Mountain View’s Environmental Planning Commission has offered its support for a series of developmental standards intended to guide new housing development in the high-density R3 zoning district.
The new standards focus on building heights, parking requirements and other massing details. They also allow for lot consolidations in order to develop higher density housing and make the process more streamlined for housing developers.
“I think it reflects years of discussion and thinking and certainly work by staff,” said Commissioner Hank Dempsey.
The city’s Environmental Planning Commission met Jan. 7 for an agenda item that was a study session and did not require a vote of the commission.
The R3 zoning district is the city’s primary multi-family residential zoning district, covering low-income housing and rental units among other housing options. An update of the development standards has been ongoing, and is intended to better address neighborhood conditions, enable more diverse housing types and create more incentivized outcomes for developers.
The City Council has provided a series of project goals for the update over many years of review. They include advocacy for middle-income ownership, improving design quality through objective form-based standards, the promotion of pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and parcel aggregation.
Commissioner Alex Nunez said the commission appeared to have consensus on a variety of strategies to promote new development in the R3 zoning district.
“It sounded to me like lot-consolidation is going back to the drawing board and then ground floor retail with less restrictions, if any,” he said.
The update is anticipated to be completed in early 2026. The development standards will be next considered by the City Council.
