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A huge mixed-use project that will create hundreds of homes in Mountain View is on track to getting built, despite concerns about the amount of park space that would be available to potentially thousands of new residents.
The Mountain View City Council unanimously approved the massive housing and office project at 675 and 685 E. Middlefield Road on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with a request that the developer include more park amenities for families and dogs.
Prometheus Real Estate Group is proposing to build 836 housing units across three residential buildings on the 10.6-acre site. The project includes a six-story office building and an 8.5-story office garage as well as a publicly accessible park, about a half-acre in size, and a smaller linear park.
Council members praised the project for its plan to build hundreds of new homes, including 150 affordable apartments, in an area of Mountain View slated for major housing growth. But they sidestepped one controversial piece to the plan.
Prometheus intends to put all the affordable units in an eight-story building that would have far less access to parking or amenities, like pools and fitness centers, than the market-rate units going up on the same site.
Last month, the Environmental Planning Commission pushed back on the proposal to not provide lower-income tenants access to these amenities, expressing a preference for shared common spaces.
Since then, Prometheus has indicated a willingness to provide more parking for tenants living in the affordable residence by allowing them to use the office garage. But it has not changed its stance about barring lower-income residents from using the market-rate amenities, saying it would be infeasible.
The amenity spaces are sized appropriately for each building with specific purposes, according to Michael Ducote, Prometheus’ development director. “It just makes more sense to separate them,” he said, adding that the financing for the affordable housing was competitive, and that they would provide services specifically for lower-income tenants.
The City Council did not press the issue, instead focusing mostly on housing growth in the East Whisman area and a lack of sufficient parks and open space.
“I think the amount of park space that’s being supplied is probably not going to be adequate for the amount of development we’re expecting,” said Council member Alison Hicks, adding that it was the responsibility of the city to fund more parks too.
It is anticipated that Prometheus will pay about $44 million in parkland dedication fees, according to the council report. However, city staff noted that there could be a 20% reduction in the fees or more depending on updates to the city’s ordinance.
Several public commenters at the meeting urged the council to reevaluate the amount of park space proposed for the development, saying that it was not nearly enough and that an influx of new residents would strain nearby parks.
They also criticized the lack of community input about how the park space could be used, saying that it was geared towards adults and not families with children. A bocce ball court is not good for kids, said one Mountain View resident, advocating for playgrounds instead.
Council member Lisa Matichak strongly encouraged Prometheus to put in dog parks, noting that it was a growing community need, a proposition supported by the other council members as well.
Community members also expressed concerns about the cumulative impact of traffic in the area and described Middlefield Road as a dangerous, high-speed corridor.
Council members noted that there are plans to bring traffic-calming measures to the area, like at the intersection of Highway 237 and Middlefield Road, where there have been numerous traffic collisions.
On the whole, the City Council supported the project, despite some concerns about how to get more parks and open space in the East Whisman neighborhood.
“This will help to make a much more vibrant, mixed residential office area around the Middlefield area, which I think is going to be a big improvement,” said Mayor Pat Showalter.
Banning residents from the pool on account of income is discriminatory.
Great location for tall (by MV standards) buildings!