As we mark one year since launching our petition to preserve food access in North Sunnyvale, San José Spotlight has published an article highlighting our community’s fight. This coverage affirms what residents have been saying all along: we are fighting for the future of our neighborhood.
Read the full article here:
San José Spotlight: North Sunnyvale Residents Fight Development to Prevent Food Desert
https://sanjosespotlight.com/north-sunnyvale-residents-fight-development-to-prevent-food-desert/
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Our Position: Progress, Not Displacement
Let’s be clear: this fight has never been about opposing housing.
North Sunnyvale welcomes growth, but it cannot come at the expense of our quality of life.
A neighborhood cannot thrive if the businesses residents rely on, including grocery stores, daily services, and small businesses, are demolished without a concrete, actionable replacement plan.
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The Reality on the Ground
For too long, our underserved community has been met with bureaucratic stagnation: endless studies, delays, and excuses regarding constraints.
While responsibility shifts between state and local levels, families, seniors, and small business owners are left in limbo.
The pattern is clear.
Some neighborhoods receive urgent protection, while others are told why solutions are too difficult. Some areas are treated as investments, while others are treated as acceptable losses.
The City has cited a 2% retail vacancy rate as evidence that business relocation is difficult. If suitable space is truly that scarce, then removing existing, functional retail is not a routine planning challenge. It is a serious equity failure.
The City of Sunnyvale had the opportunity to implement objective standards to preserve essential retail before SB 330 took effect. Instead, our community is now being asked to bear the consequences of that lack of foresight.
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Why Studies Are Not Enough
The City’s proposal for a limited one year retail preservation study is insufficient.
A study may identify problems, but it lacks the urgency required to keep a grocery store open or put food on the table.
At the recent budget workshop, city staff declined to recommend a formal analysis for a community food cooperative or a state sponsored market. That omission sends a discouraging message to residents asking for practical, livable solutions.
Food access cannot be treated as a developer preference. When essential retail is supported only if a developer chooses to include it, the responsibility is shifted away from the public process and away from the residents who will pay the price.
North Sunnyvale needs enforceable commitments to:
• Preserve walkable grocery access.
• Protect existing small businesses.
• Ensure redevelopment does not deepen food insecurity.
Leadership is not measured by how well a city explains its limitations. It is measured by how well it supports its residents. North Sunnyvale is done hearing why things are difficult. We are ready for a serious, enforceable plan.
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How You Can Help
We are no longer invisible. We are paying attention, we are speaking up, and we will not allow a history of neglect to dictate our future.
Please help us by taking these two vital steps:
1. Email the City Manager and City Council
Send a message to:
citymgr@sunnyvale.ca.gov
council@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Suggested Subject Line:
Action Required: Protect Grocery Access in North Sunnyvale
Message Tip:
Tell them in your own words that North Sunnyvale needs a concrete, binding plan to preserve grocery access and protect small businesses during redevelopment. Personal messages carry significant weight with city leadership.
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2. Share Our Petition
We need to keep building momentum.
Please share our petition with neighbors, friends, and across your social media networks:
The larger our coalition grows, the louder the truth becomes: North Sunnyvale will not be ignored.
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Thank you to everyone who has already spoken out, signed the petition, and attended meetings. Your voices are making a difference!
Together, we can demand accountability, protect essential services, and ensure that redevelopment in North Sunnyvale serves the people who already call this community home.
For questions or to get involved, contact us at:
northsunnyvaleca@gmail.com
In solidarity,
North Sunnyvale Community
https://sanjosespotlight.com/north-sunnyvale-residents-fight-development-to-prevent-food-desert/