums & shared parking.

Projects that are over 750,000 square feet in Peery Park are required to reduce their vehicle trips by 35% compared to the baseline ITE trip generation rates. Smaller projects have slightly lower goals (Table 1). The City believes that these goals are aggressive but also achievable. The City will monitor and enforce the vehicle trips through annual driveway counts. The fee penalties for developments not meeting the goal is reduced as the development becomes closer to achieving their trip reduction goal.

Table 1: Trip Reduction Goals for Project TDMs

Project (gross sf)

TDM Trip Reduction Goal

Over 750,000

35%

300,001 to 750,000

30%

100,001 to 300,000

25%

Up to 100,000 and change in occupancy     

that intensifies prior use

20%

Outcomes

In early 2018, City Council approved 265-285 Sobrante Way Office Development within the Peery Park Specific Plan. The proposed project included an outline of TDM strategies to meet its 25% trip reduction goal. The TDM Plan designates the responsible party for each TDM measure, whether it is the building manager/future employers, building developer, or transportation coordinator. This ensures that each party can be held accountable for implementing specific TDM measures.

The planned Peery Park Rides commuter shuttle is now fully funded with grant funding from MTC and with a local match provided by the Plan’s “Community Benefits” fees. Set to launch in 2020, this shuttle will be operated by VTA to connect the area to Sunnyvale Caltrain Station.

Lessons Learned

Originally, the plan included a proposed pedestrian and bicycle pathway connecting the neighborhoods at Ferndale and Duane to Mathilda. However, this proposed pathway was removed from the plan because it faced opposition from the public. The pathway required opening an existing sound wall and many residents were concerned that this would lead to employees parking in residential areas and then walking to work. This opposition is surprising considering the highest rated priority for the plan, identified during a community workshop, was “improvements focused on walking, biking and transit”.

New development proposals within the plan area continue to face concerns from neighboring residents regarding traffic congestion and a lack of ample parking, despite the robust TDM requirements. However, the TDM requirements provide concrete metrics and strategies for City staff to reference when communicating with concerned residents.

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