Mountain View EPC Meeting – February 18, 2026: Housing & General Plan APRs, Rowhouse Project
Mountain View Environmental Planning Commission Meeting – February 18, 2026
The Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) met on February 18, 2026 to review and recommend action on the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report (APR), the 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report, and a proposed rowhouse development at 922–950 San Leandro Avenue. Commissioners Dempsey and Gutierrez were absent. The meeting included staff presentations, public comment, and commission deliberation leading to unanimous recommendations to the City Council.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Oral Communications (non‑agenda): No speakers.
- Housing Element APR / General Plan APR: No public comments.
- Rowhouse Gatekeeper Project (6.1): Two speakers spoke in favor. Travis Boy, a nearby property owner, expressed strong support for the project and the new housing. Albert Jens, a long‑time resident of Stirling Estate, praised the developer’s responsiveness but raised a concern about the city’s use of a new parkland dedication formula, which he argued deprives the neighborhood of needed park space or funds.
Discussion Items
5.1 – 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report (2023‑2031 Cycle)
- Assistant Planner Madeline Fall and Planning Manager Eric Anderson presented the state‑required APR. The city’s sixth‑cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is 11,135 units; through 2025, building permits have been issued for 1,867 units. Several housing element programs have been completed, but five of nine listed action items are behind schedule. Staff noted that moderate‑income provisional units are down by 161 units, and if the buffer shrinks further, the city may need to convert lower‑income units or rezone additional sites within six months. Commissioners asked about market conditions, developer timelines, and streamlining efforts. Staff reported that no formal complaints have been received from HCD regarding the delayed programs, and that forward progress is being made on all items. The commission recommended that City Council adopt the APR.
5.2 – 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report
- Associate Planner Vincent Quan and Planning Manager Eric Anderson presented the annual update on the 2030 General Plan Action Plan. One action item (trash capture) was completed in 2025. Ongoing efforts include the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance (targeted for Q2 2026) and the R3 zoning district update (planned for council adoption in late 2026). Precise plan work for downtown and Moffett Boulevard is being reevaluated due to recent state bills (SB 79 and AB 130). Commissioners discussed the age of the General Plan (adopted 2012) and the large list of incomplete items. Commissioner Cranston recommended removing outdated, low‑priority items to free staff time. Community Development Director Christian Murdoch clarified that the action items are not direct work plan assignments but programmatic activities. The commission recommended that City Council accept the report.
6.1 – Rowhouse Gatekeeper Project at 922–950 San Leandro Avenue
- Senior Planner Edgar Maravilla and Deputy Zoning Administrator Rebecca Shapiro presented the proposed 38‑unit for‑sale rowhouse development on a 1.69‑acre site currently zoned General Industrial. The project requires a General Plan amendment (from General Industrial to Medium Density Residential) and a zoning map amendment (to R3‑1.5). The applicant, Keon Malik of City Ventures, described a five‑year community engagement process leading to a design that includes a 10‑foot‑wide publicly accessible pathway along the southern property line, 94 new trees, and a strong pedestrian orientation. The project includes 10 below‑market‑rate (BMR) units (25% of total) and utilizes state density bonus law for one concession and four waivers. Senior Assistant City Attorney Selena Chen noted that because the project requires legislative amendments, the city has broad discretion to approve or deny. During Q&A, commissioners asked about commercial tenant relocation (tenants are month‑to‑month and have been notified), EV parking requirements, tree preservation, and use of park‑in‑lieu fees. Staff confirmed the project meets all applicable standards. Public comment was supportive, with only the park‑funding concern raised. In deliberation, commissioners praised the project’s design, community outreach, and affordable housing component. They also noted the waiver process could be simplified by more objective standards. The commission voted to recommend City Council approve the project with the five stated resolutions (ISMD, General Plan amendment, zoning amendment, PUD/DR permit, and vesting tentative map).
Key Outcomes
- Housing Element APR: The EPC voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report.
- General Plan APR: The EPC voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council accept the 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report.
- Rowhouse Gatekeeper Project: The EPC voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council: (1) adopt the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration; (2) approve the General Plan amendment; (3) approve the zoning map amendment; (4) conditionally approve the planned unit development and development review permit; and (5) conditionally approve the vesting tentative map. The project is tentatively scheduled for City Council hearing on March 24, 2026.
- No specific vote tallies were recorded, but all six present commissioners indicated support for each motion.
- Staff was directed to report back on potential R3 zoning standard improvements and to continue work on the TDM ordinance and R3 update.
Meeting Transcript
Audio and video presentations can no longer be shared from the lector. Requests to show an audio or video presentation during a meeting should be directed to EPC at Mountainview.gov by 4 30 p.m. on the meeting date. Additionally, due to our hybrid environment, we will no longer have speakers line up to speak on an item. Anyone wishing to address the EPC in person must complete a yellow speaker card. Please indicate the name you would like to be called by when it is your turn to speak and the item number on which you wish to speak. Please complete one yellow speaker card for each item on which you wish to speak and turn them in to the EPC clerk as soon as possible, but no later than the call for public comment on the item you're speaking on. Instructions for addressing the commission virtually may be found on the posted agenda. Now I will ask the EPC clerk to proceed with the roll call. Commissioner Superman. Here. Commissioner Gutierrez. Commissioner Dempsey. Commissioner Kernston. Here. Here. Chair Nunes. Here. All Commissioners are present with the exception of Commissioner Dempsey. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Okay. We will proceed. Uh just a minute and Commissioner Gutierrez, they're both absent. Perfect. Thank you. All right. Uh moving on to the minutes approval. There are none, so we will proceed to item number four, the oral communications. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the EPC on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to three minutes during this section. State law prohibits the commission from acting on non-agenda items. If anyone in attendance would like to provide comments on non-agenda items, please fill out a yellow speaker card and provide it to the EPC clerk. If anyone on Zoom would like to provide a comment on non-agenda items, please click the raise hand button in Zoom or press star nine on your phone. Phone users can mute and unmute themselves with star six. Mr. Clerk, do we have anyone with a yellow speaker card for oral communications or on the Zoom list? No speakers online or in person. Okay. Uh seeing none, we'll proceed to new business, starting with agenda item 5.1, the housing element annual progress report for the 2023 to 2031 housing element. First, we'll have a staff presentation followed by public comment. At the closure of public comment, the commission will have the opportunity to ask questions, deliberate, and take any action. So let's begin with a staff presentation from assistant planner Madeline Fall and planning manager Eric Anderson. Good evening, Chair and Commissioners. My name is Madeline Fall, Assistant Planner, and I'm joined today by Eric Anderson, Advanced Planning Manager. We're here to present the 2025 housing element annual progress report. At today's meeting, we'll provide a summary of the housing element annual progress report or APR. This is required by the State's Department of Housing and Community Development, and the APR form must be completed by April 1st. The report tracks all phases of development of housing units from application submittal and entitlement to building permit issuance and certificate of occupancy. It also includes policy and program implementation for 2025.
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