Each year the Chamber organizes an open forum called Business Focus to discuss current business issues with City leaders. Mountain View City Councilmembers, members of the Chamber Board of Directors, City Department heads and leaders from various Mountain View businesses and organizations joined the Chamber for Business Focus 2001, held at Microsoft Conference Center on May 9 from 8am to 10am.
Some of the issues brought to the table for discussion this year included:
· Construction of the HWY 85/101 Interchange-- City officials responded that it is currently going through environmental review. The timeline for completion of the project is 2002 or 2003. The public will be updated through press releases, website, etc.
· Green Business program--this program recognizes businesses with good environmental practices. City Council members will research the reason that Mountain View isn’t participating in the program.
· Affordable housing—City is finding balance between high-density and small town charm. Need retail, daycare and teen center near housing. Need to attract and retain all levels of employees, i.e. teachers. This is a regional problem so we need to work together as a county. Businesses need to have their voices heard by coming to City Council meetings to promote higher-density. The most logical place for higher-density is near the transit plaza. The next project in the pipeline is the Studio Efficiency Project at the San Antonio Loop Site. The Housing Impact Fee is the next biggest topic in the affordable housing conversation. Focus groups are needed of ‘stakeholders’ in the industry to provide input to the City Council and the Planning Commission.
· Affordable office space--Small businesses are competing with high-tech for office space, but prices are easing up. One idea is to spread out zoning for auto repair shops, etc. so it’s not so congested in one area; but the market is currently resisting mixed-use. Changes to the Commercial Zoning Ordinance will be looked at by City staff.
· Balancing quality of life with growth in Mountain View--Businesses need a venue for their concerns to be addressed. City leaders must work together to close the gap between making Mountain View attractive to businesses and maintaining a good quality of life for those that live here, especially for children: This permeates every issue. Businesses and schools need to work together to create a better community. An idea is to create more “gathering places” for people, i.e. parks. Home-based small businesses need a venue for their concerns to be addressed.
· Corporate philanthropy--Businesses are an important part of this community and are integrally involved with community issues: schools, housing, traffic, etc. Mountain View is very fortunate to have corporations that give so much back to the community. It is always a struggle finding volunteers, particularly over the last year as employees have become more and more busy.
· NASA development proposal--NASA presented plans for the future development on Moffett Field. It would be a combination of Universities (access to four different schools, classrooms, faculty housing) and labs, non-profits, office space for NASA research. The timeline is10-15 years. The proposal is currently going through the Environmental Impact Review.
· Energy crisis--Representatives from PG&E responded to questions about the energy crisis. Late afternoon is a crucial time to conserve. Rolling blackouts will continue throughout the summer as long a supply does not meet demand. PG&E conservation plan: credits from PG&E for conservation of energy and PG&E will help with designing buildings to be energy efficient. Three main types of conservation: (1.) No cost-regular conservation, (2.) Low cost-implementing energy-saving techniques, (3.) Investing in devices that significantly reduce energy.