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Mountain View is making inroads with a plan to add more parkland in the Terra Bella neighborhood, a part of the city slated for housing growth.
Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously approved a staff recommendation to appropriate $9 million to purchase a 0.86-acre property at 975 Terra Bella Ave. for a future park. The item was part of the council’s June 9 consent agenda, which is a collection of routine items meant to be passed in a single vote.
The land acquisition is part of a larger plan to develop parks in neighborhoods that lack green or open space. The goal is to provide 3 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. However, the city falls short of this goal in certain planning areas like Stierlin Park, which includes Terra Bella. The area has less than 2 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, according to a recent city analysis.
The closest public park to the Terra Bella neighborhood is San Veron Park on West Middlefield Road. Meanwhile, major housing growth is planned for the area, including a 108-unit affordable housing development at 1020 Terra Bella Ave. and a 303-unit housing project at 1001 N. Shoreline Blvd.
To address the parkland deficit, Mountain View has been steadily acquiring land in Terra Bella, near the junction of U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 85. In the last four years, the city has spent about $24.8 million for properties at 909, 917 and 939 San Rafael Ave. With the purchase of 975 Terra Bella, which sits north of the three properties, the city will expand the future park from approximately 2.4-acres to 3.2-acres, according to the city staff report.
The Terra Bella site will “improve the overall functionality and usability of the future park,” the staff report said.
Currently, the Terra Bella property has a 2,000-square-foot office building. The city plans to raze the structure and install fencing around the site. The demolition and fencing will cost the city $350,000, which is included in the $9 million appropriation, the staff report said.
The design and construction of the future 3.2-acre park is estimated to cost between $8 million and $10 million. According to the staff report, design work is already underway for the San Rafael portion of the park.
