Google has released plans for its forthcoming Mountain View, California campus, which is promising new affordable housing and space for businesses as the economy recovers from the pandemic, CNBC reported Wednesday (Feb. 10).
The newest plans come as Google continues its expansion in real estate in the San Francisco Bay area as the pandemic continues to ravage other local businesses, CNBC reports.
Google is partnering with Lendlease for the project, which purports to add 7,000 residential units in the new campus — an increase from the 5,760 it had proposed earlier.
Also, around 20 percent of that will be affordable housing, coming out to around 1,400 units, CNBC writes, which is double what Mountain View currently offers.
The project will represent a departure from the usual enclosed tech campuses, being more of a mixed-use option where more community-friendly features are available.
“As we continue to grow in the Bay Area, we’re committed to helping our hometown communities recover from the pandemic and solve challenging problems,” said Michael Tymoff, Google’s Mountain View development director, according to the report. “Our proposal prioritizes housing, on our land and offers a great opportunity to turn North Bayshore in Mountain View into a community with affordable homes, restaurants, parks, office space and so much more.”
Google is currently planning to return its employees to offices in September, CNBC writes.
The current digital work lifestyle is likely to survive the pandemic, with a recent survey showing that most people prefer remote work. Seventy-four percent of respondents did say they still want to go into work at least some of the time, but in general, workers have come to see the perks of working from home. Those include getting work done while still having time to take care of pets, do laundry, prepare home-cooked lunches — and all without the long commutes.
Marie Puybaraud, global head of corporate solutions research at commercial real estate firm JLL, told PYMNTS that employers would have to lean into that flexibility as the world evolves beyond the pandemic.
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