QUESTIONS: Offices vs Restaurants and Shops? Historical Castro Street Buildings: Protections or Not?
Hello Mountain View Supporters:
We need help as the City of MV is considering how to to treat our history downtown. Read below for a quick review of what is happening and how you can help.
PLEASE Step NOW Up For OUR Downtown to answer these questions:
Offices vs Restaurants and Shops?
Historical Castro Street Buildings: Protections or Not?
This Tues. June 8 at 5:00PM our City Council will decide on issues that will be the turning point for the future of our historic downtown: will we protect and enhance our irreplaceable buildings and ensure the existence of the restaurants and retail that make Castro Street a lively, safe and unique public space for residents and visitors OR will they allow first floor offices that will take over the restaurants and shops and leave us with darkened windows, closed doors such that Castro will become an office park next to the train station?
The city staff report acknowledges “offices generally generate the highest rent of any of the uses…. If they are allowed to do so, property owners would likely avoid marketing their spaces to other uses in favor of office tenants.”
Ground floor uses must be PUBLIC uses: those to which the public has access during both day and evening business hours. Requiring ground floor PUBLIC uses is the only way to retain our Historic Retail district’s vibrant core.
Tuesday is the Council needs to move forward with protection of our historic buildings (currently there is none), creative programs which assist owners in the maintenance of their buildings and to disallow offices on the first floor of downtown buildings.
If you would like to see Castro Street preserved as a lively restaurant and retail district (no offices on the first floor!) and our historic downtown protected, please write a short letter to our Council members (addresses below) not later than Tuesday at 4pm. If you wish to speak at the (remote) Council meeting see instructions and links below.
Thank you, Mary Hodder, Robert Cox, Louise Katz and the rest of the Livable Mountain View Steering Committee
TO WRITE TO COUNCIL:
Copy these addresses into the to: line for email:
city.council@mountainview.gov, ellen.kamei@mountainview.gov, lucas.ramirez@mountainview.gov, margaret.abe-koga@mountainview.gov, Alison.hicks@mountainview.gov, sally.lieber@mountainview.gov, lisa.matichak@mountainview.gov, Pat.Showalter@mountainview.gov
and cc: city.mrg@mountainview.gov
Subject: Historical Castro Street Protections
(Sample letter: please modify as you see fit and add if have information to share with Council)
Dear Council:
The city staff report on Historic Protections acknowledges “offices generally generate the highest rent of any of the uses…. If they are allowed to do so, property owners would likely avoid marketing their spaces to other uses in favor of office tenants.”
Ground floor uses must be PUBLIC uses: I would like you to protect public access to retail spaces during both day and evening business hours. Requiring ground floor PUBLIC uses is the only way to retain our Historic Retail district’s vibrant core.
As the Council moves forward with protecting our historic buildings (currently there is no protection), we need creative programs which assist owners in the maintenance of their buildings and to disallow offices on the first floor of downtown buildings.
I want us to preserve Castro Street as a lively restaurant and retail district (no offices on the first floor!) with our historic downtown protected. It’s what makes Mountain View unique and wonderful to live, work and play.
Thank you, {{Your Name}}
{{Your association with MV as “resident”, someone who works here or as a visitor}}
In association with: Livable Mountain View Steering Committee
TO ATTEND THE COUNCIL MEETING on ZOOM, 5PM TUESDAY:
Register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://mountainview.gov/cc_speakers.
You will be asked to enter an email address and a name. Your email address will not be disclosed to the public. After registering, you will receive an email with instructions on how to connect to the meeting. When the Mayor announces the item on which you wish to speak, click the “raise hand” feature in Zoom. Speakers will be notified of their turn shortly before they are called on to speak.
To attend by phone: Dial: (669) 900-9128 and enter Webinar ID: 963 1484 9204. When the Mayor announces the item you wish to speak about, dial *9. Phone participants will be called on by the last two digits of their phone number. When the Mayor calls your name to provide public comment, if you are participating via phone, please press *6 to unmute yourself.
For instructions on using the “raise hand” feature in Zoom, visit https://mountainview.gov/raise_hand.
When called to speak, please limit your comments to the time allotted (up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor).
AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
