MOUNTAIN VIEW — Google has filed a new set of proposals for two new neighborhoods in northern Mountain View, an ambitious endeavor that would create thousands of new homes — and represent the largest residential project in that city’s history.
Two new neighborhoods of houses, office buildings, shops, restaurants, open spaces, and public areas would sprout north of U.S. Highway 101 in Mountain View, according to Google’s preliminary master plan proposal for North Bayshore that the tech titan has submitted to city officials.
“The big changes in our latest proposal are in the residential program,” said Michael Tymoff, Google’s development director for Mountain View.
Google envisions as many as 7,000 residential units in north Mountain View in its new preliminary proposal. That would be a jump from the 5,760 homes that the search giant had eyed when it shared a prior set of plans with city officials in 2019.
“With the 7,000 homes that we would deliver, that would be the largest residential project in Mountain View’s history, and the second-largest residential project in the Bay Area,” Tymoff said.
A development of 8,000 homes on Treasure Island next to the Bay Bridge is the region’s largest, according to Tymoff.
“We see this as an opportunity to deliver on our housing commitment to building 15,000 homes on our own land,” Tymoff said. “North Bayshore will go a long way to contribute to that goal. The 1,400 affordable homes would more than double the number of affordable homes that exist in Mountain View today.”
Among the major components of Google’s revised preliminary plans:
— Up to 7,000 new homes. An estimated 20%, or 1,400 homes, would be affordable. The prior plan envisioned 5,760 homes of which 1,150 would have been affordable.
— 3.1 million square feet of office space. About 1.8 million square feet of that would replace existing offices that would be bulldozed. Another 1.3 million square feet would be new office spaces. The amount of office space would be about the same as the prior plan.
–20,000 square feet of community uses. Nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would occupy these spaces.
–265,000 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces. The prior plan suggested the development of 200,000 to 300,000 square feet. A grocery store is expected to be part of the development.
“The retail program is meant to provide day-to-day goods and services that people will need with the goal of minimizing vehicle trips and reducing the necessity for people to get in their cars to go to a grocery store outside of North Bayshore,” Tymoff said.
Australia-based developer and general contractor Lendlease will design, develop, and deliver the residential units and the retail buildings. Google would be responsible for the office development.
“We look forward to delivering a thoughtfully designed, mixed-use community, including much-needed new residences and abundant greenscape, benefitting anyone who chooses North Bayshore as their home or destination,” said Andrew Chappell, Lendlease head of development Mountain View and Sunnyvale.
Shorebird and Joaquin are the names of the new neighborhoods that Google is developing on roughly 122 acres.
The development areas are located just north of the interchange of Highway 101 and Shoreline Boulevard. The property sites involved are on both sides of Shoreline Boulevard and extend north to Charleston Road.
Mountain View-based Google, whose headquarters are located a short distance from the proposed neighborhoods, hopes to obtain a final environmental review and city approval by sometime in the first quarter of 2022. After that, construction could begin about a year later.
“Our proposal responds to the objectives and aspirations that the city has laid out for North Bayshore,” Tymoff said. “We see this as a great partnership with the city.”
The creation of the new neighborhoods could also benefit communities in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area generally as the economic effects from the coronavirus continue to be felt.
“As we continue to grow in the Bay Area, in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose, we are really deeply committed to helping our communities to recover from the pandemic,” Tymoff said.
Ultimately, Google’s goal is to place homes of all kinds, including affordable residences, near Silicon Valley’s tech hubs.
“From a sustainability perspective, it gives people a chance to live closer to where they work,” Tymoff said. “This kind of development can have an overall positive impact on people’s health and well-being.”
