Have you ever missed your first period by two minutes just because of the slow moving traffic around Wilcox?  Lately, getting to school is quite the obstacle. The streets have been coned off for the construction of Monticello Village, which will be completed within a year. However, the traffic of the new shopping center and apartment buildings could cause even more issues once it opens.

This upcoming facility will become the new hotspot for students all around the area.  Wilcox High School students are super excited about the stores and restaurants to come. “I am so excited for Monticello to finish in the soon future.  It is the perfect place to go after school if I am hungry or need something to drink,” said Emily Vu, a junior here at Wilcox. Having stores located right in front of a high school will help increase the sales. “I can’t wait for Homecoming season when I can go out and grab a bite just across the street before going to watch a football game,” said junior Kristine Plena. The village is the perfect location for students to go after school activities or before games if they need to fill an empty stomach.

According to Irvine Company Retail Properties, Santa Clara has reached its peak for retail and housing. With the Apple headquarters being built just down the street, the population of Santa Clara will increase dramatically. Workers from around the world are moving to the Silicon Valley, excited for the booming economy and job opportunities in major companies. More and more people are coming into the Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Cupertino areas with no place to live, and the Santa Clara County has been working to build more apartments and houses. On every corner, there seems to be a new complex protruding from the ground ready for residents, one being Monticello Village. According to Santa Clara Weekly, the Village’s location is viewed by 85,600 people in cars each day, so this spot is a prime location for publicity and advertisement. The Village is also home to 5,400 square feet of restaurant space and 15,000 square feet of in-line retail.

 Not only will Monticello include a variety of different stores, will also be a new home for many residents. You may have noticed that the construction grows quite tall. On the bottom floor, it is all stores and businesses. The upper part of the building is for apartments. “The podium level of the residential complex would include landscaped walkways and paseos, courtyards, two 25-yard short-course swimming pools, and other recreational amenities,” said the Irvine Company in an overview presentation.

While it seems that these changes are positive for the Wilcox Community, some seem to disagree. As stated earlier, the construction makes it hard for many to get to school on time. “I have a really hard time getting to school when I am biking on Monroe. The sidewalks are always cut off due to construction or the streets are closed off. I am never sure of what to expect because I feel like they are different every day,” said Wilcox student Ethan Roland. “I get nervous when I bike to school sometimes, especially when I am running late.  The cars get super reckless and swerve in and out of lanes since they are also rushing trying to get to school on time,” added freshman Eugene Lee. The increased housing will lead to a higher concentration of people, and therefore a huge growth in traffic. Many bikers are not so thrilled about the increase of cars on the way to school. Since the cars of the residents will probably fill up the parking lot, it is likely that the sidewalks will be jam packed with parked vehicles as well.

Overall, the Monticello Village seems to be bringing both positive and negative effects unto the Wilcox Community.  It may increase the traffic on Monroe and decrease the safety of biking, but at the same time it could hopefully be a positive addition to Santa Clara.  For now, it is just a matter of being patience for the construction to finish.