The Rise Advances with Key Milestone – April 2026

In recent weeks, the City of Cupertino formally approved the plan modification submitted in November – an important step forward for the project and the community’s long-standing vision to transform this site into a vibrant neighborhood and gathering place.

This milestone reflects months of thoughtful collaboration and builds upon more than a decade of planning and partnership with the City and the community. With this approval in place, we are now preparing to begin vertical construction, with the first phase – Town Square West – expected to begin rising by the end of this year.

Once complete, Town Square West will deliver 1,369 homes, including 232 affordable homes designed for families, alongside hundreds of homes for purchase. The district will also include approximately 200,000 square feet of shops, restaurants, and neighborhood-serving spaces, as well as more than three acres of parks and open space for the entire community to enjoy.

The approved plan reflects important adjustments to respond to today’s economic environment, while maintaining the core commitments that have guided the project from the beginning: more housing, a meaningful affordable housing program, generous open space, and a welcoming, walkable environment for people of all ages. Notably, half of the affordable homes are designed for families with multi-bedroom layouts, and three out of every four affordable homes will serve very low-income households earning no more than 50 percent of area median income – directly addressing some of Cupertino’s most pressing housing needs.

At a time when shifting market conditions are leading many projects across the City to scale back – reducing overall housing and, in some cases, replacing lower-income housing components entirely – we remain focused on moving forward and continuing to advance housing at The Rise.

As the City works to navigate these evolving conditions and continue making progress toward its housing goals, we are committed to being part of the solution. Consistent with our existing agreement with the City, we are working collaboratively to support the City’s housing efforts, including advancing our agreed-upon $500,000 contribution toward Citywide planning initiatives. By making these funds available at this stage, we can help accelerate additional analysis and staffing as potential housing opportunity sites are evaluated – ensuring this work can move forward without delay. We see this as another way to continue partnering with the City as these efforts progress.

Looking ahead, 2026 will be a year of meaningful progress on the ground. We will be advancing park and mobility designs, preparing site infrastructure, and initiating vertical construction of Cupertino’s future town center. Later this spring, we look forward to sharing more detailed plans and visuals for parks, plazas and bike and pedestrian connections, and this summer we anticipate advancing Town Square West’s final mapping. We are also encouraged by progress on construction permitting for the affordable housing community being developed by Eden Housing, as well as design for the first phase of market-rate apartment buildings – key steps toward commencing vertical construction later this year.

We are grateful for the continued engagement, input, and partnership of the Cupertino community. The Rise has been shaped by the people it is meant to serve, and we look forward to continuing that dialogue as we move from planning into building.

In the meantime, please be sure you are signed up for our housing information list here.

Sincerely,

Reed Moulds
The Rise Project Executive