Key Issues

The case against developing Cooper Park is overwhelming. Here are just a few of the reasons:

1. school district land should not be used for housing or private development --  public land, once sold, is gone forever!

  • The former Klein school land and the Cuesta Annex were previously sold by the District and are no longer available for educational uses.

  • This project requires selling large portion of land to developers to be resold on private market to non-District employees, not even for public use

  • With Mountain View’s rapidly growing population, what happens if the district needs this land? This 9.5 acre site is unique and highly valuable in the long term for public use

2. Keep Cooper Park open space and fields available for the area.

  • Massive and permanent reduction of green space; reduced quality of life; loss of wildlife

  • Loss of fields is much more than reduced open space. Fields serve youth activities, competitive sports leagues, and casual recreation for residents well beyond the neighborhood

  • Loss of open space means overcrowding and increased traffic: 118 housing units leads to 200+ additional vehicles using neighborhood roads daily

3. City should respect diverse neighborhood character across Mountain View.

  • Zoning protects the established character of a neighborhood. Residents choose to live in their neighborhoods based on that character, and expect city leaders to protect those interests.

  • Zoning changes required for the project would dramatically differ from surrounding area

  • High density apartment buildings and parking lots not consistent with character of the neighborhood   

4. While we deeply support teachers, this project does not solve core problem over long term – and creates many new problems for MVWSD.

  • Many complications arise from District directly providing staff/teacher housing: What type of means testing is involved? What happens if one’s household income or net worth increases? How will the district compensate teachers/staff who do not get this very significant benefit? How will units be allocated between teachers and staff? Will there be time limits on how long staff/teachers can live in the units?

  • Costs are not limited to construction; there will be the ongoing upkeep/renovations that any landlord would have to bear, and a very different liability profile

  • Removing Action Day Primary Plus eliminates scarce high-quality day care & pre-school facility used by broader community

5. To attract and retain teachers, there are better options the District could pursue.   

  • Vouchers to use if renting within a specific commute distance/time of Mountain View

  • Subsidized loans

  • Alternate sites that are consistent with high density housing

  • Increase teacher compensation

  • Expand ability of residents to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to increase housing in a more geographically distributed manner