October 22, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, October 22, 2004

Matt Pear

Over the course of Matt Pear's four-year term on the city council, Silicon Valley lost 145,000 jobs and Mountain View's annual city revenues declined 42 percent, by his count. A financial analyst with an MBA, the mayor and lifelong resident keeps those numbers in mind when planning for the future.

Among his prouder achievements on the council has been the management of city finances, which has protected reserves and maintained a AAA bond rating for the city. "It's very important the city continue on the path it's been on for the last 20 years," he said. He called the Internet boom a "funnel that took us to unrealistic highs in jobs and salaries." Now that it's over, he wants the city to make it easier to do business and build housing in Mountain View. If the city can keep permit and impact fees down, he said, it could be a very attractive place for companies. "We've got unbelievably amazing recreational assets right in the North Bayshore area that are ideal for [business] campus settings," said Pear.

He has backed the city's promotional campaign of the area through monthly corporate visits and the recent tour of vacant commercial properties. Pear is also concerned about the toxic legacy left by the same kinds of technology companies the city is now trying to recruit. "The bottom line is, we want it cleaned up as soon as possible. You do not want your city being known for these issues," he said.

Pear also said that government is the main obstacle to construction of housing. City fees range from $50,000 to $100,000 per unit, among them an "in-lieu" fee that developers must pay if they do not provide a certain percentage of low-income housing. But the solution of rezoning commercial properties for residential use has its drawbacks. "If you change that over, you'll forever lose the sales tax base," he said. With four such sites totaling 75 acres up for rezoning, Pear said he would base his votes on a case-by-case basis. With the controversial Mayfield site, Pear said it's too early to talk about housing density. But, he said, the public meetings that have been held with the neighborhood, at an uncommonly early point in the project's development, will ultimately result in a better project.

That kind of public discussion is something Pear is happy to see. "One of the major aspects I've pushed for has been consensus," he said. Pear touts several infrastructure improvements among his achievements on the council. Along with fellow council members, he helped convince Caltrain to continue service to the San Antonio station and include downtown as a stop for its baby bullet, initiated construction of the Graham reservoir and supported legislation that could make possible the use of recycled water at Shoreline Park.

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