\u201cThe question is not whether Sunnyvale has retail space somewhere else,\u201d Himanshu Sethi, a founder of the advocacy group WTF (Where\u2019s the Food), told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThe question is whether residents will continue to have walkable access to groceries, food businesses and daily needs within this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sethi said residents initially organized under a broader North Sunnyvale community group before adopting the WTF acronym to make the campaign more recognizable. The group launched a petition<\/a> that\u2019s gathered more than 3,500 signatures and created a WhatsApp group connecting roughly 150 residents across North Sunnyvale neighborhoods, including Fair Oaks and Lakewood.<\/p>\n Residents said concerns intensified after two shopping center redevelopment proposals threatened to significantly reduce retail space<\/a> in the area. Advocates said the Fair Oaks proposal could remove roughly 70% of the existing retail footprint, even after revisions added commercial space to the project.<\/p>\n The Fair Oaks proposal includes 67 homes, keeps the existing Speedy\u2019s Tacos building and adds a new two-story commercial building totaling approximately 15,635 square feet, according to city officials. Plans to bring 101 townhomes to the city would redevelop Lakewood Shopping Center, which includes New Wing Yuan Market \u2014 one of the only places to get groceries in North Sunnyvale. While the plans include a 10,000-square-foot retail building, residents said that\u2019s not enough to sustain the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Sethi said residents are not opposed to housing development, but want the city and developers to balance housing growth with grocery access and neighborhood-serving businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a balanced approach here where we have a walkable neighborhood that actually gives access to essentials,\u201d Sethi said. \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about 7-Elevens. We mean fresh food and actual grocery stores.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for True Life Companies, which is proposing the Lakewood redevelopment, and Fair Oaks Plaza owner and developer Nicholas Gera did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n District 5 Sunnyvale Councilmember Richard Mehlinger said he has been meeting with concerned residents about the redevelopment proposals for more than a year, but next steps in the development process have not been decided. He said at the city\u2019s recent budget workshop, the City Council approved a policy proposal aimed at increasing service levels for the Office of Economic Development and developing a retail strategic plan.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the developer is interested in adding retail, I am very happy to work with him on that and to go to bat for that,\u201d Mehlinger told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Some residents and shoppers said the existing businesses serve as more than retail centers. Dave Grigsby, who\u2019s visited Fair Oaks Plaza weekly for about 15 years to meet friends for lunch at Barn Thai and occasionally shops at Taj Mahal Fresh Market, said he doesn\u2019t want\u00a0redevelopment to displace longtime businesses<\/a>. He attended a recent community outreach meeting, where he said he learned some existing businesses may not be able to afford rents once the property is redeveloped.<\/p>\n \u201cI would very much miss it,\u201d Grigsby told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cNot only do I have lunch here once a week, I also shop at the Indian market. It\u2019s a really nice place to get good food at a reasonable price.\u201d<\/p>\n Taj Mahal Fresh Market owner Saifullah Memon said he has not received a development timeline and remains uncertain whether the business would relocate if the shopping center is redeveloped.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of notices came, and they want to build housing and they say it\u2019s a necessity,\u201d Memon told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201c(Groceries are) the necessity for the residents of the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0696-1024x768.jpeg\")
The Fair Oaks Plaza housing proposal would include 67 homes, keep the existing Speedy\u2019s Tacos building and build a new two-story commercial building totaling approximately 15,635 square feet. Photo by Maryanne Casas-Perez.<\/p>\n
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