As we head into the upcoming outreach meeting for the proposed Fair Oaks Plaza redevelopment, it’s important to understand how we got here.
This outcome was not accidental. It was predictable.
Over a year ago, Dunya News, a major international television news network based in Pakistan, covered what was already beginning to happen in North Sunnyvale, raising concerns about displacement, loss of small businesses, and reduced access to everyday essentials.
https://youtu.be/Mpv-mX3R26o?si=XqSyxD5M-VwwnQf3
Those concerns were real. They were documented. And they were dismissed.
Today, neighborhood-serving retail is being removed without meaningful replacement. Access to groceries, including culturally relevant food, is being taken away. Immigrant-run and minority-owned businesses are being pushed out.
This is how a community becomes a food desert. Not overnight, but through a series of decisions that ignore clear, repeated concerns.
It is also the result of missed opportunities. The City of Sunnyvale had years to put objective zoning standards in place that could have required meaningful retail preservation. That did not happen. Now, those same outcomes are being attributed to state laws, as though they were unavoidable.
State mandates set the framework. Local decisions shape the outcome.
North Sunnyvale has long been under-resourced. Yet it continues to absorb disproportionate impacts while other areas are preserved and protected.
Let’s be clear. This is not just about housing. This is about priorities. When essential services are not preserved alongside growth, the result can be reduced or eliminated access to daily needs.
The record makes one thing clear: these concerns were raised long before now.
What happens next is a choice.
Sign. Share. And show up.
📅 Outreach Meeting: Proposed Fair Oaks Plaza Redevelopment (Hacienda Village)
April 9, 2026
6:00–7:00 PM
California Momo Kitchen
913 E Duane Ave, Sunnyvale
For questions or to share feedback:
Sunnyvale City Council – council@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Margaret Netto, Senior Planner – mnetto@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Chris Anderson, Applicant’s Representative – chris@borelli.com