"While councilmembers sang the praises of the developer's efforts to win over the community, build housing and go above and beyond in terms of public amenities, the approval at the Nov. 18 meeting was anything but cheerful. The developer, Greystar, sought last-minute compromises and made requests of the city that led to contentious debate, culminating in threats of legal action and visible frustration at the public hearing."
"Greystar is seeking to demolish the Chase Bank building and adjacent parking lot at the southeast corner of El Camino Real and Castro Street and replace it with a six-story, 299-unit apartment building, along with just under 11,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The corner will also have a newly constructed bank along with an adjacent public plaza facing El Camino."
"The developer is leveraging state law to increase the project's density beyond what is normally allowed, providing affordable housing in exchange for an additional 90 units on the roughly 3-acre site. State law is also allowing the project to skirt maximum height limits adjacent to and across from existing homes, as well as setback requirements from El Camino. Despite the high density, the more prickly issue has been the loss of the existing Chase Bank building, which has been identified as a historic resource."
Mountain View City Council approved a new mixed-use housing project adding 299 apartments and preserving elements of the historic bank building at a prominent intersection. Councilmembers praised the developer's community outreach and public amenities but approval was contentious after last-minute compromises. Greystar sought demolition of the Chase Bank and adjacent parking lot to build a six-story, 299-unit building with just under 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a new bank and public plaza. The developer used state density law to add 90 units by providing affordable housing and to bypass certain height and setback limits. The bank, designed in the 1970s by Millard Sheets, drew preservation opposition.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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