Planning process started: 2010
Plan and EIR scheduled for adoption: spring/summer 2014
Campaign team: Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Friends of Caltrain, and Sunnyvale Cool
Location on Transit Line: Caltrain
See the campaign platform here.
Great Communities Collaborative (GCC) funds the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, public policy group that represents Silicon Valley employers, Friends of Caltrain, a grassroots coalition that advocates for the long-term viability of Caltrain’s critical local and regional transit service, and Sunnyvale Cool, a group of Sunnyvale residents who are advancing sustainability measures, to influence the Lawrence Station Area Plan.
The Lawrence Caltrain Station in Sunnyvale underperforms in ridership compared to the rest of the Caltrain system. In 2011 the Lawrence Station had 531 weekday boardings per week. In contrast, the downtown Sunnyvale Caltrain station had 1,787 weekday boardings. The half-mile radius from the Lawrence station includes 629 acres of land with low density industrial/retail and low to medium density residential. The station is also hard to access due to a confusing street grid. For more background, please visit Friends of Caltrain’s blog of the Lawrence Station Walking Tour.
The GCC Campaign
The common platform from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Friends of Caltrain, and Sunnyvale Cool focused on the following:
Compact Development: The Lawrence Station Area Plan should allow compact development that uses the limited land next to the station efficiently.
Jobs/Housing Balance: Sunnyvale has more jobs than homes; the plan should address the need for more homes.
Pedestrian/bicycle connectivity: Currently, the street grid is confusing and provides poor connectivity. The preferred scenario should allow better connections and deploy traffic calming measures. Specifically, the pedestrian grid should have 200′ blocks and pedestrian pass-through opportunities. Pedestrian paths across the train tracks should be improved; should have several ways to get underneath.
Affordable homes: The plan should establish goals for affordable workforce homes in the station area.
Parking supply: The plan should take into account proximity to transit and should provide conditional reduction in parking only if accompanied by strong Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures.
Transportation Demand Management: The plan should include Transportation Demand Management (TDM) with a mode share goal, requirements on developments and/or a Transportation Management Association (TMA).
Current projects and status of the plan area:
February 2013 – City Council adopted preferred scenario for Lawrence Station EIR
August 2013 – Notice of Preparation for EIR is released
October 2013 – EIR scoping
Early 2014 – EIR is released
Spring/Summer 2014 – Final plan adoption
