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Mountain View is starting to prepare an environmental report that will consider the impact of allowing for a lot more housing density in parts of the city zoned for multifamily residences.
The proposed land use changes could result in anywhere between 10,000 to 16,000 new residential units, according to a city memo.
For years, Mountain View has been planning to update its R3 zoning district, an area that makes up about half of the city’s multifamily residences and nearly all of its rent-controlled units.
In recent months, the City Council has gone back and forth on how much housing growth should be on the table, ultimately favoring a selective approach to density increases. In June, the council settled on a plan to consider high-intensity development in more areas of the R3 district where buildings could go up to seven stories or higher with state density bonuses.
These areas are largely centered around major arterial corridors and the Palo Alto and Sunnyvale borders. Less intense density increases have been proposed for other change areas in the R3 district.
Now the city is taking steps to solicit community feedback on the proposed land use changes.
State law requires that government agencies review and disclose the environmental impact of public projects as part of the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA. Submitting an environmental impact report is a major part of the requirement although recently there have been some exemptions made for certain kinds of projects.
It’s an opportunity to get public input about topics of concern that can be identified and addressed with potential alternatives and mitigation measures, said Gianna Meschi, a city consultant who spoke at a community meeting about the CEQA process on July 23.
Mountain View is still in the “scoping” stage of soliciting feedback for the environmental impact report, which has not been written yet, Meschi said. The report will cover a broad range of topics, assessing the project’s impact on air quality, noise, traffic, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental factors.
Meschi emphasized that the report would look at citywide impacts and was not focusing on individual projects or properties.
Eric Anderson, the city’s advanced planning manager, noted that the City Council has provided direction about where to consider housing density increases but no final decision has been made about it. This will occur after the environmental impact report has been drafted.
Recent changes to CEQA could potentially complicate the process, however. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two new bills, AB 130 and SB 131, introducing reforms to CEQA that streamlines the environmental review process for “infill” housing developments and a few other kinds of projects.
The legislation has introduced some uncertainty about how much the city needs to comply with preexisting CEQA requirements. “This happened very quickly and caught us all off guard, these series of bills that were adopted at the end of June, and we’re still really digesting them,” Anderson said.
There are portions of the R3 update that fit under the CEQA exemptions but other parts do not, according to Meschi. The city does not want to run the risk of “piecemealing” the environmental impact report, potentially falling out of CEQA compliance, and so is planning to submit a full report, she said.
More information about how to submit public feedback about the scope and content of the environmental impact report is available on the city website. The deadline for written comments is Aug. 8, according to the website.
The city also plans to hold public hearings for the community to weigh in on the report after it is drafted. The final report is expected to be brought to the City Council for consideration early next year.
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One of the most centrally located places near transit and downtown that should be reasoned and allow for higher density housing is Old MV.