A few years ago, a development like the one proposed for the former site of The Fish Market on El Camino Real would have been a nonstarter in Palo Alto's political environment.

Bound by the city's 50-foot height limit — a development standard that has been sacrosanct since the early 1970s — generations of City Council members took it for granted that most new residential projects would be limited to four stories in height and contain fewer than 100 apartments. The few exceptions entailed years of negotiations and, invariably, a chorus of criticism from neighborhood leaders and land-use watchdogs.

Now, the exceptions are gradually becoming the rule. On Nov. 13, the council voted to approve a series of zone changes that relax height and density limits in various sections of the city, mostly south of Oregon Expressway. This includes the segment of El Camino between Page Mill Road and Matadero Avenue, which includes the Fish Market property at 3150 El Camino, where Acclaim Companies is looking to build a 380-apartment complex.

Under the new rules, which the council approved by a 5-1 vote, with Mayor Lydia Kou dissenting and Council member Vicki Veenker recusing, the maximum building height in the El Camino focus area will be 85 feet — a limit that roughly matches Acclaim's plan for the site. Properties along this stretch would also have floor-area-ratio of 4.0, allowing developers to build at more than double the intensity than the existing code allows. (Floor area ratio is a measure of building square footage to property area.)

Similar changes would apply to the industrial and commercial corridor around San Antonio Road and Fabian Way, an area where the council hopes to see 2,000 housing units developed between now and 2031.

Here, too, things are looking up for new buildings. Current regulations limit heights at 35 to 50 feet, depending on the site. The updated rules allow up to 60 feet, though a builder can apply for the State Density Bonus Law to add another 35 feet of height.

Council members supported the changes with various degrees of excitement. Council member Julie Lythcott- Haims was bullish about the change and wondered why the city couldn't raise the height and density limits even more.

"I'd just like to know what is preventing us from saying 3.0 or 4.0 (floor area ratio), other than outrage," Lythcott-Haims said.

"There are some people who don't want to go that high, who feel that the 50-foot height limit is sacred. But for those who are interested in building more housing, the notion of moving it to 2.0 versus 2.5, or 3 versus 3.5 versus 4.0 might seem somewhat arbitrary."

Veenker said she was excited about the types of projects that the new zoning code will allow.

"People are worried it will have some harmful effects," Veenker said. "I actually think we'll be really proud when we see these new units up and around, and hopefully it will contribute to our economic developments as new residents come and shop in our business districts."

Not everyone shared their enthusiasm. Bob Moss, a Barron Park resident and longtime land-use watchdog, noted that past efforts to raise the 50-foot height limit were "discussed extensively" and ultimately rejected.

"I agree that if you're going to put new housing in Palo Alto Square — there are buildings more than 50-feet high and some new tall buildings wouldn't be that obtrusive. But in most of Palo Alto they would be," Moss said.

The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center also isn't thrilled about the zone changes, particularly as they pertain to the industrial area close to its Fabian Way campus.

Attorneys for the JCC and adjacent Moldaw Residences for seniors argued in a letter that the new standards "will have unintended negative consequences on the members, users and elderly residents of the campus. "

"The average age of the Moldaw resident is 87 years, and many have limited mobility requiring the use of walkers and canes," attorney Camas J. Steinmetz wrote on behalf of the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center and Moldaw Residences.

"They spend a significant amount of time in their homes, so any adjacent development resulting in the deprivation of natural sunlight in their rooms will have a material impact on their mental and physical health," Steinmetz wrote.

Some council members framed the change as a necessary burden. Vice Mayor Greer Stone acknowledged concerns from the community that some of the proposed changes are "too extreme" or "too big."

"A point to keep in mind is we really have no choice here," said Stone, who serves on the council's Housing Ad Hoc Committee. "We either act today in order to control our own density or we see our local control further stripped away by the state and all we're going to be able to do is sit on the sideline and watch."

Not all of the changes that the council approved target south Palo Alto. The council's vote also raises the height and density limits on a Stanford University-owned site at Pasteur Drive and Sand Hill Road, an area where Stanford is planning to build about 450 apartments for its affiliates.

The height limit here would be 85 feet and the floor area ratio would be 3.5. In addition, Stanford would have to provide half a parking space per residence, well below the typical standard, and the city's typical open space requirement would be relaxed so that private open spaces like balconies could be counted.

The zoning proposals are a product of discussions between Palo Alto city staff and area property owners, and they reflect recent proposals from area developers.

In the El Camino Real housing focus area, the city is already evaluating two applications, the one from Acclaim Companies and another one at the site of Creekside Inn, which includes about 185 apartments. In both cases, Palo Alto planners hope the builders will rely on the new zoning to pursue their respective projects and not invoke the State Density Bonus Law, which allows developers to claim exceptions from height, density and parking regulations.

To date, the reaction from the development community has been mixed. Even with the relaxed zoning rules, Acclaim has indicated that it is still planning to rely on the State Density Bonus Law.

Palo Alto's newly approved "housing focus area" on El Camino includes numerous design restrictions, the most significant of which is a requirement that the tallest portions of the building be "stepped back" from El Camino. Along the street, the height limit would be up to 55 feet tall. Only the stepped-back portion would be under the 85 foot limit.

Acclaim argued that this is a problem. Mark Johnson, managing director at the company, claimed that the zoning changes, as drafted, would make the project financially "infeasible" because the design requirements would force the developer reduce the project's square footage.

Acclaim would have to either reduce the total number of units in the project or change the unit mix, skewing toward smaller, less lucrative units, Johnson argued.

The council tried to placate Acclaim's concerns by including in its new zoning provision language that reduces the required "stepback" from the property line from 20 feet to 15 feet and that exempts rooftop features like parapets and guardrails from the height limit.

Council members also indicated that they may expand the "housing focus zone" on El Camino in the coming months so that other sites can also take advantage of the relaxed height and density limits.

Peter Giovanotto, whose family owns various properties on El Camino, including just south of the Creekside Inn site, said he is excited about the opportunities that the zone changes create for area developers.

Giovanotto said his companies are eager to start building. The site at the southern edge of the focus area "has been waiting for something to happen."

"The zoning beforehand was not really conducive to development down the road," he said. "With this new focus area, it actually does provide an opportunity for us to pursue housing without having to go and use the state-specific things.

"We've been looking for a good way to work with the city and this focus area actually provides us with a way to have an open line of communication and afford us zoning potentially to actually develop on this site."