Health & Fitness
Will the Mountain View San Antonio Precise Plan include a School?
Your input is needed for Mountain View to incorporate a new school into the San Antonio Precise Plan.
Facility discussions have been gearing up lately, in particular addressing short and long term housing of Bullis Charter School. I'm optimistic that with face-to-face public discussions the two sides can have an honest & constructive dialog. It's in a fragile stage, with online discussion rhetoric getting intense, but if both parties can work together and compromise it will make tackling the larger district growth that much easier.
Nevertheless, we must maintain sight of how best to accommodate either's growth. Previously I presented the Enrollment Growth Task Force take on the LASDs & BCSs growth (http://tinyurl.com/EnrollmentGrowthTaskForce), and then discussed possibilities for a need of a new school site within the North of El Camino (NEC) area (http://tinyurl.com/NECSchool) and attempted to generate discussion about sharing and re-purposing part of Hillview (http://tinyurl.com/HillviewLASD). I now want to come back to address the NEC area, in particular the San Antonio Precise Plan.
On Wednesday, September 11 (7PM, City Hall), the Mountain View Environmental Planning Commission is having a kick-off meeting (EPC Agenda Link) to review and discuss background information collected over the summer for the San Antonio Precise Plan. City Council discussion will follow on Tuesday, October 8. Both venues will provide an opportunity for public input.
Background info: The Precise Plan provides area-specific regulations and is a tool used for coordinating future public & private improvements, especially where special conditions of the development require particular attention. Elements such as zoning, parking, pedestrian standards, street design, and sustainability are specified. Through the Mountain View General Plan process, the San Antonio area was envisioned as a community of mixed commercial and residential use, with ease of access for pedestrians and an expanded community open space.
Schools are not explicitly called out as part of the precise plan. Yet, one can argue what better community open space than a school serving the residents the Precise Plan encompasses and future residents it hopes to attract. The Mountain View San Antonio Visioning area encompasses a majority of the LASD North of El Camino school population. Additionally, in the past 10 years about 1/4th of the districts growth originated within this small geographic area. With new construction nearing occupancy, and more on the horizon, this share of the enrollment growth is likely to grow.
25% of all LASD population are Mountain View citizens. The City of Mountain View must have an active voice and participation in the LASD/BCS enrollment growth discussions. The Precise Plan is an excellent starting point for Mountain View. However, this discussion needs to happen soon before the opportunity is lost.
What can you do: If you are resident of Mountain View, or even a resident within the Los Alto School District, reach out to your City Council, speak at the Precise Plan meetings, or write a letter letting them know the value and importance of a local school.
More information:
