Mayfield neighbors have ear of planning leaders Mayfield neighbors have ear of planning leaders (December 10, 2004)

Commissioners will recommend holding rezoning hearing, considering parkland

By Jon Wiener

The fate of the Mayfield Mall site is now in the hands of the city council, after planning commissioners sided with neighbors who are trying to stop a proposed housing project there.

After hours of public testimony and hundreds of questions from audience members, the environmental planning commission decided to follow local residents' major requests. The commission unanimously made a recommendation to the city council to change its process so it could decide earlier whether to change the site's zoning.

The commission also recommended that the city consider options for the 27-acre site that include a variety of housing, mixed-use development and park land.

Toll Brothers has proposed a 631-unit housing project that residents of the adjacent Monta Loma neighborhood have overwhelmingly opposed.

"I think everybody's really pleased with it," said Nola Mae McBain, vice president of the Monta Loma neighborhood association. "The next step is to move forward and try to make sure that the council members also hear it."

According to McBain, opposition to the project has united the neighborhood.

Toll Brothers is under contract to buy the property from HP. In order to build the project, the San Ramon-based developer needs the council to change the site's zoning from commercial to medium-high density residential.

More than five hundred Monta Loma residents have signed a petition asking the city not to rezone the site.

If the council agrees with the commission's recommendation to hold a rezoning hearing, the project would be delayed at least six months.

"Yes, it may slow down the process a bit," said planning commission chair Paul Lesti. "But this is a very important piece of land in the city of Mountain View."

Toll Brothers officials have indicated that any delay caused by a separate rezoning hearing will not be significant enough for them to give up on the project.

The rezoning decision would focus on the overall impacts of the various alternatives on issues like traffic and air quality. Opponents are worried about the increased traffic new homes will bring.

The Mayfield site is located across the street from the San Antonio Caltrain station, and Toll Brothers has touted its proposal as transit-oriented development. But neighbors doubt that residents who will pay a minimum of $500,000 for a townhouse, according to Toll Brothers, will use transit in meaningful numbers.

Supporters of the project, who have been few in number at past meetings, addressed the commission about the need for affordable housing as well as transit-oriented development.

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com
Options

The environmental planning commission proposed the following six alternatives for the future use of the 27-acre Mayfield site. The city council is expected to decide in January on which alternatives to study in an environmental impact report.

No change -- site would remain commercial

Developer's plan -- Toll Brothers wants to build 631 units

Low-density housing -- 240 to 290 units of single-family and townhouses

Mixed housing types -- 465 units of single-family and multi-family

Mixed-use -- residential and commercial

Park land -- open space, no housing

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