2010-03-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

updated version of this document is at http://newUSnews.blogspot.com

Housing Development in Palo Alto

Our city government is projecting a Palo Alto population by 2030 that is lower than the 80,000 assumed by ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments). Our population now is a little over 60,000. But these projections determine the amount of housing increase that will be allowed.

The city has a Comprehensive Plan that permits moderate growth, but the plan has been circumvented in two ways. First, the City undercounts projects by a method I'll explain in a bit. Second, the City has approved hundreds of residential units more than the plan permits, even by their own count. The City was supposed to approve only 2,400. (See also an earlier message, below the table.)

My housing table below shows over 3,700 units that have been built, or are expected to be built in the foreseeable future. I ran it by the City's Planning Department and they kindly marked it up to show the differences between it and their records. I appreciate their doing this, and it led to my understanding of how the undercount works.

Here's how it works. The City only counts units both approved and built during 1997-2010. So if a project was approved before 1997 but built later, it isn't counted. For example, the Alma Place low-income development was built in 1998 but approved before 1997, so its 106 units are not counted. Other projects have also crossed that time boundary.

The City also doesn't count a project if it is approved during 1997-2010 but will be constructed after 2010. That means it can approve many developments now, as long as the developer agrees not to build before 2010, and so it isn’t counted. It is possible we will see a building boom in 2010 that will dwarf what is going on now.

Below is the updated housing list, including a column showing projects the City isn't counting under the current Comprehensive Plan.

SUMMARY	North	South	Total
Built	1552	895	2447
Projected	605	678	1283
Total	2157	1573	Grand Total 3,730

Multi-Unit HOUSING DEVELOPMENT in Palo Alto 1997- 2010

by north / south -- December 2009

NORTH of Oregon - Approved, Built, or Under Construction	Address	Units	Approved
Hyatt Senior Housing	600-620 Sand Hill Road	454	11/04/97
Stanford West Apartments	600 Sand Hill Road	628	11/04/97
SOFA/Summerhill	Downtown blocks SOFA1	111	2001-02
Opportunity Center (mixed/SRO/apts)	33 Encina	89	3/03/03
Sunrise Senior Living	2701 El Camino at Sheridan	81	6/21/04
800 High	800 High Street	60	3/03/03
Oak Court (affordable housing) ________________________________ Silverwood	825-827 Ramona St. ___________________________________ 435 Sheridan Ave.	53 ________ 35	11/08/01 ________________ 11/03/97
8-lot subdivision/single family homes	500 Los Trancos Rd	8	1/01/01
Page Mill Court	2700 Ash St	24	4/17/97
Hayes Group	1795; 1805 El Camino; mixed use 2 and 2 units	4	10/04/05
OAK Shadows ________________________________ Live-work units	2051 El Camino; mixed use. ___________________________________ 1865-1869 El Camino	2 ________ 3	7/12/05 _______________ 2/24/98
	Sub-total	1552

NORTH of Oregon - Projected	Status	Units	City Does Not Count √
Stanford Mayfield sites California Ave & 2450-2700 El Camino	Upper California Ave (180) El Camino (70) can start before 2010 if Stanford decides but city does not count	250	√
195 Page Mill Road + 2825, 2865, 2873, 2891 and 2901 Park Blvd. Courthouse Plaza	Approved by City Council Nov 20'06. 3-story mixed-use. Litigation has been filed against the owner and the city re project EIR. Hohbach changed apts to condominiums 6/07.Project is being resubmitted.	84	√
Eden Housing NEW 801-841 Alma	-will not develop before 2010; originally 53 units; 3/09 changed to 2 bldgs, total 96 units; July 2009 reduced to 50 units. Approved Nov.9,2009	50	?
CSAA building & Surgery Center 400 & 430 Forest	Zoned multi-fam, but now commercial; will not develop before 2010	39	√
Stanford University NEW Stanford Avenue____________________________ Stanford Ave x El Camino NEW -------------------------------------------------------------------- 265 Lytton (former Spago restaurant) NEW	37 single family homes ______________________________________ 29 townhouses for athletic staff, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- M. King; mixed use; office and residential	37 _______ 29 -------------- 4	√ _____________ √ -------------------------- √
Edgewood Plaza -2080 Channing Ave Embarcadero Road NEW SandHill Property Co	Plans will be made known when they are ready; iJan.'07 developer said will build 18 units; Aug. 2008 plans are for 25 units. No action since Nov.'08; Nov.09 plans for 10 single family homes	24	√
Birch Plaza 305 Grant Ave,2640-50 Birch St., and 306-320 Sheridan Ave NEW _________________________________________________ Medical office 1515 El Camino	Mixed use; office and 8 residential units ___________________________________________ Zoned multi-fam, but now commercial; will not develop before 2010	8 _______ 7	√ _____________ √
350 Forest NEW	11/08	9	√
College Terrace Center -JJandF Market 2180 El Camino NEW	In process; full block; PC requested; 14 BMR; reduced to 8 BMR	14?	8? √
575 Middlefield ______________________________________ 420 Cambridge Ave NEW	Convert office to residential. i(was 6) ___________________________________________	8 ________ 4	______√______
102 University Circle ______________________________________ 643 Homer Av. NEW 165 Hawthorne NEW 370 Lowell NEW 385 Sherman NEW 687 Cowper NEW	___________________________________________	3 ________ 3 2 2 3 3	______________ √ √
Small projects, 335 University (1); 936 Bryant (3); 644 Forest (2); 325 Lytton(1) 449 Addison (1) 342 Hawthorne(3) continued -	969 Lawrence (2); 739 Webster (1); 455 Webster (1); 586 College (1); 455 Forest (4); 334 Hawthorne (2); Sub-total	22 ____ 605

SOUTH OF OREGON EXPRESSWAY

SOUTH of Oregon - Approved, Built, or Under Construction	Address	Units	Approved
Hyatt Rickey’s (Arbor Real) 170 condos & town homes plus 11 single-family on Wilkie Way	4219 El Camino Real D.R. Horton developer	181	12/05/05
Taube-Koret Campus for Jewish Life	901 San Antonio Road senior residential ;PC	193	9/11/06
Bridge Housing (BUILD) 901 San Antonio Road	103 for-sale town homes (CJL total is 352) 56 senior affordable residences;rezoned PC	159	9/11/06
Montage Apts	4020 El Camino (at Los Robles)	46	4/17/97

Classics at Driscoll Place (townhomes)	4100-4120 El Camino	26	6/29/98
Trumark (multi-family units)	1101 & 1010 E. Meadow (being built)	75	8/06/05
Trumark (condos)	928, 940, & 1180 E Meadow (being built)	76	8/06/05
Wisteria Lane (townhomes)	579 Vista Ave	6	3/05/98
Rank Tech (mixed-use/apts)	4131 El Camino	8	11/20/02

Single family homes	515-518 Georgia	3	6/21/99
Classic Communities-Sterling Gardens	3270-90 W. Bayshore; single-fam + townhomes	96	6/19/06
Old Pro	2825-2865 El Camino 3-story,mixed use	2	7/06
525 San Antonio	Single family homes	10	7/01/02
Glenbrook Dr	4290 El Camino Real	14	Built
	Sub-total	895

SOUTH of Oregon – Projected	Status	Units	City Does Not Count √
Fry's 340 Portage Ave	Zoned multi-fam, but currently commercial; Will not develop before 2010; city is trying to keep this site commercial.	374	√
Mayfield Mall NEW 200 San Antonio Road	Single and multi-family 45 units in Palo Alto; owned by HP developed by Toll Brothers; approved 2/9/09. 436 adjoining units to be built in Mtn View	45
Elks property "Redwood Gate" 4249 El Camino Real NEW	SummerHill 45 + Juniper Homes 5	50
Alma Plaza NEW 3445 Alma Street	37 individual homes plus 14 Below market rate apts. Approved Feb.2009; design review pending	51
Palo Alto Bowl NEW 4301- El Camino	Rezoned commercial; 4/3/07;application for new hotel and 26 housing units; approved Dec.14,2009	26
Summerwinds Nursery 4151 Middlefield at San Antonio	Rezoned commercial; 4/3/07	0
Mayflower Motel 3981 El Camino	Rezoned commercial; 4/3/07
2785 Park Boulevard	Being considered for police building; applied for PTOD	50	√
Tree House NEW 488 W. Charleston Rd. ______________________________ Tanland 1072 Tanland	Below Market Rate apartments (was 30) Approved 3 /16/09 ____________________________________________ Additional units at an existing apt complex	35 _____ 12	_______
4146 El Camino	Empty lot; will not develop before 2010	12	√
Alanna Townhomes 872-876 San Antonio Rd	9-unit townhouse condominiums	9	√
Curtner Court 382 Curtner		3
797-807 Matadero 897 Barron Ave 433 West Meadow -- Calif. Communities 720 La Para NEW		2 2 5 2	?
Sub-total		678

Data collected by Elaine Meyer emeyer3@gmail.com

We're Just a Town That Can't Say No

Palo Alto just can't say No to new residential development.
Every project that comes before its governing bodies waxes poetic about its own virtues, the city brushes a tear from its eyes, and says OK. And the numbers keep growing. But the consequences of this building spree to the city's already-overstretched infrastructure are serious.

Why does it matter?

In 1998, following a long and involved process, the city adopted a Comprehensive Plan which is "the primary tool for guiding the future development of the city." (pg. 1)

The Plan’s Environmental Impact Report’s (EIR) established that Palo Alto could absorb 2,400 new housing units during the period 1997-2010. If it exceeds that number, the city must adapt [before approval] to the impacts the increase would cause - to schools, parks, traffic, and to that elusive quality of life we value.

We’re In a Terrible Fix...

Recently, serious concerns have been expressed about classroom shortages, traffic congestion, crowded parks and libraries. Parents don’t like having to transport their children across town daily. Some families bought a home near a school so that their children could attend it.

Neighbors are impinged upon when permission is routinely granted to exceed the zoning height limits, reduce setbacks, and reduce required light planes (design rules that protect a home from interference with daylight.)

Many projects ask for, and receive a DEE - a 'Design Enhancement Exception' which is invariably applied to making a structure bigger. There’s no room for irony when big money is involved.

Below is the current list of housing projects which I compiled from numerous sources. For projects not yet under construction, I used their projected numbers, which sometimes change modestly during the planning process.

Just When I Oughta Say Nix!

By my count, almost 4,000 new residential units have been built, or are well along in the planning stages, even though the City’s Comprehensive Plan says the city can only absorb 2,400. Nothing in the approval process is slowing down, in fact, complaints by developers about how long it takes has sped it up.

This list does not include Stanford housing projects, individual homes, commercial properties, or projects that have not yet applied for approval, or been revealed to the public. Sheri Furman kindly assisted in organizing this material. I appreciate receiving any corrections or omissions.

-Elaine Meyer
emeyer3@gmail.com

Elaine's Neighborspace

updated version of this document is at http://newUSnews.blogspot.com

Housing Development in Palo Alto

Units