With the tossing of ceremonial shovelsful of dirt, an educator housing project more than five years in the making officially broke ground in Palo Alto on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
First proposed by Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian in January 2018, 110 apartments reserved for teachers and other school staff from multiple school districts are now expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
Local elected officials, school district leaders, representatives from the developers working on the project and others gathered on Tuesday, Aug. 22, for a ceremony at the site, located at 231 Grant Ave., across the street from the Palo Alto Courthouse.
The county office building that formerly occupied the property has been demolished and the land sits empty, ready for construction to commence.
Simitian told the crowd at the event that the beneficiaries of the project won't just be the educators who will live in the units; students will benefit by getting more time to interact with their teachers, who won't be enduring multi-hour commutes each day.
"In ways that we can only just imagine today, it isn't about a hundred units," Simitian said. "It's about the opportunity to be there for kids who so urgently need that time and attention."
The apartments will be a mix of studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms and will be offered at rents that are affordable for school employees making 60-140% of the area median income, according to a press release from Santa Clara County and the pair of nonprofit developers that are working on the project: Mercy Housing and Abode Communities.
The Palo Alto Unified, Mountain View Whisman and Los Altos school districts are participating, as well as the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.
Some south San Mateo County districts, including the Ravenswood City School District, are also eligible to take part in the project as a result of a $25 million grant from Meta, the tech company formerly known as Facebook.
The Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District (MVLA) originally expressed interest in the project but decided earlier this year not to take part, citing the conditions of participation and the district's comparatively stronger funding situation, according to a February letter that Superintendent Nellie Meyer sent to the county and developers.
Depending on education and longevity, teachers in the high school district make between roughly $102,000 and $193,000, according to a salary schedule posted online.
As a result of MVLA leaving the project, the Los Altos School District picked up the 12 units that the high school district would have received, for a total of 24 units.
Mountain View Whisman and Foothill-De Anza will each get 12, while Palo Alto Unified will have access to 29. The districts each paid $50,000 per unit.
Meta's contribution meant that another 32 apartments are being set aside for south San Mateo County districts. The final apartment will be saved for a property manager.
The project is being funded through a variety of sources. In addition to the money from the school districts and Meta, Santa Clara County donated the land and contributed additional funds and the city of Palo Alto donated money. The San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund and Century Housing Corporation are also providing financing.
With construction currently expected to be completed in the summer of 2025, Simitian told this news organization that the plan is to begin the leasing process in the spring of that year so that staff can hopefully move into their new homes in time for the 2025-26 school year.
Los Altos teachers' union president and sixth grade teacher Chris Hazelton spoke at Tuesday's ceremony about the impact that the project will have on his colleagues.
When Hazelton and his husband were starting out as teachers, they both worked two jobs to be able to afford to live in the area. He argued that providing affordable housing will help local districts attract and retain qualified teachers.
"By making this investment in housing for educators, our community is showing how valuable these essential workers are," Hazelton said.
Comments
Registered user
Professorville
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:05 am
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:05 am
This is fantastic news but sad that it took five years to get it to this point.
Registered user
Evergreen Park
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:44 am
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:44 am
Welcome, teachers! Wonderful to have them in the neighborhood. Small apartments won’t be for those that have families, but this is a start. Now, where will they park? Will they be given access to the Sherman Ave garage? Please get over the fiction teachers so t have cars. Are we expecting them to take an hour’s long bus ride - if there is a bus - to Los Altos, S San Mateo, etc? The project has some parking but not enough for the number of cars. Don’t our teachers deserve to be able to park near their homes?
Registered user
College Terrace
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:48 am
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:48 am
It time to get away from number of bedrooms quantifying space. It is the efficiency of the square footage provided that is essential to providing homes for people and families. This includes interior zones, systems, stations (like having both an eat-in dining and living areas, minimium. Of course, list number of bedrooms yet what of the amenities, EV charging stations, W/D in or shared? Is the design for families? What of the building materials? Is this temporary or permanent housing? For example: Related's Stanford City Mayfield Place was agreed for family work force housing. Yet the materials used are so cheap as breaking, cracking, rippling, the community room is off limits, locked and closed for additional support space for resume work or homework space.The washer and dryers for 150 residents which break and are not maintained and no folding tables. It was never finished and its 100% tax credit private Multi Billion Dollar Related owned and operated. No support services for families or children to grow and thrive. Mayfield Place was supposed to provide the community much more then was a 1/2 baked job. Everyone Stanford, Related, Seque Construction, the City got what they wanted leaving the residents of Mayfield with literally the bare (negative) minimum in living standards. Too many heartbreaking broken promises is what Mayfield residents get in sub par (what I believe is unsafe) cheap housing, including no reasonable residential parking -- Units were supposed to be family housing yet there is no space built in design for eat-in dining room table (no there is no "breakfast bar either). No way to raise a family. The These are not homes for families but was a check mark for others to larger power, better. Palo Alto, County PAUSD I only hope this mistake does not occur again. Good quality build with good efficiency climate friendly materials and services for the residents. BTW do not use puzzle parking "Klause" -- teachers will be late for class' daily.
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 23, 2023 at 11:37 am
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 11:37 am
I ask the same question about parking. Will they be expected to ride bikes everywhere?
Registered user
another community
on Aug 23, 2023 at 3:22 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 3:22 pm
Teachers don't leave before the final bell rings to beat the traffic going home. Their workday regardless of commuting is 8 to 10 hours per day. Now, are they going to be asked to devote the time they used to spend in traffic, by sitting at their desks tutoring students after hours?
If they are going to restrict tenancy by the number of occupants and/or only to school employees, what happens if a couple breaks up? What if the one who wants to leave is the school employee?
And the parking ... for dog's sake, look around the low income (or "affordable") developments between 5 and 6:00 PM. People circling the blocks in a ripple effect, starting close to home and having to widen the circle until they find a parking spot so far away it becomes as hard to walk home from there as it would be to walk to and from school.
All the PA teachers must be under 30. Any older than that, they are past their peak performance for walking long distance with loads of teaching materials in tow. The reality of this apartment complex will be that it won't attract many teachers, but it will attract employees who carry out more menial jobs at the schools. So, that's a "win" because many of those lower paid people can't even afford a car. And PA seems to want everyone to walk or bike to our venerated public schools that were once above par. There are sacrifices in staffing, because we won't pay school employees enough to live on and we expect so much of them. This building is the definition of a ghetto. Poor people on the left, rich people on the right. No co-mingling. Poor people will walk to work every day, watching the McLaren's and Teslas whiz by.
Registered user
Midtown
on Aug 23, 2023 at 5:22 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 5:22 pm
I am surprised there is any negativity. Looking at you MyFeelz. The fact that there could be changes to the types of occupancy should not cast a shadow over this whole wonderful project. Thanks, Joe Simitian, you are a true jewel in our area!!!
Registered user
Leland Manor/Garland Drive
on Aug 23, 2023 at 5:55 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 5:55 pm
A good start for our educators who are the foundation for our children's future. I disagree with Joe Simitian much of the time but this is a credit to his effort in bringing it forward. I expect the open questions to be resolved during the construction.
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Aug 23, 2023 at 6:38 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 6:38 pm
@MyFeelz. I agree with most everything here w the exception of one twisted reality. For the poor, it’s cheaper to buy, own, and reside in a car (vehicle) than it is to have both, a car and a home. Zero down, bad credit, and possession of insurance and Valid D can fetch a lot of car. Once upon a time to purchase a new car was equal to a monthly payment to rent a room or small dwelling in the Bay Area. Now the cost of a rental is near the cost of a mortgage payment . Cars are quite cheap and gasoline tho very high per gallon is still cheaper and easier to get than a rental. The gross amount of affidavits and credit checks and background checks and career security is horrible . And I am no where justifying car dwelling is the way. The housing menace is grossly overblown capitalism — and indeed it’s costing us as a society as a state a county a city so very much. Too not providing some parking for this plot of low-income housing is not the way either. Yet if one to go into the County Court House next door to @teach” land, the shear magnitude of deprivation that it reveals is telling of the true economy — getting a look might sober a few of up. I just so hope the lane for housing: elders here, teachers there, disabled over there, families? Ooops no low income multi family housing in the works cuz it “doesn’t pencil out”.
Registered user
another community
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:11 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:11 pm
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All that glitters is not gold. The rain in spain falls mainly in the plain. ETC. Throw all your metaphors at this project. Anything we see that is polished to a sheen like this project has been, is circumspect. I thought ad hominem attacks were prohibited here? Do the homework on this project.
Registered user
Downtown North
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Thank you Supe. Simitian and all others that made this project happen. This is a brilliant accomplishment.
Registered user
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:38 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 7:38 pm
No, I’ve known teachers to lock the door and leave at 3PM.
Registered user
Meadow Park
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:17 pm
Registered user
on Aug 23, 2023 at 10:17 pm
Maybe it's time to hold the editorial fire, build the complex, and how the residences work out for a few years before launching verbal rockets at one another. Let's try that, shall we?
Registered user
Meadow Park
on Aug 24, 2023 at 1:34 pm
Registered user
on Aug 24, 2023 at 1:34 pm
Sorry, SEE how the residences work out. Apparently, I lose verbs when commenting after my proper bedtime.
Registered user
another community
on Aug 27, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Registered user
on Aug 27, 2023 at 11:10 pm
I lose my verbs when I mix beer with the hard stuff. Look back at these comments when the building is done, and filled with people who have to walk to work dragging a huge suitcase behind them. The fact that there could be changes to the types of occupancy will be the undoing as lawsuit after lawsuit rolls in whether it's not enough parking, couples that uncouple and make the City their star in their show about "who gets to keep the keys" and "oops, we had triplets, its not our fault, why are we being forced to move?" Forewarned is forearmed. My metaphors never get lost no matter what I drink.