by Deb Keller
Old Mountain View residents who participated in the online survey on
OMVNA.org, came down on the side of the trench, with 62% favoring that option. At grade, with Castro closed came in second at 22%, and a lone vote was cast for the elevated option. A total of 37 votes were cast.
OMV residents also gave thoughtful comments on OMVNA.org. Here’s a few:
mdeem: I chose the trench as the first option, but at over a billion as opposed to $155M for the at-grade, it’s not likely to happen. I’d love to be wrong, but it doesn’t seem feasible. Then again, the cost and likelihood of acquiring the adjacent
land for the at-grade crossing may not be factored into the $155M figure in the Voice.
Dcraft: I was surprised I ended up picking the at-grade option–I went in thinking trench…. Sitting with a friend for dinner outside Xanh the other night, we paused conversation as the train went by, then commented on how European it felt to be eating outside with a bustling nightlife and trains going by. That seating
area would be up against the retaining wall with the trench option, and we would only hear the train, not see it.
Then I looked at the at-grade drawing. The outside seating at restaurants near the tracks would actually be above road level, with more view of pedestrians and shops in the distance than vehicles a few feet from me. There are various terraces, pedestrian bridges, and towers.
With the at-grade option, the main losers in terms of view are vehicles driving on Castro/Moffett and Central. It is a longish underpass and we’d be looking at retaining walls on the side, but I’d rather suffer that a minute or so in the car than when walking or dining downtown.
Thanks to all who participated, and Dcraft, whoever you are, I want to sign you up for an article
