Historic redwood trees and glossy latest buildings now loom over downtown Sunnyvale, marking the near completion of a decade-long city plan to revitalize the world.
City officials, local real estate managers and residents gathered at Redwood Square Wednesday afternoon to have a good time the reopening of the renovated one-acre public park, which incorporates several trees, a lawn and an oblong waterfall.
The place is a component of the Cityline block, A 36-acre site bounded by South Mathilda and Sunnyvale avenues and Washington and Iowa avenues, which incorporates The Martin, which features 479 luxury apartments in a 12-story tower and two seven-story office spaces. Both complexes were accomplished earlier this 12 months. Cityline is an alliance of Cupertino-based real estate firms Hunter Partners and San Mateo-based Northern California-based Sares Regis Group.
The city's plans to revitalize the 150-acre downtown area, including historic Murphy Avenue, Downtown Core, Plaza Del Sol and Redwood Square, date back to 2003.
The plaza, like many of the Cityline, replaces a two-story shopping mall that stood downtown for 30 years. The mall was demolished and a brand new one was scheduled to be built until the 2008 recession caused a shutdown. An incomplete steel skeleton lay exposed on the square for years until town demolished the structure in 2016 to make room for brand spanking new development. The city partnered with the 2 firms to work on the Cityline projects.
“That was our goal, to complete a downtown and build something that could be a landmark and unmatched by any other location in Silicon Valley,” said Dave Hopkins, co-president of Northern California-based Sares Regis Group.
In 2020, faced with growing regional demand for more residential and business space, the council updated the plan to incorporate more mixed-use developments, hoping to supply more opportunities for higher-density housing, pedestrian and bicycle friendly areas, and convenient retail and repair areas to create and entertainment options near local and regional transport.
Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein recalled that in 2003 town worked to switch the mall with a constructing that might symbolize a brand new downtown. The final result was higher than what town could have imagined, he said.
“Today we finally see that vision finally realized, and better than what we imagined,” he said as he stood on the finished plaza Wednesday. “The grand opening of Redwood Square is not just another milestone, it is a moment of tremendous pride and accomplishment for everyone involved.”
The accomplished block connects adjoining downtown renovations including Target, AMC Theaters and Whole Foods, 4 parking garages, the Flats and The Flats West apartment complexes, and various other grocery, entertainment and stores. But Cityline isn't finished yet. In the approaching years, residents can expect a six-story office space with ground-floor retail and underground parking along South Mathilda Avenue.
Joshua Rupert, director of development at Hunter Partners, said town and businesses sit up for completing future projects.
“For a developer like me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said Wednesday. “I guarantee that something like this will not happen again to have the opportunity to reshape the city center and give it something we can all be proud of.”
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