Palo Alto leaders approve 183-apartment complex

Palo Alto city leaders have enthusiastically backed a housing project that would have likely been dead on arrival just two years ago: an 85-foot-tall apartment building in the Ventura neighborhood.

The proposal from Vittoria Management is one of about 10 projects that the city received through the “builder’s remedy” process, which allows builders to circumvent local development standards such as height and density limits. But unlike most builder’s remedy projects, which have generally been greeted with skepticism or disdain, the 183-apartment project at 3781 El Camino Real was greeted at the dais with lavish praise and a unanimous vote of approval.

Partly, this was because the developer’s proposal largely adhered to standards the city recently established for a nearby stretch of El Camino Real south of Page Mill Road. The city’s newly created “El Camino Real Focus Area” allows more height and density, including buildings with heights exceeding 80 feet. After the City Council established the new zoning district, Vittoria lobbied to have two of its properties near the focus area eligible for inclusion.

Last month, the council unanimously approved Vittoria’s other proposal for 321 apartments at 3606 El Camino Real. This week, they followed suit by giving the project at 3781 El Camino a similar vote of endorsement.

Councilmember Ed Lauing said he strongly supports the Ventura project.

“This is why the El Camino Focus Area was created, and now it’s being expanded. … Delighted to see an enthusiastic partner design a nice structure within the general requirements and add to the housing vision along El Camino,” Lauing said.

Much like other recent developments, the proposal from Vittoria invoked Assembly Bill 130, a recent state law that exempts housing projects from environmental review and sets strict timelines for city approval. It would replace 14 existing apartments and a commercial plaza with a building that includes 100 one-bedroom apartments, 45 two-bedroom apartments and 14 three-bedroom apartments. The building would also have 24 junior one-bedroom apartments, which would range from 544 to 801 square feet in size, according to project plans. The developer will offer 23 apartments at below market rate.

Even though recent state laws give developers significant leverage for new housing projects, Palo Alto officials are pleased with Vittoria’s approach to the project, including its willingness to roughly adhere to the development standards in the El Camino Focus Area and to modify the project in response to comments from the Architectural Review Board.

Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims thanked Vittoria for its cooperative approach to the new project.

“It looks like it’s a partnership that’s working, and it’s going to be to the benefit of many people,” Lythcott-Haims said.

Councilmember Pat Burt lauded the building design, but warned that it may take some time for residents to adjust to the new developments along El Camino Real in a city that adhered to a 50-foot height limit for decades.

“The community hasn’t yet seen what 85-foot buildings up and down El Camino are going to look like, and yet we’re going to have a little bit of a shock when they are built,” Burt said.

This story originally appeared in Palo Alto Weekly. Gennady Sheyner is the editor of Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Online. As a former staff writer, he has won awards for his coverage of elections, land use, business, technology and breaking news.