ULI San Francisco is pleased to announce the publication of the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) report for the City of Mountain View. TAPs are an ongoing ULI initiative, designed to offer strategic, multidisciplinary advice on complex land use and real estate challenges for municipalities, public agencies, and non-profit organizations.

On January 22 and 23, 2025, a panel of six volunteer ULI SF experts convened to study the potential for new moderate-income for-sale housing on a City-owned parcel in the North Bayshore neighborhood. ULI assembled the panel to study the 1.4-acre site, meet with area stakeholders, and deliver a set of recommendations the City can consider as it explores the opportunities for housing at the site as well as part of a broader middle-income strategy. Due to its focus on homeownership, “middle income” for purposes of this TAP is defined as 80-150% of area median income (AMI).

The TAP panel of subject matter experts represented diverse disciplines, including land use, architecture, real estate, and public policy. The panel members were:

• David Cropper, TAP Chair, Principal, Four Corners Properties (Chair)
• Teresa Ruiz, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, TCA Architects (Vice Chair)
• Drew Hudacek, Chief Investment Officer, Sares Regis Group of Northern California
• Linda Mandolini, President & CEO, Eden Housing
• Danielle Thoe, Affordable Housing Professional
• Louis Liss, Director of Real Estate Development, Eden Housing
• Kelly Annis, Branch Communications (TAP Report Writer)

The panel centered their recommendations on four primary questions posed by the City of Mountain View Housing Department; see full text of the questions plus three additional questions in the final report:

1. What development and physical characteristics would be required to enable the project, e.g. density, unit mix (size and AMI levels), setbacks, parking, etc.?
2. If the project would be difficult to build under the four bulleted parameters above, what would need to be modified (e.g., 50% of the units as affordable instead of a 100% fully affordable project, higher AMI range, smaller units, etc.)?
3. What are the major non-governmental constraints (e.g., lack of financing, construction defect law, etc.) that may make it challenging for the project to be realized? Can they be overcome? If so, how and what could be the City’s role?
4. What legal instruments, financing structures, and other methods would be required to enable the project? What would be an effective process for the City to consider, from selecting a developer all the way through construction completion?

Before the in-person workshop, the panel co-chair and vice chair met with the City virtually to better understand the TAP scope, and the panelists reviewed a comprehensive briefing book prepared by the City. During the workshop, the panelists met with City staff for a presentation and site tour, conducted interviews with key stakeholders from the city council and community, and participated in a brainstorming and analysis exercise. The panelists presented their findings and recommendations to the City team, stakeholders, and other invited guests.

The final report articulates the panelists’ recommendations and conclusions and can be found here. ULI SF’s TAP archive contains this report, along with reports for all other TAPs conducted by our district council.