An bold proposal to increase a lot more than 300 models to an existing apartment advanced in Mountain Look at lifted really serious fears by close by home owners that it would lead to a targeted traffic nightmare. But a new study exhibits individuals concerns might be unfounded.
A recently launched report on the proposal at 555 W. Middlefield Street reveals that boosting the number of flats on the assets from 402 to 726 would not bring about important site visitors congestion on close by streets. The muted outcome of the proposal will come in spite of a projected increase of 1,800 in daily excursions in and out of the advanced, which are not expected to clog up nearby intersections.
The developer, AvalonBay Communities, has been attempting considering that 2015 to revamp the Eaves Mountain See condominium advanced by changing the floor parking loads with extra properties, setting up two, 52-foot-tall, four-tale buildings together with two underground parking garages. The proposal won the assistance of housing advocacy groups who say the task — which adds residences and does not demolish any current models — is just the type of infill growth that must be created in Mountain View.
But for many of the close by house owners on Cypress Place Travel, the task signifies undesirable density and a harbinger of horrible traffic. Customers of the Cypress Level Woods Home owners Association sounded the alarm that the task would overwhelm Cypress Issue Travel with autos and fell dozens of heritage trees on the house, all even though triggering myriad troubles all through design. 1 resident even lifted worries that the boost in density would impact the city’s potential to react to a gasoline pipeline explosion or a massive wildfire.
However residents battling towards the venture have termed it “basically flawed” and a threat to the lower-density communities to the south, the house owners association asked for that an substitute variation — a person that drops the undertaking from four tales to three — be regarded as as section of the environmental analysis.
In spite of the fears, the project’s environmental studies advise that targeted traffic will never appear all that a lot various with the additional flats. The evaluation observed that the number of daily car visits would maximize from 2,187 to 3,977, but that a sequence of website traffic administration actions — including bicycle assist and carshare products and services — can get that quantity down to 3,378. These added journeys would incorporate delays at nearby intersections, the worst of it at Moffett Boulevard and Middlefield Street throughout the night commute, but only by a portion of a 2nd on ordinary.
The rosy outlook arrives in aspect for the reason that of the project’s shut proximity to Caltrain and VTA products and services, which are within 50 percent a mile of the apartment sophisticated and simply obtainable by bicycle. What’s additional, the developer is proposing at the very least 48 economical units, which have a tendency to deliver fewer vehicle journeys and less parking need.
Where by things get far more difficult is how AvalonBay’s project would influence website traffic when regarded along with all the other housing and office tasks that have already been authorized by the town. A website traffic analysis that usually takes into account the so-identified as “qualifications” disorders exhibits that some intersections are certain to degrade in the coming years, and the infill housing contributes in a smaller way to that decrease. Delays at Shoreline Boulevard and Middlefield Street are anticipated to worsen from 51.7 seconds to 55.5 all through night commute several hours, even without the housing proposal.
The other big casualty is Tyrella Avenue, which has a quit sign to cross Middlefield Highway. Drivers ready for a break in commuter visitors to cross are predicted to wait around an typical of 42.4 seconds through night commute hours adhering to the influx of new advancement, up from 30.4 seconds nowadays.
1 brilliant location in the targeted traffic assessment is that Cypress Level Drive will never flip into a visitors mess feared by neighboring inhabitants. Even though the street is presently the greatest way for current residents to obtain parking in the condominium sophisticated, individuals parking lots are established to be demolished below AvalonBay’s proposal. With underground parking supplanting these areas, a the greater part of the site visitors would as an alternative be directed onto Middlefield Road. At most, about 25 added cars and trucks are expected to use Cypress Issue all through peak commute hrs.
Outside of site visitors, the environmental paperwork observe that the project would have to have the elimination of 135 trees, such as 62 heritage trees — most of which are coast redwoods and olive trees. The the greater part of the 417 trees on the house would continue being untouched, even so, and AvalonBay is proposing to plant 197 new trees to substitute the types that are lower down.
The only difficulty flagged by the environmental evaluate as a significant and unavoidable affect is that the development will worsen air good quality for the people dwelling in the 402 models on the residence, kicking up particulate subject far above healthy degrees. The problem will persist even with the use of clean up diesel-driven gear and newer building motor vehicles, in accordance to the examine.
The only possible workarounds would be to tremendously cut down the scope of the job or to demolish the current units and switch them with all-new building, neither of which seem to be palatable. The Mountain View City Council presently lent its assistance for the full maximize in housing models, and one of the project’s primary providing points is that it wouldn’t displace hundreds of current tenants.
Town officials are soliciting the public’s feedback on the environmental effects report until Aug. 12. Any one with issues or feedback on the challenge may possibly email Diana Pancholi, Senior Planner, at [email protected]untainview.gov or dealt with to her at Town of Mountain Look at, Community Growth Division, P.O. Box 7540, Mountain Check out, CA 94041.