Yes In My Back Yard

We are Mountain View YIMBY, agitating for more housing in our city and beyond. We are Mountain View residents and workers who seek solutions to our area’s housing shortage.

The Bay Area is not “full.” This shortage is a political problem: Zoning and other restrictions have prevented construction of enough places for people to live. We want to fix this and make our community a more welcoming and inclusive one. Let’s legalize housing.

We are a chapter of South Bay YIMBY, who work throughout Santa Clara County and YIMBY Action, a 501(c)(4) statewide nonprofit organization (EIN 81-514-0915). We’re also affiliated with the following pro-housing organizations:

Letter to Council - R3 Zoning Update

   |  David Watson

Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and Members of the City Council, Mountain View YIMBY would like to share our vision for Item 8.1 R3 Zoning District Update. Overall, we would like to see the city adopt changes to the R3 zoning that make it more flexible, feasible, and predictable in terms of both the total fees and timing of the process. We think this can be achieved via a form-based code. More specifically, we would like to see: [Read More]

Mountain View YIMBY bids farewell to Mayor Adrian Fine of Palo Alto

   |  Ilya Gurin

Mountain View YIMBY sends its regards to Mayor Adrian Fine of Palo Alto, who declined to seek re-election this year. Adrian, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and we will miss having you as an ally. We share the sentiments Adrian expressed in this interview with The Six Fifty in October. We appreciate the shout-out to our city of Mountain View, but we need to keep up the momentum and keep up the pressure on our neighboring cities to build more! [Read More]

November 2020 Endorsements

   |  David Watson

We’ve completed our endorsement process. For Mountain View City Council, we’re endorsing Alex Nuñez Pat Showalter John Lashlee Sally Lieber Other Endorsements No on Measure C Yes on Prop 15 Mountain View City Council Alex Núñez Alex Núñez is a strong housing and anti-displacement advocate in Mountain View. He supports building affordable housing for low- and middle-income workers; exploring additional business taxes to support BMR construction; and a strong Right of Return policy coupled with No-Net-Loss development standards. [Read More]

Letter to Council - Displacement Response Strategy Update

   |  Michael Abramson

Dear Mountain View City Council: Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and the members of council, The Mountain View chapter of South Bay YIMBY appreciates the opportunity to comment on Agenda Item 3.1. Displacement Response Strategy Update. We’ve read the Staff report and we support its recommendations. We find especially important the emphasis on Acquisition/Preservation Program. We encourage the City Council to award the grant for developing the options for sustainable funding for this program as soon as possible and to consider a wide range of funding sources. [Read More]

Letter to Council - Public Storage/Alta Housing Gatekeeper

   |  Ilya Gurin

Dear Mountain View City Council: I am writing to support the gatekeeper development request (item 6.1 on Tuesday’s agenda). There are many families who live or work in Mountain View who desperately need (I do not use that word lightly) the proposed 105 below-market-rate units. Public Storage’s proposed land donation is commendable, and would set a wonderful precedent of cooperation. And I’m sure that Council is already aware that the site is conveniently located near both employment centers and the future transit artery on Shoreline. [Read More]

November 2020 Endorsements

   |  David Watson

Mountain View City Council

We’re beginning our endorsement process, stay tuned for endorsements in the 2020 Mountain View Council Election.

If you’re a candidate interested in early endorsement, please contact us: hello@mvyimby.com

State Legislation

At Mountain View YIMBY, we’re excited to endorse Prop 15, which closes corporate property tax loopholes.

Letter to ABAG - One million new homes is the real RHNA number

   |  Jeremy Hoffman

Dear Mayor Jesse Arreguin, President, Association of Bay Area Governments, As I wrote in an Op-ed in the Mountain View Voice last year, regional coordination is the only way we can solve the Bay Area’s regional challenges of housing affordability and transit. Now, more than ever, we need ABAG to provide bold leadership to get out of the hole we’re in. So it was with great disappointment that I read about the dubious assumptions going into our RHNA needs determination. [Read More]

Letter to Council - 1001 N Shoreline

   |  Ilya Gurin

Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and Members of the City Council: MV YIMBY, a local volunteer advocacy group, expresses its wholehearted support of the proposed development at 1001 N Shoreline. This development will provide 303 much-needed new homes, close to major employers, with zero displacement and minimal impact on existing neighborhoods. The site is walking distance from employers in Terra Bella and North Bayshore. For those residents who will work outside the area, it is conveniently located to Highway 101 and future transit routes to the downtown transit center. [Read More]

Letter to Council - Street usage

   |  Ilya Gurin

Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and City Council: The Mountain View chapter of South Bay YIMBY expresses its support for repurposing downtown street space for restaurant seating. We have long supported making Castro Street more walkable. We believe that auto traffic on the street’s downtown core is unnecessary, and that street parking there is especially detrimental to visitors’ experiences. We agree with Mayor Abe-Koga that “the social distancing requirements of COVID-19 makes this an opportune time for us to try this concept [pedestrianization]” (as quoted by Elena Kadvany in the MV Voice, May 13). [Read More]

Letter to Council - Agenda Item 6.1 Gatekeeper for 355-365, 401,415 East Middlefield Road

   |  David Watson

Dear Mayor Abe Koga and the members of council: We are excited to see the first project in the East Whisman Precise Plan area coming to council for approval! There’s much to like about this project: Located walking and biking distance to offices in the East Whisman neighborhood 427 much needed homes, including 157 missing middle ownership homes Addition of a 16000 sq foot public park Walking distance to Middlefield light rail station $4 million community benefit contribution ($1. [Read More]