Apple campus proposal eliminates cycling route

Apple’s proposed “mothership” development on HP’s former Cupertino campus replaces a popular cycling route with a parking garage ramp.

Apple wants to put their new headquarters building on the plot of land between Homestead Road, Wolfe Road, Tantau Avenue and Pruneridge (shown below on the Google Map).



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Homestead Road is a major east-west throughway with very high commercial activity and heavy traffic. Adjacent Pruneridge is a popular route for cyclists who wish to avoid the extremely heavy traffic on Homestead Road east of Wolfe Road.

Apple’s plans include a vacation of Pruneridge between Wolfe and Tantau, converting the western part of Pruneridge into a private access ramp for basement parking underneath Apple’s circular headquarters. In the illustration below, the current Pruneridge Avenue runs between where Apple want to put their fitness center and the corporate auditorium.


Apple development proposal

The first phase of Apple’s development will be an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which includes traffic, noise and air quality impacts. You will have the opportunity to voice your concerns during public hearings. Web, email, and snail-mail comments will likely also make the public record.

To read the plans and stay informed, visit City of Cupertino “Apple Campus 2” web page and sign up for their eNotication service.

Props to Patrick Grant for pointing this out on the SVBC discussion list.


Does anybody remember this old video in which Steve Jobs (when he still had hair!) compares bicycling with computers?



8 Comments

  1. My neighborhood backs up to the new Apple campus. I don’t think the loss of this small section of Pruneridge will have a big impact. Mainly because you really don’t want to be biking on that section of Wolfe near 280.

    The losers will be anyone biking to/from the Ranch 99 shopping center from Santa Clara. They will have to go around to Homestead. On the other hand, Homestead bikelanes should improve slightly because all the extra HP entrance/exits are going away.

    It would be FANTASTIC if there was a bike/pedestrian trail that crossed the campus that was open to all.

    Santa Clara has been looking into making a bike trail along the Calabazas Creek, that could in theory connect the new Apple campus to the Bayshore if it went far enough. http://santaclaraca.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=5534  (Santa Clara’s Trail Network Expansion Feasibility Study)

  2. Thanks Bryn for that additional info. Good point about HP driveways along Homestead.

    I imagine traffic mitigation efforts on Wolfe would have to be required as part of the permitting process. Perhaps some kind of bike facility can be part of that.

  3. The Pixar Campus in Emeryville also had a street running through it at one point.  Pixar is owned by Steve Jobs by the way.  So in this case, the segment of Watts street that crossed the Pixar campus was closed and turned private.  A screened chainlink fence prevents anyone without a Pixar badge from using the street now.  Pixar bought the street (by donating a couple million dollars to the city for a new community arts facility) from the city and provided a small bike path at the north end of the campus.  Here is more of the story if you are interested:  http://emeryvilletattler.blogspot.com/2010/12/pixars-bike-path-to-nowhere-nears.html

  4. …you mean to say that while “apple” has the sauce to build their intergalactic headquarters as they shoot for both world & universal domination, that they won’t provide a wonderfully scenic elevated bike path that allows those concerned with personal & global health to pass through a long utilized & safe area ???…

    …who could have foreseen that money would dictate their bottom line…

  5. Homestead Road is a major east-west throughway with very high commercial activity and heavy traffic. Adjacent Pruneridge is a popular route for cyclists who wish to avoid the extremely heavy traffic on Homestead Road east of Wolfe Road._______________
    Steven
     125cc Scooter

  6. I guess I’m so ambivalent about loosing a small part of Pruneridge, because that that part of Wolfe Rd is just so completely bike hostile. Inconveniencing cyclists to ride around, either on Homestead, or even Steven’s Creek, is probably doing them a favor. The real problem is Wolfe rd, and I don’t see how to fix that without blowing up the whole 280 interchange and starting over.

    I wonder how Apple employees are suppose to bike onto this campus? Are they suppose to enter via Wolfe?

    Seems like adding a bike/ped path along the 280 boarder of the campus wouldn’t impact the overall design or violate their “security” perimeter.

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