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Looking to fill vacant storefronts, Mountain View is implementing a number of zoning changes to make it easier for small businesses to gain a foothold in the city.
In a unanimous vote, the City Council backed a recommendation from city staff last week to update Mountain View’s zoning regulations to reduce barriers for small businesses, particularly around permitting and parking requirements.
The idea is to streamline the permitting process for those looking to open small retail stores, restaurants, personal services businesses, and indoor recreation and fitness centers, according to Assistant Community Developer Director Lindsay Hagan, who presented the update to the City Council on Feb. 24.
A business that occupies a space of 4,000 square feet or less in a commercial zoning district would no longer be required to obtain a planning permit, Hagan said. Instead, the business owner could apply directly for a building permit as long as they meet certain land use and operational standards, like those relating to deliveries, waste disposal and noise standards.
“That would save anywhere from six months or more of time as well as $10,000 or more in permanent fees or other carrying costs on the unoccupied leased space,” Hagan said.
The city also plans to remove “change of use” permit requirements, meaning that business owners do not need to apply for a permit when changing a rented commercial space from one permitted use to another permitted use. Hagan described the current process as confusing and burdensome for applicants.
Additionally, the city plans to reduce parking requirements for retail stores and personal service land uses. Mountain View currently requires businesses to provide one parking space per 180 square feet of tenant space, which is higher than neighboring cities, including Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Los Altos, according to the staff report. The council approved modifying the requirement to one parking space per 250 square feet for all commercial and industrial zoning districts.
“Frankly, there’s no need for the city to have such a high standard,” Hagan said.
Council members, business community weigh in on zoning updates
The City Council supported the staff recommendation to streamline the permit process, which is part of the city’s broader economic vitality strategy.
“I appreciate that we focused on the two biggest hurdles identified by the business community to opening and operating a business in the city,” Council member Lucas Ramirez said. “The change of use permit is a big deal, and it’s a great thing to eliminate that obstacle.”
Business leaders also praised the updates, describing them as long overdue.
“The zoning code needs updating to reflect modern business trends and to support the vitality of our commercial areas and retail centers, many of which have struggled to fill the vacancies over the years,” said Peter Katz, CEO and president of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce. “This will really help.”
While the council generally supported the changes, Council member John McAlister expressed concern about whether reduced parking requirements would hinder, instead of help, small business owners.
“That balance on parking is very important because if you don’t have enough parking, the business won’t survive,” he said. “We haven’t got to the point where our transportation system is going to eliminate people trying to drive.”
However, Ramirez noted that some of the city’s older shopping centers have a lot of storefront vacancies and would benefit from policies supporting more foot traffic and local-serving land uses.
“Because the parking may be too high, what we end up doing is preventing a business from occupying a vacant space that would otherwise serve that neighborhood,” he said.
Ultimately, council members backed the staff recommendation to modify permit requirements and parking standards, as well as other minor amendments to the city’s zoning code.
With the council’s approval, the changes will go into effect in early April, Hagan said. The timeline appealed to council members.
“Our community has given us a lot of feedback and we’re pivoting and moving things forward,” Council member Ellen Kamei said. “For a government entity, we’re moving pretty swiftly.”
It’s a funny conundrum that all cities require parking for stores, but not for homes. If you want to start a business in Mountain View, you must provide parking!
And the city in the same breadth will support building housing with limited parking. Where does the city council think the cars at businesses go home at night?