One city council member often "explains" to residents who object to the rezoning of commercial land to residential, that the city simply can't tell landowners what to do with their property. Maybe not, but the city can certainly tell them what they can't do with it.

These landowners are intentionally not maintaining, upgrading or even trying to lease their property. They then claim that the buildings are "functionally obsolete," providing no revenue to the city, and hence the property should be rezoned to residential. Rezoning is a bonanza for the landowner, but has a tremendous negative economic impact on the city as a whole.

Who promised these landowners that when there was a temporary economic downturn in the commercial property market that they could simply convert their land to residential? Every year, more of our retail and commercial property is converted to residential. This destroys our tax base, hurts our schools, eliminates jobs and is detrimental to the long-term fiscal health of the city.

What if Motorola had wanted to tear down its "functionally obsolete" buildings at 280 and De Anza and replace them with condos? We wouldn't have the Apple campus.

The Measurex property is ideal for a modern office complex. If Grosvenor wants to keep the Measurex buildings empty forever, then it is free to do so; the city can't tell them what to do with its property.

Steven Scharf

Cupertino

It's time for Cupertino
residents to speak up

Lately there has been a rush to approve condo construction in Cupertino. There are about 1,000-plus new condos under construction, approved or in the process of getting approved.

Some city leaders say there will be no impact on schools and no problems with traffic, and that the rush of growth is good for our city. Ever attended the public hearings to listen those comments?

On March 8, there was a city council public hearing on the Taylor Woodrow project to convert industrial land to residential and build 94 houses. City hall was packed at 6 p.m. with strangers saying, "Yes to parks." All our neighborhood residents who arrived after work found out no empty chairs at city hall. Some stood the entire evening until midnight. After five hours of discussion and a wave of objections from residents (based on Councilman Patrick Kwok's tally, there were three in support versus 38 against among the speakers who are Cupertino residents), finally, neighborhood residents convinced Kris Wang and Kwok (and Richard Lowenthal, who abstained) to halt the re-zoning. Still surprised at the outcome, this is the first time we feel at least some of our elected officials listened and know who they represent.

In the process of learning the project approval process, of receiving many developers' fliers, letters, phone calls and public hearing notices, I have come to know many frustrated fellow residents who expect our city staff and elected officials to listen and take care of us. I think it is time to wake up and have your voice heard.

Steve Wu

Cupertino

Real quirk about crane
is that nobody got hurt

To describe the collapse of the crane as a "quirk of nature" seems far too kind. A better description would be "criminal negligence." When heavy construction is done above shops that are open for business, failure to rigorously observe all safety precautions is hard to excuse. The weather forecast that day warned of strong winds. If the crane had been parked with arm downward, instead of extended crosswise to the wind, the mishap would almost certainly not have occurred. The real "quirk" was that--thank goodness--this incident did not injure or kill anyone.

Tom Schaefer

Cupertino

El Camino Hospital