A coalition of Sunnyvale residents concerned with the rate of development occurring in the city recently filed a ballot initiative that would require voter approval before public land is sold.
The Sunnyvale Public Lands for Public Use Act would give voters the final say on the sale, lease, land swap or transfer of any city-owned or -leased land used as a public parks and amenities including libraries, swimming pools, community centers and golf courses.
It would not, however, take away the city council’s ability to sell commercial properties or utilities.
The proposed changes to the city code arose from the sale of the Raynor Activity Center to a private school in 2013. Many members of the public were unhappy with the idea of limited access to public park space when the joint use agreement came out.
The city has hired a consultant to explore options to modernize its 50-year-old civic center. One of those options is selling off portions in a public-private partnership with developers to help cover costs. Possible moves like this have residents concerned that access to public space will be limited if not completely lost.
“For all public land in Sunnyvale, once the land is gone the city will not be able to buy it back with the way prices are now,” said Deborah Marks, a public space advocate with Citizens for Sunnyvale Parks and Green Spaces. “We want to hang on to it at the civic center, especially when it’s such a beautiful piece of land that so many enjoy going to.”
According to Tim Dietrich of Save Sunnyvale Parks and Schools, despite speaking before the council and writing letters to the editor to voice their opinions, he and other residents felt like they were not being heard.
“We don’t want to stop growth, but we have seen a lot things going on that a lot of people don’t agree with,” Dietrich said. “We asked ourselves, how do we ensure that we have our say when it comes to these community assets that are for everyone?”
It is the Sunnyvale City Council’s policy when selling city-owned land to declare it as surplus during a public hearing. After determining the value of the land, the city then may put the property up for auction, a negotiated sale, exchange, lease or request a proposal.
Over the past several months, both Dietrich’s and Marks’ groups joined forces with several other advocacy groups in Sunnyvale and agreed on a ballot initiative. They found legal counsel and drafted the ballot language.
The group needs to collect valid signatures of 10,000 Sunnyvale registered voters to qualify this initiative for the ballot by mid-June. Once qualified, a majority of voters will need to pass the measure in a citywide election.
The group was hoping to have a special election late this year, but if they do not meet requirements for a special election, the initiative could instead qualify for a general election in 2016.
A walk-in location to sign the petition is at 170 N. Wolfe Road in Sunnyvale. Hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Appointments are not needed. Residents can also visit the website at sunnyvalepubliclandsact.com.
