Monta Loma residents respond to story on Mayfield Monta Loma residents respond to story on Mayfield (October 01, 2004)

Mayor has been responsive to Monta Loma

Editor:

As Monta Loma residents, we are writing about your Sept. 24 article on the Mayfield community meeting.

We appreciate your interest and coverage of this important land use issue. However, we do not believe the neighborhood nor Mayor Matt Pear were characterized correctly.

In general, our neighbors were polite and cooperated with the request to break up into small discussion groups. We do not agree that "half the residents left" at this request. Perhaps some people left the meeting, but the majority left to go to other rooms to participate in the small group discussions.

One neighbor, Mr. Rafferty, was very vocal. He expressed concerns about not being heard and not having access to Mayor Pear. When Mayor Pear was finally able to address Mr. Rafferty's comments, the meeting continued as planned. I want to add that while Mayor Pear was forceful in his response, he did not exhibit anger. He was simply trying to be heard after being interrupted a couple of times.

We are sorry that Mr. Rafferty feels that Mayor Pear has not been available to him. We certainly do not feel that way. The mayor has attended every neighborhood meeting regarding the Mayfield site and has been available to speak to anyone at the meetings.

Not only has he been available to address issues at the meetings, but he has stayed long after the meetings to talk to anyone who had questions. He has also been available to discuss issues at his Saturday morning "Share with Matt Pear" events. We have taken advantage of all these opportunities and found Mayor Pear to be more than happy to talk to us.

We hope that Mr. Rafferty and others will also take advantage of these opportunities to discuss their concerns with Mayor Pear, who has office hours on Mondays and Fridays and can be reached through e-mail as well.

Chuck and Cookie Henderson
Aldean Avenue

Dense housing would overwhelm Monta Loma

Editor:

In your editorial last week, you imply that Monta Lomans are concerned only about our own neighborhood, not the needs of Mountain View. The editorial juxtaposes the San Antonio Circle project (small, affordable units) with the Mayfield site proposal (600 to 800 luxury homes).

Many Monta Loma residents are supporters of affordable housing and public transportation. We've suggested senior, affordable or Habitat for Humanity housing for the Mayfield site. We want park space and a community garden, all of which would benefit the city, not just the neighborhood.

You advise that the city "stay the course" in developing "moderately dense housing." Monta Loma is comprised of approximately 1,100 households, mostly single-story, single-family homes. The Toll Brothers' proposal would add half as many households to our neighborhood in a fraction of the space.

We have chosen to live here, in part, because of the look and feel of the neighborhood. If new housing is built at Mayfield, it needs to be part of our neighborhood, not an entirely new community abutting ours. We want to be welcoming, not overwhelmed. Any new development should fit in with what's currently here.

Your story lists property values and crime among the neighborhood's top concerns, whereas traffic and density are major issues. Traffic affects everyone who uses the main corridors of the city, including San Antonio and Middlefield Roads, as well as Central Expressway.

The following proposals, if approved, will overtax those corridors:

* Mayfield site: 600 to 800 luxury homes

* San Antonio Circle: 120 affordable apartments

* Middlefield Road and Alvin Street: 70 market-rate apartments (also in the Monta Loma neighborhood)

* Sun site, San Antonio Road: Low-income and senior housing

* Hyatt Rickey's, El Camino Real: 320 housing units

* Elks Lodge, El Camino Real: Housing on half the property

High-density housing in proximity to Caltrain as a way of mitigating traffic is unrealistic. Commuter railroads don't serve the same purpose as coordinated regional systems with intra- and inter-city transportation.

Mountain View already has the second highest density in the Bay Area. We've done our share.

Sheri Morrison
Anna Avenue

Editorial, article bother Monta Loma resident

Editor:

I am bothered by what I perceive as mistakes and/or slant of the issues regarding affordable housing, the development of the Mayfield project, and the portrayal of the Monta Loma Neighborhood in recent articles in the Voice.

Last week's article, titled "Loud opposition to Mayfield project," portrays an inaccurate view of the meeting and the neighborhood with descriptions such as "contentious," "created a stir," and "rowdy." It states that half the residents left the meeting, when actually the meeting broke up, as planned, into small groups, half of which were held in other rooms for space reasons.

The article describes Mayor Pear as "visibly angry," but I saw concern for addressing one resident's allegations of his unavailability. The Mayor is accessible by e-mail, with his Saturday morning "Share with Mayor Pear" events, during regular office hours and by phone, and I encourage anyone who has an opinion to talk with him as I have.

The editorial in the same edition also portrays Monta Loma negatively by unfairly linking affordable housing in Mountain View with the proposed 600 to 800 high-density units proposed by Toll Brothers. The high-density units will not increase affordable housing in Mountain View. These "luxury" units will sell for over $400,000 each, and Toll Brothers will pay "in lieu fees," not build affordable housing units.

Toll Brothers admits that it would be a "fantasy" to expect train ridership to increase. The housing will also mean a net revenue loss to a city already experiencing fiscal hard times. Mountain View has the second highest density in the Bay Area and is currently meeting its ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments) requirement without this development, while other cities ignore ABAG and campaign for more high-density housing in Mountain View.

Monta Loma residents are working very hard with the city to participate in the process and define something positive for our neighborhood. While things could be improved, these articles are not helpful.

Nola Mae McBain
Diablo Avenue

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