In one email in February 2016, she described an "incessant mechanical hum" coming from the site at 12:13 a.m.Ī project coordinator for Apple Park replied, saying officials "do not allow any active construction at that time." Three others complained about the noise to the Mercury News.Īpple says they've worked hard to minimize the impact on nearby residents. Nelson complained to Apple about late night construction noises. Cupertino doesn't care because we're not in Cupertino. "My life has been a constant hell since October 2013," said IrisAnn Nelson, who has lived on Nightingale Avenue since 1996. Many are bracing for a rapid change in Birdland's demographics once Apple Park opens, as longtime residents - many of whom are retired and middle class - cash in on skyrocketing housing prices and increased demand. Resignation permeates Birdland's streets, organized west to east and named after birds from Albatross Drive to Wren Avenue. based on future data and a large amount of money set aside to address community concerns" but nothing immediate. Sunnyvale spokeswoman Jennifer Garnett said the city was aware of the construction's impact on the neighborhood and had been monitoring the situation. Even after posting complaints on Nextdoor, alerting Apple and writing letters to their local officials, Birdland residents say they have seen no city intervention over the past few years. Nevertheless, some residents say they feel neglected by Cupertino, where Apple is based, and Sunnyvale, their hometown. If the concern of our neighbors were big enough, I would go visit them at their home." "We got emails all the time for the last few years, and I personally saw every single one of them. "I would say we were extremely aware of the local complaints," said Dan Whisenhunt, Apple's vice president of real estate and development. Residents complain of drivers cutting through the neighborhood to avoid heavy traffic constant construction noise, sometimes lasting past midnight a halo of light above Apple Park at night dirt and dust pollution, which occasionally cakes their cars and sharp objects on Homestead and nearby streets puncturing car tires.Īpple says it has been quick to respond to complaints, even providing coupons for car washes. And they worry that the campus' full opening later this year may force them out for good. More than 12,000 workers are expected to fill the campus' 2.8 million square feet, where they will enjoy an orchard, meadow and pond within the ring's interior grounds.ĭespite Apple's best efforts to be a good neighbor, some residents say the construction disrupted the daily lives of many of those living in Birdland for more than four years. Long before the wellness center was built, the quiet neighborhood on the edge of Sunnyvale sat next to the most ambitious and expensive construction project in Silicon Valley history. "I feel like because we're on the fringe of the city, we don't get as much concern." "We feel neglected," said Bonnie Lieberman, who is raising two children in the neighborhood. For Apple, the facade is part of the 100,000-square-foot wellness center at its new "spaceship" campus.īut for some of the Nightingale residents, the prison wall - nicknamed for its drab color - symbolizes four years of pent-up frustration from living next door to Apple's huge construction project.Īs Apple puts the finishing touches on its $5 billion campus on 175 acres, Sunnyvale's Birdland neighborhood has become a microcosm of the tensions that can erupt as tech expands and residents deal with clogged streets, fewer parking spaces and higher housing costs.
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