The dilapidated Edgewood Plaza in Palo Alto would undergo a major transformation, including 10 new homes and a Fresh Market supermarket, under a proposal the City Council is scheduled to consider tonight, March 19.
The proposal by Redwood City-based developer Sand Hill Property Company has undergone major changes since the original proposal, which called for 24 new homes and which was soundly rejected by area residents. The revised plan, by contrast, has won over most of the neighborhood critics, though several speakers at a Feb. 29 public hearing raised concerns about increased traffic at the already busy area.
At that hearing, the Planning and Transportation Commission voted to approve a special "planned community" zone for Edgewood Plaza -- a designation that allows the developer to exceed the city's zoning regulations in exchange for negotiated public benefits.
The city's Architectural Review Board and the Historic Resources Board have also approved the project, setting the stage for the council's final vote.
The project includes 10 homes, renovations of three existing retail buildings and a small park with trees and benches intended to encourage community gatherings, John Tze of Sand Hill Property Company told the planning commission Feb. 29. Tze also told the commission that the plaza would include a Fresh Market grocery store, the North Carolina-based company's first location west of the Mississippi. The company, he said, plans to build six stores in California.
The project aims to revitalize a plaza that was built in the late 1950s by local homebuilder Joseph Eichler, whose structures emphasize natural light, outdoor space and open floor plans. When Eichler Homes and the firm Jones and Emmons developed the plaza, it featured a grocery building, two retail buildings, a gas station and an office building. The plaza, which is located near Channing Avenue and West Bayshore Road, had long featured an Albertson's (formerly Lucky Supermarket), but the grocery store left the plaza in 2006.
The council meeting will begin with a closed session at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). Regular meeting will follow.
Comments
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 19, 2012 at 11:28 am
on Mar 19, 2012 at 11:28 am
Can the owner of Formico's Pizza please come out of retirement to reopen there?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 19, 2012 at 11:46 am
on Mar 19, 2012 at 11:46 am
> Can the owner of Formico's Pizza please come out of retirement
> to reopen there?
Second that motion. And if not, what about selling the recipe to someone who will promise to make pizzas like Formico's Pizza did?
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 19, 2012 at 4:53 pm
on Mar 19, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Provision of pedestrian access should be a condition of project approval. As it is now, there is no safe path for pedestrians from the many homes (90 plus) a few hundred feet to the north of the project along West Bayshore Road. The project with its nifty new supermarket and community park will trigger an increase in pedestrian traffic, which increase is an impact of the project but which was not studied in the EIR. The EIR should not be certified unless the city stipulates to the impact and its mitigation by provision of a path.
Again, safe pedestrian access should be a condition of project approval.
Community Center
on Mar 19, 2012 at 4:58 pm
on Mar 19, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Why have more housing? Why not all retail? I grew up in an Eichler. Please keep Eichler's signature look if he did indeed design the shopping center.
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 19, 2012 at 7:31 pm
on Mar 19, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Formico's pizza was the best. What was the name of his signature pizza with everything on it? There was a great hardware store there for years as well.
Bring back the good new days...
Crescent Park
on Mar 19, 2012 at 9:58 pm
on Mar 19, 2012 at 9:58 pm
It was the Stromboli.
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 6, 2012 at 11:23 am
on Sep 6, 2012 at 11:23 am
Stromboli with extra cheese. It became almost a weekly indulgence. And, I still haven't been able to duplicate the flavor of their lasagna (I've come close, but nothing can compare...)