Mayor's Cup Challenge: Plastics & Sustainability
On Saturday, May 14, the inaugural Mayor's Cup Challenge event was held in the new Cupertino Library Expansion spaces. Ten invited panelists with expertise in industry, science, technology, and policy came together to participate in the event, a moderated set of conversations in front of an audience of about 80 in-person attendees and 14 people online.
The event was designed to consider a complex problem from a variety of viewpoints. This inaugural event was focused on the issue of plastics and environmental concerns, but the hope is that future years could use a similar model to consider other complicated issues in a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary way.
This City Work Program project was held primarily in the Cupertino Library expansion spaces with the main panels, followed by lunch in Community Hall, which featured a video from the Cupertino Library Foundation’s Super Summer Science Search youth winners from 2021, as well as talks from two Recology Artists-in-Residence. The artists discussed their work creating artwork from discarded materials found at the Recology San Francisco transfer station and attendees were invited to view installed pieces on the second floor of the library.
More than 180 people registered for the event either via Zoom or in-person, showing that this is a topic of great interest to the community. A video of the event will be available soon and further information can be found at cupertino.org/mayorscupchallenge.
Community Meeting Held on Housing Element
The City of Cupertino held its first Community Meeting on the Cupertino Housing Element Update on Monday, May 23. The meeting had a hybrid format that gave residents and community members the opportunity to attend and participate either in person at Community Hall or engage online.
During the meeting, there was a presentation providing an overview on the Housing Element Update and the requirements involved in the update process. Meeting attendees learned first-hand about the experiences of others in the community, provided their own input on housing issues, and asked questions of panelists and staff. The meeting included a panel of individuals representing a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and all attendees broke out into small groups, both in person and on Zoom, to discuss inclusive housing, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), the needs of our community, and more. The recording of this meeting will be available soon at engagecupertino.org/housingelement.
Another community meeting is planned for late June, and may focus on the needs and experiences of students and seniors. In addition, the next Community Engagement Plan - Strategic Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 6. This meeting will be held virtually and can be attended via Zoom.
Comments and input from the community are vital to the Housing Element Update, and participation in the community engagement process is strongly encouraged. To find details about the Housing Element Update and to stay informed, sign up for future notifications online at engagecupertino.org/housingelement.
Regnart Creek Trail Project Wins Project of the Year
The City of Cupertino's Regnart Creek Trail Project was awarded Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Silicon Valley Chapter. The award won in the project category of transportation projects between $2 million and $5 million. The City's Public Works staff was proud to accept the award at APWA's award ceremony on May 18.
The 0.8-mile-long trail provides an off-street pedestrian and bicycle connection between Creekside Park, Wilson Park, local neighborhoods, City Hall, and the Cupertino Library.
Completion of this trail is the result of years of successful collaboration between the City's Public Works Department and Santa Clara Valley Water District, in addition to the ongoing leadership and support from the Cupertino City Council, Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, and the community.
In addition to connecting the aforementioned locations, the trail also serves as one segment of a larger bicycle connection trail between Monta Vista High School and Cupertino High School, which also includes the recently completed separated bike lanes along McClellan Road and Pacifica Drive.
This trail was funded by the Santa Clara County 2016 Measure B program and the City.
View the full press release at cupertino.org/press.
New Online Application for Development Activity
The City’s Geographic Information System (GIS) Division, in collaboration with the Building and Planning Divisions of the Community Development Department, have launched AgencyCounter, a new and improved version of Civic Central.
This interactive, user-friendly application displays development activity in the City ranging from Planning Applications to final Building Permits. Users can access the map function to learn what Planning applications and Building permits are being proposed. Colored dots represent the status of those records.
The mustard color dots note records that are under consideration, currently open, in process, issued, awaiting applicant response, or those that have been assigned to staff. In contrast, the blue dots are applied to records with a “Decision Made" status, which means they are closed, complete, disapproved, rejected, or withdrawn.
Customers, residents, commissioners, and councilmembers can access planning and building information dating back to 2005.
Users can create accounts and manage alerts to receive notifications on any activity that is happening in their chosen areas of interest.
The portal Scorecard feature shows Building and Planning applications year-to-date, Planning permits open for appeal, as well as ADU and solar permit applications.
View the new portal at cupertino.agencycounter.com.
2022 CREST Awards Ceremony is Tonight
Each year, the City of Cupertino presents its CREST Awards, “Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken,” to honor the outstanding contributions of Cupertino community members. The public is invited to the annual CREST Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 26 at 5:30 p.m. in Cupertino Community Hall, located at 10350 Torre Avenue. You can also watch the ceremony live at cupertino.org/youtube.
View event details at cupertino.org/crest.
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