Development In and Around Cupertino: Retail Land Replaced by Hotels and Housing

Two more housing development projects that expect to build 113 new homes are under review in Cupertino’s Planning Department. These have been submitted under the State Law SB330, which streamlines housing approvals.¹

• 10065 E Estates Dr: 55 townhomes at the “United Furniture” site at, near Wolfe and Stevens Creek Blvd. There is PCE (tetrachloroethylene) contamination at the site from the One Hour Dry Cleaner that is currently above residential screening levels.² PCE is heavier than water, sinks to the groundwater and spreads rapidly, and its vapors then rise through the soil and enter indoor air spaces. 

• 20840 Stevens Creek Blvd: 58 homes, 12 of which will serve the needs of people with “moderate” incomes at the old Fontana’s Restaurant, adjacent to Staples.

Two hotel projects, which have been on hold for years, have applied to renew their development agreements.

• 10801 N Wolfe Rd: The Cupertino Village Hotel project at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in the Cupertino Village shopping center at Homestead Road. The 185-room hotel application was initiated in 2017 and approved by City Council in 2019. More information is available here.
• 10931 N De Anza Blvd: The De Anza Hotel project at the Goodyear Auto Service, adjacent to the Cupertino Hotel at the 280 interchange. The 155-room hotel application was initiated in 2018 and approved by City Council in 2020. More information is available here.

In nearby San Jose on S De Anza between Hwy 85 and Prospect Road are plans for a hotel and multifamily housing. The City of Cupertino is behind and across the road from these properties.

Separately, in June 2023, Cupertino City Council approved a 34-home mixed-use project just across the road on the nearly 8-acre shopping center with the Kikusushi Restaurant at 1655 S De Anza Blvd.³

• 1510 S De Anza Blvd: The 4-story 132-room hotel with a roof-top deck and underground parking on a 0.86 gross acre site was approved in 2020. It is located at the old Kelly-Moore Paints Store.⁴
• 1000 S De Anza Blvd: The seven-story 99-unit multifamily residential building on a 0.72-gross acre site is located at the closed Mori Restaurant. This project has been submitted under the “Builder’s Remedy,” which is a method by which developers can obtain ministerial project approval when a City has failed to obtain its Housing Element. It is unknown as to whether the City of San Jose has accepted this project under the provisions of the “Builder’s Remedy.”⁵

Sources:
(1) Cupertino Online Permit Services  https://aca-prod.accela.com/CUPERTINO/Default.aspx Accessed March 5, 2024.
(2)  ONE-HOUR DRY CLEANERS. Geotracker. https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/profile_report.asp?global_id=T10000021095 Accessed March 9, 2024.
(3)   1655 S. DE ANZA BLVD., City of Cupertino. https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/community-development/planning/major-projects/1655s-de-anza-blvd. Accessed March 5, 2024.
(4)  1510 S. DE ANZA BLVD., City of Cupertino. https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/environmental-planning/environmental-review/negative-declaration-initial-studies/1510-s-de-anza-hotel-project  & Site Development Permit. City of San Jose, 18 November 2020. https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/66859/637406168452370000. Accessed March 5, 2024.
(5)   Geha, Joseph. San Jose spurns developers, sparking possible legal fight. San Jose Spotlight, 6 February 2024. https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-spurns-developers-sparking-possible-legal-fight-lawsuit-builders-remedy/. Accessed March 5, 2024.