Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning has won the Local Champions Award as part of the Santa Clara County Housing Action Coalition's 20th Anniversary Celebration. The award goes to an organization that has made a positive difference in the community and exemplifies excellence in grassroots organizing.  In this connection, you are invited to attend a free reception at Madera Apartments in Mountain View on Thursday June 13th at 5:30 p.m.

At the April 2nd City Council Study Session, they will be discussing the Item 4.2 - 100 Moffett Boulevard Residential Development Project (Item 4.2, see http://laserfiche.mountainview.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?startid=35382&&dbid=0 and Calendar for more details. Individual CSP members (not speaking for CSP as a whole, however), might refer to our letter to the City on this project, which you can see below for details we believe Council should consider during their deliberations.

On January 16, the EPC voted unanimously to recommend to Council that two
El Camino Real apartment development proposals they were reviewing, at
1720-1730 and 865-881, be required to provide (VTA bus) EcoPasses for all
residents, for the life of the project.  This is a major embellishment of
the standard TDM requirement.  They also recommended unanimously that
Council direct Staff to negotiate with the developers to provide BMR units
instead of housing impact fees.

The next Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) Housing Action Coalition (HAC) meeting features a developer discussing how he finances mixed-use developments. Could be very interesting for CSP members, as financing relates to parking, affordable homes, etc.

For more details, see "SVLG/HAC: Coping with Rejection in Development Finance" in the Calendar under December 11th at 11am.

The members of the Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning are very excited to host a panel of special guests at our upcoming meeting to discuss the link between sustainability and housing affordability. Anyone who is interested in learning about how these two dynamic topics interact and complement one another is welcome to join us:

Thursday, June 9
6 - 8:30 p.m.
Vox Design Group's offices, 421 Castro Street, Mountain View
Food will not be served though you are welcome to bring your own snacks or dinner.
This meeting is (as always) free to attend but because we are expecting more guests than usual, we ask that you please register if you would like to come.

Our discussion will be led by the following guests:

Jeff Oberdorfer

Jeff Oberdorfer is the Executive Director of First Community Housing, a non-profit affordable housing developer in San Jose. Jeff Oberdorfer AIA, CDS has pioneered in the arena of "Green," sustainable, multi-family housing for working individuals and families in the greater Bay Area. First Community Housing coordinates all financing, entitlements and award winning design on their mixed use developments. Jeff is a LEED Certified Professional. Jeff will be talking to us about the link between smart growth and affordable housing and why affordable housing developments are often at the cutting edge of green design. Jeff will also show us some examples of the stellar projects that First Communities Housing has developed here in the Silicon Valley.

Mike Kasperzak

Mike Kasperzak is currently serving as the Vice Mayor of the CIty of Mountain View. In his three terms on the City Council, Mike has championed the creation of more affordable homes in Mountain View. Mike was a leading proponent of the City's Below Market Rate housing program, the Housing Impact Fee, and the efficiency studio apartment project at San Antonio Place. In addition to talking about local affordable housing issues, Mike will draw upon his role with the League of California Cities to share insight on the regional and state trends affecting affordable housing creation.

Advocates for Affordable Housing and
the League of Women Voters

 We'll also be joined by some of the members of the Advocates for Affordable Housing and the League of Women Voters. These long-time resident activists have a deep knowledge of the history and current conditions of affordable housing advocacy in Mountain View.

We hope to see you next Thursday!