With the appointment of a Citizens Advisory Committee in June by the City Council acting as the Local Redevelopment Authority, Sunnyvale embarked on a multi-year project to plan for the civilian reuse of the 23-acre Onizuka Air Force Station (AFS).
Guiding the conversion of this historic military property to civilian reuse is a significant opportunity for Sunnyvale. Long before the advent of the personal computer, Onizuka AFS was a cornerstone of the high tech economy of Silicon Valley. The classified military spy projects operated out of the landmark “Blue Cube” gave Silicon Valley an early boost in the economic infrastructure of military technology. The Cube itself became a visible manifestation of Sunnyvale’s location and a reminder of the City’s unique role on the cutting edge of cold war-winning technology.
On April 6, 2006 the Department of Defense (DOD) named the City of Sunnyvale the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) for the Onizuka AFS site. With the receipt of funding from DOD, the Onizuka Redevelopment Authority is well on its way through Phase 1, and continues to seek input from community members as it considers conceptual alternatives and develops a Reuse Plan for submittal to DOD in 2007.
The lengthy reuse process is divided into three phases:
Phase 1 involves organizing, initiating public outreach, conducting preliminary property analysis, identifying and selecting reuse alternatives at a conceptual level. The Onizuka LRA is currently in this phase and is committed to seeking public participation in the planning process. To that end, the Onizuka Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) has met to consider factors influencing alternative uses. The 13-member CAC represents the interests of diverse stakeholders in the community and includes nine Sunnyvale residents. Other planning activities conducted during Phase 1 this quarter included Onizuka AFS site tours for parties who may express interest in the site, and meetings with homeless services providers as required by federal regulations. The official Notices of Interest in the site are due December 5, 2006.
Phase 2 of the project will begin in March as the City develops the Redevelopment Plan. The plan is due by the end of 2007. DOD will then have one year to issue its formal Record of Decision describing how the property will be transferred.
The final phase – implementing the adopted Reuse Strategy following the Defense Department’s Record of Decision – is not expected until 2011.
Sunnyvale residents are encouraged to join the dialog with both the Onizuka LRA and the CAC in an effort to form a consensus community vision for the future civilian reuse of the Onizuka AFS property. A number of focus groups and public hearings will be held during the fall and early 2007, including a December 13 meeting of the Citizen Advisory committee.