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OMVNA Newsletter
January, 2001
Volume 13, Number 1
Mercy-Bush Park Will Be Dedicated Very Soon
Tune in to Neighborhood News with OMVNAtalk
Newsletter Topic Index Is New Addition to Web Site
Parks and Open Spaces Are Neighborhood Jewels
The Downtown Beat: Efficiency Studios and Other New Developments
Arbor Day Celebrates the Importance of Trees
History Corner: Chinese Among Earliest Settlers
Mercy-Bush Park Will Be Dedicated Very Soon
At long last, Mercy-Bush Park is nearly ready to open. The City will soon set a date for the dedication ceremony. Mayor Mario Ambra, members of the City Council, and City staff are expected to attend. We hope you will be there too! All neighbors will be invited to take part.
Because the date had not been finalized by the time this issue had to be printed, please join OMVNAtalk (see below) if you would like to be informed of the details. If you don't have e-mail, keep an eye on The Voice for the latest news. As this issue went to press there was still plenty of work left to do, as shown by the photo.
Tune in to Neighborhood News with OMVNAtalk
OMVNAtalk is a neighborhood e-mail list you can join if you would like to receive e-mail about issues of interest to Old Mountain View residents. It's really a great way to stay connected to neighborhood events and concerns. You'll find out about important neighborhood events that aren't covered in The Voice or the Mercury-News.
Only members of the list can send messages to OMVNAtalk, so you don't have to worry about being spammed. OMVNAtalk has been in operation for over a year, and has proven to be a very valuable tool for staying informed about Old Mountain View. To read the usage guidelines and learn how to join, see: www.omvna.org/omvnatalk.html
Newsletter Topic Index Is New Addition to Web Site
Did you ever have a question about the neighborhood that you think was answered in a previous OMVNA Newsletter? We've had the Newsletter online for three years now, but we recently added a topic index to complement the chronological index. You'll find both indices at www.omvna.org/newsletter.html
Parks and Open Spaces Are Neighborhood Jewels
As the map below makes clear, our neighborhood has a wide variety of parks and open spaces. We have a community park, neighborhood parks, mini-parks, playgrounds, undeveloped open spaces, and access to the Stevens Creek Trail which allows us to walk or bike to several more parks to the north.
Eagle Park on Franklin and Shoreline is our large "community park," so-called because it serves the entire community. It is 6 acres and was built in 1988 on the site of the old Mountain View High School. It offers our neighborhood's only public swimming pool. It also features children's play equipment, a picnic area, and a large grassy area where people play soccer and other games that need lots of space.
Landels School and Park on Dana is a large neighborhood park. It was constructed in 1974 and offers children's play equipment, a picnic area, a softball field, outdoor volleyball, a soccer/football field, and a basketball court on 10 acres (3.27 acres owned by the City and the rest by the School District).
Pioneer Park fronts Church Street and connects the Library to the Performing Arts Center. It is a neighborhood park constructed in 1966 and renovated late last year. It offers a picnic area and a passive area on 3.5 acres. Part of the park lies above a former cemetery.
Dana Park is a mini-park next to the fire station on Dana and Shoreline. Constructed in 1994, it is a passive area of 0.3 acres.
The Eldora open space on Eldora and Calderon offers 0.15 acres of landscaping and benches.
Fairmont Playground on Fairmont and Bush was built in 1953. It has play equipment for young children and a well shaded picnic area.
A little known park at Castro and El Camino is called Gateway Park. It is a quarter-acre landscaped passive area with benches and a flagpole.
Mercy-Bush Park, on Mercy and Bush, is currently under construction. It will be a mini-park of 2/3 acre, offering children's play equipment, a grassy area, landscaping, and a picnic area.
Four lots fronting South Shoreline Boulevard are City-owned and zoned as visual open space.
The Stevens Creek Trail currently ends at Landels Park, but will be extended to El Camino. By taking the Trail north, you can reach Creekside Park, Whisman School Park, and Shoreline Park.
The Downtown Beat: Efficiency Studios and Other New Developments
By Julie Lovins (964-0368 (lovins@concentric.net)
Efficiency Studio development will be the subject of a City Council public hearing on February 13.
Efficiency studios are small self-contained studio apartments designed for one or two individuals, with both affordability and livability as key attributes. This pedestrian-oriented development, which has been in the planning stage for over two years with the support of the City Council, will have 110-150 units plus common areas such as a courtyard, community room, laundry room, and library. It will also have 24-hour staffing. About 25% of the tenants are expected to be seniors on fixed incomes; the rest will be individuals whose jobs do not allow them to afford current market rents. Similar developments have had great success in nearby cities, including Palo Alto and Sunnyvale.
There are two sites on the City's "short list." One is in the San Antonio Circle near California St. and the other is downtown at Franklin and Evelyn. The Downtown Committee was recently asked to comment on the latter site, since it is in the downtown area.
Committee members agree that neither this site nor the other is perfect for the intended purpose. For example, the downtown site is somewhat remote from a full-service grocery store or pharmacy, and the San Antonio Circle site is in a rather isolated location, and not near as many community amenities as are available downtown, other than shopping. However, logistical considerations, including the desire to take advantage of current Federal funding available for projects like this, along with the time required for permitting processes, have ruled out using other potential sites.
One interesting point in this discussion was an oft-expressed feeling that we have succeeded in obtaining an incredible collection of public amenities in quite a small, pedestrian-accessible downtown area, involving civic, educational, and social services; cultural and recreational opportunities; transportation; and some unique consumer experiences as well (edible and not). These are clearly a benefit to everyone in the neighborhood.
This New Year was marked by the arrival of the latest blank space on our civic map, as the TK Noodle building vanished in an astonishingly short time. Downtown will indeed look very different when the blank spaces and craters are filled in.
A proposal for transforming the former Carr's pet store into a small three-story retail/office building is now well into its journey through the approval system. I believe that the City Council will get it next month for public consideration. The tentative design is quite cheerful, incorporating some themes from the Transit Center across the street.
Council will also soon receive a proposal that has been working its way through the Downtown Committee and its Parking subcommittee, with extensive input from Public Works. This concerns putting around ten signs near critical intersections in the downtown area, pointing to nearby public parking areas. It is hoped that this will make a slight improvement in traffic downtown and on nearby residential streets.
Arbor Day Celebrates the Importance of Trees
By Julie Lovins
Arbor Day festivities will return to Mountain View this March after a nine-year absence, thanks to an initiative of the City's Urban Forestry Board. A small group of tree-lovers has been meeting for some months to plan a week-long celebration of this aspect of our environment.
On March 10, the City will have about 90 trees available for local residents who have agreed to plant and maintain them on their properties. Information on maintenance, as well as the trees, will be provided.
Mountain View and Whisman district elementary schools and the Library will have special tree-oriented activities that week, as will the Mountain View Garden Club.
The grand finale on Saturday March 17 will include a family-oriented program with a ceremonial tree planting near the Children's Reading Room of the Library, starting about 11:15. Refreshments will be served. There will be some nifty surprises that I can't reveal here, so come and enjoy! Watch The Voice for details as the time approaches.
| In honor of Mountain View's Centennial in 2002, our History Corner is initiating a series about immigrant and native peoples that were important in our City's early history. |
History Corner: Chinese Among Earliest Settlers
By Lisa Windes
Thousands of Chinese men immigrated to California in the mid-1800's to work in the gold mines and on the railroads. Between 1850 and 1880, the Chinese population in California grew from 46 to 75,132. As employment in railroads and mines fell, some of the Chinese workers turned to agricultural work that they were familiar with from their homeland. Some settled in what would become Mountain View.
The earliest reference to Chinese settlers in Mountain View comes in Isabelle Grant's 1882 charcoal sketches of a Chinese camp. 1897 maps of Mountain View show a Chinese laundry and general store near the corner of Villa and View Street. This area near this corner became known over the years as Mountain View's "Oriental Quarter."
By 1921, Chinese and Japanese owned businesses and residences had expanded on Villa Street towards Castro. There were several stores, the laundry, a Japanese pool hall, lodging houses, and fruit packing sheds on the 200 block of Villa. In 1946, a fire destroyed some of these old wooden buildings. The crowded conditions of Villa and View Streets made the fire difficult to fight. Gradually, the Oriental Quarter was torn down, the victim of rising land prices and aging residents. But the oriental character of downtown Mountain View is still very much in existence today. In the early 1970s, Chinese restaurants and businesses moved to Castro Street, attracted by access to customers and the affordable rents that were part of a downtown revitalization program.
One of the most beautiful and colorful celebrations of the Chinese community is the New Year Parade. Chinese New Year begins with the new moon -- this year on Jan. 24. The Chinese Lunar calendar is the longest unbroken sequence of time measurement in history. Vietnam's Tet celebration is also based on the lunar calendar. Japan, Korea, and the Philippines celebrate the Solar New Year on the vernal equinox.
The tradition of a New Year's Parade did not originate in China. It was created by Chinese immigrants to participate in the American tradition of parades commemorating significant holidays, such as Independence Day and St. Patrick's Day. In addition to marching bands, government officials, and beauty queens, parades feature Lions and Dragons. Lions bring luck and chase away evil spirits. It takes two people to make the lion dance. Lions also visit businesses during the New Year and are an important part of both Chinese and Vietnamese celebrations. The Dragon appears at the end of the parade. The dragon has a camel head, deer horns, rabbit eyes, cow ears, a snake neck, a frog belly, fish scales, lion paws, and an eagle's claws. It is a symbol of peace and prosperity.
The Rotary Club of Mountain View will be holding its 16th Annual Crab Feed on Saturday, Feb. 17, 4:30 to 8:00 pm, at the Buddhist Temple, 575 North Shoreline Boulevard. This annual fundraising event features an "all you can eat" crab dinner, a silent auction and drawings for prizes throughout the evening.
Event proceeds are donated to local charities, schools, and special programs. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased from any Mountain View Rotarian. For more information or to reserve your tickets call 968-7900 ext. 23.
The OMVNA Newsletter
is published by a volunteer editorial committee & distributed to some 2400 homes and businesses by volunteers.
To get in touch with us:
- Write to P.O.Box 391328, Mtn. View, CA 94039
- Call the editor, Bruce Karney at 964-3567 or e-mail him at editor@omvna.org
- Find us on the Web at http://www.omvna.org/
The opinions printed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the OMVNA Steering Committee.