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Mountain View council OKs plans for dense housing in North Bayshore
http://mv-voice.com/news/2016/03/03/council-oks-plans-for-dense-housing-in-north-bayshoreLaying out a road map for the future of North Bayshore, the Mountain View City Council on Tuesday dove into the nitty-gritty details to add as many as 10,250 new homes just a short walk from the local tech behemoths. In the end, the council largely gave a thumbs-up to plans to rapidly transform the area, signaling to stakeholders -- namely Google -- that the city is eager to speedily create a dense new neighborhood unlike any other in the region.
The meeting was the council's first look at revamping the North Bayshore precise plan, a crucial document that lays out the city's overall strategy for reviewing planning and land-use for the area. While technical and abstract, the precise plan amounts to a game-changer for the intense, tech-driven office development being proposed for the area. Like an oil tanker attempting a U-turn, the city's plan calls for gradually transforming a corporate office park into a mixed-use residential neighborhood.
Mountain View city officials had already finished an update of the North Bayshore precise plan in 2014, but that version focused on keeping the area as a job center, not a livable neighborhood. Yet a popular desire to build housing ultimately won the day. Three council members elected in late 2014 promised to make it a top priority to bring housing to the area. By early 2015, city staff were directed to bring the plan back to the drawing board with a new emphasis on residential growth.
Through the discussion on Tuesday, the council seemed to desire a bit of everything. New housing shouldn't be just for the well-heeled, council members said -- the apartments should be priced for the average-earners as well as those with low incomes. While Google and other developers are expected to primarily focus on smaller, dormitory-size apartments for young workers, the council members said they also want larger units suitable for families.
The meeting was the council's first look at revamping the North Bayshore precise plan, a crucial document that lays out the city's overall strategy for reviewing planning and land-use for the area. While technical and abstract, the precise plan amounts to a game-changer for the intense, tech-driven office development being proposed for the area. Like an oil tanker attempting a U-turn, the city's plan calls for gradually transforming a corporate office park into a mixed-use residential neighborhood.
Mountain View city officials had already finished an update of the North Bayshore precise plan in 2014, but that version focused on keeping the area as a job center, not a livable neighborhood. Yet a popular desire to build housing ultimately won the day. Three council members elected in late 2014 promised to make it a top priority to bring housing to the area. By early 2015, city staff were directed to bring the plan back to the drawing board with a new emphasis on residential growth.
Through the discussion on Tuesday, the council seemed to desire a bit of everything. New housing shouldn't be just for the well-heeled, council members said -- the apartments should be priced for the average-earners as well as those with low incomes. While Google and other developers are expected to primarily focus on smaller, dormitory-size apartments for young workers, the council members said they also want larger units suitable for families.
