Mountain View City Council Meeting - November 18, 2025

A special meeting of the Mountain View City Council was held on November 18, 2025, beginning with a closed session at 5:15 PM and regular session thereafter. The council took actions on litigation settlements, adopted proclamations, approved consent calendar items, and deliberated on two major development projects, including a mixed-use project at 749 West El Camino Real and a builder's remedy project at 901-987 North Rengstorf Avenue.

Closed Session Report

• City Council approved a settlement of $275,000 in the case of Alice Okuno vs. City of Mountain View (trip and fall in a city park) with a 7-0 vote.
• Council voted 7-0 to join the case of Fresno vs. Turner as a plaintiff, challenging new federal grant funding terms.

Presentations & Proclamations

• National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 16–22, 2025) proclaimed. John Riemenschneider, board president of Hope's Corner, accepted the proclamation and noted that Hope's Corner is on track to serve over 60,000 meals in 2025 and has served over 350,000 meals lifetime.
• Community Foundation Week (November 12–18, 2025) proclaimed. Krista Crame (CEO) and Aria Patel (Community Engagement Associate) from the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation accepted.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bruce England (Wiseman Station Drive) spoke on tree transplanting care for the Google landing project, supporting biodiversity and urban forest plan.
• David Cuesta (resident) advocated for pickleball courts at the new San Rafael park, presenting data on projected resident-to-park acre ratios.
• Several speakers supported the Gray Star mixed-use project: Pamela Baird (27-year resident) praised community outreach; Alex Brown encouraged faster housing; Bruce England (Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning) asked for credit for community benefits and on-site loading zones; Matt Regan (Bay Area Council) highlighted the project exceeding city requirements; Robert Cox (resident) urged a loading zone solution; Eli Robles, Alejandro Martinez, Francisco Nunez (union representatives) called for responsible contractor requirements and noted Gray Star's union partnerships; Alex Schor (Catalyze SV) said the project scored 5/5 on their evaluation and urged approval.
• For the Rengstorf grade separation, Bruce England expressed concerns about the Crescento/Rengstorf intersection bottleneck.
• For the builder's remedy project, Cedrick Placencia (carpenter's union) requested apprenticeship and wage standards; Pat Noop supported the project as needed housing.

Discussion Items

• Rengstorf Avenue Grade Separation Cost Reduction Measures: Staff presented escalating costs from $185M (2022) to $312M construction (2024) and total project $453M, with a projected $99M shortfall after $58M in value engineering. Three design modifications approved: removing retaining walls along Central Expressway, eliminating the Crescento pathway connection, and removing retaining walls at the gas station property. Council expressed support, and a motion passed to approve measures and authorize letters to stakeholders to speed project delivery.
• Mixed-Use Project at 749 West El Camino Real (Gray Star): Proposed 299 residential units (31 very low-income, 2 low-income), 10,830 sq ft commercial, new bank building, preservation of art (mosaic, stained glass, sculpture). Staff recommended conditional approval with $1.75M in community benefit credits for items exceeding code (e.g., speed humps, crosswalks, bus shelter). The applicant requested a state density bonus concession to extend permit validity to 8 years; staff recommended denial. After deliberation, council approved the project 6-1 (Mayor Kamei, Showalter, Clark, McAllister, Ramirez, Ramos in favor; Hicks opposed) with standard 2+2 year permit, $1.75M credit, and direction to staff to evaluate a loading zone on Victor Way.
• Builders Remedy Project at 901-987 North Rengstorf Avenue: 15-story, 455-unit residential apartment building with 20% affordable (91 units). Submitted under state builder’s remedy (HAA) due to non-compliant housing element. Staff recommended conditional approval with removal of conditions 170 and 172. The applicant also requested a 8-year permit extension via density bonus concession; staff recommended denial. Council approved the project 6-1 (Clark, Showalter, Hicks, Ramirez, Ramos, Kamei in favor; McAllister opposed) with standard permit duration and denial of the concession.

Key Outcomes

• Closed Session: Approved $275,000 settlement in Okuno lawsuit; voted to join Fresno vs. Turner litigation.
• Proclamations: Approved for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and Community Foundation Week.
• Consent Calendar: Approved items 4.1 (vacation of street at 881 Castro), 4.2 ($379,921 SVCE grant for EV charger rebates), 4.3 (Shoreline Pathway agreement with Caltrans), and 4.5 ($180,000 tree mitigation appropriation), with Council Member Hicks recused from 4.1.
• Rengstorf Grade Separation: Approved cost reduction measures; directed staff to draft letters to Caltrain and stakeholders.
• 749 West El Camino Real: Approved project with 299 units, $1.75M community benefit credit, denied 8-year extension; directed staff to evaluate loading zone on Victor Way. Vote: 6-1.
• 901-987 North Rengstorf Avenue: Approved builder’s remedy project with 455 units (91 affordable), removed conditions 170 and 172, denied concession for 8-year extension. Vote: 6-1.
• Meeting Adjourned: In memory of Rose Filicetti, former school board member and community leader.