DATE:
December 16, 2025
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Office of the City Manager
TITLE: Update on Council Priority Projects
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on high-priority Council Work Plan projects.
BACKGROUND
On June 13, 2023, Council approve d the Fiscal Years 2023 -24 and 2024- 25 (FYs 23 -25) Council Work Plan. The FYs 23 -25 Council Work Plan implementation period closed at the end of Fiscal Year 2024-25 on June 30, 2025.
On Ju ne 24, 2025, t he Council adopted its F iscal Years 2 025-27 (FYs 25- 27) work plan. (Attachment 1)
ANALYSIS
Staff has prepared an update on the status of the Council’s high-priority projects for transparency and visibility on the progress staff is making.
Table 1 (below) lists completed projects from the FYs 23-25 Council Work Plan.
Table 1: Completed FYs 23-25 Council Work Plan Projects Project Status
Review and update the Gatekeeper process Complete
Conduct a holistic citywide review of street parking regulations Complete Explore the feasibility of a potential 2024 revenue measure Complete Implement Displacement Response Strategy/Actions Complete Adopt the Local Road Safety/Vision Zero Action Plan Complete Expand the Safe Routes to School Program Complete
Implement strategies for a vibrant downtown, including the Castro Pedestrian Mall Complete Complete a Cost Allocation Plan and Master Fee Study Complete Develop a Homelessness Response Strategy Complete
Negotiate a Community Workforce Agreement Complete
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Table 1: Completed FYs 23-25 Council Work Plan Projects Project Status
Implement an online permitting system Complete
Develop a comprehensive citywide storefront activation program Complete Implement the Economic Vitality Strategy Complete
Explore expanding access to broadband Complete
Explore strategies for enhancing childcare options Complete
Table 2 (below) provides status updates on projects included in the FYs 25-27 Council Work Plan, which was adopted in June. In addition, four of the FY 23-25 work plan projects (denoted with an asterisk) were carried forward into the current work plan. Other projects from FY 23 -25 are still ongoing but were not included in the current FY 25-27 work plan. Attachment 2 includes detailed descriptions of the status of the four projects that carried over into the current work plan, as well as the other ongoing projects from the FY 23-25 Council Work Plan.
Attachment 1 includes brief descriptions of the current work plan projects (FYs 25-27).
Table 2: FYs 25-27 Council Work Plan Projects Status
Project Status and Next Steps
Stevens Creek Trail Extension* In September 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a feasibility and trail alignment analysis, including preliminary design concept drawings, and is in the selection process. Once the design firm is on board, the preliminary design is expected to take two years.
For more details on this project, please see Attachment 2.
Low- and Middle-Income
Housing*
Housing staff is working to develop an overarching strategy to support low - and middle -income homeownership. The project team will present a scope of work for developing the strategy to the Council during a study session scheduled for December 16, 2025.
For more details on this project, please see Attachment 2.
R3 Zoning Update* On June 24, 2025 , the Council gave staff direction on density levels in R3 zoning areas. The project team is currently developing policies and standards for the zoning update and preparing the project’s draft E nvironmental Impact Report (EIR). Staff expects to return to the Council for further direction on policy development in Q1 2026. Depending on Council direction
regarding staff’s recommended approaches, zoning updates could be finalized in Q3 2026.
For more details on this project, please see Attachment 2.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Table 2: FYs 25-27 Council Work Plan Projects Status
Project Status and Next Steps
End of Natural Gas Flow by 2045 In collaboration with staff and outside counsel , Silicon Valley Clean Energy has completed a legal analysis of natural gas bans, which is currently with the City Attorney’s Office for review. Staff expects to bring this project to CSC by Q4 2026.
Community for All Action Plan* Staff anticipates that work on the Community for All Action plan will begin in Q1 and be completed by Q2 of 2026.
For more details on this project, please see Attachment 2.
City Broadband Network The project team is working to prioritize the asset inventory site list. Following this prioritization, the consultant will develop a conceptual design, technical specifications, and financial analysis.
The project is anticipated to be completed in Q1 2026 and will be scheduled for a Council study session in Q2 2026.
Smart Water Meters On June 10, 2025, the Council approved a cost-share agreement with Santa Clara Valley Water District and authorized a contract with a consultant to develop a project scope, procurement strategy, and outreach plan. The project team has been working to identify the assets and integration requirements of the existing technology and infrastructure. This project plan will be completed in Q1 2026 , at which point the team will begin a procurement process for design and implementation of the new program. 2026 Charter Amendment
Measure
Staff is identifying targeted clean -up language for a 2026 ballot measure to modernize the City Charter and has planned a study session for February 2026 to seek the Council’s input. The Council will review ballot language for approval in June 2026.
2026 Revenue Measure The Council established a 2026 Revenue Measure A d Hoc Sub - Committee on September 23, 2025. The committee held its first meeting on October 22, 2025, and its second meeting on
December 2, 2025 . Staff is working with a research firm to develop a survey instrument to collect feedback on the community’s long-term needs and will bring ballot language to the Council for review and approval in June 2026.
City Code Cleanup In addition to adopting new code material as part of the 2025 Triennial Building Code Update, the Council approved an extensive reorganization and cleanup of Chapters 8, 14, 24, and portions of Chapter 25 , and moved floodplain regulations into Chapter 48 of the City Code on September 9, 2025. Staff expects to bring clean-up items alongside new code for Chapter 36 in Q1 2026 and continues to work to identify additional opportunities for code clean-up.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Table 2: FYs 25-27 Council Work Plan Projects Status
Project Status and Next Steps
Citywide Objective Design
Standards
Work on this item will start in Q1 2026 with the identification of comparable ordinances and best practices from other
jurisdictions. Staff will prepare recommended objective design standards and seek Council direction in Q2 2027. With this feedback, staff will draft an ordinance and return to Council for adoption. This project is currently expected to extend beyond the two-year work plan implementation period.
Pedestrian Mall Vacant
Storefront Activation Program
Work on this item will start in Q1 2026 and will include researching comparable ordinances and best practices from other jurisdictions. Staff will prepare a recommended program structure and storefront activation requirements and seek Council confirmation of these recommendations in Q4 2026.
Finalization of an ordinance and adoption by Council will occur in Q1 2027. Staff expects to implement the program in late Q2 2027.
Pavement Condition Index (PCI)
Increase
The City will release an RFP in December 2025 for an evaluation of the current program, strategies for prioritizing arterial streets, and budget scenarios to reach the target PCI of 70. The evaluation is expected to be completed in Q4 2026. Additionally, staff is working to accelerate existing planned pavement projects.
City Policy/Template Updates Staff has completed research on existing Council Policies and City contract templates and will be seeking internal feedback on potential updates and prioritization. The Council Policies and Procedures Committee will receive an update in Q2/Q3 2026.
City Volunteer Framework Staff has begun researching policies and procedures at other agencies to develop recommendations for internal review. With this input, staff will draft a Council Policy, which staff expects to present to the Council Policy and Procedures Committee in Q 4 2026 and to the Council in Q1 2027 for review, feedback, and adoption.
Pickleball Solutions In July 2025, staff added 13 pickleball hours per week at the dual- striped courts at Rengstorff Park. T he City held a community meeting in August 2025 to share City site options for potential pickleball sites, which was attended by approximately 300 community members. Staff is also exploring options for placing public pickleball courts on private property. Staff will share a general update on the project with the Council and the community in Q1 2026.
Table 3 (below) includes brief descriptions of the status and next steps for ongoing FYs 23 -25 Council Work Plan projects.
More detailed information on each of the ongoing FYs 23 -25 Council Work Plan projects can be found in Attachment 2.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Table 3: FYs 23-25 Ongoing Council Work Plan Projects Status1 Project Status and Next Steps
Review and update the Shoreline
Community Area Plan
A draft plan is under legal review and will come to the Council in Q2/Q3 2026.
Develop a Citywide
Decarbonization Plan
(transitioning from SAP-
4)/Complete a Climate Change
Vulnerability Assessment
The Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) reviewed
decarbonization goals at its meeting on November 6, 2025 and at its December 1, 2025 meeting, approved a staff recommendation to develop a c limate strategy addressing both decarbonization and climate resiliency. The climate strategy is anticipated to come to Council for adoption in 2027.
Develop a Moffett Boulevard
Precise Plan
On April 22, 2025 , the Council reviewed and gave feedback on land use alternatives and streetscape priorities. The draft precise plan and draft EIR are scheduled to come before the
Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) and the Council in Q2/Q3 2026.
Adopt a Citywide Transportation
Demand Management Ordinance
The Council received an update on this project in a study session on June 10, 2025 . Staff anticipates presenting a draft ordinance to the EPC and the Council in Q2 2026.
Develop a City Active
Transportation Plan
The Council Transportation Committee reviewed scoring criteria and holistic network maps at its April 1, 2025 , meeting. Staff is developing policy recommendations, identifying potential projects, and scoring a prioritized project lis t, which will be the focus of the next round of public engagement planned for early 2026. The plan’s final draft is expected to go before the Council in Q2/Q3 2026
Develop a Parks and Recreation
Strategic Plan
The draft plan was made available to the public on November 3, 2025, and was presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) at its meeting on
November 17, 2025. At its meeting on
January 27, 2026, the Council will review and comment on the draft plan. Staff expect to bring the plan to the PRC for final recommendation in March 2026 and to present the plan to the Council for final adoption in May 2026.
Develop a Biodiversity
Strategy/Update the Community
Tree Master Plan to create an
Urban Forest Plan
The project team presented the draft plan at the October 8, 2025, PRC meeting and will return to PRC on January 21, 2026, with a revised draft. Following the PRC’s review, the p lan is scheduled for consideration by the Council in April 2026 and adoption in June 2026.
1 For more detailed information on the status of the projects included in Table 3, please see Attachment 2.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Table 3: FYs 23-25 Ongoing Council Work Plan Projects Status1 Project Status and Next Steps
Develop a Dark Skies Ordinance Staff has completed research of comparable ordinances , conducted stakeholder meetings, and administered a public survey to gather community input. The project team will prepare a draft ordinance planned for presentation to the EPC and Council during public hearings in Q2 2026.
Develop an ordinance to ban
vaping sales citywide
On May 27, 2025 , the Council reviewed a draft ordinance regulating tobacco sales and banning sales of flavored tobacco, e- cigarettes, and vapes. The ordinance is expected to return to the Council on February 10, 2026.
Develop comprehensive updates
to the Downtown Precise Plan
Staff expects to present a vision framework and existing conditions and site assessment to the EPC and Council by Q2 2026. Staff is evaluating the impact of new state laws on the precise plan area and expects to prepare a draft plan and EIR in 2026. Review of the draft plan and draft EIR, including pop -up events, a community workshop, and EPC and Council meetings, is planned for 2027.
Facilitate affordable housing
development at the VTA Evelyn
Sit
Staff continues to support the developer in seeking funding and advancing the project, including applying for the State’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant program in Q2 2025 and submitting an SB 35 project application. If and when these funding sources are secured, the developer is targeting a construction start in early 2027.
Review and update the historic
preservation ordinance
The EPC received an update on the ordinance and Historic Register on October 1, 2025. Staff will present an update to the Council, including the EPC’s feedback, on December 9, 2025.
Following the meeting, staff will work to prepare a draft ordinance and plans to return to the EPC and Council for adoption in Q2/Q3 2026.
Prepare the Citywide Travel
Demand update
Staff negotiated a license agreement with V alley Transportation Authority to use their travel demand model as a base for the Mountain View-specific model. In summer 2025, staff selected a consultant through an RFP process to prepare the updated travel demand model. The project is anticipated to be completed by Q4 2026.
Develop guidelines for
micromobility, including a scooter
share pilot
Staff is working to update the micromobility permit application process, develop program guidelines, and identify hub locations for scooter share providers. Staff expects to present information on lifting the 2019 moratorium on scooter share in Q1 /Q2 2026.
The scooter share pilot program is scheduled to run for 12 to 18 months. Following the conclusion of the pilot, staff will report findings to the Council in 2027.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
Why Work Plan Projects Continue Beyond Two Years
The most common reasons for projects extending beyond the two-year work plan timeframe are:
• Two years is not enough time to complete many major projects. - Projects like precise plans, major infrastructure projects, and housing developments typically take longer than two years to complete.
- Multiple complex priority projects are assigned to the same few teams and individual staff, who also need to complete other core duties.
- Staff do not always have the capacity to begin work on Council Work Plan projects immediately after the work plan is adopted due to working on and finishing existing projects.
• Council modifies the project’s scope.
- Changes in a project’s scope require additional time, more research, and extra staff work to complete.
- Presenting the project at additional Council, Board, Commission, or Committee meetings involves scheduling, preparing materials, and public noticing, which take time.
• New State laws are introduced.
- New State laws have required staff to change direction, pause, or slow progress on some work plan projects. Recent examples include SB 79 and AB 130 , which have generated significant additional workload for Planning staff. These new laws will impact the work currently underway on the Moffett Boulevard and Downtown Precise Plans.
• Coordination with other agencies is required.
- Needing to partner and collaborate with other agencies means that staff capacity, priorities, budgets, and internal reviews require more time and impact projects because multiple agencies and individuals are involved.
Staff has made significant progress on all the ongoing projects from the FYs 23-25 Council Work Plan and is committed to continuing this high -priority work . Most of the remaining ongoing projects are scheduled for completion in 2026. As mentioned above, Attachment 2 provides detailed descriptions of the status of ongoing FYs 23-25 projects.
FISCAL IMPACT
While each of the projects included in this report has significant financial and human resource needs, this update has no impact on the budget or timeline of these projects.
Update on Council Priority Projects
December 16, 2025
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to advance the ongoing projects described in this report. Updates for individual projects will be summarized on individual project webpages or will be included in memoranda and reports for board, commission, committee, or Council meetings, as appropriate.
The Council will continue to receive updates on the FYs 25-27 Council Work Plan as described in the planning process. The next update (the first one for this work plan cycle) will be included with the midyear budget update in February 2026.
LEVINE ACT
California Government Code Section 84308 (also known as the Levine Act) prohibits city officials from participating in any proceeding involving a “license, permit, or other entitlement for use” if the official has received a campaign contribution exceeding $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant within the last 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to- play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
Please see below for information about whether the recommended action for this agenda item is subject to or exempt from the Levine Act.
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
☒ General policy and legislative actions
PUBLIC NOTICING
Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
Laurel James
Principal Management Analyst
Approved by:
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
Attachments: 1. Strategic Priorities and Fiscal Years 2025-27 Council Work Plan
2. Fiscal Year 2023-25 Council Work Plan Ongoing Project Updates