I applaud the city staff for taking this first step in evaluating the alternatives and seeking community feedback. The current pedestrian mall in the 100-300 blocks of Castro street has added vibrancy to the downtown and I'm concerned that the current plan is to go back to vehicular traffic after the first of the year or to limit plans to just the 100 block. If you'd like to ask the City Council to take bolder action and make the current temporary change into a permanent one, please sign my petition to the City Council by going to Web Link

Now to get the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan in the works for full attention on the area!

Great idea but totally excludes the disabled and elderly. This is our town too.

I see this as part of a new grand vision for the Historic Downtown Castro Street and eventual interconnection with the future transit center on south side of the tracks. Hopefully, this grand vision will eventually be extended to connect with Moffett Blvd and it’s in-proximity to the Willowgate and Whisman neighborhoods. But a Feasibility Study and Precise Plan for Moffett Blvd Area needs to begin now before private developers and corporations screw up the ultimate plans for this area by building developments in a piecemeal manner with no careful and comprehensive urban planning to realize a grand vision. What a great opportunity to realize a vision of a people-centric community with greenery, trees, beautiful landscape, water fountains, restaurants, theaters and other entertainment, helpful services. It can be integrated into the natural environment and preserve our historical past and native plant species and wildlife. It would be a shame to pass up this single opportunity. Developing housing projects with little consideration for the cumulative impacts of dozens such projects is the recipe for failure in efforts to improve the livability and quality of life in Downtown and Mountain View neighborhoods. Currently, developers are guiding our growth. Advocacy groups are working hard on behalf of the people of our city. I implore the leaders of these groups and elected officials to make improvements by fine-tuning urban planning tools, instruments, and practices including the use of General Plans, Precise Plans, and Zoning Ordinances. Make this one of your primary goals and objectives. With respect and appreciation for all you do as volunteers. Thanks! As Admiral Dolittle said on the runway of the Hornet, a WWII Aircraft Carrier, there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. With it beats the spirit of service, generosity and compassion... and the health and the wellbeing of the community, country and our world. Thanks for your service.

A great idea! Right now the downtown needs to be spruced up. It is looking shabby and needs design standards for the outdoor areas. Other local cities have done a nicer job. Consider some communal lawn areas like City Hall Plaza. With a few exceptions most of the buildings are not of historic significance and could be redeveloped in a tasteful way with housing overhead. The Global Beads area could be converted into a Marketplace, similar to Oxbow Market in Napa, the Ferry Building Marketplace and the smaller recently opened State Street Marketplace in Los Altos.

I support 100% making Castro a pedestrian mall. But let's make sure we keep the current setup that we've all come to enjoy WHILE doing all these studies. Please consider signing this petition: Web Link

@Gretchen, all three of the upper blocks of Castro have back alleys on both sides (refer to your online map of choice). People who can't walk half a block can be dropped off in the back alley.

>Polling at the open house -- done via blue stickers on poster boards -- showed attendees >overwhelmingly favored the third option...

Haha, those blue stickers on the board are a performative move that the City Council will now summarily ignore. I was at the meeting where they asked the audience whether to allow cannabis dispensaries in Mountain View and the Yes column was overwhelmingly popular. The result? They ignored it and did what they wanted. 25 years after MV residents first voted to allow cannabis (by an OVERWHELMING margin) it's still unavailable in the city.

Open houses, City Council meetings, all of it is a veneer of democracy. They will do whatever the developer money tells them to do. They know who they serve.

It's sad, because downtown Mountain View could be an awesome place for the community to gather. Small local merchants like the pet store, the used book store and other now-gone mainstays should be protected, rather than priced out. Instead it will be designed to benefit those with the deepest pockets...as always.