Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC) and Hunter Partners joined the Sunnyvale community for the much-anticipated official grand opening of Cityline, a vast new transit-oriented, mixed-use destination in downtown Sunnyvale, California.
In late 2015, 36 acres south of historic Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale was acquired by STC Venture, LLC, a joint venture between affiliates of Hunter Partners and SRGNC. Since then, an active, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use district has emerged, featuring 1,100 new apartments, one million square feet of office space, a large public plaza, and 500,000 square feet of new retail and entertainment options.
The grand opening ceremony in Redwood Square, the city’s new gathering spot, included Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein, City Council members, civic leaders, residents, and representatives of the development team that’s made creating Cityline their passion for nearly a decade.
“Cityline has transformed Sunnyvale’s skyline with the addition of modern residential and office towers, enhancing our cityscape with unique shops, restaurants, and additional open space,” said Mayor Klein. “As the Heart of Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale is proud to welcome these new additions to our vibrant downtown. We extend our congratulations to the entire development team and City staff for realizing the Downtown Specific Plan’s vision and contributing to our community’s continued growth and vitality.”
“Cityline’s mixed-use design combines office, residential, and all types of amenities to create a walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly core that offers dynamic experiences whether you work, live, or play — or do all three — in Sunnyvale’s re-imagined downtown,” said Jeff Smith, Director of Development/SVP for SRGNC. “ We’re so proud of our development team who worked hard for nine years to create this multi-facet destination and grateful to the community for their support along the way.”
Cityline’s development team is led by a joint venture between SRGNC and Hunter Partners, with SRGNC the primary residential developer, and Hunter Partners the primary commercial developer. Other members of the team included equity partner J.P. Morgan Asset Management; esteemed architecture firms Gensler, Heller Manus, KTGY, SGPA, and Studio T-Square; landscape architecture firms Bionic Landscape and The Guzzardo Partnership; engineering firms BKF Engineers and Langan; and contractors Devcon and Build Group.
“Bringing a transit-oriented development like Cityline to fruition is a huge accomplishment for Sunnyvale and its surrounding communities,” said Deke Hunter, president of Hunter Partners. “This project shows that the city leaders were visionary and brought a can-do attitude to benefit everyone through new housing, office space, and a more robust retail offering for downtown.”
Groundbreaking for Cityline’s Phase I kicked off in late 2016. Construction included 273 apartments (with 12.5% BMR units) and nearly 100,000 square feet of retail. That was followed by a 110,000-square-foot building anchored by Whole Foods Market and AMC Theaters, two retail uses that were priorities for the city. In early 2021, Phase II commenced as the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) was approved, allowing a maximum of 792 residential new units (with 11% BMR units) and up to 650,000 square feet of office space located above 182,000 square feet of ground floor retail on four parcels along Murphy and McKinley Avenues.
