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Community Briefs

General plan strategy approved

The City Council unanimously voted to study potential changes to the city's general plan on Tuesday, including the possibility of allowing 1,500 homes in the neighborhood near Google headquarters.

Council members had expressed reservations about allowing homes among the office buildings of North Bayshore, as new residents there could protest. Google's workplace services director Dan Hoffman said he supported studying the idea.

"If you don't study the options, you won't have any options," said City Manager Kevin Duggan.

Potential changes city-wide include doubling the density allowed along portions of El Camino Real and office buildings in the Whisman and North Bay Shore areas, and encouraging the revamp of the city's neighborhood shopping centers.

Resident Joan MacDonald said she was concerned that new general plan policies did not do enough to encourage subsidized affordable housing.

The council decided not to label the Francia family's orchard on Whisman Road as a community facility after concerns were expressed that it would look like a "taking," despite the neighborhood support for a park there.

Bakery manager commended

On Tuesday the City Council recognized Costco bakery manager Mike Tyler for using CPR to save the life of a 72-year-old man who had a heart attack inside the Mountain View store on Nov. 1

Amid cheers from Tyler's family and friends, Mayor Ronit Bryant presented Tyler with a resolution of appreciation during Tuesday's council meeting.

"Consider the fact that the person you saved will be spending the holidays with his family," said fire Chief Bradley Wardle to Tyler.

Tyler looked as if he'd won the lottery. He said the recognition felt like a "big deal."

In the eight minutes before paramedics could arrive, Tyler said he breathed air into the man's lungs while a doctor who happened to be on the scene, Scott Bradley, did compressions to keep the man's blood flowing. Bradley will be recognized at a future council meeting. The 72-year-old man is expected to have a full recovery following major heart surgery.

Tyler said he had been trained by Costco to administer CPR.

Green light for Segways

After being told that Segways caused no accidents on the Stevens Creek Trail during a two-year trial period, the City Council voted unanimously to allow their use on Tuesday.

Segways will continue to be prohibited on city sidewalks. Motor vehicles are prohibited on trails, but the council decided to consider Segways as an exception when resident Richard Roeder, who was using his Segway on the trail to commute to Microsoft, got into trouble with park rangers two years ago.

Nearby cities that prohibit Segways on trails include San Jose, Sunnyvale, Fremont, Los Gatos and Campbell.

—Daniel DeBolt

Fundraiser for Graham school

The Graham Middle School Library is holding a fundraiser at Books Inc. at 301 Castro St. in downtown Mountain View on Friday evening, Dec. 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Books Inc. will donate 20 percent of its proceeds from all sales to the Graham Library.