As a part of its Study Issues process for calendar year 2002, Council directed staff to create a Master Plan for Orchard Heritage Park. Please see Attachment A, Study Issue Paper for Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan. The Master Plan was to be completed in conjunction with the Sunnyvale Historical Society and was needed due to the growing demand for space for recreational and leisure activities such as gardening, arts, agricultural artifacts displays, etc. Proposed new uses included opportunities for education, amphitheater use, facility rentals and a museum.

This report presents for Council’s consideration an Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan that details current resources, facilities and operating responsibilities; and provides guidelines for future uses, agreements and projects at the park. This Master Plan was discussed with neighbors, stakeholders and interested members of the public and staff during public meetings held February 28, 2002 and March 2, 2002. Please see Attachment B, Flier for Public Meetings.

In 1965, property on Remington Drive was purchased for the Sunnyvale Community Center. Please see Attachment C, Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan - Appendix A, Site Plans. At that time an Apricot orchard covered the entire property, and during development, an approximate ten-acre portion located at the south end of the parcel was set aside for unspecified future use. The Apricot trees on this ten-acre section, bordered by Crescent Avenue and Manet and Michelango Drives and the Community Center were in a state of decline until 1977 when the City entered into an Orchard Maintenance Agreement with Mr. C. J. "Charlie" Olson. The Agreement provided that Mr. Olson would be responsible for tree care, removal/replacement of approximately 400 of the 800 fruit trees, pruning, spraying and fruit picking/processing. The City would provide irrigation water with Mr. Olson retaining fruit value. This Agreement was renewed in 1992, again in 1998 and the current Agreement expires December 15, 2002. Please see Attachment C, Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan - Appendix B, Orchard Maintenance Agreement. The orchard is now in excellent condition and discussions with Mr. Olson have been renewed regarding future maintenance of the orchard for the City.

As noted in Report to Council 92-604, in 1992 City Council designated the ten-acre site as a Special Use Site in accordance with the Open Space Sub-Element of the Sunnyvale General Plan. City Council named the site Orchard Heritage Park with intent of this designation to maintain this site as an ongoing working orchard for as long a time period as possible. Signs for Orchard Heritage Park were installed at that time. At this time City Council also conceptually approved other site improvements, such as interpretive displays to be placed in conjunction with the Sunnyvale Historical Society and without direct fiscal impacts to City operational or capital budgets.

Council reviewed Report to Council 99-237 and approved conceptual plans to construct an orchard maintenance barn. The Orchardist had used storage facilities at his orchard (located at El Camino Real and Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale) to meet the storage needs of Orchard Heritage Park. Development of his property resulted in the loss of a building for day to day operations of our orchard. The Council approved barn was needed to provide space for equipment, materials and staff to manage the orchard and preserve the working orchard for as long a time as possible.

Following Report to Council 00-313, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into an agreement between the City and the Sunnyvale Historical Society for the development of interpretive exhibits (OHPIE) at Orchard Heritage Park. The exhibit and structures became a reality through the efforts of the Sunnyvale Historical Society and OHPIE was dedicated during the Sunnyvale State of the City event of May 2001.

Competition for space to take part in recreation and leisure activities has increased as the available space for such activities has decreased in Sunnyvale. Orchard Heritage Park is the only small Apricot Orchard left within our community and City Council took action in 1992 to designate the site a Special Use Facility in accordance with the Open Space Sub-Element of the City’s General Plan and name it Orchard Heritage Park. The intent of this action was to preserve the working orchard for as long a time period as possible.

Still, as demand for space to recreate has increased, numbers of community groups and persons have looked to Orchard Heritage Park for potential uses such as educational tours, agricultural artifact displays, meeting facilities, processing and sale of fruit and community gardening grounds. A Master Plan for the management of the park and a plan for determination of future uses was required. Therefore, the proposed Master Plan would provide policy guidelines for staff in managing the park and community assurance of opportunities for input as associated uses and projects are proposed in the coming years.

In completing the Master Plan staff met with representatives of the Sunnyvale Historical Society, near neighbors, co-sponsored groups and stakeholders including the Orchardist and those that work at the Community Center. Consistently, those in attendance stated that they would like to see the working orchard preserved and maintained as the highest priority.

Mr. Olson, the current Orchardist stated that he would like to continue managing the orchard but would not likely be able to do so beyond the next ten years. Retaining an Orchardist is essential to managing the orchard, as many aspects of orchard management are not compatible with typical City staffing. That is, seasonal pruning, spraying and picking/processing of fruit must be done according to the needs of the trees regardless of day of the week or time of day. City staff generally has set work hours, overtime and holiday schedules. Parks and Recreation staff are committed to finding another Orchardist for the occasion when Mr. Olson is no longer available. However, operating the orchard is not actually a profitable undertaking. Mr. Olson performs this work as a labor of love and because he owns the needed equipment and his family has a fruit stand that can sell the dried fruits. Another Orchardist may be very hard to come by.

In public meetings and during stakeholder discussions, the question was posed "What should Orchard Heritage Park look like if we are not able to maintain the working orchard?" Some neighbors stated that the orchard ought to be maintained into the future regardless of costs or ability to secure additional Orchard Maintenance Agreements. Many others said that they would prefer that this site remain an open space park with amenities and facilities sized such that large groups and team sports would not be placed at this park. Support was consistently provided for heritage-related amenities such as preservation of smaller numbers of trees, farm implement displays, heritage museum exhibits, educational tours, etc. Staff has incorporated the views of stakeholders and neighbors in completion of the Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan.

Attachment C, Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan represents the Plan in its entirety and provides Action Statements that ensure staff support the needs of the park into the future. Action Statements include:

1. Manage Orchard Heritage Park and its resources so as to preserve the agricultural heritage of the City of Sunnyvale.

2. Maintain a working fruit orchard throughout the largest portion of Orchard Heritage Park for as long a time period as practical within the resources made available by the City. Provide public access to Orchard Heritage Park to the greatest extent possible while meeting the goal of maintaining a working fruit orchard at the park.

3. Support and pursue cooperative agreements with community groups and persons to enable operation of Orchard Heritage Park in a cost-effective manner consistent with outcomes approved by the City Council.

4. Encourage the use of Orchard Heritage Park in educational activities of schools that serve Sunnyvale students first, and secondarily to the schools that serve students of surrounding communities.

5. Assist the Sunnyvale Historical Society per written agreements, and to the greatest extent practical, in developing a Heritage Museum facility at Orchard Heritage Park consistent with City Council direction.

6. Assist the Orchardist per written agreements, and to the greatest extent practical, in orchard operations at Orchard Heritage Park. This includes the pending construction of the Council-approved Bianchi Orchard Barn to store farm-related machinery, materials and equipment.

7. Pursue all available avenues to secure alternate Orchardist(s) to continue the working orchard for as long a time period as possible.

8. Provide public input opportunities in determining future uses of the park should it become impractical to maintain the largest portion of the park as a working fruit orchard. This process shall include public discussion, review of reports/plans by the Sunnyvale Parks & Recreation Commission and their recommendations, if any, to the City Council.

Attachment C, Orchard Heritage Park Master Plan – Appendix A, Site Plans graphically depicts planned changes for the site including Council’s prior approved Orchard Barn and Heritage Museum at Orchard Heritage Park.

Additionally, staff has considered the changing uses of the Arboretum facility within Orchard Heritage Park, the coming relocation of the Bianchi Barn to the Park and the future construction of a Heritage Museum by the Sunnyvale Historical Society in accordance with previous Council policy. Staff believes that it would be in keeping with the theme of Orchard Heritage Park to rename the Arboretum, its associated gardens, and current and future buildings the Sunnyvale Heritage Center. Thereby adding emphasis to the City’s desire that the focus of this facility be the preservation of Sunnyvale’s history and agricultural heritage.

Neighborhood Input public meetings were conducted Thursday, February 28, 2002 and Saturday, March 2, 2002 at the Arboretum building. Please see Attachment B, Flier for Public Meetings.