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Without strong action, Mountain View could lose its longtime residents. Over the past few years, hundreds of older apartments that were more affordable for working families were demolished and replaced with luxury townhomes, leaving these residents with nowhere to go. Rock Street, 2005, 1950 As we watched the demolition of Montecito Avenue and other rent-controlled apartments, it became clear that more tools were needed to prevent the eviction of Mountain View residents.
In 2019, the city council added a “displacement response strategy” to its priorities and held its first study session. However, this displacement priority has fallen behind many times as the pandemic has caused severe health and economic impacts and required a significant government response.
Fortunately, the state legislature has already stepped in and passed the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB330). It requires developers to replace lost units with affordable or rent-controlled replacement units as they redevelop, allowing relocated low-income tenants to return to their original location. to rent they can afford.
State law has created a temporary but powerful reprieve for rent-controlled units in our city that are at risk of being lost, but the new rule will only apply until 2030. effect. What happens to tenants under construction? What to do if the demolished unit was overcrowded with multiple families? Evicted tenants get mortgages even though new homes are built for sale and home prices match tenants’ income levels What if I don’t have the down payment or credit score to do so?
Here in Mountain View, we need a permanent evacuation strategy that addresses these challenges. Multiple policies and programs must work together. Most importantly, it requires community support and knowledge.
At the beginning of the new year, the city will begin convening a stakeholder meeting on this long-awaited comprehensive evacuation response strategy. These meetings will discuss how replacement units can be made affordable and available to current residents and how the city can help nonprofits, communities and residents purchase existing apartments and make them affordable permanently. Various policy options are discussed, including how to create a program to restore as affordable housing. These policies will be important local tools to keep neighbors in the community as Mountain View continues to grow.
We highly encourage you to participate in relevant stakeholder meetings to share your stories and ideas. See meeting schedule and links below.
● General Session: Thursday, January 12, 6:30 PM
● Property Owner Stakeholder Meeting: Wednesday, January 18, 1:00 PM
● Nonprofit Developer Stakeholder Meeting: Wednesday, January 18, 3:30 PM
● Market Rate Developer Stakeholder Meeting: Thursday, January 19th at 2pm
● Tenant Stakeholder Meeting: 1/25 (Wed) 4:00 PM
● Tenant Stakeholder Meeting (in person): Thursday, January 26 at 6:30 PM
● General Session – Recap: Tuesday, February 21, 6:30 PM
Mountain View, like its surrounding communities, is suffering from a lingering housing crisis. There simply isn’t enough housing, especially affordable housing, to meet the needs of residents. While we work to secure much-needed supplies, we also need to keep our neighbors from being displaced. Our community fought to create an inclusive, welcoming, and diverse Mountain View. To do this right, we need to keep the community engaged and ensure that their needs are focused on policies that affect the future of the community and our city.
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