LocalNews
Show Mom You Care! Join us for a Mother's Day Tea at Avenidas Village! Thursday, May 6 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm 450 Bryant St, Palo Alto Enjoy afternoon tea with us as you learn more about how we can help you keep your mom independent, safe and connected as she lives in her own home. To RSVP for this free event, please call (650) 289-5405.
Your life, your way, in your home
A Guide to the Spiritual Community Los Altos Lutheran Church
To include your Church in
ELCA
Pastor David K. Bonde Outreach Pastor Gary Berkland
9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Education Nursery Care Provided 650-948-3012
Inspirations Please call Blanca Yoc at 650-326-8210 ext. 6596 or e-mail byoc@paweekly.com
460 S. El Monte Ave., Los Altos
www.losaltoslutheran.org
MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTRAL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST Saturday Services, Worship 10:50 a.m. Sabbath School, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Study Groups, 10:00 a.m. 1425 Springer Rd., Mtn. View Office Hours 9-1 Tues - Fri
650-967-2189 We Invite You to Learn and Worship with Us.
Timothy R. Boyer. A place of caring, sharing and growing Worship Service 10:30 AM. www.fpcmv.org 1667 Miramonte (Cuesta at Miramonte) 650.968.4473
8
■ MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE ■ APRIL 30, 2010
■ CITYBRIEFS
CITY-WIDE GARAGE SALE THIS WEEKEND
CITY HOLDS MEETING ON HIGH SPEED RAIL
The annual city-wide garage sale is set for this Saturday, which means driveways all over town will be blanketed with blankets — and lamps, furniture, kitchen utensils and other stuff for sale. The event officially begins at 8 a.m. and goes until 2 p.m. For those without driveways, a “community yard sale” at Rengstorff Park is scheduled for the following Saturday, May 8. Registration is closed for both events. A map of participating garage sales can be found in this issue of the Voice and at www.mvrecycle.org.
In the city’s most ambitious effort to date to educate the public about high speed rail, an informational meeting will be held on the evening of Monday, May 3 at the Senior Center. The meeting’s purpose is to help residents “understand what might be proposed and what its effect on Mountain View will be,” said Mayor Ronit Bryant at Tuesday’s council meeting. The California High Speed Rail Authority is planning to run two additional tracks along the Caltrain corridor for the high speed rail line to Los Angeles, which will require
COUNCIL
neighborhood opponents about worsening parking troubles in the neighborhood, Siegel said he would support the project if the parking ratio was upped from 1.5 spaces per unit to a more typical 1.8 to prevent overflow of cars into the neighborhood. Instead, most of the council appeared to agree with city studies saying parking was adequate. “Most environmentalists think we are just going ‘bassackwards’ if we add more free parking to this project,” said council member Mike Kasperzak, referring to an idea echoed by many that a development near the train station should encourage people to drive less.
grade-separated street crossings at Castro Street and Rengstorff Avenue and may cut into Central Expressway. Several options for doing this, such as running the tracks underground or on a platform, are laid out in a recent Rail Authority report. A high speed rail station is also being studied for downtown Mountain View, which would significantly impact the surrounding area. The Senior Center is located at 266 Escuela Ave. An hourlong open house begins at 5:30 p.m., and a presentation and question-andanswer session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Daniel DeBolt
to the city’s affordable housing stock. Council members also Continued from page 1 said they weren’t crazy about the parking stacker idea. Prometheus had previously to live. planned for 21 units of affordFrank Clohan, a lawyer for able housing from the project the Eaton family which owns until a recent court decision Minton’s, said the project would made it illegal for cities to require provide lease income for the affordable housing in new housfamily, which is looking to ing projects. Prometheus then close the city’s oldest business removed its affordable housing, as sales have been declining for but in response to concern from years. He responded to a hope the council and local housing from neighborhood opponents advocates about that move, the that the council would reject developer came back with several the apartment project, thereby new proposals: paying $2 million forcing the family to sell the to the city’s affordable housing property and make it likely that fund, building only a portion of a lower-density condo development would be built. the affordable units, turning 20 “Unequivocally the properexisting apartments at 111 Rengty is not for sale,” storff Ave. (another Clohan said. “If Prometheus-owned we can’t make this “Most environmentalists think we are complex) into work we’ll find affordable apartanother lease” deal. just going ‘bassackwards’ if we add ments, or some combination of the latter It was later pointed more free parking to this project.” two options. out that such a deal City staffers would possibly be MIKE KASPERZAK recommended that with another comseven new affordable mercial business to The project had received wide units be built at 455 W. Evelyn replace Minton’s. Clohan read a statement support from various organi- Ave., and the council eventufrom Debra Shulz, manager of zations, including a group of ally agreed. The idea also got a Minton’s: “It is the strong desire planning-minded environmen- nod from Jon Moss, senior vice and preference of my father and talists called the Mountain View president of development for our family and that the property Coalition for Sustainable Plan- Prometheus Real Estate Group. remain in our family for years to ning. Their idea to “un-bundle” The reduction in the project’s come,” she wrote. “The project the cost of parking for residents affordable housing was partly is a “wonderful opportunity for of the project was talked about due to a worsening economthe city of Mountain View to by the council, but no commit- ic recession since the project move forward” and add to the ment was made to the idea. It began, Moss said. “economic vitality and vibrancy would allow residents a major In Mountain View, “The averof our downtown which so des- rent discount if they decided age apartment rent dropped 10.7 not to have a parking spot in the percent in the last 12 months,” perately needs it.” Abe-Koga said she hoped underground garage, a proposal Moss said. That means a “direct that someday there would be which would require parking decrease in the value of this 4,000 to 5,000 residences in the restrictions on nearby streets, project by 10.7 percent.” For this “$70 million project, that is a $7 downtown, a number which Kasperzak said. The developer, Prometheus million reduction in value.” consultants recently said would Though the project was support a long-sought-after gro- Real Estate Group, had previcery store in the area. There are ously offered to deepen the park- approved, the council will finalcurrently 3,400 homes down- ing garage if necessary to allow ize some details in a developer’s town, Abe-Koga said, and “My 20 parking “stackers” for addi- agreement to be approved on hope is we will eventually get tional parking spaces. But after May 11. there and be able to sustain a a public hearing a few weeks ago that offer was removed from the grocery store.” E-mail Daniel DeBolt at Echoing a major concern from table in favor of contributing ddebolt@mv-voice.com V