The City of Mountain View, incorporated in 1909, is located in Santa Clara County, which is at the Southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula. Mountain View is a full service city that offers a variety of choices in terms of housing types, business opportunities and employment. The City's economy is mainly based on manufacturing, retail/ administrative and service industries. Like many other cities in Santa Clara County, Mountain View has a jobs/housing imbalance which has resulted in a strong demand for housing and resulting high housing costs. In 1990, Mountain View had 68,029 jobs and 41,755 employed residents, or 1.6 jobs for every employed resident.
The City of Mountain View Consolidated Plan includes a one-year Action Plan for spending approximately $1,516,254 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program Funds during FY 1995-96. These funds will be spent on housing, public services and the development of a shelter for homeless persons.
The City's Community Development Department was responsible for the
preparation of the Consolidated Plan and for consultation with interested
members of the public, local and County housing and non-profit public service
providers regarding the needs of low income persons and persons with special
needs. During the initial stages of the development of the Consolidated Plan, a
public hearing was held on December 18,1994 to get public comments regarding
housing and non-housing community development needs. The public was informed
about the hearing through notices that were mailed to persons and organizations
on the City's CDBG and HOME mailing list of interested parties and by
advertizing in two local newspapers. A draft Consolidated Plan was then prepared
and made available to the public for a 30 day period for additional comments. The Consolidated Plan was adopted on April 18, 1995,
after a final public hearing before the City Council.
In 1990, the City had a population of 67,460, representing a 15% increase from 1980. However, the number of households increased by only 7%, representing a trend towards larger household size. Compared to neighboring cities in the County, Mountain View continues to have the smallest household size (2.23 persons per household) and the largest number of single person households (35% of the population), indicative of a high percentage of young single and elderly residents. There is also a general aging of the City's population. People between the ages of 30-44 increased 60% since 1980. In 1990 persons in this age group made up 31% of the total population.
Since 1980 there has been a 1.3% decrease in the City's White population, and an increase in the Hispanic population (+55%), Asian population (+46%) and Black population (+42%). Still, the majority of the City's 1990 population was White (65%) followed by Hispanic (16%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14%) and Black (5%). Median household income for 1990 was $42,431, slightly lower than the County, however, per capita income was 9% higher than the County, indicative of Mountain View's small household size.
As compared to the County, Mountain View has a smaller percentage of
population below the poverty level. In 1989 only 6% of the population was below
poverty level. Households living alone made up the largest segment of the
population below poverty level. Black and Native American households had the
highest percentage of households with very low incomes (50% or less of median),
followed by Hispanic households. The east-west and Central sections of the City
have the highest concentration of minority groups and low and moderate income
residents (having incomes of 80% or less of median income).
Manufacturing, retail/administrative and service industries dominate the local economy. The City has a well educated population (87% of the population has a high school degree or higher, and 41% has a bachelor degree or higher) and a low unemployment rate. Although Mountain View has a better balance of housing and jobs as compared to the County, there is still less housing than is needed and housing costs remain high, especially for very low income households. Also, there is a general aging of the housing stock, with 61% of the housing stock being 35-55 years old.
The housing needs of the City's 29,997 households (consisting of 18,290 renter households and 11,707 owner households) are the following: 44% of the 18,290 renter households in the City have housing problems and 33% of the 11,707 owner households in the City have housing problems. Among the renter households, 79% of large families (5 + persons), 63% of elderly, 42% of small related households (2-4 persons) and 37% of all other renter households are experiencing housing problems. Among the owner households, only 20% elderly owners are experiencing housing problems and 38% of other owners have housing problems.
In general, renter households have much greater percentages of households with housing problems and cost burdens than owner households in the same income brackets. Among renter households, large families with 5 or more members have the highest incidence of housing problems whereas elderly households have the highest incidence of households paying over 50% of their income on rent. The only exception to this is for renters earning 30% or less of median income, where small related households with 2 to 4 members have the largest percentage of households paying over 50% of their income on housing.
Among owner households, the greatest need is among owners earning 30% or less of median income, both with housing problems and cost burden. For other low and moderate income owners, housing problems and cost burden are experienced in smaller percentages, and primarily among non-elderly owners.
Between 1980 and 1989, housing costs in Santa Clara County increased at very high rates, mainly because of high construction costs, scarcity of land and increasing demand. During that period, the median home value in Mountain View jumped 177% to a median value of $342,700 and median rent increased by 144% to a median rent of $760. The 1990's have seen a drop in housing costs as a result of an economic downturn nationwide and especially in California. In some cases the cost of housing dropped by 25%, but rents have remained relatively stable. For very low income households, home ownership is still out of reach and rental costs remain high.
Among Bay Area cities, Mountain View has the second highest percentage of households who rent. In 1990 the City of Mountain View had 31,487 housing units, of which only 1,497 (4.75%) were vacant, 18,668 (62%) were rental units and 11,322 (38%) were owner units.
Mountain View's housing stock is starting to show signs of aging. Although only 3% of the housing stock is 56 years or older, 61% of the housing stock is 35-55 years of age, which means that large portions of the housing stock are aging simultaneously.
Renter households with incomes of 30% of median or less experience the greatest cost burden and housing problems. Renter households with incomes of 31% to 50% of median also experience significant levels of cost burden and housing problems, although in smaller percentages than their lower income counterparts.
Owner households fare much better than renter households. Among owner households, non-elderly households are the most impacted by housing cost and housing quality.
A survey of the homeless population in Santa Clara County was conducted in January 1995. According to the survey; 1) the length of time in homelessness has increased by 40% since 1989; 2) the number of homeless children comprise 23% of the total sample count (of which 64% are under the age of 12); and 3) the number of working homeless has doubled since 1989.
The County's homeless population continues to be well educated (53% graduated from high school or had some college) and the vast majority of homeless single adults are male. The County's homeless population remained dominantly white. Twenty-five percent of the homeless population works, but simply does not earn enough to be able to afford housing.
The County survey estimated that there are around 16,300 persons in the County who experience an episode of homelessness during the year. Based on Mountain View's proportion of the County population, Mountain View's share of the County's homeless population is around 733 persons. The nature of homelessness makes it a regional issue requiring regional solutions, since the homeless population in the County tends to move from city to city.
The City of Mountain View participates in the Santa Clara County Collaborative on Housing and Homeless Issues. Over 120 local jurisdictions, shelter and service providers an d other agencies are members of the Collaborative. Together the agencies provide a more effective way to attract additional funding and create affordable housing. Santa Clara County has approximately 682 emergency year round shelter beds, and during the winter months, when the armories are used, the number of beds increases to 1,272. Five agencies provide emergency and transitional services for the homeless population in the County. Some transitional programs are geared towards special needs populations. The Santa Clara County Collaborative has identified the following needs of the County homeless population: 1) additional transitional and permanent housing with service components, 2) employment and training agencies linked to transitional and subsidized housing, 3) more prevention services for the 'at-risk' of homelessness population, 4) additional shelter beds to replace the beds that will be lost with the closing of the armories, and 5) outreach, assessment and services for the suburban and rural areas of the County.
There are no public housing units in the City of Mountain View. As of November 1, 1994, there were 162 Mountain View households on the Section 8 rent subsidy program. Of these households, 84 were elderly or disabled and 78 were families.
The City has 533 Federally subsidized affordable housing units, 218 of which are owned by non-profit organizations and are not at risk of conversion to market rate. The remaining 315 units are owned by private investors and their subsidies or other governmental restrictions will be expiring during the five year period of this Consolidated Plan. There are an additional 403 non-Federally subsidized affordable units, thus bringing the total number of affordable units to 936. Of the total affordable housing stock, 585 units are for seniors, 351 units are for families and 59 units are for handicapped persons.
The affordable housing stock has a zero vacancy rate, and the majority of the apartments maintain waiting lists of 100 or more applicants.
Lack of sufficient funding from State or Federal programs to provide subsidies for the provision of affordable housing is identified as a major impediment to the production of affordable housing. Other barriers identified are: lack of developable land in the City, high cost of land, cap on incomes set by Federal regulations (although Mountain View has a high median income, it also has a high cost of living which offsets the benefits of the high income), and opposition by neighborhood groups to affordable housing projects.
The City of Mountain View will have an analysis of the impediments to fair housing completed by February 6, 1996.
Sixty-four percent of the housing stock in Mountain View was built in 1969 or earlier, and probably contains lead based paint to some degree. However, homes built before 1950 remain the most likely source of lead for children. Fortunately, only nine percent of the housing stock was built before 1950, consisting of 8% rental units and 12% ownership units. Since lower income households do not show a pattern of occupying the older housing stock more than the population at large, they are not disproportionately affected by lead paint hazards.
A number of lead based poisoning cases reported in the County have resulted from sources other than lead based paint. This indicates a need for increased educational outreach to inform the public of the different sources of lead poisoning.
Non-housing community development needs in the City include: street,
infrastructure and drainage improvements in low-income neighborhoods; improved
parks facilities and recreational opportunities for low income residents;
accessibility improvements City-wide for handicapped persons; and provision of
essential public services for low income residents.
Overall goals of the strategic plan are to provide affordable housing, rehabilitation of the existing housing stock, public facilities and infrastructure improvements in low-income neighborhoods, City wide accessibility improvements for handicapped persons and to provide non-housing support services to the homeless population.
Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities
Housing needs in the City of Mountain View are primarily related to the high cost of living and high housing prices. Housing objectives for the Consolidated Plan focus on the supply of affordable housing. Community Development objectives are to revitalize low-income neighborhoods, improve or expand park and recreational facilities/opportunities for low income residents, and to improve accessibility for handicapped persons.
Highest priority is given to the provision of short term shelter and other necessities for homeless persons, the provision of permanent affordable housing for low income renter households and public services which provide low income persons with basic necessities.
Second priority is given to public facility and infrastructure improvement projects which provide neighborhood wide benefits for low income neighborhoods as well as accessibility improvements for handicapped persons.
Third priority is given to historic preservation projects, energy efficiency improvements and other miscellaneous activities.
Priorities for affordable housing include: increasing the supply of affordable housing and reducing the cost burden for lower-income households; increasing the supply of affordable housing for single persons and two person households, small families and large families; preserving and maintaining the existing affordable housing stock; providing rental assistance to very low and low-income households; providing assistance to moderate income first time home buyers, encouraging the use of energy saving devices and promoting equal housing opportunity.
Priorities for addressing the needs of homeless persons include: providing adequate emergency assistance and temporary shelters; assisting existing shelters to maintain their facilities; creating and maintaining support services for homeless persons not capable of independent living; and providing a support network and services to persons at risk of homelessness.
Priorities for other special needs persons include: remodelling of housing for handicapped persons and preserving as well as increasing the supply of housing with support services for single parent households, seniors, handicapped persons and other groups with special needs.
Non-housing priorities include: street, infrastructure and drainage improvements and improved park facilities and recreational opportunities for low income neighborhoods; improving accessibility City wide for handicapped persons; providing essential public services for low-income residents and residents with special needs; and continuing to support worthwhile regional public facilities which provide a significant benefit to Mountain View residents.
In 1990, Mountain View had 4,157 residents living below the poverty level. This population is usually one pay check away from homelessness. The City will continue to support public services which address the basic needs of at-risk' of homelessness persons in order to prevent them from becoming homeless.
The primary Federal resources are CDBG and HOME. Other Federal programs include Section 8, the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program and Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Resources available from the State include California Housing Finance Agency and State Tax Credits. Local resources include City of Mountain View General Funds and Revitalization Authority Housing Set-Aside Funds. Private resources include private lending institutions and non-profit resources.
The CDBG entitlement cities in Santa Clara County have been meeting on a regular basis and coordinating various functions for the implementation of the Consolidated Plan Strategies. Over the past several years, these cities have also cooperated in the joint funding of a number of CDBG and housing projects of County-wide significance. Mountain View will continue to work with the other cities in the County in the implementation of the Consolidated Plan Strategies.
The City's Community Development Department is responsible for facilitating and coordinating the various resources, departments, agencies, people, organizations, facilities and programs, in order for the City to achieve its stated objectives and to ensure that there is no overlap or gaps in the services provided.
The Community Development Department is also responsible for monitoring, on
an annual basis, the progress made in achieving the goals of the Comprehensive
Plan.
For the fiscal year 1995/96, the City of Mountain View will have available a budget of $1,516,254 ($925,000 of CDBG funds, $500,000 of HOME and $91,254 of program income and unprogrammed funds). Attached Listing of Proposed Projects" provides a description regarding the projects to be carried out as well as the location, lead agency and households to be served by each of the projects.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and proposed HUD funded projects.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
Adriana Garefalos
City of Mountain View
(415) 903-6306
