Mountain View is looking to crack open one of the toughest markets in the Bay Area, and it is not just for struggling low income renters. City leaders are exploring ways to help higher earning residents become homeowners, studying a staff proposal that would stretch assistance up to roughly 200 percent of the area median income. In a recent study session, the City Council reviewed a Low and Middle Income Homeownership Strategy that promotes condominium construction and examines whether city owned land could host starter ownership units. Councilmembers largely backed the idea and urged staff to speed up outreach and feasibility work.
Council study session and scope
At a special meeting, the council held a study session titled “Low and Middle Income Homeownership Strategy” to gather feedback on staff recommendations for scope and timing, according to the City of Mountain View. The agenda identifies the initiative as a project in the Fiscal Years 2025 to 2027 work plan and points to a study session memo prepared by staff to shape the council’s discussion of next steps.
Who the plan would reach
State income tables underscore just how high local earnings run. The California Department of Housing and Community Development lists the 100 percent area median income for a one person household in Santa Clara County at about $136,650, which puts 200 percent of that figure near $273,300. Local sales data shows how far that still falls short of ownership. A recent market snapshot from Redfin cites a Mountain View median home sale price near $1.85 million, a gap that city officials say is pushing them to look at targeted homeownership tools for buyers who earn solid incomes yet remain priced out.
Local leaders and reaction
City staff urged the council to focus on so called “missing middle” buyers, and councilmembers broadly supported the idea of reaching households at higher income levels, as reported by the Mountain View Voice. “I’m very excited to be talking about expanding our portfolio and what we can offer for homeownership,” Mayor Ellen Kamei told the paper. Affordable housing staff also cautioned that even households earning well above the area median income often struggle to pull together 20 percent down payments or to compete in bidding wars.
Condos, ADUs and North Bayshore
Staff highlighted condominiums as a more realistic entry point for ownership, noting that developers have recently focused on larger rowhouses and townhomes that produce fewer, more expensive units. “It does seem like every time you talk to a builder about condos, construction liability is the first or second thing out of their mouth,” Council member Pat Showalter said, according to the Mountain View Voice. Public commenters also pushed the council to look at AB 1033, the state law that lets cities choose whether to allow accessory dwelling units to be sold separately as condominiums, a change that would require a local ordinance. LegiScan notes that AB 1033 gives cities the power to adopt this option, although it is a voluntary tool rather than an automatic change.
Next steps
Staff presented the homeownership effort as part of the Council Work Plan for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 and will continue gathering information, conducting outreach, and running feasibility analyses, including a review of whether a city owned parcel in North Bayshore could support an ownership project, as described in the council materials. The council directed staff to return with potential funding sources, partnerships, and development frameworks over the coming year, with a more detailed strategy to be brought back for consideration as the broader work plan is refined.
