Around the Terrace: April 18, 2021

Here are some recent announcements and news stories of interest to College Terrace and the surrounding area.

  • City Limits Use of PHZ Zoning
    The City Council voted at its meeting last Monday to restrict the use of Planned Home Zoning (PHZ) in single-family neighborhoods. The decision essentially kills the proposed apartment complex at the corner of Wellesley and College, which relied on the PHZ program.
  • Recent Power Outages Explained
    In the past few weeks, Palo Alto has experienced a handful of large power outages. In this post, Utilities Director Dean Batchelor outlines what happened and improvements the department is making (particularly regarding public communication around outages) and things customers can do during outages to help.
  • FOPAL Pop-Up Book, Record, CD Sale
    The Friends of the Palo Alto Library (FOPAL) will have a special sale April 24-25 at Cubberley Community Center.  This sale includes used pop-up books (for children and adults), vinyl LPs, and CDs.  FOPAL is a non-profit organization and proceeds are raised exclusively for the support of the Palo Alto Libraries.

PHZ Discussion at April 12 City Council Meeting

At the next Palo Alto City Council meeting on Monday, April 12, the Council will consider updating the City’s Planned Home Zoning (PHZ) designation, which allows developers providing affordable housing to request exceptions to development standards. City staff have published a report with background on the PHZ and recommendations for potential updates, including limiting its application to ”commercial, industrial zoning, and multifamily districts.“

The application for Cato Investments’ proposed apartments at the corner of College and Wellesley uses the PHZ designation. That application is referenced in the staff report:

A pending PHZ application for a property located in College Terrace and zoned R-1 has generated a significant amount of correspondence to the City Council mailbox. As noted earlier, staff is unable to reject or fail to process prescreening applications, but staff did advise the prospective applicant that the proposed PHZ application was not consistent with the intent of this program… The City Council in its discussion may want to clarify its interest in considering PHZ applications for R-1 and low-density zoning.

https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/80844

Neighbors who feel strongly about where and how the PHZ is applied are encouraged to email the City Council and/or comment at Monday’s City Council meeting. Instructions for public comments are at the top of meeting agenda.

Around the Terrace: March 26, 2021

Here are some recent announcements and news stories of interest to College Terrace and the surrounding area.

  • Wellesley Community Meeting Postponed
    If you RSVP’d to Cato’s community meeting about the Wellesley project, you should have received a notification that the meeting has been postponed from its originally scheduled date on April 1. No new date has been set, but we’ll keep you posted.
  • 231 Grant: Neighborhood Community Design Workshops
    There will be a pair of Neighborhood Community Design Workshops to solicit feedback on the proposed teacher housing at 231 Grant. The meetings will on April 6 and April 14, both at 5:30pm via Zoom. Click here for links.
  • Elementary Schools to Reopen Five Days a Week in April
    With elementary schools reopening more widely, just a reminder to pay close attention when driving along Stanford Avenue near Escondido Elementary as more students will be heading to and from school.

Annual Meeting Recap and New Board

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Thanks to everyone who attended the CTRA’s annual meeting on Saturday morning! It was fantastic to see friendly faces, even if it was over Zoom. Special thanks to Palo Alto mayor Tom DuBois for his presentation and for taking time to answer questions from the neighborhood. The Q&A covered topics ranging from the proposed apartments on Wellesley Street and PHZ zoning to pedestrian safety at the busy intersection of California Avenue and El Camino Real.

Also, the results of the 2021-22 CTRA board election were announced:

  • President: James Cook
  • Vice President: Dan Kaleba
  • Secretary: Eileen Stolee
  • Treasurer: Sukhi Nagesh
  • Communications Director: Chris Saccheri
  • Social Coordinator: Mary Bartholomay
  • Stanford Observer: Pria Graves
  • City Observer: Annette Ross
  • California Ave Business District Observer: Ann Balin
  • Research Park Observer: Melanie Grondel

Missed the meeting? You can watch the video.

Annual Meeting This Saturday at 10am

One final reminder: the CTRA’s Annual Meeting and Board Election is this Saturday at 10am. Register for the Zoom here.

The meeting will begin with a welcome message from the CTRA president, followed by remarks by Palo Alto mayor Tom DuBois, who will then answer questions from the neighborhood. (Have a burning question for the mayor? This is your chance to ask!) After the mayor’s Q&A, board election results will be announced and the meeting will adjourn.

The CTRA board election is being held online this year. Please cast your ballot before the annual meeting on Saturday.

See you Saturday!