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I remember taking the light rail everyday in North Sunnyvale on Java Drive a few years ago, and wondered why companies like Google, Facebook, etc didn't move ov

I remember taking the light rail everyday in North Sunnyvale on Java Drive a few years ago, and wondered why companies like Google, Facebook, etc didn't move over there-there were so many vacant buildings, all next to VTA light rail. Apple's campus has mediocre bus service (VTA 55), Google's has practically none I can think of (piss poor location for transit) and FB is banking on the unicorn-like hope of revitalizing Redwood Junction and building a Caltrain spur. I bet dollars to doughnuts most people who work at big name tech companies in Santa Clara County, and who actually live in Santa Clara County, drive to work.

andrewfong 12y ago
Has there been any actual public discussion about revitalizing Redwood Junction? I mean, there are literally train tracks running from the Redwood City Caltrain all the way to Facebook. Curious what the main obstacles are.
- ZanyProgrammer 12y ago
  I saw it mentioned someplace (Green Caltrain? SF Streetsblog?) recently. It'd be like a stripped down Dumbarton express.
- asploder 12y ago
  The various public agencies involved are restarting a project to bring commuter rail service to the area: http://www.greencaltrain.com/2015/02/dumbarton-policy-committee-seeks-project-restart/ http://www.greencaltrain.com/2015/02/dumbarton-policy-commit... The project was originally intended to connect Redwood City Caltrain to Union City BART in the East Bay, but the (partial) funding was redirected to the San Jose BART extension. There was no real chance of the project being built before now anyway; rebuilding rail bridges is pretty expensive.
ZanyProgrammer 12y ago
Here's the one big building that I always passed, and was always vacant. I never saw why FB or Goog couldn't buy this and the surrounding buildings, and tear down some of the lower buildings and build taller ones. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sunnyvale,+CA+94089/@37.411881,-122.018578,3a,75y,18.55h,113.61t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sI4jkaO0kAdHo5-ex48vuXw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x808fb7c90298ff19:0xc8191769296fd3af https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sunnyvale,+CA+94089/@37.41...
thrownaway2424 12y ago
That are has light rail that runs by some offices but fails all other tests mentioned in the article. It is not close to housing, has no amenities in walking distance, is not close to errands, etc. And VTA light rail is extremely slow and infrequent, and unreliable.
- astrange 12y ago
  Having to live there one summer for an internship, I was amazed at VTA light rail's route map - it seems to go to MV at one end, then a bunch of anonymous parking lots and not a single interesting place. And none of the businesses seemed to be open anytime I was home, as if they just existed to run during NetApp's lunch hour. At least there's a grocery store now. The zoning laws around Sunnyvale must be terribly strict for it to be so underdeveloped!
  - thrownaway2424 12y ago
    Yeah vta is basically drone transport. It will take your drones from Caltrain to the office but that's it.

andrewfong 12y ago

Has there been any actual public discussion about revitalizing Redwood Junction? I mean, there are literally train tracks running from the Redwood City Caltrain all the way to Facebook. Curious what the main obstacles are.

ZanyProgrammer 12y ago
I saw it mentioned someplace (Green Caltrain? SF Streetsblog?) recently. It'd be like a stripped down Dumbarton express.
asploder 12y ago
The various public agencies involved are restarting a project to bring commuter rail service to the area: http://www.greencaltrain.com/2015/02/dumbarton-policy-committee-seeks-project-restart/ http://www.greencaltrain.com/2015/02/dumbarton-policy-commit... The project was originally intended to connect Redwood City Caltrain to Union City BART in the East Bay, but the (partial) funding was redirected to the San Jose BART extension. There was no real chance of the project being built before now anyway; rebuilding rail bridges is pretty expensive.

ZanyProgrammer 12y ago

Here's the one big building that I always passed, and was always vacant. I never saw why FB or Goog couldn't buy this and the surrounding buildings, and tear down some of the lower buildings and build taller ones. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sunnyvale,+CA+94089/@37.411881,-122.018578,3a,75y,18.55h,113.61t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sI4jkaO0kAdHo5-ex48vuXw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x808fb7c90298ff19:0xc8191769296fd3af https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sunnyvale,+CA+94089/@37.41...

thrownaway2424 12y ago

That are has light rail that runs by some offices but fails all other tests mentioned in the article. It is not close to housing, has no amenities in walking distance, is not close to errands, etc. And VTA light rail is extremely slow and infrequent, and unreliable.

astrange 12y ago
Having to live there one summer for an internship, I was amazed at VTA light rail's route map - it seems to go to MV at one end, then a bunch of anonymous parking lots and not a single interesting place. And none of the businesses seemed to be open anytime I was home, as if they just existed to run during NetApp's lunch hour. At least there's a grocery store now. The zoning laws around Sunnyvale must be terribly strict for it to be so underdeveloped!
- thrownaway2424 12y ago
  Yeah vta is basically drone transport. It will take your drones from Caltrain to the office but that's it.