With over 42 restaurants on just three City blocks adjacent to a Caltrain and VTA light rail station, Castro Street in Mountain View embodies the pedestrian and transit-oriented downtown district for which so many Silicon Valley and South Bay cities strive. At the gateway to this downtown is the intersection of Castro Street and El Camino Real, where Greystar and Olympic Residential Group proposed to redevelop a 2.38-acre site with 164 apartments, nearly 11,000 square feet of retail space, a public plaza at the corner of the intersection, and underground parking for residents.

Working for the City of Mountain View, David J. Powers & Associates completed an Environmental Impact Report to analyze everything from the project’s energy and water use to impacts on traffic, parking, and safety. With community concern playing a large role in the project planning process, Greystar agreed to provide retail space in the new buildings for most of the existing stores on the site. Relocation assistance and temporary retail space during construction were also provided.

In support of an informed public dialogue, DJP&A paid extra care to deliver environmental information and analysis in a manner that was meaningful for residents, decision-makers, and interested agencies. Though privately funded, this project was designed and redesigned to reflect the needs and desires of the community, and as a result was approved by the City Council in December 2014.

Images courtesy of: Greystar and Olympic Residential Group