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An affordable housing project that converted a hotel into homes is now open in Mountain View, despite facing initial opposition from community members uneasy with housing extremely low-income tenants in the neighborhood.
Formerly the Crestview Hotel, the Heartwood Apartments is now a permanent and supportive housing community at 901 E. El Camino Real, near the border with Sunnyvale. The three-story, 49-unit building serves local youth aging out of the foster care system and individuals and small families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
“Housing isn’t just about shelter, it’s about stability, it’s about dignity and it’s about opportunity. Heartwood Apartments is more than just a place to live, it’s a community built to help residents thrive,” said state Assembly member Marc Berman who spoke at the grand opening on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
While local dignitaries visited the site for the event Wednesday, the apartments have been available to households since Sept. 30, according to Jamboree Housing Corporation, which redeveloped the site and is overseeing property management.
The apartments provide housing for some of the region’s most vulnerable residents, designated for households earning up to 30% of the area median income. It has a mix of refurbished units with the majority designated as studios, but also includes four one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom units. Thirteen of the units are specifically for youth aging out of the foster system.
Interested community members tour the new Heartwood Apartments in Mountain View on Oct. 30, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
A bedroom in one of the units in the new Heartwood Apartments. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
The kitchen of a studio apartment in the Heartwood Apartments. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
The entrance to a studio apartment in the Heartwood Apartments. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Formerly the Crestview Hotel, the Heartwood Apartments are now the first hotel to have been converted into affordable housing in Mountain View. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Residents have access to computers and internet in a computer room in the downstairs of the Heartwood Apartments. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
The after-school room of the new Heartwood Apartments. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
The sign in front of the new Heartwood Apartments in Mountain View. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
Heartwood Apartments also offers more than just affordable housing. Support services are available on site with trained professionals available to help with case management, life skills and financial literacy. The ground floor of the building includes a community room to foster social connections as well.
“They’re not just units. They’re not just homes, the space behind us here is an opportunity made real,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who has been a big proponent of the housing development. “Every single one of these households has wondered at some point in their lives, ‘Will we ever have a chance? Will we ever get from where we are to where we want to be?’ And the answer today is, ‘Yes.’”
Still, bringing the project to fruition was not easy and required multiple partners to get it across the finish line. It cost about $17.3 million to develop the property, not including the site acquisition, which cost $23.2 million.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development pitched in $16.7 million with Homekey funding – a state program that converts older properties into supportive housing for the homeless. The county kicked in $14.8 million and also has provided Section 8 rental subsidies for each unit. The city of Mountain View contributed about $9 million to the development.
The support of the community also has been key, officials said, adding that a lot of work was done to build trust with surrounding neighbors.
This was the case with Mountain View resident Greg Bissell, who turned up for the grand opening. Bissell and his wife run a dance studio across the street and initially did not know what to think about the redevelopment. There were a lot of stories circulating about crime when the project was first proposed, Bissell said.
But now Bissell sees the Heartwood Apartments as an upgrade for the neighborhood.
“It has been a boon for the area,” he said, adding that it has brought more attention to getting other things fixed as well, like the broken street lights on El Camino Real.
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Studios. A real long term solution for these folks? No. Just want the community wants: to serve as a waypoint for a bunch of transient residents.
There are a lot of better sites than this, but a small group are hell bent on find every lot on El Camino and putting transients all up and down the street. This is close to nothing for these residents besides an overpriced Safeway. A real waste of money to create a building full of hotel rooms. These are not intended to be long term, community-contributing residents.
I’m a close-by neighbor and I have a different opinion than Ramirez… I think this is a great way to integrate folks with low incomes into the fabric of Mountain View-Sunnyvale. It will be a high percentage of small families, single adults and 18+ year olds who have aged out of foster care. I think the high percentage of families in this building will be an influence for the good.
I hope who those live there appreciate what the community is trying to do for them and to help improve their circumstances temporarily. I don’t think this is intended for long term residence but to be used until they can get on their feet to find permanent housing. Even homeowners whose taxes helped pay for this are struggling to maintain their living here.
I’m not sure I understand why this is a good idea. So they spent $40.5M of Taxpayer money for 49 units, or $826k/unit. Most multi family apartments are 3-400k/unit. Here is one right now: https://redf.in/4nDwTl for 330/unit. I could be missing something, but this seems like a HUGE waste of taxpayer money.
“The California Department of Housing and Community Development pitched in $16.7 million with Homekey funding – a state program that converts older properties into supportive housing for the homeless.”
Regarding use of taxpayer money, the $16.7 million the state kicked in is a whopping 0.007% of the state’s fiscal year 2024 budget of $225.9 billion.
You prefer RV’s? Or maybe lower income people should just disappear? If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
THANK YOU to our city, county and state who came together to do something about the problem of lack of affordable housing.
Suzanne, I am unfamiliar how low income neighbors “influence for the good.” Could you help us understand how they influence me and my neighbors? What will we be doing or thinking differently about with them as my neighbors.
Note, this is not to say these are not good people, I just want a straight explanation for this claim that they will influence me in a way that would be different than neighbors who have well paying jobs and are committed to living in Mountain View for the long term by investing in their neighborhoods.
“It is better to a light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
Robin, Pennies add up. $20million here, $20 million there. People complain when the school districts spends $2000 out of a $100 million budget.
BTaylor, homeowners that are struggling to pay their very low property taxes that have been essentially frozen can take out a loan to be paid when they die. They have a lot of equity in their house. I’m sure any bank would be happy to lend them a few thousand every year against a million dollars in equity.
@Ramirez – 2 me it seems that you “are unfamiliar” with a lot of things / other than the sound of your own voice. I doubt that many are ‘a good influence on you’ and perhaps … Peace and Love
– I will be glad to vote for some of the good people in this City, running for City Council, that support this type of Common Good – and to pay the taxes that support this.-
Steven, there are loads of beautiful School Board meetings of you setting a “great example” for this community. Thank you for your service.