I am dumfounded by and disappointed in the opponents to this project. If carried out, it will get people off the streets, away from the creeks, and out of their cars with the provision of services designed to help them turn their lives around. There are subsidized housing projects sprinkled throughout much of Mountain View, with no ill effects. In my neighborhood there is even a homeless shelter and breakfast program, yet our property values continue to rise. The proposed Crestview Hotel project is a cost-effective way to improve our community. Let's make sure that city officials know that we support it.

"Neighbors" had the exact same arguments when the Day Worker Center was moving from Rengstorff and California to the Trinity United Methodist Church downtown. The Day Workers moved out and an homeless shelter was added...and through all of that, the original fears turned out to be unfounded.

I have no doubt the hotel's conversion will be a great addition to Mountain View. Human rights for all.

For those strongly voicing opposition to this project, let me tell you an anecdote from a few years ago.
I was part of a pro-housing-RV-etc group a few years back, and we attended a city council meeting as a group in support of having empathy for people struggling with housing. There was the usual contingent of people opposing and giving arguments about potential increase in crime, lower safety, and just basically fear about the lowering of their standard of living.
What they failed to realize is that if they had only turned around, they would have come face to face many people that would be the users what was being proposed. Many of them were right there, behind them listening, and the opponents were talking about them.
I'm sure that last night, some of the people that could benefit from the hotel project were there listening. Hearing opponent after opponent refer to them as something they are absolutely not.
Yes, some of the questions about safety are important. But let's be more mindful that the extreme scenarios that are brought up are often rare. Let's be more mindful of how it can feel to be on the beneficiary side of these proposals and have people heavily imply that your would just lower their standard of living.

It is gratifying to hear that the Crestview purchase is being considered. The need for low cost housing is greater than ever. Many more such projects are needed and I believe that we should support this project. For the very low income people in our community few options are available and the pandemic threatens many more such families with the potential for homelessness. This is not intended to be a drug rehabilitation center, it is intended to provide low cost housing to our residents who need it, and there are many who could use this service. I encourage others to support this effort.

Kudos to the city (and county) for thinking creatively about ways to help house the homeless. Projects like this will be an asset to our community, making it better and stronger.

The city needs to be clear if this for Homeless or is this Affordable housing. Lack of clarity will reduce the credibility of this program

I live nearby, and I was getting this news only from yesterday, no one talked about me this event, nobody care my opinion even it could mostly affect me and our community's security. As a mother of a little daughter, I strongly disagree with this plan. Because there are so many day cares and preschools around, no mention Cherry Chase elementary school, a safety environment is the most important thing for them, how can you grab this from so many children. We Sunnyvale residents are also suffering a lot from this plan. Homeless needs to be take care of, so do we! We are hard working people who have been striving to pay higher and higher real estate tax, no mention higher and higher income tax. We have to face both financial and health threaten these year, and we don't have any support from any one except ourselves, cause many of us was new migration from other countries. We don't even can imagine who could help us to take care of our child if we were contaged. Besides, we don't even have enough security in this area, the criminal events increase dramatically recently, there has been more than three times the alert reminded us that there was a people with gun hiding nearby. A lot of time we were so afraid that we think we'd better to consider to buy a gun, even if it may not helpful at all.
Besides, this place is far from Mountain View main district and close to Sunnyvale, me and many of my neighbors don't think it's fit to be the shelter for homeless, they can't get enough concern and care from the city, and it would bring too many city management problem. So me and many neighbors strongly recommend the Mountain View city to choose a better place for them!

I attended the Outreach Meeting on Mar 30, 2021 06:00 PM. The city officials didn't clearly address Crestview hotel neighbors' concerns. Everything is uncertain, such as who will live in, it's a rental control unit or homeless shelter, the projected cost in 5 year or 10-year. One thing is clear, they won't do any drug test. The hotel is in MTV area, however, it's very close to Sunnyvale, especially cherry chase school, SCS and a few day care centers. It seems MTV city officials don't have a plan to reach out Sunnyvale neighbors regarding the project. Without a detailed/transparent plan, as a father of 3-year old daughter, I strongly oppose this project to be implemented in this dense populated and full of school zone.

I don't understand why housing for poor people is a threat to children.

Lenny, this isn't really about "children" or "drugs" or other recent rhetoric quoted from that meeting.

Here's what happened: In February, right after the transitional-housing conversion proposal first surfaced in a Council meeting, an avowed nearby homeowner launched a petition against it. He wrote in social-media posts: "Is anyone concerned about the value of their property with the [proposal] to acquire the Crestview Hotel (next door) for the homeless?" He asserted "This will result in a 10% devaluation of our homes, at least," but refused to substantiate that figure when asked. I'm informed he's had a nearby condo for sale, though he didn't disclose that current interest on his anti-project petition, nor his social-media posts I saw. Early comments on the anti-project petition decry lack of "proper discussion" and "clear plan," even though the petition was launched very early in the hotel-conversion concept, before waiting to learn such details, which (the City's own publications explained) were yet undefined.

Two weeks after that anti-project petition, another nearby resident began a competing petition, supporting the housing project: Web Link The Voice's Feb.-19 story portrayed "dueling petitions" although the second petition, supporting the project, was then new: a reaction to obstructionism organized by one condo owner. Since then, the pro-project petition has steadily had more signatories.

A related homeless-shelter project opened in our neighborhood a few years ago. Neighbors didn't judge that proposal until it was planned out and explained in community outreach. No "devaluation" of housing prices resulted; the program is well managed, with good community relations.

Anxiety stoked by one or a few homeowners, who do not yet know details, about hypothetical "valuation" risks not borne out in prior projects, is a poor basis for serious public policy.

Thank you very much Max! This is a typical real-estate "redlining" tactic. But instead of minority property buyers - it is directed against an economic minority (those too poor off to afford small but decent housing).

Misinformation on Cherry Chase School! This is a good indication that the speaker / or poster is just promulgating misinformation (from Sunnyvale). That Sunnyvale school is NOT IN THE MVWSD and is 0.7 walking miles away (15 minutes). No children will be walking past Crestview/El Camino going to Cherry Chase!

I strong oppose this plan for the following reasons.
1. Why choose such a high cost and high density area for the project? The location is highly sought area with high cost. After spending big money purchasing hotel, the city also needs spend quite bit money to innovate the building like adding kitchens etc.The maintenance cost will be high as well here. Does the city has enough budge to maintain this place without cutting money someone else? Why not find a less expensive area and spend money wisely?
The road in El Camino in MV sucks. Why can MV city spend money better?

2. The traffic is another big problem. The location is in El Camino between MV/SV border surrounded by a few apartments in both sides or El Camino. Also there are a few daycare and schools nearby. Has the city conducted traffic survey around area?
In the morning and afternoon peak hours, the local traffic is very bad already. Adding 80+homes nearby will make traffic terrible, especially for people take highway 85, 237 Expway, Central Exp go to work or schools.
The location of the project makes it not good investment here. City can find a better place less expensive and less traffic than this location.

This is a horrifyingly dumb idea. I'm all for empathy for the homeless, but they don't need to live in Mountain View! Honestly, how many such projects are there in Atherton? Look at any major city and tell me if you want to live in or near "the projects"? This is hippy feel good ideology run amok, and the city council members who voted for it should be ashamed of themselves.

I am so disappointed seeing people living far from this property are supporting this proposal. I understand the why - giving temporary housing to people living off the street, how wonderful it is. BUT, the voice from the neighborhood community has to be listened first because we, who lived in walking distance close to the property, are the most impacted.

MTV-SVL boarder has been a place accepting RV street parking for years, allowing hundreds of homeless people to at least having a shelter. I fully support being compassionate to homeless and our community has done our work. But this is a joint effort and not just tied to MTV-SVL boarder. For whom supporting this proposal, please be compassionate and find a spot in YOUR neighborhood to accept homeless.

As a resident with seniors and school-aged children at home, I am strongly against the idea of converting this Crestview Hotel to a homeless housing/shelter.
There are definitely security concerns!

This is what a man living in a hotel converted homeless shelter do to a poor 65 old woman most recently: Elliot was identified by residents as a local homeless person, and multiple Crime Stoppers tips directed police to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel serving as a homeless shelter on West 40th Street. Web Link

This kind of housing need to be farther away from the school because some kids walking to school with school opening next week.


"Elliot was identified by residents as a local homeless person, and multiple Crime Stoppers tips directed police to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel serving as a homeless shelter on West 40th Street."

I have to say that whoever is not impacted by this project really doesn’t have to show your PC here. We can say the same even with more fancy words. To illustrate: let’s build the housing in Castro downtown to show how sincere MTV’s compassion to the homeless and those freed from jails. Provide them different flavor food, offer a cup of coffee in the morning or even a cup of milk tea. Bookstores, trains besides buses, weekly concerts and shows. I see this a beautiful picture here! Do I feel proud to say “you should have a big heart to animals” to my neighbors after I put rats in their property?

I want to ask MV city, have you thought about SV residents in the neighborhood?
It is funny that the project has more impacted to nearby SV residents than MV residents, because 99% MV residents live across highway 85.
I am a SV resident who lives closer to the hotel than 99% of MV residents. I am very upset about of the fact that the city of MV does not even tell neighborhood like us who will be impacted by this project most.
I oppose the project due to my big concerns about the safety. They do not even do drug tests for those people. Who want the drug abuser lives nearby your home?

I can't imagine the people who have never lived nearby conclude that it's misinformation news from Sunnyvale. I have lived in this area for about six years. My children grew up from the preschool in the other side of this hotel. At the beginning, I can't drive, so I walk with my daughter to school everyday. from hotel side to preschool side. In the casual time, I would bring her to play around and had passed by this hotel countless times.
Before the pandemic time, you can see many Cherry Chase school students walk together on the street, without the accompany with adults. Anyone could walk from hotel to the street around Cherry Chase within 10 minutes, including homeless, it doesn't even need to walk across the el camino. The housekey that has been used by Mountain View city is surrounded by business area, and it was only open less than one year, any data about the impact of it is not solid, especially without any scientific survey design and analysis.

The irony is that if this remains a hotel (or is sold to a new owner), there are no background checks or oversight about who stays there. Pedophiles, drug addicts, and all the other boogeymen could have been staying at the hotel in the past (and even more likely at the Der Ghan Motel across the street), but nobody seems to mind that. People opposing this have lost sight that new residents are humans and there will probably be more care taken to vet these tenants than any other privately owned residence in the area. There is absolutely no indication that this will lead to more crime and danger, and I appreciated the 3/30 Zoom meeting, where the city and county representatives explained project details with transparency and calm in the face of some outrageous statements. Not every piece of minutiae will be known right now, but that doesn't stop all of the high-end developments from getting approved (which are arguably worse for our community. And by the way did you know rich people do drugs, too?). Please share your support with Council. I support this and I live on Crestview Dr.

I strongly oppose moving forward with the plan until MV city can provide a concrete multi year plan on how they are going to operate the site, and who will live in the hotel. The city should also conduct analysis on how the project will impact safety of the neighborhood and property values.

As a Sunnyvale resident living close to the hotel, I am extremely disappointed that MV city never reached out to our community and did not have answers to the important questions raised by our neighbors.

How can you say it's such a great idea if you don't even know what you are doing? How can
you claim it's safe if you don't even do any screens ? The old lady in New York was attacked by someone living in a hotel converted shelter. I definitely don't want someone like that living in my neighborhood. We have elderly living with us and my kid's daycare is right across the street from the hotel.

I am very concerned on how MV city seems to rush into decisions without proper research and planning. Helping unsheltered people is a long term thing and should not be rushed.

People living in households in the US that have an income level below the Federal poverty threshold have more than double the rates of violent victimization compared to individuals in high-income households. I think it is a valid concern about safety from Neiborhood.
Also I agree with previous post, why choose this location? It is very expensive location to start and continue.

The news shows Brandon Elliot living in Four Points by Sheraton Hotel serving as a homeless shelter on West 40th Street. Attacked a 65 asian women at 360 West 43rd Street in Midtown.

Web Link

I wonder how this old lady will feel if you tell her "There is absolutely no indication that this will lead to more crime and danger".

I believe that most of the concerns expressed are based on a misunderstanding of the nature of this project. This will be permanent housing for people who do not earn enough to afford the extremely high rents in this area. Because of the acute housing shortage and huge income gap between high earning tech workers and ordinary service workers, many people, not just people with disabilities and seniors on fixed incomes, need affordable housing developments to live in the region. Many people do not realize that an individual earning $78,550 a year or a family of three with $100,950 income qualifies for affordable housing in Santa Clara County because the cost of market rate housing is so extreme. An individual or family who gets an apartment in an affordable housing development will pay one-third of their income for rent - this is actually much lower than market rent. Many people who qualify for affordable housing are full-time employees in restaurants, grocery stores, day care centers and nursing homes. Without affordable housing developments, like the Crestview project, we could not retain these essential workers in our community. I encourage people who are fearful about this project to learn more about the other affordable housing developments that have been here for years. Mountain View now has 15 of these developments around the City - they are listed on the City's website. You have likely never been aware that these were affordable housing projects because there is nothing unusual about them - they are just like other apartment buildings.

I live south of 85 relatively close by, and I regularly shop & walk in the general area. For the people objecting to this project... you're aware that there are people living in RVs on the streets in that neighborhood today, right? Long term, we need affordable housing and per these very early plans this seems like a reasonable thing to pursue.

I was also involved in the NextDoor thread that was trying to drum up opposition to the project. After engaging with the poster, I found he didn't really want to listen to facts or evidence. (And he held some other non evidence based beliefs, as well.).

I'm for pursuing this project at this stage. If later stages come up with some new evidence that it'd be problematic I'd change my mind -- but based on past projects (mentioned above) that seems unlikely.

People need housing; people who have lower incomes need housing; and we can't really function as a community with only people with high incomes living here. Should there be a regional solution for these problems? Absolutely, and I'd support that too. In the meantime, we do what we can.

I oppose the plan because it is not a smart move. The hotel is located in a busy and very expensive area. It is going to be high cost to maintain. I think it is better to buy a place less crowded such as an existing apt than a hotel. I heard in the meetings it says because hotel owner wants to sell it to the city. It doesn’t sound a good reason to me. The hotel doesn’t have a lot of things like cooking place either. It will hold 80-100 families in such a small location near El Camino and major highways. Not a good movement.

Are people here really pointing to the fact that poor people are more often the victims of crimes as a reason to oppose housing them?

Are people here really using examples of individuals committing crimes as a reason to oppose housing people that share demographic characteristics with them?

Are the same people who supported banning people living in vehicles, under the explanation that they wanted to give them more dignity, now opposed to housing for poor people in Mountain View?

What a display.

When they were planning on building low income housing in Old Mountain View there was quite a lot of debate. Some were opposed to the entire idea. Some were OK with the idea as long as it was not near their house. I live pretty close and I was uneasy with it. But the project moved forward -- it looks very nice, I'm not aware of any problems and property values nearby continue to increase at a fast clip. My worries did not come to pass. So I'd encourage neighbors to work to improve the project in terms of aesthetics or which populations it caters to rather than oppose it merely due to location.

Drugs, crime, pedophilia? Declines in your precious property values? My guess is that those who are complaining the loudest have never even met someone who struggles with housing. All they see are those on the street who struggle with mental health issues. The majority of people who are housing insecure Have been unable to find stable, affordable housing for them and their families. We can and must do better, and this hotel conversion is a great first step.
Stop using scare tactics to obstruct this project.

As a Sunnyvale resident, I highly respect Mountain View city and the residents having the love and empathy to homeless society members.

That being said, I do hope the location could be in the heart of the Mountain View instead on the border (and near dense residential area, which has bad enough traffic now) of the Sunnyvale. Showing the love and empathy from your heart, not near other people's fences!

If Sunnyvale would follow such great effort of Mountain View and its kinds residents, I would request we find a place near our downtown, definitely not near the borders of Cupertino, Mountain View, Santa Clara, or Los Altos. Let's not be called hypercritical by our neighbors.

Turning the hotel into a homeless shelter in the residential area is a bad idea. Could Santa Clara County and Mountain View city provide all the details of the cost? Why not just buy some real estate with multiple housing units already? If the hotel has profit issue, lots of other real estate has the same issue as well. I doubted if Santa Clara County and Mountain View city spend our money in the smartest way.

I think this project is led by the county. It is quite confusing why the county would choose to invest on homeless housing at this expensive location. Everything is more expensive here, the land, the maintenance, the cost of living. Why not choose another location within the county that is much cheaper and better utilize the budget to build more housing for the people in need?
I don't think people here are necessarily objecting low-income housing in general. However, the question is that whether this location is a good location for low-income housing. I also don't think peoples concern about safety is ridiculous. Study does show that income inequality is related to crime rate (economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/06/07/the-stark-relationship-between-income-inequality-and-crime). Why don't we choose a location where the income inequality is less drastic and everything is cheaper. Isn't that the win-win situation for everyone?

We have a big surplus of hotels in Silicon Valley especially considering that all the experts agree that business travel is unlikely to ever return to pre-pandemic levels. Leisure travel will eventually bounce back but Silicon Valley is not a destination for leisure travelers. What is going to happen with all these hotels?

Converting these surplus hotels into a new generation of SRO (Single Room Occupancy) hotels for low-income residents is very sensible. It's already been occurring throughout the region and will accelerate as the new reality of business travel is accepted by hotel owners. The Fairmont in San Jose recently went bankrupt, and while the lienholders have a goal of finding another operator that can run a profitable hotel, this is unlikely and Fairmont should be converted to affordable SRO hotel housing as soon as possible.

Mountain View needs this affordable housing if we are to get people out of living in RVs and on the street. We continue to lose existing affordable apartments as property owners exit the rental housing business and build for-sale housing on their parcels (one unintended side effect of rent-control).

In total agreement with Tom Halstrom. Hospitality businesses (especially hotels) have been decimated by the 1+ year-long pandemic. I don't think business travel will come back to what it was anytime soon.... if ever. Converting hotels into very low income housing is one the most sensible land use and financial decision for the City and County to make.

Note that what is being proposed is not a shelter. Residents will stay in their new homes for months if not years; unlike with the current use, where hotel customers check in and check out on a daily basis.

Hotel customers are actually called transients for tax purposes (Transient Occupancy Tax) while converted hotel residents will be called neighbors. I welcome new neighbors in Mountain View.

I firmly oppose converting the Crestview into a homeless shelter
under the guise of affordable housing.

Multiple pre-school, school, after-school, senior facilities,
day care facilities and single family dwellings in the near
area have created a warm, comfortable and safe community
that will be shattered by the culture of people that will inhabit
the converted Crestview.

The results of spending $29M in property purchases, $3.7 on
renovations will be further increased by the additional funding
to cover the necessary police presence. A climate of fear will
replace this once friendly community as women will guard themselves
with pepper spray when walking their dogs, children will no longer
be permitted to freely play outside, package theft will inordinately
increase, bicycles and other left-out housing implements will
vanish due to theft.

It is clear the city officials can not or will not address the
many questions the Outreach meeting presented. What are
elected city officials hiding?

In short, our taxpayer monies will be used to destroy our
community. For whose benefit? The property developers?
The Crestview owners and his pals?

Please, somebody, follow the money!

@Emily Liu: It is unfortunate that you continue to spread the BLATANT LIE that SV students, going to a SV school (Cherry Chase) walk by this property within Mountain View. The walk distance is 0.7 miles. And unless the mythical children are running - the Google calculated walk time is "15 minutes" - HOGWASH! Cecil your "homeless shelter" is also HOGWASH.

- Which is sad, because you are right Emily about the preschool - which is near (down the long El Camino block - not "side" by side) the Crestview. (about 1,100 ft away). And you are right Cecil "affordable housing".

SV people - we in MV do and HAVE put/built/publicly funded similar low income housing [it is Not A Homeless Shelter!] in downtown near Castro and the train station.* SV residents and citizens - please attack the housing problem in your own City! Back OFF - please. We elected a socially progressive Council MAJORITY. I spent a thousand dollars out of my own pocket to help jump start the campaign of one! My money and my Vote is were my sentiments are. - They are aligned with Janet, Doris, john, and Mary and many many other MV residents. AND, with the MAJORITY of our MV elected Council.

*Franklin St Family Apartments 1, 2, 3 bedroom Below Market Rate (51 units, 2013, LEED Platinum, MV preference) gov. subsidized building and rent.

@Steven Nelson: You don't yell to other city's people to "back off" because they opposite the idea that you want to hijack their traffic for your own convenience. The world doesn't work like this. Don't use lame reason like you spent money on a campaign so you can get whatever you wanted and the campaign must be successful. The system doesn't work this way. Be respectful to people from other city people because they have been impacted by your ego and convenient setup, their benefit and right shall not be damaged by your $1000.