In Google’s early days, the startup’s team is said to have celebrated their successes at the North Bayshore neighborhood’s watering hole the Sports Page Bar & Grill.
Now the search-engine giant has bought the bar — well, technically the land underneath it. In recent days, Google has finalized sale to buy the 0.87-acre site for $12 million.
The sale comes as no surprise since the property was originally set to be sold to LinkedIn two years ago. But Google clearly had an interest in the site. Last year, after the two companies agreed to a massive land swap deal, allowing Google’s ambitious development plans for North Bayshore to move forward, LinkedIn handed over its exclusive rights to buy the site to Google.
While his landlord may be changing, Sports Page owner Rob Graham said that his bar is still open for business.
“I’d like to think that Google isn’t inclined to roll over me and whatever we decide will be mutually beneficial,” he said. “There’s no news as far as the Sports Page.”
–Mark NoackExecutive Chef Charlie Parker chops grilled watermelon radish dusted with green garlic ash as he prepares an amuse-bouche with pickled carrots (seen at left) and beet yogurt. Photo by Veronica Weber.
At least it will pay a $191 dollar school parcel tax if the new one passes for the elementary district. Too bad, cause this property was paying, at just under an acre, a Measure J school tax of $677. If Measure B passes, Google will only get a $483 reduction from the previous school tax / per year for eight years. Just a $3,888 dollar tax cut for the Parcel Tax/ 8 yr. Just a 354% decrease, hardly a bother for Google!
The big tax gainer for the schools is the jump in the general property tax, which both the high school and the mountain view elementary districts get, and in the facilities school bond payments to both districts.
Each district, will now get their school bonds paid off just a little bit ‘easier on the wallets’ of current residential tax payers. Think of $12M, can almost buy 6 single family homes on the rich side of El Camino (South). With higher assessed value- the Whisman District area taxpayers will especially be helped – from their pre 2000 school bond debt payments.
@John – Who said anything about doing nothing? It amazes me how some people are always trying to put words in other peoples mouths, or reach ridiculous conclusions. Obviously the land is going to be redeveloped in some way; However I made two separate proposals to Linked In when they had the rights to the property, about how to keep The Sports Page located in the same general area with a couple of different themes based on their plan; and I’m prepared to discuss the options with Google now that they own the property, after they announce their plans.
The City Council always talks about ‘public benefits’. What could be a better public benefit than showing a little community spirit by keeping at least one of our local landmarks?
I fought for over 2 years to keep The Milk Pail and I’m prepared to fight again if necessary to keep The Sports Page.
@Fight On – An excellent suggestion! I will be reaching out to Google this week and we’ll see if there is any response. I have spoken with their real estate executive before and he has always been very kind even if we did not agree on a particular issue. I hope that this is one of the times when we do agree; and that those of us who love The Sports Page will have nothing to worry about. Either way, you can be sure I’ll keep the community posted on any progress.
I’d sure hate to see it go, my husband proposed to me there. Not your typical proposal however very meaningful to us! We both worked in the area and would often meet after for happy hour. Around 2001 I happened to have just gotten a brand new ‘revolutionary handheld device’ (a Palm Pilot, remember those?) and was messing around with the Graffiti program trying to learn how to write *gasp* on an electronic screen!!! For some reason it wouldn’t recognize my “y” so my boyfriend said he’d show me how, he took it from me and unseen wrote on it. He gave it back, and it said:
Will you marry me? You have to answer “Y”es or “N”o.
Google seems to be purchasing lots of land in Mountain View. I just heard that they could by buying the land where the Bailey Park shopping center where Safeway is. Now why would Google deprive that neighborhood of this long standing shopping center that has been at that location on Shoreline Blvd at Montecito since 1965.
Since Google will be contructing it’s state of the art building in the North Shoreline area, why would they purchase this land at Bailey Park. I do not get it.
I think if you look into this there are plans for that to be remodeled !
Under ground parking as well.
Century 16 with the new seats has been one of their highest revenue theaters.
But there will be change in that area and The Sports Page I imagine will go away or at least be moved. The gym as well was bought so know it will all change – but just look into MV planning and I think you will see what they plan. Watch for City meetings.
While I hope it remains a sports bar, it needs serious upgrading. It’s a total dive and the food is sort of nasty to even contemplate.
Simply aspiring to be a “Boardwalk” replacement would represent a major improvement, and would be more enticing to families (many of whom now participate in sports at the new fields on Garcia).
I totally agree. This is a near dive bar usually filled with loud drunks. Cool if that’s your thing, but…yah.
The food is abhorrent and sometimes almost dangerous; cold and raw-in-the-center chicken strips come to mind.
Given that the drunks keep it going w/ the booze sales, in order to improve it for families, it would take a full business shift. They would need to remove any bar seating so the loud drunks can’t congregate, fill it with dinner tables and focus on the food, converting it more to a restaurant.
I don’t think the old owner had the ability or vision to do that.
Hey morons! Google did not buy this property for $12M so that they could become landlord for a rundown sports bar. Do you understand that? Stop talking about what they should do to improve the Sports Page. The Sports Page is gone. Done. Finished. Finito. History. Accept it and move on with your lives!
I have to say that I don’t understand why all the name-calling and insults are necessary from those who are against preserving small businesses. What’s up with all the hate?
I also don’t understand why anyone would go to a Sports bar and expect it not to be loud. By nature, Sports bars are loud because people go there with their friends/family to cheer on their favorite teams and/or athletes.
I think they have some of the best Sports bar food around! My favorite is the Nachos with chili beans!
I also haven’t seen any drunks hanging out there. Most of the people I have seen are either Google employees coming there after work to play volleyball, or people coming in before of after the concerts. Or are you suggesting that Google employs a bunch of drunks?
Also, the Sports Page still has at least 6 years left on their lease so they won’t be going anywhere immediately. I am fairly certain that the people who are writing such negative comments have never even been to the Sports Page because their comments are completely untrue.
Love all the positive comments about sports page… YET WHERE ARE YOU ALL DRINKING ? AT HOME or Somewhere else. Yeah yeah keep it. I’m in there during football season Saturdays and sundays. the ONLY great biz they do is for concerts and that’s because all 50 of you don’t go. Yeah Google is going to keep it for 12mill the sports page. All they need is one employee leaving there and hitting a tree and its over so I’m SURE they will take that chance right off 101. Last Call for a great Bar..
I hope that Google will find a way to keep The Sports Page as part of the culture of the North Bayshore. Google has already gone a long way towards changing the character and culture of Mountain View. Let’s hope that doesn’t mean that they want to completely overwrite it.
I agree with Jim. I hope they don’t mess with the Sports Page and try to make it a “Google Only” bar or something silly like that. That would be a loss.
When I was working at a start-up on Huff in the 1980s, I spent the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake at the Sports Page until traffic cleared a bit. It was the only place with power in the area where you hang out and get news.
The Sports Page is a Mountain View institution that been here for many years with a colorful history including a time when it was a biker bar. Since 1978, it has been a hometown sports bar with a decor and food typical of such places. It is frequented by a few hardcore sports fans who watch the many TV screens and a lot of Google people who just hang out with friends. It has a large outdoor area that is great to just chill in. It also has outdoor pool tables and a sand volleyball court.
There is nothing that needs to be fixed there. If it is not your kind of place, don’t go there. There are plenty of suburban restaurants and shopping malls available for you.
There is no doubt at this point that it will be bulldozed. Google will build some modern eco-friendly cookie-cutter glass and steel box that will blend in with all the others in the area.
When the Sports Page is knocked down, Mountain View will be a little less real and a little less human.
I hope decides to keep Sports Page and the Indian place behind it , Zareen’s. I will be very sad to see these two closed down.
Keep Sports Page open! It’s a piece of Mountain View history, and they do good business, especially before / during concerts.
Yes, I’m sure paying 12M just to do nothing is what you’ll all do.
At least it will pay a $191 dollar school parcel tax if the new one passes for the elementary district. Too bad, cause this property was paying, at just under an acre, a Measure J school tax of $677. If Measure B passes, Google will only get a $483 reduction from the previous school tax / per year for eight years. Just a $3,888 dollar tax cut for the Parcel Tax/ 8 yr. Just a 354% decrease, hardly a bother for Google!
http://mvwsd.org/images/Parcel_Tax/full%20text%20of%20measure%20c.pdf
Google will not get this old exemption, which is now clearly illegal and not permitted in new tax measures.
http://mvwsd.org/images/Parcel_Tax/contiguous%20appl.pdf
The big tax gainer for the schools is the jump in the general property tax, which both the high school and the mountain view elementary districts get, and in the facilities school bond payments to both districts.
Each district, will now get their school bonds paid off just a little bit ‘easier on the wallets’ of current residential tax payers. Think of $12M, can almost buy 6 single family homes on the rich side of El Camino (South). With higher assessed value- the Whisman District area taxpayers will especially be helped – from their pre 2000 school bond debt payments.
st? is nattering citizen school finance commenter
Sad. How much longer can the movie theaters hold out? In a few years that whole area will be Google office buildings.
@John – Who said anything about doing nothing? It amazes me how some people are always trying to put words in other peoples mouths, or reach ridiculous conclusions. Obviously the land is going to be redeveloped in some way; However I made two separate proposals to Linked In when they had the rights to the property, about how to keep The Sports Page located in the same general area with a couple of different themes based on their plan; and I’m prepared to discuss the options with Google now that they own the property, after they announce their plans.
The City Council always talks about ‘public benefits’. What could be a better public benefit than showing a little community spirit by keeping at least one of our local landmarks?
I fought for over 2 years to keep The Milk Pail and I’m prepared to fight again if necessary to keep The Sports Page.
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
a good project for a community organizer, but why wait? Start engaging the real-estate VP of Google ASAP
@Fight On – An excellent suggestion! I will be reaching out to Google this week and we’ll see if there is any response. I have spoken with their real estate executive before and he has always been very kind even if we did not agree on a particular issue. I hope that this is one of the times when we do agree; and that those of us who love The Sports Page will have nothing to worry about. Either way, you can be sure I’ll keep the community posted on any progress.
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
I’d sure hate to see it go, my husband proposed to me there. Not your typical proposal however very meaningful to us! We both worked in the area and would often meet after for happy hour. Around 2001 I happened to have just gotten a brand new ‘revolutionary handheld device’ (a Palm Pilot, remember those?) and was messing around with the Graffiti program trying to learn how to write *gasp* on an electronic screen!!! For some reason it wouldn’t recognize my “y” so my boyfriend said he’d show me how, he took it from me and unseen wrote on it. He gave it back, and it said:
Will you marry me? You have to answer “Y”es or “N”o.
I made a perfect “Y”
🙂
Google seems to be purchasing lots of land in Mountain View. I just heard that they could by buying the land where the Bailey Park shopping center where Safeway is. Now why would Google deprive that neighborhood of this long standing shopping center that has been at that location on Shoreline Blvd at Montecito since 1965.
Since Google will be contructing it’s state of the art building in the North Shoreline area, why would they purchase this land at Bailey Park. I do not get it.
If Google could expand upwards then they wouldn’t need to expand outwards. They’re expanding in the only direction they’ve been allowed to expand.
Regarding the Century 16 movie theater
I think if you look into this there are plans for that to be remodeled !
Under ground parking as well.
Century 16 with the new seats has been one of their highest revenue theaters.
But there will be change in that area and The Sports Page I imagine will go away or at least be moved. The gym as well was bought so know it will all change – but just look into MV planning and I think you will see what they plan. Watch for City meetings.
While I hope it remains a sports bar, it needs serious upgrading. It’s a total dive and the food is sort of nasty to even contemplate.
Simply aspiring to be a “Boardwalk” replacement would represent a major improvement, and would be more enticing to families (many of whom now participate in sports at the new fields on Garcia).
I totally agree. This is a near dive bar usually filled with loud drunks. Cool if that’s your thing, but…yah.
The food is abhorrent and sometimes almost dangerous; cold and raw-in-the-center chicken strips come to mind.
Given that the drunks keep it going w/ the booze sales, in order to improve it for families, it would take a full business shift. They would need to remove any bar seating so the loud drunks can’t congregate, fill it with dinner tables and focus on the food, converting it more to a restaurant.
I don’t think the old owner had the ability or vision to do that.
Hey morons! Google did not buy this property for $12M so that they could become landlord for a rundown sports bar. Do you understand that? Stop talking about what they should do to improve the Sports Page. The Sports Page is gone. Done. Finished. Finito. History. Accept it and move on with your lives!
When the Sports Page is knocked down I will applaud.
I have to say that I don’t understand why all the name-calling and insults are necessary from those who are against preserving small businesses. What’s up with all the hate?
I also don’t understand why anyone would go to a Sports bar and expect it not to be loud. By nature, Sports bars are loud because people go there with their friends/family to cheer on their favorite teams and/or athletes.
I think they have some of the best Sports bar food around! My favorite is the Nachos with chili beans!
I also haven’t seen any drunks hanging out there. Most of the people I have seen are either Google employees coming there after work to play volleyball, or people coming in before of after the concerts. Or are you suggesting that Google employs a bunch of drunks?
Also, the Sports Page still has at least 6 years left on their lease so they won’t be going anywhere immediately. I am fairly certain that the people who are writing such negative comments have never even been to the Sports Page because their comments are completely untrue.
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
Love all the positive comments about sports page… YET WHERE ARE YOU ALL DRINKING ? AT HOME or Somewhere else. Yeah yeah keep it. I’m in there during football season Saturdays and sundays. the ONLY great biz they do is for concerts and that’s because all 50 of you don’t go. Yeah Google is going to keep it for 12mill the sports page. All they need is one employee leaving there and hitting a tree and its over so I’m SURE they will take that chance right off 101. Last Call for a great Bar..
I hope that Google will find a way to keep The Sports Page as part of the culture of the North Bayshore. Google has already gone a long way towards changing the character and culture of Mountain View. Let’s hope that doesn’t mean that they want to completely overwrite it.
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
I agree with Jim. I hope they don’t mess with the Sports Page and try to make it a “Google Only” bar or something silly like that. That would be a loss.
When I was working at a start-up on Huff in the 1980s, I spent the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake at the Sports Page until traffic cleared a bit. It was the only place with power in the area where you hang out and get news.
I hope they keep going far into the future.
The Sports Page is a Mountain View institution that been here for many years with a colorful history including a time when it was a biker bar. Since 1978, it has been a hometown sports bar with a decor and food typical of such places. It is frequented by a few hardcore sports fans who watch the many TV screens and a lot of Google people who just hang out with friends. It has a large outdoor area that is great to just chill in. It also has outdoor pool tables and a sand volleyball court.
There is nothing that needs to be fixed there. If it is not your kind of place, don’t go there. There are plenty of suburban restaurants and shopping malls available for you.
There is no doubt at this point that it will be bulldozed. Google will build some modern eco-friendly cookie-cutter glass and steel box that will blend in with all the others in the area.
When the Sports Page is knocked down, Mountain View will be a little less real and a little less human.