• View all sections of this cover story with photos.
Sometime between now and 2030, Page Mill Road will get new lanes, buses will run with greater frequency along El Camino Real, and the railroad tracks will no longer intersect with local streets at four Palo Alto locations.
Or so, at least, the City Council hopes.
All these projects are included in Palo Alto's new transportation vision, which the council unanimously adopted earlier this month.
The list of goals in the updated Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan includes reducing traffic congestion, improving local bikeways, adding transit options, protecting neighborhoods from traffic, and improving parking. At its core, it rests on two objectives that both complement and contradict each other: make driving more pleasant; and get people to stop driving.
When it comes to big-ticket regional improvements, the council's focus is clearly on the former. Its top priority is separating the Caltrain tracks from the city's roadways, known as "grade separation" — a project that will likely cost more than $1 billion and take years to complete. The council's Rail Committee is kicking off a campaign to solicit public input on grade separations, a project that was kick-started by a $700 million allocation to Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto from Measure B, a sales tax that county voters approved last November.
Another regional project, the county's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program — which would create curbside boarding platforms along El Camino Real and enable faster and more frequent bus service — is also endorsed in the new Transportation Element. (The council stopped short of supporting a prior BRT proposal that would have featured dedicated bus lanes on El Camino.) And after some debate, the council backed earlier this month a proposal by Santa Clara County to add lanes on Page Mill Road/Oregon Expressway, provided these lanes are designated for carpools or buses.
But when it comes to local projects, the council's goal is to get as many people as possible to switch from driving to other modes of transportation. It's eyeing a set of policies, called transportation-demand management (TDM), that incentivize people to make the switch.
The new Transportation Element includes programs calling for the city to create formal TDM requirements for new developments; require new developments to pay transportation-impact fees that would be used for programs that reduce congestion; and require enforcement with "meaningful penalties" for non-compliance.
It also establishes targets that developers will have to meet in shrinking the number of solo drivers during peak commute hours. The targets are a 45 percent reduction downtown; 35 percent in the California Avenue area; 30 percent in Stanford Research Park and along El Camino Real; and 20 percent in other parts of the city.
On the issue of parking, the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Comprehensive Plan Update drafted a policy that new development projects should "meet parking demand generated by the project, without the use of on-street parking, consistent with the established parking regulations." In May, however, the council made a few moves to loosen the rules. Councilmen Adrian Fine and Cory Wolbach changed "meet" to "manage." The idea, Fine told the Weekly, is to recognize that the conversation should include — in addition to parking requirements — strategies for managing demand through TDM measures and paid parking.
The council also agreed to explore requiring less parking at multifamily residences located near public transit. Wolbach and Fine, the council's leading housing advocates, both led the charge on the new program. Parking, Fine said, is "a large cost to housing, and I believe this council is supportive of housing."
The proposal passed 6-3, with Eric Filseth, Karen Holman and Lydia Kou in dissent.
"We can only encourage so many things with reduced parking requirements without creating other kinds of issues," Holman said. "We can't use that as the carrot to encourage the kinds of development we want in all areas."
Filseth said the big flaw in the proposal is that it fails to consider a critical question: Where is everyone going to park?
"All the good feelings in the world aren't going to create a place for the cars to go," Filseth said.
• This article is part of a cover story on the Comprehensive Plan coming into focus. Find out what else the council is looking to change in the areas of development, building height limit, housing and business.
Comments
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 19, 2017 at 11:23 am
on May 19, 2017 at 11:23 am
Remember that Mr. Wolbach also seriously suggested we can solve the parking problems created by the ADUs by parking on front lawns.
Mountain View
on May 19, 2017 at 12:03 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 12:03 pm
You could also solve your parking problem by cleaning out your garage and parking your cars in it.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 19, 2017 at 1:04 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 1:04 pm
If only Yimby thought things through a little more.
Garages are about the only storage space many of us have. We have a two car garage and one car fits in. However, we store camping equipment, sports equipment, Christmas stuff, gardening stuff, lawnmower, summer outside furniture (in winter), tools, bikes, ladders, as well as water heater and for some who do laundry, laundry stuff. We have no attic and no basement.
I suppose you think we could build an ADU and just store stuff rather than people. Cleaning out our garage is something we have to do every couple of years but let me tell you most of the stuff has to be returned because it is stuff we use all the time.
Now, if we had an attic and a basement, or even a spare bedroom...
Duveneck/St. Francis
on May 19, 2017 at 1:56 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 1:56 pm
But if we parked in the garages, where would put all the ADU tenants so that YIMBY et al could live in Palo Alto even if it means turning PA into Appalachia with cars parked on our lawns.
Maybe Councilmember Corey could tell us if we should we put broken appliances in our front yard to complete the look since he's such a planning expert.
Mountain View
on May 19, 2017 at 2:18 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 2:18 pm
YIMBY loves to tell everyone else how to live. YIMBY thinks it is a RIGHT to live wherever one wants. YIMBY is an example of the very large issue that will be faced by society in the next 20 years, people being angry and getting nasty when they don't get what they hey want.
YIMBY is an example of how very wrong things have gone. It's truly frightening that there's seriously a whole generation who feels this way at.
Adobe-Meadow
on May 19, 2017 at 2:28 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 2:28 pm
Everyone has advice for the other guy
Registered user
Crescent Park
on May 19, 2017 at 5:25 pm
Registered user
on May 19, 2017 at 5:25 pm
YIMBY, typical of his type, is really Yes In Your Backyard because it's what I WANT and I'll make you do it if I have to, I have big friends in Sacramento, so too bad.
Mountain View
on May 19, 2017 at 8:08 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 8:08 pm
[Post removed.]
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 19, 2017 at 8:36 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 8:36 pm
Yimby, who's asking the city to accommodate us? It should be obvious that they sure haven't because they've been too busy accommodating their developer buddies and the business community who are the ones who want to stick the ADUs in garages, not most of the residents who are pretty upset with the 2-story invasion of privacy.
But please, don't let reality stop your rant about what may or may not be in our garages!
We want to city to stop increasing the density of cars and people so we're not kept as prisoners in our backyards because the gridlocks too bad to brave. Some of us don't want to have ADUs with multiple tenants peering down into our back yard when our neighbors convert their garages into ADUs
Mountain View
on May 19, 2017 at 9:04 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 9:04 pm
[Post removed.]
Mountain View
on May 19, 2017 at 9:17 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 9:17 pm
[Post removed.]
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 19, 2017 at 10:10 pm
on May 19, 2017 at 10:10 pm
@Yimby, I'll believe you're sincere about Prop 13 injustices when you start giving equal time to complaining about all the Prop 13 subsidies to COMMERCIAL property owners who have held their properties much longer than individual homeowners who eventually move or die.
Why aren't you angry at subsidizing the business property owners who've owned their buildings for more decades than we've been alive but are still charging outrageous rents??
Barron Park
on May 20, 2017 at 12:32 am
on May 20, 2017 at 12:32 am
Whenever I see the acronym "ADU" I immediately think of the term "Sheds with Beds" used in the UK...
Web Link
qq
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 12:33 am
on May 20, 2017 at 12:33 am
Commercial properties should also not benefit from Prop 13 (it needs to be repealed entirely), but you'll likely not see me give "equal time" to that aspect since I'm not aware of commercial property owners in large numbers going out of their way to block residential development while their property values skyrocket from the constrained supply with no monetary repercussions.
Leland Manor/Garland Drive
on May 20, 2017 at 8:09 am
on May 20, 2017 at 8:09 am
[Post removed.]
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 9:05 am
on May 20, 2017 at 9:05 am
Every time YIMBY pops up it is insulting to the people who actually live here, pay taxes, and volunteer for their children's activities at school and on the sports field. Most people here put in the time to be involved in some aspect of the city / school activities. If it is soccer then you have a lot of equipment that you take to games. Also Little League. That is stored in the garage during non-game days. Any other activity usually produces a lot of equipment that is used for these activities. So people who do not live here, have children in the school system, or participate in the city activities have no idea how time and space is used.
My gut says the YIMBY is a shill for a resident with an agenda. Think this person spoke at a recent PACC Meeting on the topic - young man from Mountain View.
As to PACC council members who at not married and have children in the school system their POV's are limited as to time and space available. Once you have a family then the whole scene and set of priorities will change. How and where housing is used will also dramatically change. So any POV needs to be regarded by the person expressing the POV and their current status on the topics they are discussing.
Green Acres
on May 20, 2017 at 9:43 am
on May 20, 2017 at 9:43 am
I agree with YIMBY when s/he says to, "Clear out your garages, put outdoor storages for all your "stuff" and park your cars in the garage."
- It's safer too. You won't have to worry about your cars being broken into. Weather won't mess with your car either.
- Parking on the street isn't very safe for cars trying to get out of their driveways with bikers out.
** I like the idea of carpool lanes and limiting traffic flows. PA should help to make other forms of transportation like walking/biking to/from work more appealing. Maybe even giving a tax cut or some kind of bonus to encourage drivers to walk/bike.
There's hope for Palo Alto :)
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 9:44 am
on May 20, 2017 at 9:44 am
@Resident, excellent points. Housing needs change with age and generation.
Young YIMBY's demanding to live here will hit 44 yrs old, the new age where age-related layoffs start, workplace surveys age categories end and their generational migration starts. Their kids graduate. Lucky friends cash out and leave. Unlucky friends give up and seek cheaper more diverse pastures.
Realtors systematically re-stage houses to appeal to the young and now they'll also be pitching ADU adaptability potential or the "Sheds with Beds" @qq mentions.
That magic age used to be 50 but since the valley's so innovative it keeps dropping and dropping and the workers keep getting younger and cheaper.
And evidently Palo Alto's housing goal is to stack-and-pack a bunch of transients.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 11:25 am
on May 20, 2017 at 11:25 am
@resident
[Portion removed.] I'm Bay Area born and raised, tired of seeing everyone of my generation born and raised here forced out by rising housing costs due to a specific subset of property owners shielded by Prop 13 throwing up barriers to housing construction. And I'm far from the only one who thinks similarly. Times are changing, and this issue is going to be fixed.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 11:46 am
on May 20, 2017 at 11:46 am
How does Yimby and his ilk plan to move forward if his ideas work. If he manages to find a nice stack and pack home, or an ADU in someone's garage or backyard?
Will he live there for 5 years, 10 years?
Will he get married and have children and live in the same abode?
Will he take his kids camping, to play sports at the local park with all the equipment needed, decorate for Christmas, have space to store bikes for all the family including bike trailers, take supplies for family cook out to the local park, all on his bike of course stopping by the local storage shed on his way there and stopping off to return them on his way back?
It is laughable to think that Yimby will live the lifestyle he envisages when he has a family unless he moves out of the area to give his space to the next generation of techies who will be ready to move into his crammed space.
We could of course turn our town into a techie haven for 20 somethings, or we could attempt to maintain our town as a nice place to live and raise kids.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 11:51 am
on May 20, 2017 at 11:51 am
Are you under the impression that sparse suburban environments are the only places one can raise children?
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 11:55 am
on May 20, 2017 at 11:55 am
I see a recognizable personality - the insulting of people gets in the way of the message. The in-your-face, insulting and demeaning comments are soliciting the same response you can see nationally. The issue that is going to be fixed is not on YIMBY's area of expertise and accomplishment. Banging an empty pot on the table will not work. If insulting people is a strategy it will not be successful. The people who do own homes and live here - are in the city school system and going to soccer or other child team activities are too busy to be on the system right now - but they are the bulk of the population. And they are working very hard to make the payments on their homes and provide for their families. Everyone here has made the commitment and taken the action to move ahead with their lives.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 12:08 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:08 pm
[Post removed.]
another community
on May 20, 2017 at 12:09 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:09 pm
I don't follow, it's somehow NOT hypocritical for people who use their garage and driveway for storage to complain about street parking?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 12:12 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Yimby's lifestyle for his children sounds a little more like a ghetto environment without open space for children to run, play games, and smell the roses. Instead they will be inside with their virtual reality toys and the only ball they can throw, bounce or kick will have to be part of a video game as the walls will only be an arm's stretch away.
[Portion removed.]
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 12:19 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:19 pm
Housing demands are based on an assumed rate of growth. However in the paper today they reported that the County of Santa Clara has a reduced rate of growth and is going soft. That seems logical as you cannot pick up any paper in which everyone is being thrown out of rental properties due to increased rates. So the universal theme if you rent is that the rent is too high and is going higher. There is also the growing locations for technology in SOCAL, Austin, and the technology triangle in NC. Florida is also a location - anywhere there are military locations which draw in hi-tech engineers. Many major corporations are moving their manufacturing to other states which have a lower tax base. Colorado and Florida are locations for some military type programs, east coast for some technology type enterprises.
Bottom line is that contorting ourselves for some projected assumptions which are proving to be untrue does not make sense.
another community
on May 20, 2017 at 12:27 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:27 pm
@resident
You're right, centralized planning can run into big problems when the projections are incorrect. Too bad there isn't any other sort of system we could base the housing market on...
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 12:52 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 12:52 pm
The housing market is based on where jobs are. If manufacturing is moved to Mexico then you have a big problem concerning the number of population that typically works in that business area - it results in the gutting out of major cities. Likewise agriculture - crises on sugar cane from Mexico. But wait - that was a major product of Hawaii but they are not growing because cheaper to grow elsewhere - up until NAFTA is renegotiated. All of a sudden there is a crises on sugar. How about Venezuela - used to be a very rich country until the rebels have converted the food crops into drug crops - now no food. Mexico has in theory everything going for it but the cartels are busy fighting each other so now tourist trade going down - no place to be right now. Technology - not dependent on a specific place - is world wide and going where the business is in lower tax based cities. California has too high a tax base for manufacturing. California has a large number of requirements for Human Resources - that can get expensive - minimum wage, etc. There are many indicators - they are in the Business Section of the paper but you have to be able to understand what those indicators mean.
You have pick career that is going to take you where you want to go - you drive that decision. You can't drive all of the other elements to produce the result you want. You have to have something to bring to the party and it is not complaining.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 1:04 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 1:04 pm
[Post removed.]
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 1:29 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 1:29 pm
There is a huge amount of development planned right now in the San Jose area around SAP. Facebook, Google, everyone else is already planning locations there. This is an area where there is a convergence of transportation so everyone wins here. But the fact that came out is that San Jose currently has more housing vs commercial properties. Housing costs more because it requires parks, schools, libraries, police, firemen, utilities, trash collection, etc.
All of the amenities that go with housing have a bigger bottom line cost to the city to manage. So the goal is to increase commercial development to add taxes without the additional "human' requirements. So having a purely residential city is not a winner in today's economy.
Side note - relative in Baltimore - biggest employer use to be Bethlehem Steel. Now it is John Hopkins - a non-profit. Baltimore is in big trouble in the school system and supporting elements - like police dept. They get to be in the papers all of the time for their problems. No place for half the population to go for jobs. Get in trouble.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 1:47 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 1:47 pm
Yimby has obviously never been to a local park to see how there are so many organized sports and so many toddlers that for a family to throw a frisbee on a sunny afternoon, there is very little chance of doing so without annoying somebody's picnic, stroller, or jogging path.
Of course there are parks and school yards, but young children, older children, adults and other activities all need to be able to do their thing without stepping on each other's toes.
Nothing beats being able to spend 10 minutes in the backyard between dinner and bedtime, or when lunch is being prepared or baby sibling is napping.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 2:04 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 2:04 pm
Sure, and it's nice to have a three story house with a playroom, private gym and office next to your kids bedroom, but that's not a necessity and you're going to be fine raising a child in a one story, just as you'd also be fine raising a child in a condo near a park and school. It really sounds like you're just not used to being around people and sharing open space.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 2:21 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 2:21 pm
[Portion removed.]
Palo Alto homeowners beware. There is a VERY strong effort going to change the basic nature of your city and town. And believe me, if you don't start talking about it with your friends and neighbors and getting the REAL truth out, your Palo Alto is going to go the way of Mountain View. We now have more renters than owners so guess who has the majority vote on development? And if you think renters have your best interest at heart, well, you're beyond saving.
People need to WAKE UP. It does not have to be this way. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep your town a suburban feel, keep it small and livable. Don't let this group guilt you into feeling you have to give it up or you're selfish, that is the most ridiculous concept and yet somehow in our PC world common sense has gone out the door and people are afraid to stand their ground. You made an investment. Most of you saved and scrimped and did without for a very long time in order to live in a town that suited your particular lifestyle.
And now you're just going to give that up because someone who isn't willing to make those same sacrifices is guilting you for the ones you made?
Ridiculous.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 3:03 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 3:03 pm
[Post removed.]
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 3:05 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 3:05 pm
PA already has a group on the city council who would like to turn us into their version of New York. What they don't seem to get is that PA is one of the older cities on the peninsula due to location of SU and is totally built out. Every time this topic comes up they don't seem to realize we do not have a major airport, or a dock for cruise ships, or any semblance of organized transportation. We are struggling to figure out how to handle trash and power.
There is a point at which the area has been maxed out - we have passed that point. The surrounding cities are working on their open land and building up their transportation alternatives. Open land translates to more options on how to proceed. But everyone is catching up. We have reached the tipping point.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 3:14 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 3:14 pm
If only we had the technology to build buildings taller than 3 stories and build systems to support a high density of people in a small location. And if only we lived near not just one, but two major airports. And had a rail link.
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 3:19 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 3:19 pm
So what I don't understand here is that most topics on politics get shut down quickly and many postings are deleted if they disagree with the going in narrative. However - these post in which YIMBY participates go on with insults and disparagement until people simply stop responding to the tirade.
So editor / moderator - what's the deal here? Is YIMBY a known investor or employee? Son of an investor or employee? Or a known cohort of the PACC? The argument is the same every time - could be posted on a 3X5 card. Starting to narrow the field as to what the story here is. Maybe an employee of a noted real estate firm trying to drum up business?
YIMBY - in case you have not noticed the Chinese are buying many houses here and I can assure you that they are not interested in your rants - don't read them - they are looking at an investment and will make sure that investment is rock solid.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 3:23 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 3:23 pm
Are we going to file "housing costs are crazy, we should build more housing" under politics? Which political spectrum does that happen to fall under?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 4:38 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 4:38 pm
We are a combined family of six, living in a 1700 sf house that the city will not give us a permit to enlarge, due to the small lot size.
Our garage is attached to the back of the house, and the driveway is so narrow there is NO WAY to turn a car tight enough to put it inside.
Worse, we are part of a flag lot, and the house behind us is too close to our garage to be able to get out of the garage, should the driveway be wider.
The only thing we can get in the garage is two motorcycles and four bicycles.
Two cars are parked in a space behind the garage, one on the street. Just no way about it.
None of these problems were disclosed when we were signing for the house. We went after the former owners for other serious non-disclosures as well, only to find that they had retired to Portugal!
Just hoping Trump keeps his promise to repeal capital gains tax on real estate, so we can move!
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 5:22 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:22 pm
Why shouldn't you pay capital gains taxes after selling your house for a massive profit, especially considering that you were already paying a subsidized property tax on that property?
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 5:23 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:23 pm
@resident, I've often thought similarly, YIMBY posts whatever he wants and is not censored. And I agree, it's the same mantra over and over and over. It's how they operate, say the same thing over and over and over and people start to believe it. And the constant attempt to shame. People need to say ENOUGH. You should not be shamed because you want to maintain the value of your investment. There is NOTHING wrong with wanting to maintain the same environment you purchased.
TALK TO PEOPLE. ENGAGE. Don't be silenced, if we don't speak out we have only ourselves to blame.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 5:34 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:34 pm
@Tell you
You're welcome to exit the internet if you don't want to interact with people who have differing views.
And yes, you should be shamed when you're relying on others to subsidize your property taxes while you do everything to prevent new property from getting built and cause your investment to gain value via artificial scarcity. You should feel shame as you cling to the ladder and freely kick at everyone below you.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 20, 2017 at 5:45 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Can't afford to lose so much money! The state takes another 10%... need it to buy down the next mortgage, which will be bigger.
All boats rise with the tide, dude.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 5:54 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:54 pm
You're not losing any money though. You're making a profit at the end of it plus you weren't even paying taxes on the actual value of the house.
Housing costs what it does as a result of the tax structure currently put in place which already benefits you. You don't need to be further subsidized by not having to pay capital gains taxes on the inflated value of your house in order to be shielded from the realities of the cost of housing.
Charleston Meadows
on May 20, 2017 at 5:56 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Unfortunately YIMBY does not have a differing point of view - you have a selected group of arguments, period. I suspect that those are not your own developed POV's. They can all fit on a 3x5 card.
Your comment about the airports - SJX is part of the tax base for the city of San Jose while SFO is part of the tax base for San Francisco. Neither of those airports are in the 18th congressional district assigned to Palo Alto. You don't get the subtleties of tax bases or the application of same. You are unable to debate a topic on the table and fall back on argumentative same replies. Go back to your handlers and figure out a different set of arguments. We have seen these. Game over.
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 6:00 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 6:00 pm
[Post removed.]
Downtown North
on May 20, 2017 at 6:12 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 6:12 pm
[Post removed.]
Mountain View
on May 20, 2017 at 6:26 pm
on May 20, 2017 at 6:26 pm
[Post removed.]
East Palo Alto
on May 21, 2017 at 8:08 am
on May 21, 2017 at 8:08 am
YIMBY, your parents would have been well aware for at least 20-30 years that it would be very difficult for their children to be able to afford to live in Palo Alto. I have three middle schoolers and they are already well aware of this fact, and we live in East Palo Alto, which still has some 'affordable' housing, btw, and is close enough to Palo Alto to be able to take advantage of what Palo Alto has to offer. I hope they take the proactive approach of researching other areas of the country that can provide the things important to them, and a more affordable lifestyle. If they choose to stay in the area, I certainly hope they don't current homeowners should ruin their quality of life, or move out of the area, so they can do so. I'm guessing your parents no longer live here, otherwise I'd you'd be able to see the perspective of a current homeowner a bit more clearly. Would you want your parents to be forced out of the home and town they raised you in because of exponentially rising property taxes?
Second, as others have mentioned, you say the same thing over and over. It's not really adding a new perspective. I'm fine hearing your point of view, but it's pretty easy to understand the first time you post it on a new thread. You never add any broader ideas to your subsequent posts, any nuances or reflection on your opinions, you just hammer away on your belief that Palo Alto should build high density housing and that Prop 13 should be repealed. By the third or fourth post saying the exact same thing, you sound like my ten year old son demanding more computer time every five minutes after he's used up his two hours. "But why can't I have more computer time? Why, why, why?" Even at his age, I expect him to understand that once he's made his point, he doesn't get to keep interrupting the conversation with the same thing over and over and over.
Third, maybe consider a change to your user name. As you have made clear, you have no backyard, so you can't be a YIMBY. I could be a YIMBY, but I don't want high density housing in my backyard. And my children have spent many hours in our backyard using it in ways that really aren't conducive to a public park. For example, a toddler's idea of 'gardening'. I'm fine if you want to raise your children in a high-rise, with no outdoor area unless you walk to a park. But you seem to think we all have to do that. As a renter, you have many more options to move to a location that matches your preferences. I think you'll find once you own a home (and I do hope you find a way to do that, there are plenty of great locations if Palo Alto isn't in the cards) that you'll want try to protect the things that were important to you when you bought the home. I think you'll find, if you have a family, that there are many things that become important about where you live that were not before you had children.
Mountain View
on May 21, 2017 at 1:51 pm
on May 21, 2017 at 1:51 pm
[Post removed.]
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 21, 2017 at 1:57 pm
on May 21, 2017 at 1:57 pm
[Post removed.]
Mountain View
on May 21, 2017 at 2:01 pm
on May 21, 2017 at 2:01 pm
[Post removed.]
Mountain View
on May 21, 2017 at 5:57 pm
on May 21, 2017 at 5:57 pm
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Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 22, 2017 at 1:02 pm
on May 22, 2017 at 1:02 pm
YIMBY, is it too hard to understand that with six people in a house built for four, and a seventh on the way, we NEED a bigger house on a larger lot?
The children have no room for play equipment-- can't take them to the park for a couple of hours everyday. Three of the four adults work very long hours!
We need every dollar for a big down payment, so the monthly payments are manageable. Real estate agents and closing costs have to be paid, too!
Sometimes it is necessary to rent elsewhere while your house is on the market. That means $3,000/month for staging the old house, paying $5,000/month or more for rent elsewhere, and still paying $3,000/month on the current mortgage.
Until 1997, there was no capital gains tax on real estate. This has hit California homeowners hard.
BTW, remember the CA Lottery? That was supposed to more than make up for any loss to school from Prop 13.
Why not ask what the state is doing with THAT money!
Duveneck/St. Francis
on May 22, 2017 at 2:08 pm
on May 22, 2017 at 2:08 pm
For the record, we park our cars in our garage, however, since the new state ADU ordinance allows you to convert your garage to an ADU, so it just means the current parking exemptions will make parking that much worse.
Barron Park
on May 22, 2017 at 2:53 pm
on May 22, 2017 at 2:53 pm
[Post removed.]
Mountain View
on May 22, 2017 at 6:53 pm
on May 22, 2017 at 6:53 pm
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Portola Valley
on May 22, 2017 at 7:59 pm
on May 22, 2017 at 7:59 pm
It's sad how crowded Palo Alto and Mountain View are getting. It makes for an unpleasant experience when I visit. There is not enough open space and driving there can be a nightmare. These two cities are heading in the direction of some other East Bay cities (i.e. Fremont) in terms of population density. I just hope traffic problems can be solved before they get any worse than they already are... It even affects me as sometimes I take the Page Mill exit off of 280
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 23, 2017 at 7:04 am
on May 23, 2017 at 7:04 am
When YIMBY has a family, he will redirect his complaining. Then it will be about how the entrenched old guard, which has enabled him to live in a micro unit, is keeping him from living in a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house with a backyard.
Mountain View
on May 23, 2017 at 10:02 am
on May 23, 2017 at 10:02 am
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Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 23, 2017 at 11:45 am
on May 23, 2017 at 11:45 am
Posted by YIMBY
a resident of Mountain View
1 hour ago
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Downtown North
on May 23, 2017 at 4:39 pm
on May 23, 2017 at 4:39 pm
You might get some benefit from that d, but timeless Dale Carnegie book, "Hiw to Win Friends and Influence People".
Also, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".... read that one twice.
Clearly, you are doing something wrong and all is it well with you.
Registered user
Mountain View
on May 23, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Registered user
on May 23, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Yes, some companies like Google and Lockheed-Martin are building new places in Colorado.