Mountain View City Council Study Session and Regular Meeting - April 28, 2026
Mountain View City Council Study Session and Regular Meeting - April 28, 2026
The Mountain View City Council held a study session and regular meeting on April 28, 2026. The study session focused on the city's draft Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan, with staff presentations, public comments, and council feedback. The regular meeting included proclamations, consent calendar approval, oral communications regarding the cancellation of Shoreline Golf's annual twilight membership, public hearings on a mixed-use development, the fiscal year 2026‑27 Annual Action Plan, and the issuance of lease revenue bonds for a new public safety building, as well as council committee reports and discussion on RV parking policies.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the consent calendar unanimously, which included: an ordinance establishing an entertainment zone on Castro Street (Councilmember McAllister recused); a resolution approving a plan of finance for a residential rental project at 1020 Terabella Avenue; a resolution adopting a list of projects for funding from Senate Bill 1 (Road Repair and Accountability Act); a resolution amending conditions for a development at 400 Logue Avenue; an ordinance amending real property conveyance tax provisions; and a resolution ratifying the proclamation of local emergency for the April 24 water main incident in the Cuesta Park neighborhood (added to the consent calendar by a unanimous vote).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan (Study Session): Nine speakers provided comments. Robert Cox requested faster canopy increases and better creek protection. Shani Kleinhouse (Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance) praised the plan but urged stronger accountability and adaptive management. Dr. Tracy Faria (biologist) stressed prioritizing native plants and clear metrics. April Webster (Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning) highlighted gaps between policy and implementation, calling for stronger operational language and specific actions on green infrastructure, site triangle standards, and shade requirements for pedestrians and cyclists. Jan Recker and Maureen Blando supported the plan, with Blando suggesting Cuesta Annex as a mini urban forest. Rashmi urged stronger heritage tree protections and native planting. Rodney Fisher (Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance) endorsed recommendations from Greenspaces/ Bird Alliance letter. Hala Al Sawani asked for a 30% canopy target by 2030 and developer incentives. Jesse Cup and Sherry supported native trees and shade for active transportation.
- Oral Communications (Non-Agenda): Nine speakers addressed the cancellation of the Shoreline Golf annual twilight membership program, effective June 30, 2026. All expressed opposition, arguing the program was affordable, built community, and served seniors, Special Olympics athletes, and working families. They requested the council place the issue on a future agenda to study alternatives. One speaker, Curtis Banks, supported staff’s decision to eliminate unlimited weekend play, stating the program subsidized non‑residents.
- Public Hearing – Mixed-Use Development (6.1): No public comments were made.
- Public Hearing – Annual Action Plan (6.2): Melanie Farr (Upwards) supported continued funding for the Boost microenterprise assistance program for child care providers. Georgia Basile (Senior Adults Legal Assistance) thanked the council for CDBG funding support.
- Public Hearing – Lease Revenue Bonds (6.3): Six speakers opposed the bond issuance, arguing funds could be better used for housing, education, and social services. They questioned the necessity of a new public safety building, citing high cost and potential for over‑policing.
Discussion Items
- Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan Draft (Study Session): Staff presented the draft plan, which integrates science, community input, and city feasibility. Key components include a vision statement ("Mountain View is a healthy, connected, and resilient community where people and nature thrive together"), four goals (connect people and nature, foster places of refuge, build resilience, activate and collaborate), 25 objectives, targets, and an implementation framework. The plan was shaped by over 1,300 community interactions. Staff highlighted steps already taken after Parks and Recreation Commission and Environmental Planning Commission reviews, including stronger commitment language, an implementation framework, and dedicating staffing capacity. Councilmembers provided feedback: (1) strengthen integration with upcoming objective design standards and roadway standards; (2) make the plan a foundational document guiding city projects; (3) assign a specific staff member to oversee implementation; (4) implement adaptive management with a one‑year community check‑in and reviews every 3‑5 years; (5) emphasize native and locally sourced trees, especially oaks; (6) carefully consider community comment letters; (7) explore volunteer partnerships and a beautification fund; (8) incorporate equity lens; (9) include greening in capital improvement project funding. Staff will bring a revised draft in June 2026.
- Proclamations: The council accepted an award of excellence from the California Parks and Recreation Society for the Rengstorff Park Aquatic Center, and proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month and Earth Month. Representatives from Project Sentinel and Canopy spoke.
- Mixed-Use Development (843‑903 Castro Street, 700 West El Camino Real, 750 Fairmont Avenue) (6.1): The council held a public hearing and considered a request to build an eight‑story mixed‑use development with 140 residential units (22 affordable), 9,743 sq ft of ground‑floor commercial space, two levels of underground parking, and vacation of a portion of Fairmont Avenue. The project uses state density bonus law. Staff recommended approval. Councilmember McAllister opposed, citing sale of city property and concerns about sunlight and future conversion from rentals to condos. Councilmember Ramirez supported the project, noting affordable moderate‑income units, commercial space, and $4.2 million in unrestricted funds from the street sale. The motion passed 4‑2.
- Annual Action Plan FY 2026‑27 (6.2): The council adopted the annual action plan, which allocates CDBG and HOME funds. Staff described a strategy to use prior‑year funds and program income to avoid new federal policy conditions, and recommended one‑time contingency funding from the general housing fund for nonprofit partners. The plan was approved unanimously.
- Lease Revenue Bonds for Public Safety Building (6.3): The council held a public hearing and approved two resolutions authorizing the issuance of up to $140 million in lease revenue bonds to fund construction of a new public safety building (total project cost $189 million). The bonds will be repaid over 30 years with annual lease payments of approximately $8.3 million from the general fund, using dedicated revenues (Ameswell property, Measure G) and general fund resources. Standard & Poor’s reaffirmed the city’s AAA credit rating. Both motions passed unanimously.
- Council Reports: Vice Mayor Clark raised the upcoming expiration (February 2027) of a settlement agreement related to oversized vehicle parking. After discussion, the council unanimously agreed to direct staff to provide an updated off‑agenda memo with information on current conditions and actions by neighboring cities.
Key Outcomes
- Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan: Council provided extensive feedback; revised draft to return for adoption in June 2026.
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (entertainment zone item with one recusal).
- Oral Communications: The council heard public opposition to Shoreline Golf membership changes; no action taken, but several councilmembers noted the issue.
- Mixed-Use Development: Approved (4‑2) with conditions and street vacation.
- Annual Action Plan: Adopted unanimously.
- Lease Revenue Bonds: Both resolutions approved unanimously (city council and capital improvements financing authority).
- RV/Oversized Vehicle Parking: Council directed staff to prepare an updated memo for future discussion.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, everyone, we're gonna get started. All right. Um, good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining us for our study session. The city clerk will take attendance by roll call. Councilmember Hicks? Here. Councilmember McAllister. Councilmember Maris. Here. Councilmember Shoulter. Here. Vice Mayor Clark. Here. Mayor Ramos? Here. All right, thank you. So we'll now begin with item 3.1 biodiversity and urban forest plan draft review. The purpose of this study session is to review and provide feedback on the draft biodiversity and urban forest plan. Assistant community service director, Brenda Sylvia, and Lauren Stonberger Burner, uh environmental scientists with the San Francisco Estuary Institute will present the item. If you would like to speak on this item in person, please submit a blue speaker card to the city clerk now. Go right ahead. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Members. My name is Brenda Sylvia, Assistant Community Services Director, and project lead for the Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan. I'm joined this evening by with Lauren Stoneburner, environmental scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, who have supported the development of this plan. Also with us this evening are John Marchant, Community Services Director, Russell Hanson, Urban Forest Manager, and Lindsay Wong, Senior Management Analyst. We also have Selena Pang from the San Francisco Estuary Institute joining us virtually. Tonight we're here to present the draft biodiversity and urban forest plan and receive your feedback. As that work progressed and strong community interest emerged, it became clear there was support for a more comprehensive approach. These two efforts were ultimately combined into what is now the Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan. The city partnered with SFEI to develop a plan grounded in science that also reflects community values and priorities. Last fall, the draft plan was presented to both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Environmental Planning Commission for review and feedback. In January, PRC reviewed an updated draft and recommended that it move forward to the City Council for review and adoption. Again, my name is Lauren Stoneburner, and I'm an urban ecologist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute or SFEI. And um so the biodiversity and urban forest plan is an uh is designed to outline a strategy to increase access to and benefits from nature. And the commitments stem from three uh core inputs. It integrates science-based guidance and assessments with community needs and priorities and city input on what's feasible to achieve. And in this plan, we refer to biodiversity as the diversity of all living things in an ecosystem such as mammals, pollinators, plants, and birds. And the urban forest is the entire population of trees in the urban area, including both in built-up areas and in vegetated areas. We'll introduce the city project team's role developing the plan. We'll summarize public input and feedback across the project. We'll provide an overview of the feedback we received from the commissions and their recommendation of the plan and discuss your comments and questions. So first on the project timeline. This slide is an overview of the touch points that we've had with the Parks and Rec Commission and with the public to receive comments and input as we've developed the plan. And briefly just to summarize the city brought the proposed scope of work in June of 2022. SFEI was brought on shortly thereafter, and we presented our first update in February of 2023, and we've come back to the city repeatedly to seek input and feedback. This slide is then an overview of the draft plan review timeline. So it was a year ago that we first had a complete draft of the plan, and we received feedback from city staff as well as our technical advisors. And then we took the plan to the Parks and Rec Commission in October of 2025, shortly thereafter to the Environmental Planning Commission of October 2025.
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