- Chat with members of MVCSP
- Speak with MV Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga about how having a group like MVCSP impacts local decision making
- Talk to Community Development Director Randy Tsuda about how the presence of MVCSP has impacts local planning efforts
- Stop for a snack and drink at one of the many cafes or restaurants along Castro Street
Join members of Santa Clara's Green Action Team this Saturday as we learn about how a small group of local advocates can really make a difference. We'll be meeting at the Downtown Mountain View train station at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday 1/8/11. From there we'll stroll up and down Castro street stopping along the way to:
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From the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR): Dear Members of OPR’s Complete Streets Advisory Committee, This email is to inform you that the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) has published its final version of its Update to the General Plan Guidelines: Compete Streets and the Circulation Element. OPR would like to thank everyone on the committee for their time and effort in developing this guidance document. All comments received by both the committee and the public were carefully considered for incorporation. We hope that you will find this update to be an informative guide and useful tool in the practice of local planning. Attached is a PDF version of the final document. In addition, the document will be posted on our website at www.opr.ca.gov. Thank you, Selena Gallagher Governor's Office of Planning and Research 1400 10th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 ![]()
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. Not really. But here are some things that you might consider saying at the meeting during public comments:
As reported in the Mountain View Voice, 12/13/10, by Daniel DeBolt. Click here for original link.
The City Council unanimously voted to study potential changes to the city's general plan on Tuesday, including the possibility of allowing 1,500 homes in the neighborhood near Google headquarters. Council members had expressed reservations about allowing homes among the office buildings of North Bayshore, as new residents there could protest. Google's workplace services director Dan Hoffman said he supported studying the idea. "If you don't study the options, you won't have any options," said City Manager Kevin Duggan. Potential changes city-wide include doubling the density allowed along portions of El Camino Real and office buildings in the Whisman and North Bay Shore areas, and encouraging the revamp of the city's neighborhood shopping centers. Resident Joan MacDonald said she was concerned that new general plan policies did not do enough to encourage subsidized affordable housing. The council decided not to label the Francia family's orchard on Whisman Road as a community facility after concerns were expressed that it would look like a "taking," despite the neighborhood support for a park there. Do you live near the San Antonio Shopping Center? Are you a resident of Mountain View that cares about this important gateway to our community? Please consider coming to this important meeting [PDF] about the proposal to redevelop the site on the corner of El Camino and San Antonio [PDF]. More details to follow. EPC Meeting December 15 7-9 p.m. Plaza Conference Room, 2nd Floor, City Hall ![]()
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Doggone it! Last night, the City Council directed planning staff to start the environmental review process on the current draft General Plan. Council did not direct staff to study the higher intensity development option for the General Plan, even though this scenario could mean Mountain View generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Higher density development is definitely not the answer to everything, but we had hoped the EIR would have at least looked into how planning for more homes would have affected environmental issues here in Mountain View. Bummer. What now? Have ideas? Email [email protected] and come to our brainstorming meeting in January. Stay tuned for the date. Thanks for all your hard work! Discussions on downtown high speed rail track begins By Tracy Seipel Mention the words "high speed rail'' to some San Jose residents and business owners, and the image of an ugly aerial track comes to mind. The elevated track -- from 20 to 60 feet high, not including the 25-foot-tall overhead electric system -- would only run about three miles. But because it crosses the heart of downtown, that section -- more than any other part of the 20-mile high speed rail corridor in San Jose -- has attracted the most controversy and sparked fears of a permanent eyesore. Initial renderings from the California High Speed Rail Authority, which is building the state's first high-speed rail line, show an elevated concrete bridge supported by massive columns. "If done poorly, it would not only divide the central city with a barrier of abutments and trestles, it could be a laughingstock,'' said Scott Knies, executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association. Keep reading at the Mercury News. On Tuesday, December 7, Council will be taking one final look at the General Plan before approving a version to go through the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process. This may be our last chance to really influence the General Plan.
Unless Council tells planning staff to study an alternate version of the plan that allows for more homes to be built near transit, Mountain View will probably end up with a General Plan that sets the bar too low to really reduce the City's greenhouse gas emissions. Tell Council to that the EIR should study one lower intensity and one higher intensity General Plan scenario if they really want to do what's right for the environment. Take Action: Email Council @ [email protected] Attend the meeting on 12/7 at 6:30PM @ City Hall December 6, 7pm-9pm
San Jose City Hall Room W-120 (located in the Rotunda) Come check out what is sure to be a very cool event put on by our friends at the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition! In the US, babies first learn to roll over, crawl, and then walk. In the Netherlands, there's one more stage that is of utmost importance: learning to ride a bike. The Netherlands boasts a 27% bike mode share. How do they do it? And can San Jose and the region replicate it? Come hear from our panel and learn about the various land use and transportation strategies being employed in four different cities, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Hear about how each city is dealing with the same kinds of transportation and land use challenges as the Bay Area and how the Dutch continue to retain and grow their bike culture, protect open space, grow the economy and preserve a high quality of life. Join the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition for a panel of local experts on transportation and land use planning. Panel Speakers: Sam Liccardo, San Jose Downtown Council Member Manuel Pineda, Acting Deputy Director of SJ Department of Transportation Shiloh Ballard, Vice President, Housing & Community Development at Silicon Valley Leadership Group Special thanks goes to Bikes Belong who facilitated an educational trip to the Netherlands. ![]() The Livable Communities Forum presents Heather Wooten of Public Health Law and Policy to discuss the intersection of public health and land use. The event is co-sponsored by the Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning, The Health Trust, and Mountain View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga January 27, 2011 7:00-8:30 p.m. The Mountain View Community Center 201 South Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View Free admission, snacks provided. |
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