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While it may be only a drop in the bucket, the city is on the verge of a spike in affordable housing projects fueled by all the new development in Mountain View, and a recent hike in the city’s developer fees.
On Tuesday night City Council members unanimously voted to reserve $21.5 million in funding for a 116-unit affordable housing project proposed for Evelyn Avenue and Bernardo Street. The project has an unusual emphasis on accommodating bicyclists. It was also announced Tuesday that two other affordable housing projects are lined up for funding.
The 116-unit project for 779 Evelyn Ave. has been proposed by ROEM Corp., the affordable housing developer that built the 51 affordable units on Franklin and Evelyn streets, and recently broke ground on 48 affordable studios at the corner of Rengstorff Avenue and Old Middlefield Way.
The new homes would be deemed affordable for those making 60 percent of the area median income; the plan includes a mix of family-sized units and smaller units dubbed “workforce housing.” The homes will be available to those on a waiting list, with priority given to teachers, public safety employees and those who already live in Mountain View.
City staff expressed concern that the site was less than ideal because of its distance from services and transit (it’s 1.4 miles from the Mountain View Caltrain station), but the developer said that would be addressed with the use of shuttles and bicycle-friendly features.
“We are focusing primarily on the use of bicycle and shuttles,” said ROEM’s Derek Allen, who said several schools, parks and stores were nearby. Plans for the project provide one secured bike locker space per bedroom along with “an on-site bike shop with access to tools, parts vending and a bicycle washing station.” He said the bike amenities were “a key feature” that ROEM would actively manage and promote.
Two small office buildings will be replaced on the site, with a tenant relocation budget of $500,000. A gas station will remain on the corner, overshadowed by the project.
To take maximum advantage of the opportunity to build affordable housing on the 1.93-acre site, a committee of council members had previously asked ROEM to increase the size of the proposal from 81 units to 116 units, adding a fourth story to some of the project.
“Given that land is so scarce these days we really wanted to see how we could maximize the parcel,” said council member Margaret Abe-Koga. “I appreciate the developer coming back to us with a second option. For me, it feels like the more units, the better.”
ROEM representatives boasted that the relatively cheap land meant the city’s costs were down to $187,000 per unit, compared with $250,000 for the project on Franklin and Evelyn.
Also in the works is a proposal for 40 affordable senior homes for a site on El Camino Real and Rich Street acquired by Palo Alto Housing Corp. MidPen Housing has also proposed a project, replacing 12 units with 51 new units at its existing 130-unit Shorebreeze affordable housing complex at 460 North Shoreline Blvd.
Mayor Chris Clark and Planning Director Randy Tsuda said adequate funds are expected for the projects because earlier this month the council approved significant increases in the fees on office and housing development that fund such projects — more than doubling the fee on office development and nearly doubling the fee on apartment projects. And development is on an upswing. The city was previously averaging $9 million a year in affordable housing fund revenues.
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Now in its 40th year, Sundance The Steakhouse is located on El Camino Real, not far from the Stanford Stadium. Photo by Michelle Le. -
Longtime customer Bob Siegmann, left, catches up with waiter James during the lunch hour at Sundance. Photo by Michelle Le. -
“The Imitation Game” gives rising star Benedict Cumberbatch a chance to shine as the anxious mathematical genius Alan Turing. Image courtesy of the Weinstein Company. -
Benedict Cumberbatch as WWII code breaker Alan Turing flirts halfheartedly with colleague Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) in “The Imitation Game.” Image courtesy of the Weinstein Company.
