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Magnussen Toyota of Palo Alto, a longtime dealership and service center, is planning to relocate and redevelop a site for a new auto center less than half a mile away on Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View.
But it is facing significant opposition from a nearby residential community that is concerned the auto center will severely erode the quality of life in their neighborhood.
The city approved the development at an administrative zoning hearing on Dec. 18, although the decision could be appealed to the City Council by Jan. 2.
Magnussen Toyota is proposing to build a two-story auto dealership, service and repair facility on a 2.4-acre site at the corner of Old Middlefield Way and Independence Avenue, replacing a vacant auto service shop and an office building.
At nearly 40,000 square feet, the auto center will have a large showroom, offices and service, parts and inventory areas. The two-story building also will include rooftop parking for vehicles, making it one of the most prominent businesses in the area.
This is not the company’s first foray into Mountain View, according to Sandra Magnussen, of Magnussen Toyota who spoke at the hearing. The family-owned business opened a franchise in 2005 that operated until the pandemic, she said.
Magnussen described the redevelopment as a homecoming and community investment. “We believe that this will benefit Mountain View in many ways, (not) the least of which is gentrification and beautification of an area long in need of updating and upgrading,” she said.
More than a dozen people attending the hearing had a different perspective, however. Many said they lived in the Maravilla townhomes, a recently built residential community that abuts the project site from Rock Street.
In May, the Maravilla residents wrote a letter and started an online petition urging the city to impose more conditions on the project, if not rejecting it outright. Since then, the petition has received more than 200 signatures of support.
“The character of our neighborhood, our quality of life, our privacy and our property values will be compromised,” said one Maravilla resident at the Dec. 18 hearing.
Speaker after speaker stood up and expressed concerns about the air, noise and light pollution that would emanate from the auto center, as well as an increase in traffic vehicle deliveries.
For many, the mitigation measures that Magnussen Toyota had agreed to implement were not enough.
“We’ve made a number of requests and we were willing to work with the dealership, although only a handful and the easiest and tiniest ones of our requests were actually incorporated,” said Tanya Rodchenko, a Maravilla resident.
Several community members also expressed disappointment with the plan to remove 80 heritage trees on the site, including 61 small redwoods.
According to the project arborist, the redwoods were planted as a hedge and in extremely poor condition. They would never mature into good trees, he said, noting that other redwoods on the property were thriving and would provide better screening.
The city also pushed back on claims that very little had been done to modify the project to lessen its impact on the community.
“Saying that Toyota hasn’t done anything is not true, because I think that we’ve seen iterations of their plans that have changed over time,” said Amber Blizinski, assistant community development director.
It’s a balancing act, Blizinski said, referring to the decision to approve the project. “I have to weigh things like how the city needs to be supportive of businesses that are permitted uses in these zoning districts,” she said.
But Blizinski also leveraged the hearing to gain a few more concessions. At her prodding, Toyota indicated a willingness to install motion sensor lights on the rooftop and to screen the vehicles better, a major source of contention for residents.
Blizinski encouraged people to keep reaching out with their concerns too.
“Toyota, they’ve said in this meeting, in this public hearing, that they’re willing to listen to you when they start construction. They’re going to have contact information. They’re here for you,” she said.
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It states in the article that this project includes a plan to “remove 80 heritage trees on the site, including 61 small redwoods”. I strongly oppose this plan, as should all residents. Didn’t the Mayor praise Mountain View as being tree friendly? Getting rid of 80 heritage trees is not tree friendly.
We seem to be losing heritage trees at an alarming rate. I heard that there was a development update in 2024, which noted that more than 1056 trees have been or are slated to be killed. In 2023, the number was 1145 trees. I have not verified these numbers, but anecdotally, as I look around Mountain View, I do not doubt this could be true. We aim to teach schoolchildren about climate change and caring for our environment — we pay consultants to “green” our schools, yet at every corner our city seems to approve the removal of heritage trees. In this case, it’s not for housing, but for a corporation, Toyota, that is aiming to sell more cars. Toyota has dragged its feet on embracing EVs. See LA Times article “Toyota Executive Lashes out at US Regulations promoting EV Sales” on Nov 11 2024. Is Mountain View trying to be the setting for the next filming of “The Lorax”?
This project calls for the removal of 80 heritage trees, but there are numerous other examples of this kind of project in our city.
Why is this a concern?
Urban Heat Island Effect: Trees provide significant shade, reducing surface temperatures and cooling the surrounding environment. Their removal exacerbates the urban heat island effect, making summer temperatures more extreme.
Carbon Sequestration: Mature trees absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide, playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change.
Biodiversity: Trees provide vital habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife, supporting local ecosystems.
Aesthetics: Heritage trees contribute to the character and beauty of a city, enhancing quality of life for residents.
Property Values: Mature trees can increase property values.
Public Health: Trees improve air quality by filtering pollutants and reducing noise pollution.
Residents, if you are concerned about this, please sound off here and voice your concerns to city council members.
We need stricter regulations on tree removal. Developers need to incorporate tree preservation into their plans.
We citizens of Mountain View can play a crucial role in preserving our urban forest and ensuring a more sustainable future.
Very well-written.
Our beautiful and vital trees vs the ka-ching of multi-billion dollar enterprises. The redwoods will be there 100 years from now protecting our environment, if we don’t choke them in the meanwhile.
MB
The following memo from the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance includes some salient points regarding this project:
In the City of Mountain View, we have been advocating for the Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan, as well as for reducing light pollution.
We are writing to express our concern regarding the proposed automobile dealership project at Independence and Old Middlefield Road, which would involve the removal of 81 heritage trees. While we understand the city’s goals to support local economic development, our review of the plans indicates that the project can, and we believe it should, incorporate the hedges of redwood trees into the project design.
Repeatedly, we have asked the city to ask applicants to plan projects around existing trees. We asked the city not to regard a site as a clean slate, but to consider how to retain existing trees, hedges, and habitat. The project site should be required to retain and nurture the trees that protect the neighboring residents and offer them a buffer from the impacts of this development, such as light at night, noise, and emissions.
We ask you not to approve payments of in-lieu fees for trees. Instead, the project applicant should be required to plant native trees and mitigate for the lost trees onsite. Native trees and shrubs should be required along Middlefield and Independence, to create a more biophilic environment instead of an asphalt heat island. This approach can help Mountain View create habitats for local and migratory bird species, improve air quality, mitigate urban heat, and enhance the quality of life for residents. A plan that incorporates and increases tree canopy, plantings, and beauty will benefit all.
Automobile dealerships often require extensive night time lighting, which can have negative effects on wildlife and human health. Artificial lighting at night, especially blue light emission, disrupts bird migration, feeding, and breeding patterns, and also affects pollinators and nocturnal animals. We ask you to review the lighting plan to require that all lighting fixtures are turned off no more than 2 hours after closing time.
We request that the Planning Division work with developers to explore alternatives that balance economic growth with environmental preservation. Specifically:
● Redesign the project to integrate the heritage trees along the residential development into the site plan, and additional trees to the largest extent possible.
● Implement robust mature tree-planting and maintenance requirements onsite if removal is unavoidable.
● Limit outdoor lighting temperature to below 2700K. With the exception of lighting required for security, require a curfew for indoor and outdoor lighting within 2 hours of business closure.
Thank you for your consideration of these comments.