EACH YEAR, SUNNYVALE officials prioritize certain projects.
Some projects made it over the finish line this year, while others were shelved, such as a new mobile application for city services. Here’s how the list stands at the end of 2024 and what’s rolling into 2025:
Homeless services
The city placed a high priority on expanding its homeless support services. Sunnyvale hired a full time homeless services manager, who’s moved multiple projects forward, including an approved safe parking site policy for people living in vehicles.
In September, the Sunnyvale City Council voted to switch providers to WeHOPE for its homeless outreach team and added more amenities, such as a mobile shower and laundry unit. WeHOPE will also assist unhoused residents with temporary motel rooms in Sunnyvale instead of having to travel to San Jose. More recently, the city approved 10 more reserved motel rooms for homeless residents during cold weather events.
While Sunnyvale has made strides in the homeless sector, it still needs to finalize an emergency family shelter in the city. It also wants to identify a safe parking site in 2025.
The city has moved forward on other projects to support low-income residents, but results have varied. Sunnyvale won a grant from the California State Transportation Agency to join Silicon Valley Hopper, a rideshare service, alongside Santa Clara and Cupertino, which benefits multiple communities.
The city was more aggressive in approving affordable housing, with multiple projects moving forward this year. On the flip side, the city’s guaranteed basic income program was paused due to lack of funding. It’s ready to launch once funds are identified.
Civic Center improvements
City officials wanted to use a general obligation bond to pay for public library renovations, but it failed to reach the 66.6% approval threshold in November. Despite the setback, city leaders are optimistic about renovating Sunnyvale’s main library and finding other funding.
The library is the second part of a three-phase plan to modernize the city’s civic center. The first phase was Sunnyvale’s new city hall that opened in 2023. The final phase will be a new public safety building.
Construction has already begun on the city’s second public library — the Lakewood Branch Library, located in North Sunnyvale, a historically underserved, low-income community. Residents say the new library will provide much needed resources and community space to the neighborhood. The branch library is expected to open by the end of 2025.
Revitalizing downtown
Sunnyvale’s downtown, sandwiched between the Caltrain station and civic center, has been transformed into an entertainment destination. Cityline developments are nearing completion and have been bringing in new residents and retailers.
This past year, the city council approved concept plans to turn the historic Murphy Avenue downtown block into a permanent pedestrian mall. These plans are slated for next year, along with some highly anticipated housing projects.
Transit improvements
Sunnyvale has prioritized transportation improvements by putting in new bike lanes and expanding the city’s traffic calming program. The program was recently refined by the city council in response to community concerns about a more streamlined application and petition process for residents who want to ease traffic on their street.
Residents, however, are apprehensive about the planned installation of a new pedestrian path and bike lane on Tasman Drive. The city council is expected to take up the issue in early 2025.
To see the city’s full list of policy priorities or to find more information on projects, see the city’s study issue site.
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.