Joint Meeting of Mountain View City Council and Shoreline Regional Park Community - March 24, 2026
Joint Meeting of Mountain View City Council and Shoreline Regional Park Community - March 24, 2026
The Mountain View City Council and Shoreline Regional Park Community held a joint meeting on March 24, 2026, starting at 7:15 PM. The meeting included proclamations, consent calendar approvals, public hearings on three development projects, and council reports. Key actions included unanimous approval of a 323-unit residential project at 555 West Middlefield Road, a 38-unit rowhouse project at 922-950 San Leandro Avenue, and amendments to agreements for the Hope Street hotel development and safe parking expansion.
Proclamations
- American Red Cross Month: Mayor Ramos presented a proclamation recognizing March as Red Cross Month. Mike Kasperzak (former mayor, Red Cross board chair) accepted, noting the Red Cross responded to over 100 local disasters, delivered 1,700 services to military families, collected nearly 17,000 blood donations, and has over 2,100 volunteers in Santa Clara County, including 100 in Mountain View. Mayor Ramos encouraged blood donation, highlighting recent LGBTQ+ inclusion policy changes.
- Youth Arts Month: Dr. Sophia Fojas (Arts Coordinator, Santa Clara County Office of Education) accepted the proclamation. She oversees ArtSpiration, serving 240,000 students across 46 schools and 31 districts. Two sold-out events were held in March: an Arts Education Resource Fair and the Vivo Mariachi showcase. Councilmember Hicks praised arts education for keeping children engaged in school.
Consent Calendar
- Items 4.1–4.5 were on the consent calendar. Councilmember McAllister pulled Items 4.1 (490 East Middlefield Road development agreement) and 4.4 (safe parking expansion) for separate discussion. Councilmember Hicks recused from Item 4.3 (street vacation at 881 Castro Street) due to proximity of her residence. Councilmember McAllister and Councilmember Kamei voted no on Item 4.3, with McAllister stating that real estate is irreplaceable and the city should lease rather than sell. The remaining consent calendar (Items 4.2, 4.3, 4.5) was approved unanimously with the noted no votes and recusal.
Public Comments & Testimony on Consent Calendar Items
- Eli Robles (North Coast State Carpenters) spoke on Item 4.1, urging strong labor standards, accredited apprenticeship programs, and responsible general contractors for the 490 East Middlefield project.
- Brian Griggs (virtual) offered to answer questions on Item 4.1, noting he had spoken at a prior hearing.
Discussion Items
Item 4.1: 490 East Middlefield Road Development Agreement
- Councilmember McAllister raised questions about retail leasing (16,000 sq ft of new retail since 2022, of which 3,500 sq ft is leased), loading duckouts (using public streets), and a novel rent guarantee option for affordable units (30–60 units, city could subsidize rents). Staff explained the $1.2 million renovation contribution, broker breakfasts, and that the option has no upfront cost and is a future tool. Fire safety was discussed; the ladder truck can reach 8–9 stories. The motion to approve passed unanimously.
Item 4.4: Safe Parking Expansion at Shoreline Lot B
- Councilmember McAllister expressed concerns about escalating costs ($3 million total, including city and county funds), average length of stay (599 days), and effectiveness. Deputy City Manager Kimberly Thomas noted the program started in 2019, with $700,000 from the city and $1.6 million from the county. The county has set a 120-day stay limit with extensions for active case management. Councilmember showalter and others supported the program as a necessary tool. The motion passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony (Non-Agenda)
- Monica Faria (PG&E government affairs representative) introduced herself as the new point of contact, thanking outgoing representative Sergio Jimenez. She offered to meet with council members.
Public Hearings
Item 6.1: Hope Street Lots 4 and 8 – Economic Development Subsidy
- Staff presented amended DDA and ground leases for a hotel (lot 4) and office building (lot 8). Key changes: hotel can proceed before office, valet parking, city financial participation via TOT rebates and reduced rent (no upfront capital). Total subsidy estimated at $47.5 million over 55 years; projected city revenue of $433 million. Councilmember McAllister asked about expediting permitting. Vice Mayor Clark moved to approve, citing economic vitality. The motion passed unanimously.
Item 6.2: 555 West Middlefield Road – 323-Unit Residential Project
- The project includes 323 units (48 BMR), 1.34-acre park dedication, density bonus waivers, and removal of 88 heritage trees (with 212 new trees planted). Public comments were mixed: support from Housing Action Coalition and Bay Area Council, but concerns from residents about tree removal (especially the vegetative barrier along Highway 85), traffic, and emergency access. Councilmember Ramirez highlighted state law constraints and praised the project's compliance with BMR requirements and park dedication. Councilmember showalter noted improvements from the 2022 version (above-ground parking, saved redwood trees). The motion passed unanimously, with council members expressing hope for future objective design standards.
Item 6.3: 922-950 San Leandro Avenue – 38-Unit Rowhouse Project
- The project requires a general plan amendment (industrial to medium density residential) and zoning change. It provides 10 BMR units (25% of total), all three-bedroom, with two-car garages. Public comments were supportive, including from a neighboring property owner and a resident who praised the developer's community engagement. Councilmember Kamei moved to approve, noting the project meets the 25% BMR threshold and provides missing middle homeownership. Councilmember Hicks requested future architectural variety. The motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved overall (Items 4.1–4.5) with 4.1 and 4.4 pulled and discussed separately; Item 4.3 approved with 2 no votes and 1 recusal.
- Item 4.1 (490 East Middlefield): Approved unanimously.
- Item 4.4 (Safe Parking Expansion): Approved unanimously.
- Item 6.1 (Hope Street Hotel/Office): Approved unanimously.
- Item 6.2 (555 West Middlefield): Approved unanimously.
- Item 6.3 (San Leandro Rowhouses): Approved unanimously.
- Council Reports: Councilmember showalter shared water supply and snowpack data (declining, indicating increased fire danger). Councilmember Kamei reported on the cities association meeting about automated license plate readers. Mayor Ramos attended the NLC Congressional Summit, lobbying for federal funds for grade separations. Councilmember McAllister advocated for proactive city leadership on condo liability reform (AB 1903) and the Brown Act; staff and council will work on advocacy.
- Next Meeting: April 14, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
All right, everyone. Good evening. Welcome to the joint meeting of the Mountain View City Council and Shoreline Regional Park community of March twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilmember Hicks. Here. So 3.1, we have the American Red Cross Month Proclamation. We are happy to be joined this evening by Mike Kasperzak, Board Chair Neil Meta, volunteer Diane Cho, board member Annie Chang, and chapter staff, Jordan Jordan Chang, on behalf of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Red Cross to accept this proclamation. Would you all join me at the lectern? All you get is me, Mayor. Hello, Mayor Ross. Hello, former Mayor Caspar Zach. You are all we need. All right. So the proclamation reads, let's let's find the right proclamation here. Ha. Whereas this March we celebrate American Red Cross Month by recognizing the compassionate acts of people in Mountain View and by renewing our commitment to help uh helping to lend a helping hand to our neighbors in need. Since Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross more than 140 years ago, generation after generation has stepped up to deliver relief and care across our country and around the world, bringing out the best of humanity in times of crisis. Advancing this noble mission, the volunteers, blood and platelet donors, and supporters who now give back through the Silicon Valley Red Cross, unwavering in their commitment to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of today's emergencies and whereas their voluntary and generous contributions shine a beacon of hope in people's darkest hours, whether it's delivering shelter, food, and comfort during disasters, providing critical blood donations for hospital patients, supporting service members, veterans and their families, saving lives with financial uh with first aid, CPR, AED, and other skills, or delivering international aid and reconnecting loved ones by separated by global crisis, and whereas this work to uplift our community is truly made possible by those who selflessly answer the call for help whenever and wherever it's needed. We hereby recognize this month of March in honor of their remarkable service, and we ask everyone to join in their commitment to care for one another. Now, therefore, I, Emily Ann Ramos, Mayor of the City of Mountain View, along with my colleagues on the City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of March as Red Cross Month in the City of Mountain View and encourage all residents of Mountain View to reach out and support its humanitarian mission. Thank you. I think you want to like now would you like to say a few words? Of course. Thank you, and thank you, everyone in the audience. My name is Mike Kasper Zak, and um I I don't really need a vest in here, but I thought I'd wear some of our swag. So I did want to thank you again for recognizing March is Red Cross month. This has been going on for a very long time. And I think it's been 80 years since the Red Cross has been recognizing the volunteers that really make our organization what it is. And we are one of over 160 societies around the world that are associated with the um International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. Can you be there tonight to open a shelter? Can you get on a plane tomorrow morning to get off to a disaster and that sort of thing? Every day our volunteers bring comfort from disasters, supporting our military families, and of course, we have a lot of military families here in Mountain View and associated with Moffat Field, and help ensure that patients receive life-saving blood and blood products. Personally, I am a blood platelet donor, and once a month at 7 a.m. in the morning, I go down to the chapter and sit there for three hours taking blood out and putting it back in. Here in Santa Clara Valley, that impact is real. We responded to more than 100 local disasters throughout the county this year, delivered over 1700 services to military families. And what you may not know if a military, a member of the military is overseas and needs to come home for a family emergency. That has to be rooted to the Red Cross for the on-site commander to let that um soldier go. And we've helped collect nearly 17,000 blood donations during the course of the year. We over have over 2100 volunteers in Santa Clara County and a hundred here in Mountain View, which is really amazing. I was really hoping to meet the people here tonight because with that many people, I haven't met them before. They all had something come up today. So, and this is just let Mike do it. Um these people are your neighbors, your colleagues, and your friends, and they are helping to make a difference in our community. We believe that everyone has a role to play, either in volunteering, donating blood, learning CPR and first aid, which is how I got to know Mr. McAllister here. I'm sorry, Councilmember McAllister, and uh preparing for emergencies. So the Red Cross is all about people helping people. And so I just wanted to again thank you for this recognition.
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