City, county and state officials joined Alta Housing on Thursday, Oct. 8, to celebrate the start of construction on La Bella, a 108-unit affordable apartment building at 1020 Terra Bella Ave. in Mountain View, the city announced.
What is being built
The six-story, all-electric building sits on a 1.04-acre site in a former industrial area of north Mountain View that is shifting toward high-density housing. It will serve households earning 30% to 80% of the area median income, according to the city. Work began in September, and completion is expected in the second quarter of 2028.
Alta Housing, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit, says more than half of the apartments will go to extremely low-income households. Its plans set aside 27 homes for rapid rehousing of individuals and families leaving homelessness, 10 for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and 23 more tied to project-based Section 8 vouchers.
The building is planned with community rooms, a landscaped courtyard with play areas and garden beds, on-site resident services, bike parking and a repair area, and rooftop solar, the nonprofit says.
A land donation made it bigger
Public Storage donated land for the project. Alta Housing says the gift of more than half an acre let the project grow beyond its original plan, roughly doubling the number of affordable homes. The City of Mountain View has committed $13.5 million, and funding also comes from Santa Clara County's Office of Supportive Housing and Housing Authority and from low-income housing tax credits.
"At a time when affordability challenges are pushing too many people out of the communities they love, projects like this show what is possible when we use public land creatively and work in partnership to deliver permanently affordable housing," Mayor Emily Ann Ramos said in the city's announcement.
How to get on the list
People interested in living at La Bella can call Alta Housing at 650-321-9709 and ask to be added to the interest list, the city said.