>Put enough people in proximity and you'll create that downtown. I will be a fossil before this ever happens in Mountain View. I used to live in a garden-styl

>Put enough people in proximity and you'll create that downtown. I will be a fossil before this ever happens in Mountain View. I used to live in a garden-style apartment within walking distance of downtown Mountain View. It was an old building, and my rent was $1900. That was considered affordable for Mountain View, but no amount of savings could ever persuade me to move back to there. Like someone stated above, there were no amenities - no in-unit washer/dryer, no updated appliances, etc. The walls were horribly thin, and none of the cabinets or drawers closed properly. So, I'm now living in a newly-built, sterile mid-rise 12 miles away in downtown SJ. I would have loved to stay in Mountain View and keep my short commute, but there is still not enough density to bring prices down for the nicer buildings. The newer construction on El Camino are going for $3k for a 1-bedroom (and this, when the market is supposed to be cooling off). There was talk of another building going up on Shoreline, but of course the NIMBY crowd shot it down fast.