Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 1
Community Worksh op #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives
SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY COMMENTS
March 14, 2025
Project Overview
In June 2024, the City of Mountain View began a process to develop a Precise Plan for the Moffett area. The Moffett area is an important commercial, residential, and civic neighborhood in Mountain View. The Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan project was identified as one of the City’s Strategic Priorities in the Fiscal Year 2023 – 2025 Work Plan. The project will expand on the 2030 General Plan vision to include new goals, policies, and regulations for private development and street improvements, and implement requirements of the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
Community Workshop #2 Overview
The pr
oject team (made up of staff from the City and consultants MIG and Community Strong Strategies) held a community workshop on March 3, 2025, to solicit feedback on emerging character/streetscape concepts and land use alternatives for the Moffett area. Ahead of the community workshop, the project team conducted a series of property and business owner walks (to have one-on-one conversations with the business community) and attended a Mountain View Farmer’s Market to engage the community and promote the workshop. The following summary encapsulates ideas and feedback on the emerging concepts and land use alternatives for the Moffett area.
Collag
e of event photos from the Pop-Up Event and Workshop
Attachment 10
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 2
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments The following table summarizing the timing and location for each event, leading up to Community Workshop #2. The following pages provide a summary of each event and the key takeaways the project team heard from the community.
Community Events and Activities
# Event Name Date and Time Location Languages Attendees 1 Farmer’s Market
Pop-Up
February 23, 2025
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Mountain View
Farmer’s Market
600 W Evelyn Ave,
Mountain View, CA 94041
English
Spanish
Russian
Chinese
~145
2 Property and
Business Owner
Walks
February 23, 2025 to
February 28, 2025
Various businesses in
the study area 8
3 Community
Workshop #2
March 03, 2025
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
German International School
of Silicon Valley
Mountain View Campus
310 Easy Street
Mountain View
83 Mountain View Farmer’s Market Pop-Up
The project team set up a pop-up tent at the Mountain View Farmer’s Market on February 23, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The purpose of the pop-up was to broadly notice Community Workshop #2 through multilingual promotional materials (English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian) and to provide an important opportunity to bring awareness and visibility to the project. There were also opportunities for conversations between community members and the project team related to the future of the Moffett area. Project team members recorded these comments on Post-It notes.
Key Takeaways
During the Farmer’s Market, the project team engaged with over 100 residents and visitors, many of whom confirmed receiving flyers for the March 2, 2025, Community Workshop. Key concerns included the future of the military base property (Shenandoah Square), the need for improved biking and pedestrian infrastructure to connect Downtown and trails, and better street lighting for safety. Residents described the Moffett Boulevard area as lacking energy and difficult to bike through, with retail being slow or nonexistent.
While most people supported increased density, some emphasized that new retail should not be prioritized. Notably, the market attracts numerous visitors from outside Mountain View, including Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, and San Jose, reinforcing its regional significance. The use of a large poster board was particularly effective in fostering dialogue and engagement.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 3
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments
Property and Business Owner Walks
The project team conducted short one-on-one meetings with property and business owners between February 23 and 28, 2025. The intent of these meetings was to gather contact information, distribute project details, conduct a brief survey, and inform business owners of the upcoming Community Workshop #2.
Key Takeaways
During the walk along Moffett Blvd, the project team observed several permanent business closures and others that remained closed on Sundays, impacting the corridor’s economic activity. Business owners expressed concerns about rising vacancies, pending developments, and lease renewals, with some attributing declining foot traffic to the Castro Street closure, which has redirected customers elsewhere.
The project team engaged directly with business owners at Sousa’s Wine & Liquors, Tres Hermanos Taqueria, and JL Produce, collecting survey information, and leaving materials with additional businesses, including Fast Pizza Delivery and Shana Thai. A follow-up outreach walk on February 28, 2025, targeted businesses previously closed, allowing the project team to distribute community meeting flyers and gather contacts from businesses like Los Portales, Baywash Corporation, and Ruiz Beauty Salon. These efforts highlight the need for continued engagement to support businesses facing economic and operational challenges along the corridor.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 4
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Community Workshop #2
The project team hosted Community Workshop #2 on February 23, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the German International School of Silicon Valley – Mountain View Campus. The workshop was broadly noticed and included multilingual facilitation in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. The workshop provided an important opportunity to solicit community feedback on the different emerging concepts and land use alternatives for the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan Area.
The workshop agenda included the following:
Project Update Presentation: The project team presented an overview of the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan, including the project goals and objectives, schedule, and key findings from the existing conditions analysis. The project team also presented the Vision Framework that was developed based on community, EPC, and City Council feedback from the initial visioning process.
Project Q&A: The project team responded to general questions from the community related to the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan project.
Group Polling Exercise: The project team led participants through an interactive poll focused on emerging area character and streetscape design concepts. Participants were able to use either their cell phone or a paper survey to complete the poll.
Land Use Alternatives: The project team then presented and described three potential land use alternatives for the Moffett area. This included discussing each alternative’s unique characteristics, benefits, and trade-offs.
Small Group Exercise: Participants were then divided into 10 groups of 7-10 people and asked to review and discuss each of the three land use alternatives. They were asked to describe what they liked about each alternative and what they would change or modify in the alternative to make it better meet their vision for the future of the Moffett area. This exercise concluded with each group reporting back on their major ideas and modifications.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 5
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Major Themes and Feedback
The following is a summary of the major themes and feedback provided by the community during Community Workshop #2.
I. EMERGING CONCEPTS
During this exercise, the project team presented a series of precedent images that highlighted key emerging concepts for consideration in the Moffett area. Participants were asked to provide their “gut reaction” to each concept and choose one of the following options:
• I Really Like It
• It’s Worth Considering
• I Don’t Like It
• I’m Not Sure
The following is a summary of the polling data from both the online (Mentimeter) and paper surveys completed during Community Workshop #2. Top responses are noted in bold, orange text.
Area Character Concepts
Smaller Blocks and Paseos
• I Really Like It: 37
• It’s Worth Considering: 24
• I Don’t Like It: 10
• I’m Not Sure: 7
Entry and Wayfinding Signage
• I Really Like It: 15
• It’s Worth Considering: 35
• I Don’t Like It: 17
• I’m Not Sure: 10
Pocket Parks
• I Really Like It: 37
• It’s Worth Considering: 25
• I Don’t Like It: 12
• I’m Not Sure: 1
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 6
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Linear Parks
• I Really Like It: 37
• It’s Worth Considering: 26
• I Don’t Like It: 13
• I’m Not Sure: 6
Streetscape Design Concepts
Wider Sidewalks with Trees and Pedestrian Amenities
• I Really Like It: 54
• It’s Worth Considering: 16
• I Don’t Like It: 3
• I’m Not Sure: 3
Improved and Safer Crosswalks
• I Really Like It: 55
• It’s Worth Considering: 14
• I Don’t Like It: 2
• I’m Not Sure: 1
Buffered Bicycle Lanes
• I Really Like It: 35
• It’s Worth Considering: 29
• I Don’t Like It: 10
• I’m Not Sure: 4
Protected Bicycle Lanes
• I Really Like It: 45
• It’s Worth Considering: 14
• I Don’t Like It: 13
• I’m Not Sure: 5
Landscaped Boulevard With Medians
• I Really Like It: 31
• It’s Worth Considering: 15
• I Don’t Like It: 23
• I’m Not Sure: 10
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 7
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Four Vehicular Travel Lanes (existing)
• I Really Like It: 9
• It’s Worth Considering: 11
• I Don’t Like It: 50
• I’m Not Sure: 7
On-Street Parking
• I Really Like It: 8
• It’s Worth Considering: 22
• I Don’t Like It: 41
• I’m Not Sure: 8
Streetscape Priorities
This question asked participants to rank the six streetscape concepts discussed above from 1 (highest priority) to 6 (lowest priority).
1. Wider Sidewalks with Trees and Pedestrian Amenities
2. Protected Bicycle Lanes
3. Buffered Bicycle Lanes
4. Landscaped Boulevard with Medians
5. On-Street Parking
6. Four Vehicular Travel Lanes (Existing)
Streetscape Word Cloud
This question asked participants to identify a word (or phrase) that comes to mind when they think about the future streetscape design of Moffett Boulevard. A total of 152 words/phrases were submitted, with “Safety,” “Ban Cars,” “Parking,” Shade,” “Trees,” and “Lighting” being the most common responses.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 8
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments II. LAND USE ALTERNATIVES
Following the polling exercise, workshop participants were divided into 10 small groups. Each group was asked to review the three land use alternatives in detail and answer the following two questions:
1. What components of the Alternative does the group like?
2. What would the group change or modify to make the Alternative align better with the group’s vision for the future of the Moffett Area?
The following is a summary of the major feedback and themes heard from the 10 small groups, organized by alternative. These major themes also include comments and feedback from participants individual comment cards.
Alternative A: Medium Intensity Mixed-Use
• Several groups felt the proposed building heights envisioned under this alternative were too low, uninviting, and did not provide enough opportunities for housing diversity or to meet regional housing needs.
• Some groups preferred the building height maximums included under this alternative (4 to 5 stories) and felt these heights are in character with the existing Moffett area, given its scale and proximity to surrounding neighborhoods. • Most groups felt that ground floor non-residential uses should be “required” under this alternative as opposed to “encouraged,” even if there are lower overall residential densities.
Alternative B: Higher Intensity Mixed-Use
• Most groups favored the residential densities and building heights proposed under this alternative (5-7 stories). This alternative’s ability to provide more housing at a broader range of affordabilities was seen as a positive attribute. • Some groups were concerned about the potential impacts the proposed building heights could have on surrounding lower-scale neighborhoods (privacy, nighttime light, daytime shadows), specifically single-family residential neighborhoods along Central Avenue.
• Many groups were concerned about how parking would be addressed for new projects based on the densities proposed under this alternative. Several participants were also concerned about how the City would address increased infrastructure requirements resulting from the increased density.
• Many groups felt that the required ground floor non-residential uses included under these alternative created opportunities for new pedestrian improvements, more walkability, and overall community-building.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 9
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments • Some participants were concerned regarding the feasibility of proposing non- residential uses (particularly retail) along Moffett, with many struggling businesses in Downtown Mountain View (Castro Street).
• Some participants were concerned around the “consistent” look of the heights and the overall maximum of 7 stories and felt that 7 stories would specifically be out of context at 100 Moffett.
Alternative C: Focused Mixed-Use
• Most groups felt that this alternative would have fewer negative impacts on surrounding lower intensity neighborhoods, particularly areas west of the study area. • Most groups preferred having higher buildings closer to the Mountain View Station and mid-corridor (e.g., the two identified “nodes”). Several groups specifically liked the idea of creating a central node that could be a hub of community activity and retail. • Some groups also desired enhancing transit connections and creating a strong pedestrian-friendly design in parallel with new development and increased densities.
Additional Comments and Ideas
• All groups discussed the need for more pedestrian-oriented uses and amenities, particularly along Moffett Boulevard. Groups highlighted specific ideas for the Moffett area, including: more safety; improved traffic calming measures; better lighting; more paseos; better landscaping; improved bicycle facilities; more green space (paseos, plazas, parks); less driveways.
• Many groups felt that it is essential for new development along Moffett Boulevard to have a unique and interesting architectural character.
• Most groups expressed concerns about parking, particularly overflowing into surrounding residential areas. Many groups brought up concerns about current and future parking needs for the Moffett area and whether there is a need for street parking (or, alternatively, could most parking be addressed on parcels). There were suggestions for structured parking, such as a parking hub or garage. • Some groups suggested the study area for this project be expanded to included surrounding neighborhoods to better plan future growth and transitions between the core of Moffett Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods. • There was a desire by many groups to require ground floor retail and commercial uses, including community-serving uses like grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and community-serving businesses. Several other groups expressed concerns with mandatory requirements due to the economic challenges of getting new retail and commercial uses established.
• Many groups desired more paseos, pocket parks, and green spaces integrated into the development. There was an interest in high-quality architectural design to maintain
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 10
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments neighborhood character and concerns about large setbacks and the need for more active street frontage.
• Several groups requested traffic calming measures, such as roundabouts instead of stop signs or traffic lights. There was also an emphasis on ensuring adequate infrastructure (schools, water, power) be in place before increasing density in the area.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 11
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Appendix A: Detailed Small Group Notes
The following are images and transcription of each small group’s poster and notes.
Group #1
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Pipe one project, how will it impact?
o Doesn’t feel inviting
o Shorter building heights
- What would change?
o Ground floor detail is important
o More opportunities for renters
o Like paseo, reduce heat island
o Retail needs to be required
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 12
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Like ground floor retail
o More of a destination
o Like the high density
o People are closer to the transit center
- What would change?
o Looks like San Antonion Rd, don’t make another SA Rd
o No room for parking
Alternative C
- What do you like?
- What would change?
o Moving the higher density closer to station
o Make 100 Moffett – 7 Stories
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 13
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #2
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Smaller heights
o Keep the neighborhood small
o Buses more walkable
- What would change?
o Resolve issues of parking
o Idea of forced retail
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o More housing
o Liked required retail
o More density
o More paseos
o Coffee shops, parks, meeting places
o Side businesses
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 14
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments - What would change?
o Do like the 7 stories
Alternative C
- What do you like?
- What would change?
Alternative Comparisons
- Additional thoughts and feedback
o More pocket parks
o Evenly distributed retail
o Difficult to cross
o Street lighting –safer
o Parking hub / parking garage
o Traffic calming
o Good building architecture
o Community activation
o Speed reduction
o No center median/ cannot see traffic
o 4 to 3 lanes – Slovo and Moffett
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 15
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #3
Alternative A
- What do you like?
- What would change?
o 3-4 stories max
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Off street parking (basement)
o Active ground floor for uses
o Safer intersection @100 Moffett and Central
o Affordable housing camp
o Variety of non-residential
- What would change?
o 5 or more stories, should feel non-contextual
o Defined street frontage – lesser setback
o 7 stories – uncontextualized
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 16
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments o Near park
o Limit height around Adobe Building
Alternative C
- What do you like?
- What would change?
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Avoid driveways all Moffett
- Roundabouts
- Not stop signs
- Not traffic lights
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 17
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #4
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Diversified businesses
- What would change?
o Do not like increasing density
o Do not like removing traffic lanes
o Federal land should be a park (Moffett + Middlefield)
o Not enough commercial
o Boring to walk through
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o More people --> more foot traffic
o Try to keep it under 4 stories
o Infrastructure for all the new housing is a must, - school, water, power o Keep the Architectural style of the Castro
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 18
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments - What would change?
o Do not like the requiring of non-residential
o Too dense, too high
o Move historic Adobe to a larger footprint lot – current space could be used for parking for Castro - Caltrain
Alternative C
- What do you like?
o Fair compromise
o 7 stories seem terrific
- What would change?
o 5 stories are ok, 7 is too much
o 7 stories are out place without traffic calming
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Would like real world examples of 5-7 stories building - More paseos
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 19
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #5
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Lower building height
o Maximize density
- What would change?
o Need to think more about building height of surrounding area, not just the corridor
o Bike bridge or tunnel
o More non-residential
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o More amenities
o More public/green spaces
o Best use of central area with more opportunities
o Adds the most housing
- What would change?
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 20
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments o Bike bridge or tunnel
o More public green spaces
o Concerned it will become Castro 2.0, but with cars (too busy maybe) o Parking plans
Alternative C
- What do you like?
o More compromise of residential vs commercial
- What would change?
o Bike bridge or tunnel
o More commercial space
o Required non-residential
o Bit more housing density maybe
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Tunnel vision not included (shoreline corridor)
- Expand plan area (mobile home)
- Need more and different visions
- Change bordering R1 zone
- Include Jackson Park and Bailey Park
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 21
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments GROUP #6
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Want retail not more residential
o Lowest density
- What would change?
o Only retail on Moffett, no more residential buildings o Consider density for fire hazard and safety
o Sound walls along Highway 85 and Central Express Way
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Increasing ground floor retail sounds good
o Avoid combos that result in bikes having to share one lane with cars or narrow sidewalks with pedestrians
o More cars and less lanes will cause traffic issues
o Like the idea of encouraging mass tourism
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 22
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments - What would change?
o Implies that alt B prioritizes affordable housing over jobs
Alternative C
- What do you like?
- What would change?
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- State density bonus
- Single story homes nearby adjacent to 4-7 stories
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 23
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments GROUP #7
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Les traffic
o Focus on community wage than commercial
- What would change?
o Could lose commercial use that is there now
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o High density makes commercial use more viable
o Adds the most amount of housing
- What would change?
o Concern that it’ll be Castro 2.0
o Parking plans
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 24
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Alternative C
- What do you like?
o Maintains the commercial use
- What would change?
o Bit more housing density
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- An area people want to walk through
- No matter the density, keep some mixed use
- Housing first vs infrastructure first is a real question - Spread the density out across the new plan areas so that there’s not so much in just the red/pink parts
- Downtown Mt View is nice because there’s no cars. Hard to recreate that - Want something relatively chill. If we bid a ton of parking that’s going to mean traffic
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 25
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #8
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o
- What would change?
o No street parking
o Not enough housing
o Low utilization
o More housing by mass transit
o Not enough housing for regional needs
o Zoning overall should improve job/housing ratio
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Greatest mix of high-density mixed use
o Would want to walk not drive in this area
o Likes the 7 stories
o More opportunities to meet my neighbors
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 26
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments o More commercial
o Like ground floor retail
o Housing walkable to library, transit, farmers market, cafe - What would change?
o Requiring retail seems restrictive
o Not sure about required ground floor retail (comparing to Castro currently)
Alternative C
- What do you like?
o
- What would change?
o Not enough housing
o No required retail, want coffee and croissants
o More housing
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Grocery store (whole foods, trader joes)
- Public parks, green spaces would be welcome
- Change / update Moffett Blvd Square
- Public gym in retail level, 2-3 floors of parking with food - Linear + pocket parts to benches for people to meetup between buildings
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 27
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #9
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Like 4-5 stories
o Meets housing element good
o Commercial corridor
o Less overwhelming height
o Retains existing businesses
- What would change?
o More ground floor retail at high traffic corners (bodega, gas) o Lack of diversity
o Need higher density at 100 Moffett Block
o Concerns about parking overflow
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Highest density
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 28
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments o Parking will be a problem
o Has retail to walk to
o No setbacks to get density with less height
- What would change?
o Too many floors
o How to blend to low density to avoid neighborhood opposition o More distributed commercial
o Upzone entire city to 3
o Endless construction
Alternative C
- What do you like?
o Lowers impact to west and residential
o Bike lanes
o Want walkability
o Upgrade streetscapes
- What would change?
o 4-5 stories max
o The “cluster” is not near the train station
o Too many floors, don’t need high rises
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Bike access
- How does this interact with the R3 upzone?
- Want to maintain quaint feel
- Moffet corridor should not look like San Antionio Rd
- Trees + open spaces
- Ground floor retail restaurant
- Keep residential “feel” - don’t want to be San Antonio Rd - Mix affordability
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 29
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments Group #10
Alternative A
- What do you like?
o Like height
o Keep between 4-5 stories
- What would change?
o Don't like no commercial requirement
o Require floor 1 to be commercial
Alternative B
- What do you like?
o Like housing opportunity
o Would like architect detail for higher intents
- What would change?
o Too tall (height)
o Architecture concerns
o Limit to 4-5 stories
o What is the design of the building
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan 30
Community Workshop #2: Land Use Alternatives – Summary of Community Comments
Alternative C
- What do you like?
- What would change?
o Limit to 4-5 stories
Additional Thoughts and Feedback
- Public area for food trucks
- Closing lanes from 4 to 2 is bad, shoreline can’t handle more traffic from Moffett - What is the impact of transit center and movement of commuters along Moffett - Feel the need to consider RR underpass before you can move forward with any plans on Moffett or Castro
- Having less parking keeps people from shopping areas
- Getting different building design, that don’t look like other high-density buildings in Mt View
- Improved bike and pedestrian safety on Middlefield
- Pocket Park inaccessible