REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Reconsider Selection of Name for the New City Park Located at One Redwood Place (Previous AMD site)
Report
BACKGROUND
The City is developing a new 6.5-acre public park as part of the Irvine Company's residential development at the former AMD site. The park site is located at One Redwood Place between E. Duane Avenue and Stewart Drive.
On May 3, 2022, the City Council voted to name the new park "Shellmound Park" (RTC No. 22-0263). The name was on a list suggested by the Sunnyvale Historical Society. It was also one of five names recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission at their April 13 meeting (RTC No. 22-0268).
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 7.3.23 "Naming/Renaming Parks & Recreation Facilities."
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a "project" within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
DISCUSSION
Council expressed a desire to acknowledge and honor Native American heritage in naming the new park "Shellmound Park." Council also requested informational material to educate the public about the historical significance of the park name.
Staff reached out to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to invite them to participate in the opening ceremony of the new park and seek information about the mounded sites in Sunnyvale. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is comprised of surviving Native Americans with ancestral lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region. They have traced their ancestry through the Spanish missions (Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose) and were also members of the historic federally recognized Verona Band of Alameda County.
At a June 10 meeting with City staff, representatives of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe expressed concerns with the name "Shellmound Park." They in...
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