Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (December 03, 2004)

Housing versus commercial zoning

Editor:

The very negative reaction by much of the Monta Loma neighborhood regarding the possibility of new housing on the adjacent Mayfield Mall site seems unwarranted.

Those who own homes in the neighborhood might count their blessings and consider how fortunate they are to be able to own a home, deduct their property taxes and mortgage interest on April 15 and, for some, become millionaires because of the huge appreciation of property in these parts.

Also, having well-planned residential development adjacent to the neighborhood would, it seems to me, be much more desirable than commercial development.

As city council candidate Stephanie Schaaf pointed out during the various election forums prior to Nov. 2, Mountain View is in dire need of housing, especially for those who work at jobs that pay the least. Schaaf knew she would lose some Monta Loma voters, but she was speaking for the best interests of all the people working and living in Mountain View.

As for the real estate needs of commercial development, there are already vacant business properties all over town. It doesn't make sense to bloat a city with excessive commercial development when the need for residential housing is so critical.

Then too, let us commend city council member Greg Perry for his lonely vote showing that he favored needed housing and a more environmentally desirable occupant than a large medical clinic for the old Emporium site. Fred Duperrault West Middlefield Road

No certainty in Peterson's guilt

Editor:

Unlike several respondents to your Nov. 19 "Voices Around Town" question, I am zero percent certain of Scott Peterson's guilt.

Some key questions were never answered: Why choose a busy place like the Berkeley Marina to put a small, simply constructed boat with a body in it into the water? Why dump a body into San Francisco Bay in broad daylight?

Except by implication, neither question was even asked. Yet Scott Peterson did choose daylight and that marina for his trip, and there were no built-in hiding places in his boat.

I'm convinced that, except for the now famous Amber Frey affair, he never had anything to hide. Dave Canfield S. Willard Avenue, San Jose

Monta Lomans unwelcoming

Editor:

I live in Mountain View because it is not like it's neighboring cities: Palo Alto, Los Altos or Sunnyvale.

As others have stated, the city of Mountain View has a strong head on its shoulders and knows how to run its city in an efficient manner, looking forward with care and concern for its citizens. It has provided a very friendly environment and is a beautiful place to live. Simply put, I am proud to be a Mountain View citizen. Apparently the folks of Monta Loma don't have that same warm feeling.

I would very much like to become a homeowner in Mountain View and have watched the growing debate of the Mayfield project with much concern. It appears to me that Monta Loma homeowners would prefer not to have additional housing built in Mountain View. Or certainly not in their neighborhood.

Is this a blatant attempt to keep their already ridiculous house prices skyrocketing? Why else would they prefer to live next to a vacant industrial site? Do they think Google will buy it and we'll all end up in Camelot? What about the traffic impact of that?

I admit to having little knowledge of the traffic or environmental impact of this project but do place my trust in our city council. And yes, I may be slightly prejudiced because I would love to be a homeowner in the future Mayfield project but it appears that the Monta Loma folks will do their best to stop it or at least drag out the process and cause the city additional expenses for further studies, possible legal issues and so forth on an already impacted budget.

By the time this gets sorted out, potential homeowners, including me, will most likely be forced to leave Mountain View in search of affordable housing. I had hoped that the folks of Monta Loma were a more welcoming group. Apparently not. They should be ashamed of themselves. Pat Ryan Rock Street

Rezoning, dense housing are separate issues

Editor:

Your last article on the Mayfield/HP site said a couple of interesting things: 1. "Many Monta Loma residents who live near the site want it to remain commercial," and 2. "...opposition to the (Toll Brothers') project has become more popular and acrimonious."

There is an attempt in your article and among some people in the neighborhood to tie these two separate issues together -- the rezoning and opposition to the specific Toll Brothers 631-unit project. Many people in the neighborhood are, in fact, in favor of housing, but they are against a high-density project of 600 to 800 new homes.

Everyone who opposes 631 units is not automatically against any and all housing options for the HP site, and they are not automatically in favor of keeping the site zoned for commercial use. This is a myth. When someone at the podium asked for a show of hands on the question, "How many people here are against high density housing?" and 99 percent of the audience raised their hands, that doesn't mean that 99 percent were also in favor of keeping the site zoned for commercial use. It doesn't mean that they were against other low-to-medium density housing options, or that they want office buildings on the site rather than housing.

Of course, if you only interview and talk to the same few people at each neighborhood meeting, then I guess you would come to that conclusion. Herb Perry Anna Avenue

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