Dear Mayor Inks and City Council members:

The Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning, a group of Mountain View residents that is not affiliated with any other organization, would like to comment on Question 4, one of the issues that Staff is asking Council's opinion on.

This concerns a letter that Michael Grehl of Merlone Geier Partners wrote to Peter Gilli on October 23, suggesting that Staff might want to consider processing the requested entitlements for Phase II as a P District rather than as an amendment to the San Antonio Center Precise Plan.

The staff report for this item, pages 26‐27, states that

"The primary difference between the two approaches is the potential scope of the P(9) Precise Plan Amendment could include discussion of land in the shopping center outside of MGP's control. Staff has expected the P(9) Precise Plan Amendment would only consider the MGP Phase II property, but the P District approach makes this more formal and clear."

We have been wondering about the motivation for Mr. Grehl's letter, since requests like this are not usually for the sole purpose of accommodating Staff. Before Council comments on Question 4, we hope that they will verify that in a P District scenario, the following would still occur:

1. Application of mandates for this development related to the in‐progress new San Antonio Precise Plan (SAPP), covering the entire San Antonio Change Area. Staff and Council have previously indicated that the new SAPP standards will be required.

2. Resolution of any problems that the proposed project will cause for people living, working, doing business, or travelling in the entire area, not just on the land that MGP controls; and especially those problems related to contiguous properties. Staff has said that this geographic "scope" issue is the most significant difference between the two types of zoning. What are the likely specific impacts on life in Mountain View if a P District process is selected?

We would also like to commend Staff highly for the excellent suggestions in this report for improving design of the project. We hope to see, among other things, additional mobility improvements (including full mode separation for everyone walking, biking, or driving within the project), and other design changes that will make it a more pleasant place to be in.

The Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning (MVCSP) would like to express support for an initiative established by the Mountain View High School Environmental Club, under the direction of club president Ray Uyeda, to establish new bicycle lanes adjacent to the school on Truman and Bryant Streets. Truman and Bryant are the primary streets for accessing the school, but there are no bike lanes. And, currently, one bike lane exists on Bryant between Grant Road and Truman. We believe that the appropriate review process should include the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), the Council Transportation Committee (CTC), and the City Council. We also encourage councilmembers and staff to assist the students and the school as they explore options for adding the lanes requested through the initiative (for example, regarding funding through the Transportation Development ACT (TDA), Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Safe Routes to School, or with assistance from local businesses, such as Google.

We believe that this is an important initiative not only because it increases the number of bicycle lanes in the city, but also because the lanes will improve safety for students bicycling to and from school. It should be noted that, while bicycling numbers are on the rise among MVHS students, participation during the recent Carbon Free Commute Day (CFCC) could indicate dissatisfaction with the biking experience around campus as student enter their later years of high school.

Further, because improving bicycle and pedestrian mobility in Mountain View is one of three top priorities for City Council this fiscal year, the time is right to move the initiative forward.

Finally, we believe that supporting projects undertaken by students encourages youth participation in civic activities; essential, given that the youth represent the future of our community.

In the words of Ray's MVHS group: "People under 20 are more likely to use alternative transportation - Let's help them to find a better way to travel short distances."