The R3 Zoning District Update Project

The R3 Zoning District Update Project

The R3 Zoning District Update project was identified in the Mountain View City Council’s Fiscal Year 2019-21 Goals to “review and propose revisions to the R3 Zone standards that consider form-based zoning, incentivizing stacked flats, and updated rowhouse guidelines.” Accordingly, the R3 Zoning District Update would involve increases in residential density within designated “Change Areas” in the City. As shown in Figure 1, the project would introduce new zoning subdistricts, some of which (specifically R3-A, R3-D1 and R3-D2) would include an increase in allowed density. Additionally, all subdistricts will include new/updated development standards. These changes aim to support diverse housing types, including middle-income ownership and stacked flats, improve design through form-based standards, create opportunities for neighborhood-serving commercial, and align with the City’s General Plan and recent state laws including updates through the State Density Bonus Law, updates to the Housing Accountability Act, SB 478 (2021, Wiener), SB 684 (2023, Caballero), SB 1123 (2024, Caballero), and SB 1211 (2024, Skinner). The project would also incorporate Mountain View 2023-2031 Housing Element programs 1.3(a), (c), (e), and (h), which address development feasibility, live-work opportunities, the integration of R2-zoned properties into the R3 zone to advance key policy goals, and allowance for SB 9 type development, plus ADUs, in remaining R2 areas. The expected number of residential units that could result from the project at full buildout is estimated at up to 10,000-16,000 units, consisting of existing development potential for roughly 2,000-3,500 existing units and an increase of approximately 8,000-12,500 additional units. In addition, other code updates may be included with the project, including implementation of Housing Element Program 1.5, which would allow improvements on properties that are currently developed with nonconforming densities in R1 and R2 Zoning Districts, and the rezoning of specific public parks from a residential zoning designation to the Public Facilities Zoning District.

Mountain View

Santa Clara

Northern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2 (RWQCB), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 17, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Residential (Units 16000, Acres 1260)

General Plan Amendment, Rezone

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Economics/Jobs, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire