Council to consider overhaul, expansion of 60s suburban apartment complex

MOUNTAIN Look at — A local community of rent-controlled residences created in the 1960s could before long get a facelift and new neighbors as the city council on Tuesday weighs a proposal to overhaul the internet site, get rid of parking plenty and add new housing.

Initial proposed in 2015, the undertaking by AvalonBay Communities aims to absolutely change the usual mid-century suburban apartment sophisticated at 555 West Middlefield Road into a present day group of over 700 houses full with a public park at its middle.

Below the proposal, the previously existing 402-condominium group will get a facelift whilst the developer constructs two new, 4 tale apartment structures within the 14.5-acre web-site by eradicating about 7 acres of covered parking lots.

The developer ideas to clear away two existing area parking a lot masking about 7 acres of the web page to do it, and they hope to get 329 models of mainly 1- and two-bedroom residences with some studio and 3-bedroom options.

A fourth 1-tale creating with a 3 level underground parking garage will substitute the existing leasing office and amenity constructing, pool and spa. The developer is also proposing a 1.34-acre general public park along Cypress Point Travel to substitute existing tennis courts.

Just blocks absent from the centre of the immediately switching Whisman district, the remodeled condominium sophisticated would be a sizable addition to the city’s housing inventory together with equivalent initiatives proposed by Google and other builders which a pro-housing council has been swift to approve.

But inhabitants have been vocal given that the job was initially proposed about their considerations in excess of the sizable demographic adjust that portion of town will see about the future many a long time. At 777 Middlefield Road, the council in 2019 approved a 716-unit apartment intricate, and there are also tentative strategies for a likewise sized redevelopment at the Shenandoah Sq. web-site caddy corner to the AvalonBay undertaking.

Composing to the town in opposition to the task, Peter Bergsman of Mountain View said he owns a single of the condos across the avenue from the internet site and is involved Cypress Issue Drive will not be able to deal with targeted visitors from the job.

The project’s proposed parking garage entrance is on Cypress Place as a substitute of the additional closely trafficked Middlefield Road and Moffett Boulevard.

“Cypress Place is a little, slender, tranquil, neighborhood lifeless close road,” Bergsman reported. “It will be completely overcome by this project, allow on your own the several years of invasive building exercise.”

Daniel Shane, who also wrote the town, explained he’d like the council to take a stage back from approving what he called a “ill-conceived and flawed” enhancement. He reported the council should phase back from approving high-density tasks in medium-density neighborhoods as tens of millions of square ft of office area sit vacant across the area as a final result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Hundreds of people’s life would not be disrupted by the design banging noises, hefty devices backup alarms, disturbances these as targeted visitors detours, website traffic jams and site visitors safety concerns, dust and exhaust smoke air pollution for a straight five years,” Shane mentioned. “I know you would not want to live out your retirement times this way when it is completely not essential to sacrifice for the fantastic of the quite a few.”

But there’s also enthusiasm all-around the challenge. Pardis Beikzadeh, on behalf of the associates of Mountain Look at YIMBY, mentioned in a letter that they propose “hasty acceptance of this venture.”

Beikzadeh reported the organization likes the undertaking mainly because it will not displace the people now residing there and will add 329 new residences in location of surface area parking. She reported the new pedestrian and bike paths as very well as the place shut to transit will with any luck , “lead to a automobile-cost-free life style for inhabitants.”