Updated Aug 26, 2025
Staff Housing Goals
1. Attract and retain high-quality staff 2. Lower rents for tenants  3. Budget-neutral operations 4. Non-profit board of to focus on management
Strengthening its long-term commitment to school district employee workforce stability and housing affordability, MVWSD is proud to announce that we are engaging in an innovative partnership with the Foothill DeAnza (FHDA) Community College District that further increases the impact of MVW at the Sevens.
MVWSD is in the process of selling 50 units of its 144-unit community to Foothill DeAnza for $54.45 million. This partnership fully pays for MVWSD’s recent $53.5 million purchase of the land under the building. 
The land purchase:
* Relieved MVWSD of any ground lease payments (past or future); Eliminated the $1.9 million annual escalating costs * Was the first step in having autonomy over our staff housing  * Creates a pathway for lower rents for employees
By providing affordable workforce housing options, MVWSD is ensuring that the staff members who shape our children’s futures can continue to live and work in the community they serve.  
“MVWSD’s staff housing project is an ambitious and complex initiative aimed at tackling a major challenge: the high cost of living in our area,” said Superintendent Jeffrey Baier. “By providing affordable workforce housing options, we are ensuring that the staff members who shape our children’s futures can continue to live and work in the community they serve.”
Background: The 144-unit housing community, which opened in February 2025 is a collaborative project between MVWSD, the City of Mountain View, and Miramar Capital.  Construction funding was provided through voters’ support of Measure T in 2020. MVWSD rents 123 units to its employees; 20 units are reserved for City of Mountain View employees. Residents qualify under income guidelines and rents vary by income.

To Learn More:

Reasons MVWSD purchased the land beneath its staff housing development 
This strategic investment solidifies the housing community as a long-term asset for the school district, employees and the community.  Previously, the housing project was built on leased land, which presented financial limitations over time. Owning the land outright enhances the long-term viability of the project.
Specifically, the land purchase:
●  Eliminates the $1.9 million cost of the expensive annual land lease, which escalates over time
●  Gives MVWSD greater control over the property as the landowner
●  Enables greater financial flexibility and long-term sustainability for MVW at the Sevens

The status of unoccupied units
MVWSD has rented 53 of its 144 housing units. After the sale of 50 units to FHDA, there will still be approximately 41 total remaining for future MVWSD/City staff to rent. This number of units is more appropriate for the size of the District’s staff. 

Renters in FDHA’s units 
FDHA’s units will be reserved for community college educators and staff members.

How the unit sale helps MVWSD, in addition to funding for the land/lease lease purchase
It right-sizes the number of units to better match actual staff needs. The unit sale reduces operating costs, and makes it possible to lower monthly rents for employees and increase staff access to housing within a supportive community. It safeguards the district’s financial future by protecting the general fund and student programs. Converting the property into a paid-for asset ensures that the housing project is stabilized in perpetuity through a creative, mission-aligned solution.

FHDA as a partner
The partnership with FHDA, a trusted local educational institution,  is a natural fit because both institutions serve the same taxpayers and are part of the K–14 educational continuum in the community. By prioritizing FHDA, while keeping a “waterfall” structure in place for other educational institutions, MVWSD helps expand affordable housing access for local educators. This collaboration, in turn, supports the district’s ability to maintain lower staff rents and reinforces a community-wide commitment to educational excellence.

The importance of the FHDA partnership
This collaboration represents a creative, mission-aligned solution to stabilize staff housing and improve it for employees while safeguarding the district’s financial future. “Since MVWSD is carrying all of the financial risk for this ambitious and complex project, it was critical that we acted to convert it to a paid-for asset,” said Superintendent Jeff Baier. “It’s important that we protect our general fund. Now, it will generate revenue annually for our students for facilities projects, in addition to providing stable, low-cost housing for our employees.”

Timeline for Completion of Unit Sale
The MVWSD Trustees approved the purchase sale agreement with FHDA on August 25. The FHDA Board of Trustees approved the partnership on Sept 8, 2025. Both entities will continue finalizing documents, including an updated below market rate housing agreement with the City Mountain View. We anticipate the entire process could be completed later this year.
The Land Purchase Process
The Board met on July 10 to approve a Purchase Sale Agreement with the development company, MVO (Mountain View Owners).
●  Eliminates the $1.9 million cost of the annual land lease, which escalates over time. The land lease alone would have cost MVWSD $270-$380 million over 55 years.

●  Maintain high tenant interest with BMR rents. Sustaining demand is crucial in making the project cost neutral for MVWSD. More tenants increase revenue.
●  Gives MVWSD greater control over the property.  Owning the land gives MVWSD greater financial flexibility and autonomy over the full range of future decisions about MVW at the Sevens.
Why a land lease:
A land lease for MVWSD staff housing was the option available to MVWSD at the time leading up to construction.
How funding for the purchase works:
Funding for the purchase will come from the proceeds of MVWSD’s sale of 50 units to Foothill DeAnza Community College District (FHDA). This returns the district’s expenditure of Facilities and Capital Outlay funds, and Measure T funds.
How MVWSD arrived at the decision to purchase land:
The expensive land lease is a financial burden to the district and limited the project’s sustainability. On Jan. 23, 2025, the Board approved an Option to Purchase and a Purchase and Sale Agreement that included the terms of a potential agreement, but not the sale price. This action allowed the Board to express interest in the property while studying all angles of the potential decision.
The Board discussed the potential property purchase and potential funding sources at its Feb. 13 and March 20 meetings as a way to increase the long-term viability of the project and put MVWSD in complete control of the property as landowners.
At its March 27 study session dedicated to staff housing, the Board discussed short-term success criteria for MVW at the Sevens:
●  Fill available housing units ●  Housing project becomes self-sufficient ●  Board meeting time spent on student learning matters
How rents may be affected by the land purchase/unit sales: Operating expenses are the major driver of rental rates. Operating costs of $4 million annually will be greatly reduced. While we can’t estimate exactly what rents may be in the future, lowering rents has been our goal for some time. Average rents could be reduced by 15-20% or more. This will be one of the first items of business for the new non-profit housing board, MVW Residences Corp, this fall. 
Why the land purchase is worth the price:
The district’s goal was to remove the heavy financial burden of the ground lease. Continuing the expensive ground lease was financially unsustainable and limited MVWSD’s control of this important community asset. 

The number of meetings that led to the land purchase: The Board has been talking in public and in detail about this purchase since the initial Purchase Sale and Agreement was approved in January.

Please see the timeline below.

Expertise from outside MVWSD:

Staff housing is a long-term asset for the district, and we are and have been actively engaging with experts, such as attorneys and professionals in the areas of land use, land acquisition, local real estate development and affordable housing. Additionally, we brought on an experienced project management consultant to focus on staff housing. Some of this help has been free of charge, and legal and consulting costs have come from the district. Some attorneys fees have been paid through the general fund and Measure T funds.  The staff housing consultant has been paid from unrestricted capital funds. Capital funds may not be used for educational programs or staff salaries, with some small exceptions.

Alternatives explored besides land purchase:

Short of selling off the building, possibly at a loss, and losing this incredible community asset, purchasing the land was the only option to relieve MVWSD of the expensive land lease. Experienced housing experts and real estate professionals advised MVWSD as it considered solutions.

Projected break-even point:

We anticipate that staff housing will become cost neutral in the 2025-26 school year.

Other steps being taken to make housing more accessible to staff:

MVWSD requested and the City approved an amendment to the Below Market Rate (BMR) threshold for the allowable household income for tenants of the project from 120% of AMI (Area Median Income) to 150% AMI. This enables up to 23% more MVWSD employees to qualify for staff housing (self reported, March 2025).

How MVWSD is supporting long-term housing stability:

MVWSD has established a dedicated nonprofit entity, the MVW Residences Corporation. This nonprofit will have a separate and dedicated Board that will oversee the housing development moving forward. This structure allows District leadership to stay focused on its core mission— educating students— while ensuring that the housing initiative is thoughtfully managed. MVWSD anticipates appointing MVW Residences Corporation board members by early Fall 2025. 

Time spent on staff housing by MVWSD:

Once the MVW Residences Corporation Board is up and running, the amount of district staff time spent on this initiative will be greatly reduced. The MVWSD Chief Business Officer will receive regular updates on the financial status of staff housing. Additionally, future Board meetings will not likely have staff housing agenda items, except for the Board receiving regular reports from the MVW Residences Corporation Board.