Townhomes planned in Cupertino off Stevens Creek Boulevard

Cupertino officials are set to review a proposed development that would bring more than two dozen homes to a commercial corridor off Stevens Creek Boulevard.

The proposal from SummerHill Homes calls for a 27-townhome, three-story development on 1.55 acres at 10268 Bandley Drive, including five below-market-rate homes for low-income residents. The project would replace an existing business center and include 59 parking spaces, with most located in private two-car garages.

The proposal has drawn attention from residents as Cupertino faces pressure to build more housing while balancing neighborhood concerns over traffic, parking and other development impacts. It received an approval recommendation  from the Cupertino Planning Commission and is scheduled to go before the City Council on June 2.

“We believe the site is well suited for residential housing and represents an appropriate infill housing opportunity,” Kevin Ebrahimi, SummerHill Homes senior  vice president of development, told San José Spotlight.

The Bandley Drive proposal is among the first Cupertino housing projects seeking approval under Assembly Bill 130, a  state law allowing certain residential developments to bypass portions of the California Environmental Quality Act.

Planning Commissioner Santosh Rao was the only member who voted against recommending approval at a May 12 meeting, after raising concerns about whether written evidence tied to the project’s environmental review and flood-zone analysis was fully complete. City staff said the project qualified for the AB 130 exemption, which streamlines infill projects, and that supporting documentation would be updated before the proposal goes to council.

“I believe the city needs to make sure that we are doing a diligent job procedurally. The written evidence needed to be further completed,” Rao, speaking for himself as a Cupertino resident, told San José Spotlight. “It is important to make sure that written evidence is accurate, because the city has already had to deal with litigation.”

Cupertino has recently faced lawsuits over proposed housing developments on Mary Avenue and Linda Vista Drive due to disputes tied to wildfire evacuation concerns and environmental review processes.

Planning Commission Chair Tracy Kosolcharoen said she supported the project because it adds housing in a commercial area without directly impacting nearby single-family neighborhoods. She spoke with nearby neighbors regarding noise concerns and determined the area was appropriate for housing and presented low flood risk. She said commissioners also spent significant time discussing the project’s AB 130 exemption and were told the site posed low flood risk and no environmental contamination concerns.

“While it does not disrupt any residential neighborhoods, it does displace some local businesses, underscoring the continued need for support for businesses uprooted by infill redevelopment,” Kosolcharoen told San José Spotlight.

SummerHill representatives told commissioners the project complies with city standards and includes design features intended to reduce noise and privacy impacts from surrounding commercial properties. Representatives said the homes are intentionally oriented to minimize  privacy impacts and the development would include acoustical fencing and other mitigation measures.

While some nearby residents like that the project is within walking distance of public transit, restaurants and retail along Stevens Creek Boulevard, others said it reflects a broader shift away from commercial space in Cupertino.

Cathy Helgerson, a Cupertino resident for 48 years, said she has always lived near the project site and opposes replacing commercial buildings with housing. She worries more redevelopment could follow.

“We need to keep some of our commercial buildings open,” Helgerson told San José Spotlight. “They’re taking out our restaurants, our coffee shops, our pizza parlors and our small offices and they’re putting these high-rising buildings in there.”

Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at [email protected] or @CasasPerezRed on X.