The Rise in Cupertino has moved through another detailed implementation step. On August 24, 2026, the City of Cupertino approved a Partial Plan Modification affecting Blocks 1 and 2 of the redevelopment of the former Vallco Mall site.
The application is identified in the project documents as The Rise Modification Application #4. It was submitted on behalf of The Rise master developer, Vallco Property Owner, and in coordination with applicant Black Pine, LLC. The City's project record identifies Black Pine, LLC c/o Hines Construction in connection with the application.
The important point for Cupertino buyers and homeowners is that this is not a new approval of The Rise as a whole and it does not change the number of homes planned in Blocks 1 and 2. Instead, the modification is primarily focused on parking configuration, garage access, loading areas, building details and relatively modest changes in residential and retail floor area.
For broader project information, visit my The Rise and Town Square West guide or follow continuing milestones on my The Rise Cupertino LIVE Updates page.
What Is The Rise Modification Application #4?
Modification Application #4 is a Partial Plan Modification, or PPM, limited to Blocks 1 and 2 of The Rise.
The project documents explain that a Partial Plan Modification is designed for situations in which only a portion of the previously approved project needs to be changed. Rather than reopening the entire development approval, the City evaluates the portions that are being modified while leaving previous determinations that are not affected by the request in place.
The April 2026 application describes the proposed changes as primarily technical and related to parking configuration and access. It states that the project otherwise remains substantially consistent with Cupertino's February 2026 approval, including the residential program, building heights and retail uses.
How Many Homes Are in Blocks 1 and 2?
The modification does not change the residential unit count in either block.
- Block 1: 235 residential units
- Block 2: 258 residential units
- Total in Blocks 1 and 2: 493 residential units
That is an important distinction because a new project modification can easily be mistaken for an increase in housing density or a new residential program.
In this case, the underlying number of residential units remains unchanged.
What Changes in Block 1?
Block 1 keeps its approved 235 residential units, but the revised plans substantially increase the amount of space devoted to residential parking.
The revised June 2026 project materials list the following changes:
- Residential floor area: approximately 277,156 square feet to 288,018 square feet
- Residential parking: approximately 65,791 square feet to 163,270 square feet
- Retail: approximately 39,928 square feet to 43,675 square feet
- Residential unit count: unchanged at 235 units
The increase in parking-garage area is substantial and is one of the principal reasons the Partial Plan Modification was required.
What Changes in Block 2?
Block 2 also keeps its approved 258 residential units.
The revised project-description materials show:
- Residential floor area: approximately 304,379 square feet in the prior approval and approximately 291,582 square feet in the revised plan
- Residential parking: approximately 107,493 square feet to 124,689 square feet
- Retail: approximately 44,476 square feet to 43,258 square feet
- Residential unit count: unchanged at 258 units
As with Block 1, the parking-garage changes are much more significant than the changes to the residential or retail program.
Why Is Parking Such a Major Part of Modification #4?
The substantial-compliance analysis identifies parking-garage expansion in Blocks 1 and 2 as exceeding the threshold that could simply be treated as a minor change under the prior approval.
Block 1 in particular increases its residential parking area from approximately 65,791 square feet to more than 163,000 square feet.
The revised plans describe residential parking at grade as well as on multiple levels above grade. Portions of the parking structure would be screened from public rights-of-way and adjacent properties.
For future buyers, parking will eventually be an important part of evaluating individual homes at The Rise. However, these plans do not yet establish how many spaces will accompany individual ownership units, future guest-parking rules or HOA parking policies.
What Changes to Garage Access and Loading?
The documents identify two particularly important access changes.
Block 1
A new retail parking-garage entrance ramp is proposed from Street A. This would be in addition to the previously approved retail entrance from Street 1, which is intended to remain.
The new Street A ramp would be located near the building's back-of-house loading area.
Block 2
At Block 2, one back-of-house loading entrance and loading/waste-management area would be relocated from Wolfe Frontage Road to Street 2.
The substantial-compliance analysis specifically identifies these changes in parking, loading and vehicular access as elements requiring the Partial Plan Modification.
Does Modification #4 Change the Overall Residential Program?
No.
The application repeatedly states that there is no change to the number of residential units, project uses, affordability requirements or the fundamental residential program.
The supplemental responses also state that there is no change to:
- The overall project location
- The subdivision of the project site
- The approved density bonus
- The project's affordability requirements
- The distribution of affordable units
- Previously approved incentives and concessions
- The basic utility plan
- The stormwater-management strategy
This makes Modification #4 much more of an implementation and design refinement than a new vision for the overall project.
Does Modification #4 Change the Density Bonus?
No new density bonus is being requested through this modification.
The application materials state that the project maintains the previously approved density bonus, affordability levels, incentives, concessions and waivers.
The building-form changes continue to operate within the framework of the project's previously approved waiver involving Cupertino's 1:1 setback-to-height, or slope-line, standard.
This distinction is important because the August action should not be interpreted as a new density increase or a new affordable-housing arrangement.
Does the Modification Change Building Heights?
The applicant's cover letter states that the project remains substantially consistent with the February 2026 approval, including its building heights.
The substantial-compliance materials allow certain exterior and building-form adjustments within the previously established approval framework, but the Modification #4 filing should not be interpreted as creating an entirely new height program for The Rise.
How Much Does The Rise Change Overall?
The applicant's April cover letter says that incorporating the Blocks 1 and 2 changes, along with updated square footage associated with the Block 5 building-permit plans, would increase total gross residential square footage for The Rise from approximately 4.727 million square feet to approximately 4.838 million square feet.
The same letter states that total nonresidential square footage would move from approximately 1.702 million square feet to approximately 1.704 million square feet.
Even with those adjustments, the filing states that approximately 74% of the project's total square footage remains devoted to residential uses.
The approved project framework continues to identify a maximum office allocation of approximately 1,474,946 square feet and a minimum retail requirement of approximately 226,644 square feet.
Who Is Behind the Modification Application?
The April 24 application letter was submitted on behalf of The Rise master developer, Vallco Property Owner, and in coordination with applicant Black Pine, LLC.
The letter is signed by Reed Moulds, Managing Director of Sand Hill Property Company.
The City separately identifies Black Pine, LLC c/o Hines Construction in connection with the Blocks 1 and 2 application.
Those relationships should be described carefully. The documents establish Black Pine's role in this Partial Plan Modification, but they should not be used by themselves to claim that Hines has replaced Vallco Property Owner or Sand Hill as the master developer of the entire Rise project.
What Does the Site Plan Show?
The revised plan set places Blocks 1 and 2 within the much larger Rise development and shows their relationship to the project's planned internal street network, Stevens Creek Boulevard, Wolfe Road, public open spaces, Town Square and other development blocks.
The visual context is important because Modification #4 affects only a limited portion of the complete development.
The Rise remains a multi-block redevelopment rather than a single building project, and individual blocks can therefore move through detailed planning and building-permit processes at different times.
Does This Mean Construction on Blocks 1 and 2 Is Starting?
Not automatically.
The application does, however, provide an important clue about the project's implementation sequence.
The cover letter describes the submittal as an important step toward advancing early phases of development and specifically references work being completed in anticipation of building-permit submittals.
That suggests the Blocks 1 and 2 modifications are part of preparing these portions of The Rise for more detailed building-permit review.
A Partial Plan Modification approval is still different from issuance of a building permit, commencement of vertical construction or completion of a building.
How Does This Relate to Town Square West?
Town Square West is the first major residential phase of The Rise and is planned for 1,369 homes, including:
- 393 for-sale homes
- 744 market-rate rental homes
- 232 affordable family rental homes
The complete Rise redevelopment is approved for 2,669 homes overall.
Modification #4 does not change the residential unit counts in Blocks 1 and 2 and should not be interpreted as a new announcement changing the overall 2,669-home total or Town Square West's planned housing mix.
Does This Mean Homes at The Rise Are Going on Sale?
No.
Modification #4 is a planning and implementation milestone, not a sales launch.
The documents do not announce:
- For-sale home prices
- Individual ownership floor plans
- HOA dues
- Deposit requirements
- Reservation procedures
- A public sales-center opening
- A market-rate sales-release date
- Specific occupancy dates for ownership homes
Those will be separate buyer-facing milestones if and when they are released.
What Should Future Buyers Watch Next?
For people interested in eventually purchasing at The Rise, I would now watch for:
- Building-permit applications for Blocks 1 and 2
- Building-permit issuance
- Visible vertical construction
- Identification of the specific for-sale residential buildings
- Individual ownership floor plans and unit sizes
- Parking allocations
- HOA structure and estimated dues
- Pricing
- Reservation and deposit procedures
- Developer sales and marketing announcements
- Expected completion and occupancy dates
I will continue separating those milestones from preliminary planning activity so buyers can distinguish between what has actually happened and what remains ahead.
The Rise Development Timeline: 2026
- February 27, 2026: Cupertino approved the third major modification to The Rise.
- April 24, 2026: Modification Application #4 was prepared for Blocks 1 and 2.
- June 2026: Revised Modification #4 plans and supporting materials were submitted.
- July 2026: Phase 1 subdivision, Final Map and related infrastructure matters continued through the City process.
- August 24, 2026: Cupertino approved the Partial Plan Modification for Blocks 1 and 2.
For more on the subdivision and infrastructure process, read my The Rise Cupertino Phase 1 Final Map update.
What Modification #4 Does Not Change
The project documents are unusually useful because they repeatedly identify items that remain unchanged.
Modification #4 does not establish a new:
- Residential unit count for Blocks 1 and 2
- Overall project use
- Affordability program
- Density bonus
- Affordable-unit distribution
- Project location
- Subdivision framework
- Utility strategy
- Stormwater strategy
- Public home-sales program
It also does not mean that homes have gone on sale, that pricing has been released or that vertical construction has begun simply because the planning modification was approved.
Official Project Information
This update is based on City of Cupertino project records and the Modification #4 application package, including the applicant cover letter, revised project description, supplemental SB 35 responses, substantial-compliance analysis and revised development plan set.
Readers can also review the City of Cupertino's official The Rise / Vallco SB 35 project page for project approvals and supporting documents.
Follow The Rise and Town Square West
I continue to track The Rise from the perspective of future buyers and Cupertino homeowners, with particular attention to the planned for-sale housing, construction sequence, building permits, floor plans, pricing and sales timing.
For continuing coverage, visit my The Rise Cupertino LIVE Updates page, review my complete The Rise and Town Square West buyer guide, or follow my 95014 Real Estate & Development Guide.
Last updated September 1, 2026. Development plans, permitting, construction timing and future sales information can change. Buyers should verify current project information with official City and project sources before relying on preliminary plans.