Here is the information from the city and my comments to them below.
Request for a Planned Community Permit for a new Master Plan for the North of California Street Master Plan area; a Planned Community Permit and Development Review Permit to construct a 1.85 FAR mixed-use development consisting of 632 residential units and up to 20,000 square feet of commercial space with below-grade parking to replace an existing 70,000 square foot office building and 53,000 square feet of existing retail, a Provisional Use Permit for rooftop amenities above the third floor, a Heritage Tree Removal Permit to remove 78 Heritage Trees and a Lot Line Adjustment to merge two lots into a single lot on an 8.63 acre project site; and a determination that an Initial Study of Environmental Significance has been prepared pursuant to Section 15168 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project is located on the north side of California Street between San Antonio Road and Pacchetti Way in the P-40 (San Antonio) Precise Plan.
If you have comments or questions about this project, please contact the project planner, Mariya Hodge at (650) 903-6306 or at mariya.hodge@mountainview.gov
I am writing to advocate for the defense of the 78 heritage trees marked for destruction. Having spent many years in the area I find the trees add a real atmosphere to the area that is rapidly changing and growing. As we construct, change, and accommodate our growing population, it is important that we do not lose the “heritage” of these trees. The reality being, once these trees are removed, they are gone; trees take decades to grow to this size, and the heritage is lost - for what, for the trees to be cut down again for convenience or financial gain in the future? Growth is inevitable, but intelligent growth is what will sustain us as a community; it will define how our environment looks and feels. Simply cutting, paving and building is a model that rewards a small group and penalizes everyone else. It is a cost our community cannot afford.
Please reduce the number of trees cut. Many of them are on the outer borders of the property. They can be spared!
If you grant this permit for removal, please at least prohibit any change from happening until the buildings are ready to be razed. Destroying these trees prematurely would significantly impact the quality of the environment where I do business.
Mountain View Sole Proprietor
