John Agustin runs Western Pacific Filipino Grocery, a family business in Fair Oaks Plaza, which has been a community space since his childhood. The plaza is undergoing redevelopment as part of a city initiative to create walkable Village Centers. Recently updated development standards aim to preserve retail spaces within these centers but may not protect longstanding businesses like Agustin's. State housing laws further restrict the city's ability to mandate retail requirements, complicating plans for the future of Fair Oaks Plaza.
Years before John Agustin took over Western Pacific Filipino Grocery, he was just a kid playing in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Plaza. Today, Agustin runs the grocery store his family has owned for three generations.
The shopping center located on E. Duane Ave in North Sunnyvale is one of seven sites the city of Sunnyvale designated in 2017 for transformation into Village Centers—walkable hubs of housing, retail, and outdoor space.
With new development standards passed on July 1 for the Village Centers, the city aimed to preserve retail by designating commercial space, but these rules will not save stores like Agustin's.
District 5 City Councilmember Richard Mehlinger pointed to state housing laws that restrict the city's ability to change plans for Fair Oaks Plaza, requiring additional retail from developers.
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