Vidovich closes on Butcher's Corner, Sunnyvale's last orchard

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Nathan Donato-Weinstein: Real Estate Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal; Email | Twitter

Butcher's Corner, Sunnyvale's last remaining working orchard, has been sold to a well-known local developer.
Sunnyvale-based De Anza Properties closed on the 5.23-acre site this week, and principal John Vidovich told me plans are underway to develop a high-end, mixed-use development on the property.
"This is our home base, and we want to build something that will be beneficial to the city and be part of our legacy," Vidovich said in an interview. "We want it to to be a legacy project -- not something just to make money, but that improves the entire area."
Extant Orchard sites are rare in today's Silicon Valley, which was once known as the Valley of the Heart's Delight for the fruit that grew here.
The property has been in the Butcher family for decades and remained mostly agricultural -- save for a small dentist office at its very tip -- as Sunnyvale's orchards turned into a thriving suburban community all around it. It is located at the confluence of El Camino Real, East Fremont Avenue and South Wolfe Road, and still supports a small plum grove and honey bees.
Under preliminary plans Vidovich has submitted to the city, the site would be transformed to include 196 residential units and 45,000 square feet of commercial space, though the exact contours of the project could change.
The housing would be for-sale, and dense: Vidovich is eyeing "type 1," or steel-and-concrete construction, which is the construction type of choice for taller projects. Vidovich said it's still unclear just how high the residential could go.
"It's a landmark site, and I think it's going to help identify Sunnyvale," he said.