Converting retail to housing is one of the pillars of Palo Alto’s plan to create a new residential neighborhood on San Antonio Road, a historically commercial corridor that borders Mountain View. The latest project to do that is 762 San Antonio Road, which received unanimous approval from the Palo Alto City Council on Monday. The...
Palo Alto considers new permit program to limit vehicle dwelling
Facing pressure from local residents and businesses to address a growing number of recreational vehicles in local neighborhoods, Palo Alto city leaders are considering a new solution: requiring vehicle dwellers to buy permits and designating sections of Embarcadero Road and Coyote Hill Road for their habitation. In addition, the city’s pilot program would limit parking...
Palo Alto breaks ground on housing project at former Fish Market site
When it comes to fulfilling state and regional housing mandates in Palo Alto, no recent changes to state law can compare to the project that will take over the former site of The Fish Market on El Camino Real. The Acclaim Companies development to come at 3150 El Camino Real boasts 368 apartments, 74 of which...
Stanford drops Flock cameras amid national backlash
Stanford University has terminated its contract with Flock Safety, a company whose license plate cameras have prompted backlash from privacy advocates across the U.S. Earlier this month, the university announced it ended its agreement with Flock and has replaced the Flock system with one that does not allow data to be accessible by any third...
Palo Alto train horn ‘quiet zone’ delayed over traffic concerns
Palo Alto residents living near the city’s northernmost Caltrain crossing will have to wait a bit longer for relief from the horn that blares each time a train passes by. The city has been pursuing “quiet zones,” a federal designation, at each of its four rail crossings where car and bike traffic intersect with the...
Stanford Terrace Inn owners sue Palo Alto to halt demolition
The owners of a dilapidated building that used to house the Stanford Terrace Inn are suing Palo Alto in federal court in an effort to overturn the city’s demolition order for the property. The lawsuit, filed July 16 in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, alleges city code inspectors “disproportionately singled out” the property...
Pipeline project will prompt trail closures at Palo Alto nature preserve
Visitors to the Arastradero Nature Preserve in Palo Alto may soon find their hikes disrupted by trail closures and heavy machinery as city crews embark on a two-year effort to stabilize a creek and relocate utility lines. The city has been planning this project since March 2023, when a hiker noticed the exposed gas line...
Final housing projects round out Palo Alto’s SB 79 window
As the deadline approached, two additional housing proposals in Palo Alto applied under a new state housing law that affords greater height and density to projects near public transit. As of July 16, Palo Alto’s local restrictions took effect, blunting the most significant impacts of Senate Bill 79 by exempting historic properties from the law and...
Palo Alto mayor to run for reelection in November
Palo Alto Mayor Vicki Veenker has filed the paperwork to run for reelection this fall, meaning that two of the three City Council seats up for a vote in November will see an incumbent in the race. Veenker, who was first elected to the council in 2022, will seek another four-year term. Councilmember Ed Lauing,...
Palo Alto condo proposal is 7th to use new state housing law
The latest housing proposal in Palo Alto to take advantage of a new state law that encourages denser projects near public transit envisions six for-sale family condominiums in the Downtown North neighborhood. The project at 340 Palo Alto Ave. abuts the city’s border with Menlo Park, but is still within the half-mile radius around the...