A string of awkwardly placed homes on a busy stretch of Page Mill Road in Palo Alto could soon make way for a dense new development thanks to a zoning change the City Council approved Monday night, Dec. 10.
The council voted unanimously to rezone four parcels on the 400 block of Page Mill Road from residential to commercial, a move that members agreed would make the properties in the 0.6-acre rezoned site more consistent with the largely commercial area that surrounds them.
Currently, the four nondescript, single-family homes at 423-451 Page Mill Road are a zoning aberration on a busy block that lies just east of El Camino Real. The block includes conspicuous commercial buildings such as the Kelly Moore Paint Store, the AT&T Retail Store and the large AOL office development at 395 Page Mill Road. The four parcels are expected to ultimately house a mixed-use development designed by architect John Northway, who is working with property owner Norm Schwab on the project.
The rezoning proposal had already sailed through the city's Planning and Transportation Commission, which approved it on Oct. 3 with no dissent. The council followed suit Monday night, agreeing with planning staff's recommendation. In a report to the council, staff wrote that the commercial land-use designation is appropriate for the properties and consistent with the commercial uses on each corner of the block.
"The property fronts on Page Mill Road, which is a high traffic, major arterial roadway with adjacent commercial uses," the report states. "Single-family residences are not typically encouraged in such locations."
Council members agreed, with Pat Burt calling the single-family residences an "anachronism" at the busy site, Nancy Shepherd noting how "lonely" the houses look and Vice Mayor Greg Scharff criticizing them as "an eyesore."
The only disagreement was over whether to create a "site-and-design overlay" on the properties, which would trigger a more stringent design-review process for the proposed development, including public hearings in front of the city's land-use board and the council. Council members Burt and Karen Holman argued that the designation would be a prudent way to ensure the future project will comply with the council's vision for the site. Price disagreed and said the development standards -- the service commercial (CS) zone -- "will be sufficient to make a good transition and allow opportunities for redevelopment of these properties."
The council took the cautious route and added the overlay by an 8-1 vote, with Price dissenting. Burt said that while he trusts Northway to propose a good project, the zoning applies to a parcel, not the applicant.
"We don't know for sure whether the project goes forward with the given applicant," Burt said. "We want to make sure that we don't just have faith in the architect."
So far, Northway has offered few details about the development, other than to say it will be a mixed-use building with both residential and commercial space. Northway said he and Schwab didn't want to proceed too far along with the design process before getting the zone change that would make the project possible.
Northway said he will work with neighboring properties on producing a suitable design before unveiling it to the broader public and to the council. He had no objections to the council's proposal for the overlay.
"We promised the neighbors, and we will do this, that we'll show it to them first and take their comments into consideration before we finalize the design and submit it for site-and-design (review)," Northway said. "We really need to get the land-use zoning in place so Norm can feel comfortable going ahead and spending the time and money to finalize the design."
Comments
Old Palo Alto
on Dec 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm
on Dec 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm
That area of town will look much better once the zoning is uniform.
However, those houses were there long before the commercial buildings were....what happens to the people living in them and/or owning them now?
St. Claire Gardens
on Dec 11, 2012 at 7:31 pm
on Dec 11, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Sounds like a sellout to local developers. What happens when Councilmember Scharff decides "your" house looks like "an eyesore", or Nancy Shepherd claims your house "looks lonely", or Pat Burt decides your property is an "anachronism". This outright sellout by city council to developer Schawb and architect Northway smells all the way to the bank. How unfortunate that city council has decided that residential properties within city limits are now considered an eyesore and an anachronism that require immediate rezoning and are put on the market to the highest bidding commercial developer. How convenient for a developer to decide that they require your residential property for the fullfillment of their envisioned project and can simply have local government declare your property as lonely looking or an eyesore and turn it over to the highest bidder for financial gain. What a great country! What a pity!
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 11, 2012 at 7:38 pm
on Dec 11, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Normally I would agree with both the above posters. But, have they seen the houses in question? They look deserted and I wonder if they are even habitable. No idea who the owners are, but I doubt if they could rent them out.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 11, 2012 at 8:21 pm
on Dec 11, 2012 at 8:21 pm
I'd venture to say that the houses are run down and look like crap and lonely on purpose. The developers must own them.
If I had owned them, before selling out I would have gotten a good lawyer, and not sold for a penny under upside on the entire deal.
Adobe-Meadow
on Dec 11, 2012 at 11:16 pm
on Dec 11, 2012 at 11:16 pm
How about this concept Paco. The owner of the property can sell or develop these parcels however they wish, assuming it's done legally and to code. It's their business and not yours. You wouldn't want someone questioning what you should do with property that you own, and I'm sure they feel the same.
Charleston Meadows
on Dec 12, 2012 at 10:47 am
on Dec 12, 2012 at 10:47 am
It seems that the rezoning is appropriate, however the change takes residences out of the ABAG count and increases the infrastructure demand caused by the higher density.
The developer is "gifted" or "inured" the greater value while the rest of the community bears the increased infrastructure demands.
The Council awarded a big benefit to the land owner, so where is the public benefit in return? Absent the public benefit, the Council has simply enriched a private party at the cost of the residents.
Any zoning change, no matter how appropriate, should at least share the upside with the public, as we will all have to share in the cost of additional sewage capacity, water capacity, street repair, school expansion, low income housing, etc.
And no one has been held accountable for the historical decisions that have caused the current $400 million infrastructure deficit, yet we take actions like this that will further grow that deficit.
Please, open the Council's eyes to the cause and effect. Accountability? Anyone else feel the frustration of seeing a leadership that speaks of delivering a better outcome, but keeps on doing the same old thing.
Respectfully,
Tim Gray
another community
on Dec 12, 2012 at 11:12 am
on Dec 12, 2012 at 11:12 am
So, what's new? The developers have ruled Palo Alto for decades. It appears the idea is to have the entire town evolve into one huge ugly industrial park/shopping mall/medical center/office tower/high density housing complex. (former resident 1970-2008)
College Terrace
on Dec 12, 2012 at 11:34 am
on Dec 12, 2012 at 11:34 am
Not so "conspicuous", but one of the other "commercial" establishments along there is a wonderful veterinarian, Dr Lagerweff and The Animal Doctors. My kitties and I hope they won't get squeezed out with all this development.
Menlo Park
on Dec 12, 2012 at 12:15 pm
on Dec 12, 2012 at 12:15 pm
The Animal Doctors and Dr. Lagerweff literally put my cat back together after my brother accidentally ran over her when she was about 6 months old. This was close to 17 years ago. Throwing him under the bus and putting him out of business would serve no purpose after all he has done serving the communities of menlo park and Palo Alto. He already had to move once when the beltramos family kicked Lagerweff out of his place of business on avy avenue in menlo park. now the city of palo alto wants to evict him a second time. When will this stop. Dr. Lagerweff and his staff at the Animal Doctors are the best vets around and in doing so should be left alone.
Mountain View
on Dec 12, 2012 at 5:21 pm
on Dec 12, 2012 at 5:21 pm
While I think the rezoning is appropriate, we should all realize that these houses were likely built before Page Mill was widened into expressway. These homeowners had their street, which was probably once a nice place to live, destroyed by fast moving traffic. Is it any wonder that they're now "lonely" and an "eyesore".
We can't turn back the clock on Page Mill, but it's unfair to denigrate these home for being "nondescript" "anachronisms" when they simply had the misfortune of getting in the way of the almighty car.
Barron Park
on Dec 12, 2012 at 5:54 pm
on Dec 12, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I, too, am a big fan of Dr. Lagerweff and his team. The Animal Doctors is an absolutely outstanding veterinary practice. If the story is accurate, however, it looks like they will be spared a razing. Reportedly 423-451 are the 4 addresses in question, and Animal Doctors is at 461 Page Mill Rd. I sincerely hope they will not be forced to move.
Downtown North
on Dec 12, 2012 at 9:32 pm
on Dec 12, 2012 at 9:32 pm
As to who owns the property, I submit this quote from the above article: "The four parcels are expected to ultimately house a mixed-use development designed by architect John Northway, who is working with property owner Norm Schwab on the project."
Midtown
on Dec 12, 2012 at 9:54 pm
on Dec 12, 2012 at 9:54 pm
One of these houses was owned by the parents one of my Cubberley HS buddies (I graduated in 1959). The home was built before the advent of the Expressway. The parents ran a small business in the back that fixed small motors (lawnmowers, cultivators, etc.). They also would sharpen your saws and such.
These houses, when occupied were typical south PA homes. Certainly, one would have never classified them as "nondescript anachronisms".
Midtown
on Dec 13, 2012 at 12:49 am
on Dec 13, 2012 at 12:49 am
@ Greg Scharff:
Of course these houses look rundown now--their occupants were driven out about three or four months ago, and stuff has been pulled out of the houses into the yards (all behind a cyclone fence).
I always thought how nicely painted and planted these properties were, until the developers came along . . .