The Mountain View City Council got the ball rolling on two high-density housing projects at its meeting last week.
One, at 555 W. Middlefield Road, passed through its final stage of environmental review before construction, while the council clarified criteria for developer applications for the second, at 87 E. Evelyn Ave.
Middlefield Road
After a lengthy discussion at its May 10 meeting and a controversial planning process in general, the council approved a project that will add up to 323 new housing units, including 48 deemed “affordable,” on the site.
Public comment ran for approximately an hour, with residents and stakeholders raising concerns about labor practices, traffic and the elimination of a tree buffer between the project and State Route 85. At least as many speakers supported the project, arguing that the complex is not only necessary for the future of the city, but also exemplifies the city’s housing goals.
The project will transform an existing parking lot for the Eaves at Mountain View apartments into two new buildings with underground parking garages.
“There is nothing magical about some of the most valuable land in the world being taken up by parking sheds for cars,” Councilmember Sally Lieber said, adding that the project could be a great example
for other cities.
Initially proposed in 2015, the project hit a roadblock earlier this year when residents mobilized against a draft plan that would have required the developer to remove four redwoods marked with the city’s Heritage Tree designation, as well as two olive trees. To preserve the trees, the developer reduced and reconfigured parking, requiring a net loss of 44 parking spaces.
In earlier meetings, current tenants also expressed concerns about air quality during the construction of the underground garages and relocation assistance.
Developer AvalonBay Communities agreed to adopt voluntary measures to mitigate their worries, including a rent credit for residents to buy HEPA air filters and to relocate tenants with more severe health problems.
“This is exactly the type of thoughtful, transit-oriented, infill development that the city of Mountain View has prioritized in all of your planning efforts,” said Joe Kirchofer of AvalonBay Communities.
In addition to adding housing, the site will include space for a new 1.3-acre park.
Evelyn Avenue
The council approved criteria for an upcoming high-density, affordable housing development in an industrial area near the Sylvan Park neighborhood.
The site on East Evelyn Avenue is a former Valley Transit Authority park-and-ride lot currently being used as a city-sanctioned Safe Parking lot for RVs. The council opted to lease the lot for affordable housing in May 2019, with an option to purchase open in January 2023.
“This is a particularly rare opportunity to meet the city’s housing needs, due to its location, size and due to the fact that the city will be the owner of the site,” said Micaela Hellman-Tincher, the city’s housing and neighborhood services manager.
The development will likely be six to eight stories tall to accommodate the city’s desired density and will prioritize a high number of “family” units with two or three bedrooms, though the council will allow potential developers to explore higher densities in their proposals. The city also hopes to include support services for formerly unhoused residents and to give preference to tenants who live and work in Mountain View; however, such a measure may face scrutiny from state and federal housing authorities as a discriminatory practice, city staff said.
According to Kevin Ma, speaking on behalf of Mountain View YIMBY, a group that advocates for additional housing, the city should hold off on a density limit and reduce parking in favor of building more units, because the city rarely has an opportunity to wield so much control over a development.
The council will likely select a developer for the project next February.
