In response to the ongoing debate about growth in Cupertino, I would like to offer my opinion and personal experience.

Having been raised in Los Angeles, I am very aware of growth gone wrong. Although I was born in Santa Monica, I grew up five miles away in the city of Los Angeles. During the ‘80s a phenomenon began to occur on nearly every corner in the city; these developments were called strip malls. They were often poorly constructed, often didn’t match the architectural style of the nearby neighborhoods and provided little long-term benefit to the local community.

In Santa Monica, the neighboring city, they had to make some tough decisions: Strip malls now for quick taxes or planned, managed and well-executed developments that would reap tax revenues many times over those provided by strip-mall developers.

Santa Monica chose the latter. Home prices in Santa Monica continue to rise faster than similar homes’ just five miles away in Los Angeles. Why? Because Santa Monica chooses to do things differently; not always the best decisions, but they are not afraid to tell developers to “go take a hike” if it doesn’t enhance the city.

In my opinion the new mixed-use developments coming up all over the Bay Area are the new millennium’s equivalent of the 1980s strip mall.

Cupertino has some beautiful developments that have been around for many years, including The Oaks, Vallco and The Marketplace. Don’t destroy these gems. As Randol Mackley, the retail specialist hired to educate Cupertino’s leaders, said, referring to Vallco, “It’s a diamond in the rough.” Cupertino is prime real estate; use it wisely. Let’s not make the same mistake as Los Angeles.

Cupertino Courier
Letters to the Editor, March 3, 2004
Dennis Vaughn, Cupertino