So much food, so little flavor WEEKEND | 14 JULY 7, 2017 VOLUME 25, NO. 24
www.MountainViewOnline.com
650.964.6300
MOVIES | 17
Cautious high school district holds on to reserves CONSERVATIVE BUDGET EXCLUDES BEHAVIORAL-HEALTH, OTHER INITIATIVES By Kevin Forestieri
D
ANA SOFIA AMIEVA-WANG
THURSDAY NIGHT GETS LIVELY Espe Ndombe dances to music performed by the Cheeseballs at Thursday Night Live on June 29. Downtown Mountain View’s streets were filled with revelers enjoying the summer concert series and its many additional diversions, like children’s activities, a classic car show and farmers market food stalls. Next up is the classic rock sounds of Daze on the Green, playing on July 13. Just head to Castro Street between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. You can’t miss it. (More photos on Page 10)
espite talk of launching expensive new programs and spending down reserves earlier this year, the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District opted to take a cautious approach to the budget for the 2017-18 school year. Last week, the high school district’s board of trustees approved a spending plan for the upcoming school year that, by most measures, is a “boring” budget with little in the way of new initiatives, according to Associate Superintendent Mike Mathiesen. Small changes include about $500,000 in new retirement costs, additional teachers to keep up with enrollment and a bigger pool of funds for updating and improving the district’s technology. The district expects to see another healthy increase in annual revenues — $84.9 million for the 2017-18 year — and
adopted a spending plan of $82.9 million. During a board study session in February, board members considered whether a $2 million reserve fund ought to be put to use in the upcoming school year; spending options reviewed included a $500,000 behavioral health program, an initiative to reduce school avoidance, new classroom technology and capital projects like new classrooms and cafeteria furniture. In the end, the district didn’t include any of those initiatives in the budget, Mathiesen said. Some of the ideas were instead addressed within existing, already budgeted programs, but no new big line-item in the budget came from the study session. One goal in this year’s budget is maintaining the district’s large stockpile of Chromebooks, which function as portable laptops for See BUDGET, page 6
Council balks at developer’s proposed ‘public benefits’ $115,000 FOR A PRIVATE DOG PARK? $112,000 FOR REQUIRED SEWER SYSTEM? By Mark Noack
T
he insatiable need for more housing was enough to win approvals for a 211unit apartment project that will go up along Mountain View’s crowded El Camino Real corridor. But while the City Council unanimously endorsed the project, council members also poked holes in its public-benefit package, criticizing the developers for what they see as trying to game the system to minimize costs. At the council’s June 27 meeting, the Palo Alto-based SummerHill Housing Group presented plans to replace a restaurant and
INSIDE
a hotel at 2700 W. El Camino Real with a dense, five-story apartment project. Taken altogether, a project of that size would be required to contribute $1.73 million in community benefits, according to city staff’s calculations. Developers can propose a variety of ways to meet this requirement, although city officials usually encourage them to focus on affordable housing and local neighborhood needs. As part of their pitch, SummerHill developers asked city officials to write off nearly $230,000 in public benefits for the project’s wastewater system as well as a fifth-floor dog park that would be
‘SummerHill homes has been very prosperous in Mountain View, but I think they can pay their fair share here.’ COUNCILWOMAN PAT SHOWALTER
closed to the public. Both requests were roundly rejected by council members. Taking aim at the wastewater system proposal, Councilwoman Pat Showalter pointed out that the system is a standard feature required for any development. She worried that letting it pass as
A +E 12 | GOINGS ON 18 | MARKETPLACE 19 | REAL ESTATE 21
a community benefit would send the wrong signal to other developers looking to pad their bottom line. “SummerHill homes has been very prosperous in Mountain View, but I think they can pay their fair share here,” she said. City planner Diana Pancholi
pointed out that the dog park was originally planned for the project’s ground level, but it had to be relocated upstairs to make way for a bike path connection that the city requested between Del Medio Avenue and Cesano Court in Palo Alto. She noted that the city has full discretion to reject these amenities. If it does, the money would likely be redirected into the city’s affordable housing fund. There were other aspects of the proposed apartment package that raised concerns. The project included just 11 units of affordable housing, which city leaders See COUNCIL, page 7