The City of Cupertino has approved plans for The Rise, a massive mixed-use proposal for thousands of homes, retail, offices, and parking garages on the former Vallco Mall property close to Apple Park. The green-lit project is a modified version revealed in December of last year, with a new towerless design, a remarkable shift from the previous plan. Sand Hill Property Company is the project developer.
A few weeks ago, YIMBY visited Bishop Ranch in San Ramon to learn more about plans to build thousands of new homes in the business park. The 2020-approved project has been revised to include an additional 2,6000 units on top of the former Chevron headquarters, with plans to modernize their remaining office space with added flexibility to attract and retain tenants. During our visit, YIMBY got to talk with Alex Mehran Jr, president and chief executive officer of Sunset Development Company.
Last month, the City of Berkeley approved rezoning the Southside neighborhood, opening up the potential for over 2,500 more units to be developed. The updated map has increased the allowed building height across the UC Berkeley-adjacent district and rezoned several blocks to allow the highest possible density. New illustrations from Studio KDA show how this could materialize on each block.
The Builder’s Remedy was expected to boost housing construction across the state. However, it’s causing San Jose’s pipeline to shrink. The Bumb Family has withdrawn their 2021-proposed plan for the South District development, swapping the proposed offices and 3,450 units with a 940-unit alternative, representing a loss of 2,560 units. Since San Jose did not submit a compliant housing element, there is little for the city to do.
Berkeley’s growing neighborhood could soon rise higher. The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to vote today to upzone Southside, a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood dominated by college students and small businesses on the south side of the UC Berkeley Campus. If approved, the rezoning would increase the area’s maximum housing capacity up by over 2,500 dwellings.
