The Loma Prietan
January/February 2005
Protecting the environment, supporting development: The Mayfield Mall
Last year, Dr. Juan Onésimo Sandoval
and Dr. John Landis did a study on infillable
capacity Bay Area wide. The goal of
the study was to get a more realistic read on
whether there is enough land to meet the
need for housing. The study concluded
that we have some painful choices, namely
a choice between horrible sprawl or sprawl
that is not as horrible. The study states:
"If current trends continue, most new
development will occur on previously
undeveloped greenfield sites at the urban
fringe. This will put substantial pressure
on the region's natural environment and
open space lands particularly in Alameda,
Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties.
One way to preserve open space and sensitive
environmental lands is to accommodate
more growth as infill."
For environmentalists, the choice is
clear. It is better to sprawl less than more.
And in order to prevent the growing subdivision
blob from gobbling up all our
valuable agricultural lands and open
spaces, we must, as environmentalists,
support infill development.
That is exactly what the Sierra Club is
doing at the Mayfield Mall site in Mountain
View, a site that is currently up for redevelopment
by the owner, Hewlett Packard. At
stake is a 27 acre parcel near San Antonio
and Central Expressway. The site houses an
office building surrounded by surface parking.
Of incredible significance is that the site
is adjacent to a Caltrain Station.
Although we may not like it, between
2000 and 2010, planners project that
Santa Clara will have grown by approximately
200,000 additional people. That's
roughly 3 more Mountain Views or 4
more Cupertinos or 5 more Campbells.
Additionally, only 22% of households can
afford a median priced home. When coupled
with the study referenced above, the
Loma Prieta Chapter concludes that sites
such as Mayfield must be redeveloped
with lots of homes. And, given that people
who live near transit much more likely to
ride transit when compared with folks
who don't live near transit, this site presents
an incredible opportunity to build a
community in which people can ditch
their automobile–a commodity we all
know is incredibly damaging to the ecosystem–
in favor of the train.
It is important to note, the surrounding
neighborhood in Mountain View is not
keen on the idea of high density housing.
This is why the Club encourages a
thoughtful and solutions-oriented dialogue
between the city, the developer, the neighborhood,
and key stakeholders, such as the
Sierra Club. In this way, new development
will respect the existing neighborhood
while ensuring that the rest of California
and the nation's beautiful landscapes are
not transformed into one big subdivision.
For more information on the Mayfield
Mall redevelopment or the Chapter's letter
visit:
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/slu/documents.html. And, we welcome
involvement from Chapter members!