2006: Wi-Fi and buildings galore 2006: Wi-Fi and buildings galore (January 13, 2006)

No one knows what the next big thing will be in Mountain View, but after last week's high-tech trade show in Las Vegas, the deal with Google to install free Wi-Fi throughout the city looks more and more like a good idea.

The service, when hooked up to Google's just-announced ability to place TV programming on laptop or iPod screens, means that Web surfers will be able to sit around downtown coffee shops or any park in the city and watch TV all afternoon, if they are willing to pay the $1.99 per show ticket price.

But Wi-Fi is just a start for 2006. The city is growing (and in a few cases, shrinking) on many other fronts in ways that are not dependent on silicon chips. For example, construction is already underway on two major additions, one downtown and the other on the eastern edge of the city. Here's a cheat sheet on what's to come:
* The Camino Medical Group's huge new campus at Highway 85 and El Camino Real replaces the long-vacant Emporium store. This 250,000-square-foot complex will include an outpatient surgery center and offices for 100 doctors and more than 300 support staff. The total cost is $130 million -- $90 million for construction and $30 million to furnish the building. Completion is scheduled for early 2007. * The city's new downtown 405-car parking garage at California and Bryant streets, with a Longs Drugs on the ground floor, will be completed by year's end at a cost of $15 million. * Elsewhere, look for the city's new $15 million senior center at Rengstorff Park to be ready to go by year's end after a long wait. A decision to add a child care center nearby has been delayed after neighbors protested the loss of space at the park. * New Mayor Nick Galiotto will preside over several ribbon-cutting ceremonies this year, including the dedication of the SRO apartment complex at San Antonio Circle. The 118-unit building will house low-income workers and was built at a cost of $20 million, shared by the city and several other agencies and banks. * And we expect a major ribbon-cutting in April when the $125 million rebuilding of the interchange at highways 85/101 will be dedicated. * Over at Central Expressway and San Antonio Road, design plans for the old Mayfield Mall will be finalized this year, paving the way for construction of up to 630 new homes. The 25-acre site, formerly owned by Hewlett-Packard, is bordered by the Monta Loma neighborhood, which includes many residents who had hoped to block construction due to the project's high density. * More housing (200 or more units altogether) will take over former industrial sites at Ferguson in northeast Mountain View, and at two sites on Evelyn Avenue near downtown. At some point this year, expect a real estate deal for the 14-acre Grant Road farm field, one of the last large potential housing tracts in the city. * Even Google might get into the act, although the company's plan to build a campus of 1 million square feet at Moffett Field is expected to take years to complete. * On the downside, lovers of Hangar One at Moffett Field may see their hopes dashed unless a miracle can be found to preserve the contaminated structure. The Navy is searching for a viable plan that can help defray the estimated $30 million or more in clean-up costs to keep it standing. * And then there is the sad end of Slater School, one of seven chosen to close at the end of this school year due to declining enrollment. The school district will announce a plan soon for the lease of the Slater site after it closes in June.

Unlike prior years, when office and manufacturing were at the forefront of local growth, this year's developments are in the service sector. The lineup for 2006 will bring more housing, improved medical care, freeway upgrades, senior and child care and a parking garage. It is an impressive agenda that will have an impact on the city for years to come.

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