City Leaves Cannabis Businesses High and Dry Spellbound by Quidditch
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Worth squawking about WEEKEND | 17 APRIL 19, 2019 VOLUME 27, NO. 13 www.MountainViewOnline.com 650.964.6300 MOVIES | 20 City takes $8M hit on North Bayshore park fees By Kevin Forestieri — accessible to the public — in exchange for a reduction in park eeking to bring down the fees equal to 75% of the value of high cost of building hous- the 1-acre park proposed in the Sing in North Bayshore, project. According to city staff, Mountain View City Council that lowers the park fees Sobrato members voted last week to cut has to pay the city from $38.1 park fees for a development in million to $30.4 million. The exchange for an acre of private City Council approved the dis- open space. count on a 5-2 vote at the April 9 Council members warned that meeting, with council members they were not setting a precedent Margaret Abe-Koga and John with the Sobrato Organization’s McAlister opposed. project, calling it an anomaly. A similar compromise on But some city leaders worry this school fees was approved when is the latest in a string of conces- Sobrato’s project came before the sions that will leave little cash council for approval in October. to build a school within Moun- The two school districts serving tain View’s dense, tech park the area, Mountain View Whis- neighborhood. man and Mountain View-Los MAGALI GAUTHIER Sobrato’s project at 1255 Pear Altos High, had asked for a Josh Shawver rushes toward a hoop-shaped goal with the quaffle during a scrimmage at Charleston Ave., which was approved by the combined $24.4 million from Park on April 9. He’s a member of the Silicon Valley Vipers, a local team competing in a quidditch City Council months ago, is a Sobrato to offset the cost of new league, a sport dreamed up by “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling. mixed-use development of offices students generated by the project, and 635 apartments, and marks but the developer sought to pay the city’s first foray into housing roughly one-third that amount. Spellbound by quidditch in North Bayshore. But Sobrato The council split the differ- LOCAL TEAMS TAKE A PAGE OUT OF ‘HARRY POTTER’ TO COMPETE AT FANTASTICAL SPORT and other prospective developers ence, requiring Sobrato pay $12 in the area north of Highway 101 million. By Magali Gauthier that practice the magical sport and basketball, but without say the ever-increasing cost of Escalating costs have been a at Shoreline Athletics Fields the flying brooms dreamed up park and school fees is threaten- major concern for the developers uidditch games aren’t and nearby recreational spaces. by author J.K. Rowling. Seven ing the viability of building the seeking to build homes in North just played in “Harry Last week, both clubs com- players on each team try to thousands of homes slated for the Bayshore, specifically Google QPotter” books — they’re peted in the 12th annual US score by throwing the quaffle, area. and Sobrato, whose representa- taking place at Mountain View Quidditch Cup in Round Rock, a deflated volleyball, into one Last month, the council agreed tives told the council in Sep- and Palo Alto parks. Texas. of three hoops. The game ends on a framework through which tember that costs per apartment The Bay Area Breakers and The real world version of when the golden snitch, a ball Sobrato could apply for an “open unit shot up by $120,000 in one the Silicon Valley Vipers are the game combines elements space credit” and construct a pri- two community adult teams of dodgeball, rugby, hockey See QUIDDITCH, page 11 vately owned park on its property See PARK FEES, page 8 City leaves cannabis businesses high and dry PERMIT PROCESS STALLS AS COUNCIL RECONSIDERS WHERE TO ALLOW LEGAL SALES By Adam F. Hutton to issue four licenses — two ousted. The new majority on the people who applied for cannabis Lenny Siegel criticized the cur- for storefront retail shops and City Council has since voted to licenses about their status and rent council for putting off the otential pot businesses in two to delivery services. The revisit the regulations and, city hasn’t responded to questions lottery and keeping applicants in Mountain View have been city received applications from staff said, the application process about when the process could the dark. Pleft high and dry by the 10 would-be cannabis business is on hold. resume. “The delay is a problem because City Council, which delayed a owners and scheduled a lottery Those recent delays have the “The real problem here is businesses have been investing scheduled lottery for a limited to select the winners in March. cannabis industry “beside them- the lack of information going on the chance that they might number of permits, and is keep- But progress on the issue selves,” said lobbyist Sean Kali- forward,” Kali-rai said. “There win the lottery and now they ing the applicants in the dark slowed in 2019 after last Novem- rai with the Silicon Valley Can- seems to be no urgency in getting can’t do business,” Siegel said. about their future. ber’s election saw two pro-can- nabis Alliance. 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