A quiet block of Fairmont Avenue may soon disappear from Mountain View's public street grid, cleared for an eight-story condo complex at the busy Castro Street and El Camino Real gateway. City leaders have taken a key step toward turning the one-block stretch over to a private developer, setting up a major remake of the corner that now holds several low-rise storefronts.
In a 4-2 vote, the City Council backed staff's recommendation to signal its intent to vacate the block of Fairmont between Castro and Hope streets, with Councilmembers Ellen Kamei and John McAlister voting no and Alison Hicks recusing herself, according to the Mountain View Voice. A staff report says utilities in the right-of-way would be removed or relocated if the street is abandoned, and the council is slated to take a final vote on both the land deal and the housing project on April 28.
What the project would build
Developer GPR Ventures is pushing a project known as Castro Commons, which would bring an eight-story mixed-use building with 140 for-sale condominiums, about 9,744 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and two levels of underground parking on roughly 1.3 acres, according to the City of Mountain View. City materials note that the tentative map would merge six parcels, including the Fairmont segment the city plans to vacate, into a single lot to form the project site.
Developer's plan for a Fairmont paseo
Renderings and outreach materials show GPR wants to shut Fairmont to cars and turn the block into a pedestrian paseo with seating, landscaping and outdoor dining, arguing the new layout would better link Gateway Park to the downtown core, according to GPR Ventures. The company pitches the paseo as a public space that would energize ground-floor shops and create fresh outdoor seating options for Castro Street businesses.
Council split and a $2M settlement
Behind the scenes, the project has been tangled up in a park-fee dispute handled in closed session. On March 10, the council approved a $2,000,000 settlement with GPR Ventures, with Kamei casting the sole no vote, according to the Mountain View Voice. City spokespersons told the outlet that, as of late March, the paperwork for the agreement had not yet been finalized, a lag that has prompted calls from some residents and council members for more transparency.
What happens next
If the council signs off on both the street vacation and the development on April 28, city officials say they will publicly release the terms of the sale of the Fairmont right-of-way and post full staff reports and project plans before the hearing, according to the City of Mountain View and related project documents. Residents and downtown business owners will be able to weigh in at the public hearing, and the agenda packet and detailed plans are expected to be posted on Legistar ahead of the vote.
