Mountain View Environmental Planning Commission Meeting - April 15, 2026
Mountain View Environmental Planning Commission Meeting - April 15, 2026
The Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) met on April 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM with six commissioners present (Commissioner Dempsey absent). The meeting covered two major agenda items: zoning code amendments to enable streamlined administrative approval for housing projects under AB 130, and a draft citywide Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance presented as a study session.
Discussion Items
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Item 5.1: Zoning Code Amendments for AB 130 Streamlined Approval – Staff recommended an administrative (not ministerial) approval process for qualifying housing projects to comply with AB 130’s accelerated timelines. Commissioners questioned the lack of a ministerial pathway and the timeline for developing objective standards. Staff explained that a ministerial process is not yet feasible due to ongoing work, with completion likely beyond 2026. Commissioner Gutierrez expressed full support, noting efficiency and alignment with housing element goals. Commission voted unanimously to recommend council adoption with a minor correction (strike-through of small animal keeping from agricultural uses).
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Item 6.1: Transportation Demand Management Ordinance – This was a study session. Staff presented the draft ordinance applying to projects generating 200 or more net new average daily trips (ADT), requiring trip reductions of 20% to 50% via a TDM toolkit. Exemptions include patron-driven uses under 100,000 sq ft and 100% affordable housing. Commissioners provided feedback: concern about cost burdens on large residential projects potentially triggering density bonus concessions; requests to explore tiered parking reductions as auxiliary strategies, recognition of mixed-use internalization of trips, and a call to assess how existing projects have used concessions on TDM. No vote was taken; staff will forward feedback to the City Transportation Commission and City Council.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approval (6-0) of the January 7, 2026 meeting minutes.
- Motion passed unanimously (6-0) to recommend City Council adopt the AB 130 zoning amendments with the small animal keeping correction.
- Staff received four main guidance areas for further TDM toolkit development: (1) explore tiered parking reduction incentives tied to transit proximity, (2) quantify trip internalization for mixed-use projects, (3) assess and address vulnerability to density bonus concessions, and (4) evaluate the nonlinear ADT reduction thresholds (e.g., 30% for 999 ADT vs. 40% for 1,000 ADT).
- Next EPC meeting: May 6th tentatively canceled; next confirmed meeting June 17th for the EPC work plan.
Meeting Transcript
Uh welcome to the environmental planning commission meeting of April 15, 2026. I will now call the order, the meeting to order at 7 p.m. For those joining us in person, please note that due to our hybrid environment, audio and video presentations can no longer be shared from the lectern. Request to show an audio or video presentation during a meeting should be directed to the to EPC at Mountview.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 are 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. Ms. Clerk. Commissioner Subermanion here. Commissioner Pham here. Commissioner Goodyeris. Here. Commissioner Dempsey. Commissioner Cranston. Here. Vice Chair Donahue. Here. Chair Nenez. Uh here. Uh six commissioners are present. Um Commissioner Dempsey is absent. Okay, thank you very much. Uh I will now uh move us to item number three minutes approval. Uh three point uh item three point one, the environmental planning commission meeting minutes of January 7th, 2026. Is there any discussion from the EPC on the minutes? 3.1, no, seeing none. Uh, we'll move this to public comment. If anyone in attendance would like to provide comments to the minutes, please fill out yellow speaker card and provide it to the EPC clerk. If anyone on Zoom would like to provide comment on the minutes, please click the raise hand button on Zoom in Zoom or press star nine on your phone. Phone users can mute and unmute themselves as star six. Uh Ms. Clerk, do we have anyone on the Zoom line or having submitted a yellow speaker card? No speakers on this item. Okay. Um, then in that case, uh, I'll go ahead and it looks like uh Commissioner Guterres, do you have a comment or would you like to make a motion? I'd like to make a motion, so moved. Okay. Um we have a motion. Anyone would like to second the motion to approve the environmental planning commission minutes of January 7th, 2026. I'll second. Okay, we have a second from uh Vice Chair Donahue. Ms. Clerk, can we take this to a vote? The motion passes six. All in favor.
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