November 18, 2003

Re:  Redevelopment of the Mayfield site opposite San Antonio Caltrain Station, City of Mountain View

Greetings, Mayor Kasperzak and Mountain View City Council members:

We recently learned that the council is considering whether to rezone the Mayfield site across from the San Antonio Caltrain station to allow for an improved infill housing opportunity.   While we have not taken a position regarding the site, the site appears to present an ideal opportunity to showcase “smart reuse” of an industrial site adjacent to a commuter rail station.  Therefore, we ask that we be kept informed of all public meetings on this project.

As you are aware, land-use decisions have a tremendous impact on community and environmental quality.  Transit-oriented infill, preferably mixed-use with residential serving commercial, provides an essential strategy for reducing sprawl and creating rich pedestrian-friendly communities.   The jobs/housing imbalance throughout the peninsula generates tremendous pressure for poor development in distant areas such as Morgan Hill and Dublin.  This in turn generates automobile traffic with its concurrent air and water quality degradation.   These pressures create a vicious circle with increased pressure for automobile infrastructure.  By one recent study, fifty percent of the land in San Jose is allocated to automobiles in roads and parking.  Furthermore, recent EPA studies have shown that good infill can reduce traffic by putting housing near jobs.

While “smart growth” at times engenders some community resistance, we believe that engaging the community can yield an understanding of the importance and benefits of this direction.  These issues are ones the Council is very familiar with.  The facts speak for themselves. Mountain View is arguably the “city that knows how” when it comes to smart growth on the San Francisco peninsula. 

We look forward to monitoring you planning progress on the Mayfield site, and hope to participate to the extent our membership allows.

Please direct all meeting material on the site to:

Ms. Melissa Hippard

Conservation Representative

Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter Office
3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204
Palo Alto, CA 94303

Tel: (650) 390-8411
Fax: (650) 390-8497

Thank you for including the Sierra Club in your outreach on this very important site.

Sincerely,

Irvin Dawid

Sustainable Land Use committee/Interim Chair