Sun's new 82-acre campus is built on the site of the old Agnews State Hospital. A public park graces the campus entrance, while across the street is a homeless shelter largely backed by Sun. The company auditorium will host community events as well as Sun product launches.
Even the furniture in that auditorium was selected with the benefit not only of product managers in mind, but that of local Boy Scouts as well, a company source said.
Sun's apparent outreach is unprecedented in its scope -- one day, weddings will even be held there -- but other companies are trying to reconcile with their outlying communities. They've reserved land for a threatened owl species, paid housing fees and built parks.
Increasingly, it's the price to pay for high-tech companies doing business in communities that may or may not accept their presence. For one, software firm Cisco Systems is having difficulty gaining acceptance for their proposed campus in Salinas, about a 45-miile drive from its San Jose headquarters.
And preservationists fought to keep the campus from being built, since the former Agnews location is considered a historic site. Even Santa Clara's former mayor says he'll shun the campus and all its amenities.
But for the record, those amenities will also include a landscaped turn-of-the-century cemetery and a new city library. However, visitors will not be allowed access to Sun's 1 million sf of office space.
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