An area near the Baylands that has historically been defined by low-density office buildings and athletic fields may soon become the first major residential community Palo Alto east of the U.S. Highway 101. That, at least, is the vision pitched by Strada, a San Francisco-based developer, for the site at 2100 Geng Road, which is just...
Palo Alto looks to strike new deal with trash hauler
Citing a track record of stable rates and flexible services, Palo Alto is preparing to renew its contract with GreenWaste Palo Alto, the trash hauler that has been collecting the city’s garbage, compost and recyclable materials since 2009. Under a deal that the City Council is scheduled to approve next week, GreenWaste would receive an...
Palo Alto Town & Country Village looks to construct apartment buildings
After fiercely opposing a recently approved development with 10 condominiums on an adjacent lot, the owners of Town & Country Village are now looking to build a pair of seven-story apartment buildings on a parking lot next to the shopping center. Real estate investor Ellis Partners, which bought the property in 2004, filed a pre-application...
Palo Alto faces glaring concerns over new ‘dark sky’ law
Hoping to turn down the lights at night to protect wildlife and reduce glare from neighboring properties, Palo Alto officials are set to adopt a “dark sky” ordinance with a broader reach and more stringent requirements than the law they were mulling earlier this year. In doing so, however, they are confronting two key challenges....
Palo Alto seeks more housing on downtown lot project
For a body historically known for paring down housing development proposals, the Palo Alto City Council this week overwhelmingly put its support behind a proposal for 72 affordable housing units on a downtown surface parking lot, an increase of 18 compared to the initial design that it had endorsed in January. The original plans from...
Palo Alto approves contracts to rebuild Mitchell Park fire station
Palo Alto has reached another milestone in its quest to rebuild the Mitchell Park fire station with the City Council approving a series of contracts totaling more than $13 million for a project that has long been viewed by city leaders as a key infrastructure priority. By a unanimous vote, the council approved on Oct....
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto to reduce workforce
Citing financial challenges and economic uncertainty, the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is preparing to reduce its workforce by 87 positions in December, according to a notification that the Palo Alto medical institution filed with the state this week. The hospital at 725 Welch Road submitted on Oct. 10 a notice with the state Department of...
Palo Alto buries power lines, boosts education to lower wildfire risks
For Palo Alto Fire Chief Geo Blackshire, the best type of home to come across during a fire is an empty one. It’s even better when the residents have also left their home adequately prepared for the risk of fire by keeping vegetation several feet away from the exterior. “I can go on and on...
Palo Alto celebrates new bike lanes, few appear to use them
State and local officials on Monday celebrated the completion of the suddenly popular but sparsely used bike lanes on El Camino Real with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was attended by dozens of cyclists and advocates for safer streets. City officials from Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto voiced their appreciation for the project’s completion...
Commission doubles down on limiting Palo Alto Commons expansion
The divisive expansion of the Palo Alto Commons assisted living facility was once again scaled back by members of the Planning and Transportation Commission, which on Wednesday signed off on just seven additional units despite City Council direction to nearly double that number. It’s the second time the commission has arrived at the number of...