MOUNTAIN VIEW — The City Council on Tuesday indicated its support for adding as many as 9,100 new housing units, in buildings as tall as 12 stories, to the North Bayshore area.
The council has been under increasing pressure to find a way to add housing, both from landowners such as Google that want to develop its properties in the area, and from people who need housing, as rent prices have risen rapidly.
Google has already asked the city both for assurances that office space it razes for the sake of new housing may be built elsewhere, and for incentives for construction.
Granting some incentives, said city planner Martin Alkire, could help guide private development in directions desired by the city.
Google spokesman Davis White said that any new housing developed by the company would include the required number of affordable units.
The council indicated some willingness to be flexible about how a housing plan might develop.
The council also directed city staff to begin work on an environmental impact report for the housing plan. It is thought that putting more housing in the area would reduce the amount of traffic coming to the major office parks. The study is expected to take a year to complete.
Email John Orr at jorr@dailynewsgroup.com.