This time, hopefully the council can come to an arrangement with actual contractual guarantees around ground-floor retail space use, so this project doesn't turn into an isolated, industrial disaster like the one next door.

A huge step to preserving our historical heritage. Thank you Council member John McAlister.

Change is bad

@ ken M - change is not 'bad'. I believe we would do best to temper the huge amount of change going on in MV with an equal amount of respect for what went before and how we can hold on to our older buildings - our architectural history and heritage.

Thank you City Council for thinking of historic preservation! Once gone, those structures and the heritage and charm of the neighborhood would be gone forever. Future generations will be grateful.

My father put his soul into making Chez TJ thrive. Thank you for saving a little piece of Chef Thomas J McCombie.

Bravo, Councilwomen Abe-Koga and Matichack, Mayor Rosenberg, and now Councilman McAlister for the vision and courage you're demonstrating in support of Downtown Mountain View's character, historic resources and continued vitality!

Although I am sensitive to preserving historical sites, putting myself in the property owners situation, I have a deeper concern with dictating how a property owner chooses to use or develop his land. Was this site designated as historical when the current owner purchased it? Does this mean the owner of the restaurant is compelled to continue the operation as a restaurant. I would love to hear how some of our fellow residents that support this reversal would feel if this were their property. I'd be furious...

So fabulous to hear. Thank you Council Women Abe-Koga and Matichack, Mayor Rosenberg, and now Councilman McAlister for supporting that which makes downtown the special place that it is.

Thank you, Councilman McAlester for your consideration and revising your vote in favor and support of the preservation of the unique historic character of our Downtown! I applaud your vision and brave demonstration of your support.

I am ecstatic reading about this decision! I hope that this means that the buildings will indeed be maintained in their current form and hope fully in their current uses; or at the very least, NOT converted to office space.

I too want to personally thank Council members Abe-Koga, Matichak, McAlister and Mayor Rosenberg for their consideration of the concerns of the community, as well as the historic significance of these unique structures.

I think the community has shown that it is overwhelmingly ready to support the use of these buildings as retail and/or restaurant facilities and I have no doubts whatsoever that should the Council restrict the project to those uses, there will be absolutely no problem finding businesses willing to take advantage of these fantastic locations.

Thanks again to the Council members who are supporting our community, and thank you to all of my neighbors and others who came to speak out and act in defense of Historic Old Mountain View!


Jim Neal
Old Mountain View

It may come as a complete, earth shattering surprise to some, but the use of private real estate is indeed very much "controlled" by zoning (and other) statutes.---So grow up, kiddies.

There were so many problems with this development.
A BIG THANK YOU!

Back to the drawing board. Preserve the buildings. This land should be beneficial for the community. Anything that adds to traffic is not an option.

I'd like to see the city start buying up some of these available lands for public use, parks, preservation, etc. See Golden Gate Park as a model for growth. The city and industry has grown drastically. Unfortunately, open space has not. Time to balance things out.

"I am ecstatic reading about this decision!"

Me too! Finally City Council members are showing that they actually care about our city. Big thank you to Mayor Rosenberg, council members Matichak and Abe-Koga for supporting our city's character all along, and a special thanks to council member McAlister for having the courage of taking the unusual step of changing your mind and your position.

Sometimes you must go against the grain at any cost. Thank you for doing just that
President Trump also goes against the grain, but what is most important is that in your heart you feel it is the best for everyone and the good of the city.

Well Done John.
Great of you to show guts to care for history.
With these structures gone a part of Mountain View woyuld have died along with it.
Thanks for an early Christmas present to the city and the future. Merry Christmas.

I am SO glad that there are still people of courage, integrity and a sense of their own history left in charge in this world. I believe their children and grandchildren will be very appreciative of their courageous stance against the "modernization bullies" of this world. History will come down on the side of those who do the right thing. Thank you.

@Bravo, unfortunately, their children and grandchildren will be unable to live here unless they inherit a house.

Thank you John McAlister! Let's preserve what makes downtown charming and vital. And it certainly isn't high density office developments shoe-horned into tiny lots.

First intelligent thing I have heard about downtown Mountain View in ages. Tear down more and more historical buildings to build offices? -- go build your office buildings somewhere else. If the owners of the restaurants do not want to continue, retire and sell the businesses to someone else. Does Mountain View really want to be known as a series of office buildings? It seems to be going in that direction.

Wonderful news! I thought when i read about this the other day how sad that Mountain View is changing for the worse. But this is great news thank you Mr. McAlister!
Now if we can get affordable housing so our kids can leave here, too. That would also be wonderful news!

Owning a business can be a two part enterprise. Sometimes the business owner gets the chance to buy the property that they have been renting due to changes with the landlord. Now the business owner becomes the landlord. The business owner will fix the roof and pay the mortgage.
But they also continue making pancakes or repairing shoes or scooping ice cream or selling insurance or repairing cars. The business goes on and the anxiety of rent increases and relocation fears go away ... until; it is time to retire.
The business may have seen better days, the plumbing in the building might require major repairs that the City may not permit, the rest of the street has turned into looming ugly buildings that the City has previously allowed which has increased the value of the business owners land.
The landlord isn't getting younger. He is ready to move on. The business which served the community and fed the business owner's family has gotten too hard to operate. The children were educated and took their own career paths, leaving nobody to follow the owner in the business. Income for the business may have plummeted. Renovations needed for building repairs require a bank loan that no longer can be obtained because of the age of the owner.
Should retirement wait after years of serving the community by the business owner who had the good fortune of buying their own property? Ultimately, the economic value of the business owner's life was not in the business, but in the property which the business nurtured.

The proposal wasn't to tear down the Weilheimer house (Chez TJ), it was to move it down the street so it could be preserved. Meanwhile, there is a toxic plume nearby that needs excavation. This was also part of the project. The proposed building met the precise plan, and the developer would have paid to move and save the house while constructing a new business with first floor retail. It seemed a good arrangement, and I'm disappointed that will not happen. I not sure why John changed his mind and I hope the parties can come up with a suitable way to move forward.

I am delighted that there may be a possibility to keep Chez TJ and Tied House.

I dislike the idea of bringing more tech businesses into the downtown, however,if you must bring them, tear down that eyesore vacant restaurant next to Ava's.

@Steve Actually the toxins at 954 / Tied don't need to move. The state reports say the situation is "stable" and the building is perfectly fine to use with a ventilation system in place now. Mountain View is full of sites with toxins underground, and while it's great to clean up, not at the expense of historic treasures if the situation is stable.

@property tax payer and ALL: Ken M is a famous troll. I've never been on a non-redit thread and seen his work in a setting like this. It's a proud moment with a Mountain View zoning issue gets trolled by Ken M.

Web Link

Great news, I always wondered why we could not preserve our history. East coast cities have lots of restrictions for their historic buildings and the building owners live with those just fine. Yes you need to replace utilities and upgrade the interior, that's the case with all buildings.

About time something good happens in this town. Please keep Chez TJ. I would like to see Monte Carlo close up though.

The People's Socialist Republic of Mountain View is in full regalia. No one is free to live their life without getting permission. You shall continue sucking on the teat of government. You shall not want. You shall not have. You must whine and pander over insignificant, ugly, and poorly executed buildings. Change will be outlawed, and poverty embraced. We can become the next Oakland and East Palo Alto!

Congratulations on browbeating the McAlister into compliance. I expect this Marxist zealotry from my disciple the Abe-Koga, but the McAlister? Good work comrade.

All means of production and wealth creation must be limited, controlled, and regulated. Free will must be abolished.

Dialecticly yours,

Ilyich

This building is not historic. It is old. There is a difference.

People do not seek this building out for any historical reason.

My God while people are living in RVs and moving to Stockton or enduring 2 hour commutes to work in Mountain View (many of them teachers who contribute to your housing prices being so overinflated due to top schools), you'd think we could build some HOUSING there instead of more damn offices. What does our community NEED?!

These buildings are old, but otherwise historically meaningless. They should be demolished and replaced with new buildings that will generate more tax revenue for the City.

Old does not mean historic.

@Bill:
You may want to check the source of your information. By Mountain View standards, the Weilheimer House isn't the least bit "historically meaningless," considering the family that built it in the 19th Century and the dignitaries (relatively speaking) who've lived there. On top of that, it's one of the best examples for miles around of intact, well-maintained Victorian-era buildings.

Even if that weren't the case, don't you think that the visual and architectural relief the Weilheimer House provides Villa St. -- in contrast to the large, cold, square-ish boxes that office buildings impose on streetscapes -- give our downtown a distinct appeal, which draws visitors who patronize downtown business, which, yes, generate tax revenue for the city?

It's time we look at the big picture -- instead of big buildings!