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In a windfall for Mountain View, the California Department of Housing and Community Development recently awarded the city $50 million to support an affordable housing project and transportation improvements on Middlefield Road.
The City Council authorized the City Manager to accept the award last month with the bulk of the funding, $35 million, slated to go to the construction of a seven-story affordable apartment complex at 87 E. Evelyn Ave. The item was part of the council’s consent agenda, which is a collection of routine matters meant to be passed in a single vote.
“We all care a lot about housing,” Council member Pat Showalter said at the June 23 meeting. “We’ve been recognized as a prohousing city, but this is the largest affordable housing grant that we’ve gotten.”
Last year, the city applied for the funding through the state’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. The initiative seeks to integrate affordable housing near transit.
As part of the application process, Mountain View partnered with Affirmed Housing, the nonprofit developer building the affordable housing project at 87 E. Evelyn Ave. The lot currently operates as a safe parking site for those living in their vehicles.
In its place, Affirmed Housing is proposing to construct a 268-unit apartment complex, including 161 units for low- and very low-income households. Half of the apartments will be two- and three-bedrooms, according to the city staff report. Construction is expected to begin by mid-December.
The $35 million will be administered as loan and will go directly to Affirmed Housing, the staff report said. The rest of the award will be issued as a grant and will support program costs for the 87 E. Evelyn project, as well as transportation projects in the city.
Transportation improvements
Mountain View also partnered with the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which operates Caltrain, to boost its chances of getting the award. The collaboration paid off, as approximately $14.4 million will be used to fund transportation projects.
About $8.9 million will cover the purchase of two new train cars to improve service between San Jose and San Francisco, according to the staff report.
A portion of the grant will also support hyper-local projects, including roughly $5.2 million for transportation improvements on Middlefield Road. The award will help fund the design and construction of protected bike lanes between Moffett Boulevard and Bernardo Avenue and pedestrian and bicycle upgrades at four intersections: Moffett Boulevard, Easy Street, Tyrella Avenue and North Whisman Road.
The grant will also cover the installation of 10 new bus shelters near the Evelyn affordable housing site, which will cost $330,000, according to the staff report.
Additionally, the award will cover program costs associated with the Evelyn housing project, including discounted VTA passes for residents for three years, high-speed internet access for three years, rental assistance and workforce development opportunities, the staff report said.
The irony is not a single VTA bus line is within a ten minute walk of the new subsidized housing where they built 140 parking spaces for 500 residents. So there will now be 200-300 cars parking in the street.
Very wise in their quest to build housing at all costs without any recognition of the impact on our local infrastructure.
The Mountain View Transit Center is a 15 minute walk and a 5 minute bike ride away from the location. The Transit Center provides access to heavy rail (Caltrain), light rail, and VTA. And it is on Castro Street, which provides amenities.
It is not right on top of transit, but I would say that it is fairly accessible for people who want to live car-free.
Ramirez hits the nail right on the head. Abe-Koga likes to gush that this modern urban ghetto will be “steps” from transit, yet it is 3/4 mile worth of “steps”. The parking will be a joke, just like parking will be a joke at 400 Moffett. All because they are “transit oriented”. Ever try to ride a bus through the gridlock of downtown? It’s an absolute joke, that will only be getting worse when they completely close the grade crossing at Castro. You can walk faster than the bus will take you through the downtown core.