Office Park Reimagined
North of downtown Mountain View lie the sprawling campuses of Google and other technology giants. But aside from acres of parking lots and low-slung office buildings, there is little here. There are no grocery stores, and few shops or restaurants—people who work here cannot get lunch or run errands without getting in their cars. Filling in these missing pieces and adding homes could create a real neighborhood.
Carlos Maeda works at Pizzeria Venti, one of the area’s rare restaurants, in a recent development on the corner of Pear Avenue and North Shoreline Boulevard. Though business has been growing steadily since the pizzeria opened its doors a year ago, Maeda would like to have more people living nearby to draw customers and add foot traffic. “Most of the people drive.”
Ali Talid, who lives in Sunnyvale, seven miles from his work in Mountain View, prefers walking to driving, but housing options are limited. Originally from Pakistan, Talid misses the bustling city. “In a couple of blocks in a city, you can get anything you want. I don’t like everything spread out.”
At a Glance
City:
Mountain View
Area of focus:
North Bayshore
What it is now:
Office parks and parking lots
What it could become:
A walkable neighborhood
Why here:
Job center
Infill opportunity sites:
31
