SUCCESSFUL SUNNYVALE VISIONING FESTIVAL TO PROVIDE BASIS FOR CITY’S REVISED GENERAL PLAN

SUNNYVALE, Calif. –  The public turnout for Saturday’s (October 28) Visioning Festival exceeded the expectations of Sunnyvale City staff, and provided a broad range of community commentary. As the City begins preparations for its once-in-a-decade major revision to the General Plan,  the Visioning Festival was a unique opportunity for residents, business owners and others to voice their opinions on how the City should continue to develop.

“Sunnyvale has reached a turning point,” said Mayor Ron Swegles. “We have completed the growth and transition stages, moving from an agricultural community to a higher-density business-oriented city. As a city, we are nearly fully developed, and our General Plan needs to direct continued improvement within a period of more moderate growth. We want to make sure our residents have a voice in the City’s direction as guided by the General Plan.”

About 180 people attended the morning-long mixture of displays, working sessions and a wrap-up barbeque in order to have the opportunity to create a vision for Sunnyvale’s future. Many applauded the efforts the City has undertaken to create the current environment, but new and ongoing issues were also raised. Housing, schools and commitment to environmental issues were frequently-raised topics. Residents and business encouraged the City to be on the cutting edge of smart growth and sustainable development.

Moore Iacofano Goltsman (MIG), Inc., a Berkeley, California-based planning and design firm, facilitated the public meetings at the Visioning Festival, which was held at the Sunnyvale Community Center. MIG will compile the comments presented at the Visioning Festival with data collected from the City’s online survey at visioning.inSunnyvale.com. Once all the information has been reviewed, the City will use it to assist in making revisions to the City’s General Plan.