-PDBM/FXT
200 apartments proposed for Castro and El Camino Real ROSE MARKET AMONG BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BE REPLACED By Daniel DeBolt
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n a long-sought redevelopment, a four-story apartment building with retail on the ground floor may soon go up at the corner of Castro Street and El Camino Real, replacing several small businesses, including the Rose Market and Peet’s. The City Council decided Tuesday that the proposal for 200 apartments and 6,000 square feet of retail was worthwhile for city staff to refine it for eventual council vote. It would replace seven streetfront businesses at 801-819 El Camino Real and five others at 1032 to 1062 Castro Street. Council member Jac Siegel was the only opponent of the project in a 6-1 vote, saying his “office away from home,� the already crowded Peet’s coffee, would be rebuilt smaller, with less parking and might be placed against El Camino Real. “I really challenge you to find a place where people hang out and smell the exhaust on El Camino,� Siegel said, criticizing efforts so far to activate the busy street’s sidewalks with human activity. Council member Mike Kasperzak noted that former city manager Kevin Duggan had spent quite a bit of time trying to encourage redevelop-
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announced on April 15 and is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, at Moffett Field. By April 17, it was totally booked. The Impulse, a carbon fibre plane, with a skin composed almost entirely of solar panels, has a wingspan of 208 feet — equivalent to that of a Boeing 747 — but weighs only 3,527 lbs, about the weight of a small car. About a quarter of the weight is accounted for by the plane’s batteries, which are able to store up enough energy to keep the plane flying all the way through the night. Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the Swiss co-founders leading the project, say that they want to inspire people with the Impulse. Even though a solar-powered commercial plane is a long way off, Piccard told the Voice, he hopes the project will create excitement around solar technology, which he believes is underutilized. Nick Veronin
ment of the corner, but had no luck assembling the various properties, which include a vacant lot on the corner where a dry-cleaner burned down a few years ago. Council member Ronit Bryant noted that the project would replace local businesses, 26,000
square feet worth, including the Rose Market, of which she said she is a “faithful customer.� “They are local businesses, it’s not like you can find them on every street corner,� Bryant said. “The Japanese restaurant, the tailor, those are part of what makes Mountain View, Mountain View.� Addressing the issue of retaining the local businesses, Jonathan Hayes, development director for San Francisco-
based developer Greystar, said, “We’ve been asked not to approach any of the tenants — except for Peet’s — we have been asked to approach them.� In his opposition, Siegel also noted that such apartments have “50 percent turnover a year� in other projects in the city, which “doesn’t exactly build community.� Part of the proposal by Greystar is the purchase of a city lot used for parking by the very
busy Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi’s Italian restaurant, which often fills the lot, despite it being unnecessary to meet city parking requirements. Without the lot, the project would be in “jeopardy,� Hayes said “Selling that lot without a true parking study, I cannot support,� said council member John McAlister. V
Email Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com
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April 19, 2013 â– Mountain View Voice â– MountainViewOnline.com â–
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