1 From: Cox, Robert
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2024 2:18 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Livable Mountain View comment on Item 6.1: “Housing Element Annual Report and Emergency Shelters Amendment”
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Mayor Showalter, Vice Mayor Matichak, and Members of the Mountain View City Council, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Item 6.1: “Housing Element Annual Report and Emergency Shelters Amendment”
We support the re-zoning of the El Camino Precise Plan for new emergency shelters in accord with Housing
Element requirements, as recommended by the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC), which concluded that the sites identified for permitting emergency shelters by right in the Castro Miramonte subarea 1 with a provisional use permit in the remaining areas in fact exceeded what was
required of the city for full compliance with the Housing Element regarding shelters in Mountain View.
We support the above findings by the EPC and acknowledge the need for shelters in our city but also that we also have a Historic Ordinance Update that was approved by the council with strong support of Mountain View residents. When the evaluation of potential historic properties in the El Camino Precise Plan is completed, and only then, should council consider further amendments to allow additional areas for emergency shelters by right.
The evaluation of the eight potential historic sites on El Camino, identified by Mountain View city consultants Page and Turnbull, should continue per our existing ordinance so that a complete report on their historicity can be submitted to the council for its evaluation. Even if the council were to consider at such time that additional areas of the El Camino Precise Plan should be rezoned for emergency shelters, it would have facts to determine whether the city needs to rezone areas on El Camino so that shelters can replace historic buildings.
The El Camino Precise Plan covers miles of opportunities for other re-zoning even if the potential historic properties are excluded. But, consistent with the Historic Ordinance Update, there are no other opportunities to have history preserved once buildings are gone.
Robert Cox, Louise Katz, Maureen Blando, Muriel Sivyer-Lee, Mike Finley, Hala Alshahwany, and Jerry Steach
For the Steering Committee of Livable Mountain View
1 From: Isaac
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 10:55 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Public comment on 6.1, emergency shelters
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
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Is it more important to provide shelter for the city's homeless or preserve historic resources? That may be a hard question, so let's make it simpler. Is it more important to increase 10x the potential opportunity sites for emergency shelters, or to potentially preserve historic buildings that the owners thus far have expressed no interest in preserving and that are unlikely to be developed into emergency shelters? I see not need for the caution staff is expressing here.
I also see not need for any restriction on maximum number of beds. Don't we want to provide shelter for the homeless? Why add new restrictions?
I encourage council to pick option 1, this is what the city already committed to in the housing element. In reality there is very little risk of a loss of any historic resources, whereas the need for shelter of our homeless is very real and very urgent.
Thanks,
Isaac Stone
1 From: K Z
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2024 1:00 PM
To: City Council
Cc: Penollar, Krisha; Anderson, Eric B.; Cameron, Dawn; McCarthy, Kimbra; Glaser, Heather; [email protected]
Subject: March 26, 2024 City County, Agenda Item 6.1
Attachments: 3-26-24 MVCC.pdf
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Dear Mayor Showalter and Members of the City Council:
Attached is a letter from the League of Women Voters regarding item
6.1 on the March 26, 2024, City Council agenda (Emergency Shelters/Housing Element Report).
Sincerely,
Katie Zoglin
President
Los Altos-Mountain View Area League of Women Voters