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OMVNA Newsletter May, 1999 Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes Susan Migliore Appointed to Visual Arts Committee The Old Mountain View Neighborhood is bordered by El Camino Real, Shoreline Boulevard, Evelyn Avenue, and Highway 85. The Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association consists of residents interested in preserving the quality of life in our neighborhood. Together we can make a difference -- join us! by Julie Lovins In this issue, I’ll cover recent Downtown Committee activities and other items of interest. The Parking Subcommittee is now holding regular meetings. It is interesting to contemplate the wins that have occurred in the war against parking shortages downtown -- almost 100 new spaces derived just from reconfiguring lots, for example -- as well as to face the imbalances brought about by the commercial success of Downtown changes over the past 10 years. Watch this spot! In early April, a review of guidelines for sidewalk cafes came to the fore. The results, which have now come before the City Council, should make Castro Street more attractive for everyone, diners and passers-by alike. Also in April, forewarning that The Cube is on its way out, and something much more inviting on the way in, near Castro and Evelyn. We reviewed conceptual plans for redevelopment of this area, just west of the new Transit Center. More concrete proposals will now be developed. They should include amenities for travelers and a nice plaza. It's a very exciting opportunity to make this corner a destination, as well as the northern gateway to Downtown. There is now a picture posted of the three-story building under construction on the northwest corner of California and Castro. It will have retail on the first floor, office space above that. Last but not least, the Sunday Farmer's Market people are proposing to have a similar, but smaller, market on Wednesday afternoons, at another Downtown location. They have miraculously found a site that will not cause traffic or parking problems, or bother residents. The application is now under review by City staff, before heading for Council consideration. Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes by Tim Johnson April was Earthquake Preparedness Month. It's important to remember that a strong earthquake, like the one that struck the Bay Area 10 years ago, can disrupt transportation, communications, electric power, water and sewer, and fuel transmission facilities -- the lifelines of modern American society. While regional planning is necessary to address some of these issues, neighborhood and individual preparedness is the most efficient and reliable way to prepare for and respond to such a major disaster. According to the American Red Cross, the first tier of preparedness is individual preparation. The following are the American Red Cross' Guidelines on Preparing a Home Earthquake Plan:
For more info, please see the Red Cross web page at http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/earth.html Susan Migliore Appointed to Visual Arts Committee by Len Migliore OMV resident Susan Migliore has just joined Mountain View's Visual Arts Committee. The Committee is responsible for the city's permanent art collection and acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council on acquisitions. It also selects and mounts temporary art shows in various city buildings, such as the exhibits in the Performing Arts Center, the lobby and the 4th floor gallery at City Hall. Susan is an artist who works in traditional and electronic media. She has worked in both the commercial and fine arts fields. Currently she also enjoys teaching both traditional drawing and computer art at Mission College. Asked her initial impressions of the committee, Susan said "It's a lot of fun. The people on it are very knowledgeable about art and there are several interesting projects to work on. We're working with the Valley Transportation Authority to put art in the new transit center, and we're publishing a book called A Walking Tour of Mountain View that shows all the public art in the City." The Visual Arts Committee is looking for more members. If you have a background or interest in art and want to do something to support the visual arts in Mountain View, call Susan at 650/966-9999. by Garth Williams Are you concerned about protecting the charm and ambience of your neighborhood? Do you get tired of seeing "monster" houses go up where quaint bungalows existed before? Upset that you can't do anything about it? Now you can. The OMVNA has commissioned a subcommittee specifically to address Neighborhood Preservation and Improvement. The subcommittee's goal is to ensure that new construction or remodels that are visible from the street blend harmoniously with the existing neighboring houses. Current zoning allows a property owner to do virtually anything as long as all structures combined on a lot do not exceed 45% of the area of the lot. This floor-area-ratio (FAR) requirement affects the quantity of development by preventing overly massive building, but not its quality. Relatively small houses on relatively large lots characterize a substantial portion of Old Mountain View. FAR was developed to provide the utmost leeway for property owners with the expectation that few if any houses would be built to the maximum allowable. Now that property values have risen significantly, many owners feel compelled to maximize the size of the house when the land costs so much. Even with the current 45% FAR, extremely large and out-of-character additions can be made. For example, a typical 50' by 150' lot along View Street has an area of 7,500 square feet. The maximum permitted house size would be 3,375 square feet (7,500 X 0.45) With the area of a typical bungalow around 1,500 square feet, an addition could be as large as or larger than the original house, with no design review required. Perhaps even more important than just size is how additions fit in with the immediate surroundings and the neighborhood as a whole. Back in 1991 through the hard work of many neighborhood residents, the City of Mountain View and paid urban design consultants, the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Preservation & Improvement Plan's Recommendations for Residential Design were published. Much of the information pertaining to residential design from the Preservation & Improvement Plan was incorporated in the "Design Guidelines for Single Family Homes," available from the City Community Development Department free of charge. These documents form the basis of the work the OMVNA Preservation and Improvement subcommittee is doing. We want to encourage residents to respect and enhance the special characteristics of their home and the neighborhood as a whole. We do not want to dictate a particular style or limit opportunities to upgrade or expand homes to fit family needs. All property owners will still be able to rebuild and remodel as they wish unless their plans affect the "public realm" - or view from the street. The Preservation and Improvement subcommittee's next step is to gather your input. Since Old Mountain View is a large and diverse neighborhood we need to find out on a block by block basis if you support making these guidelines enforceable. We will be contacting some of you in the neighborhood directly, but need more help! If you are interested in preserving your Neighborhood, please contact one of the Neighborhood Preservation and Improvement subcommittee members below:
Thank you! The Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association Newsletter To get in touch with us:
The opinions printed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the OMVNA Steering Committee. |
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Last updated: 6/23/99