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Googletopia or Just Good Planning?
Posted by Julia Klaiber on April 12, 2010 |
TechCrunch recently published a letter from Google to the City Manager of Mountainview, CA. In it, the company's Vice President of Real Estate and Workplace Services made the case for zoning changes in the area known as North Bayshore, where Google is headquartered.
Currently, most of the area is zoned for commercial development and characterized by low-rise office buildings. Google, which is well known for the generous, on-site amenities it offers employees - recreation, dining and childcare, for example - hopes to bolster its headquarters location with mixed-use development, including housing and retail.
TechCrunch speculates that Google may subsidize such development for the benefit of its employees, but the one-page letter simply states Google's goal to "provide a vibrant community and work/life balance for all."