Mountain View Broke Ground on La Bella Housing Project

Construction of 108 affordable housing units provides a template for developers navigating land-swap site assembly.

Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Construction

Mountain View Broke Ground on La Bella Housing Project

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Santa Clara County and partners officially broke ground on the La Bella housing development in Mountain View, a 108-unit project financed by public bond funds. The site was prepared through a strategic land exchange between a developer and a commercial property owner to enable residential use.

Why it matters

For regional operators, this project illustrates how public-private land swaps can overcome site acquisition hurdles in dense markets. The development addresses specific housing gaps for lower-income and disabled populations using a tiered unit structure.

Santa Clara County has directed $10.5 million to the 108-unit La Bella site, part of a broader $747 million investment in 65 rental housing developments since 2016. Mountain View has specifically secured $67 million in bond funds to support 540 total units.

The players

Alta Housing

A nonprofit developer focused on creating and managing affordable housing communities throughout the region.

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

The governing body responsible for overseeing county budget allocations and large-scale public infrastructure investments.

Public Storage

A large-scale real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership and operation of self-storage facilities.

The details

The development at 1020 Terra Bella Ave. relied on a land exchange between Alta Housing and Public Storage to reconfigure parcels for residential redevelopment. The unit mix includes 27 units designated for Rapid Rehousing, 69 units for those earning 60% of the area median income, and 10 units for low-income residents with disabilities. Two additional units are reserved for on-site management.

Voters approved the Measure A Affordable Housing Bond in 2016.
The groundbreaking ceremony for La Bella took place on October 8, 2026.

Market Landscape

This groundbreaking reflects the ongoing deployment of capital from the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, which has served as a primary funding vehicle for regional residential development. The project follows a pattern of municipal-led initiatives intended to bridge the housing supply gap in high-cost tech hubs.

Operators in the residential sector should monitor how the county continues to prioritize land-swap agreements for urban infill. Keep track of future Measure A funding cycles to identify potential public-private partnership opportunities for multi-family development.

The takeaway

Large-scale residential projects in constrained markets increasingly rely on creative parcel exchanges between residential and commercial developers to unlock site capacity. Review your local municipal or county housing bond dockets to track upcoming infrastructure investment priorities.