August 29, 2022
City Council
City of East Palo Alto
2415 University Ave
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Dear Councilmembers,
We are pleased to announce that the Woodland Park Euclid Improvements project by Woodland Park Communities qualifies for Conditional GreenTRIP Certification based on the current proposed design and amenities dated October 22, 2021.
Our evaluation demonstrates that the project meets GreenTRIP standards for the Neighborhood place type with daily household driving projected to be no more than 35 daily vehicle miles driven per household, a parking ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit or less, and the provision of at least one traffic reduction strategy. The project offers long term and short term bicycle parking, and will participate in GreenTRIP’s Transportation and Parking Survey for monitoring. Upon approval of these conditions, this project will join an esteemed group of certified projects with low traffic and excellent transportation amenities.
Since 1997, TransForm has been working for world class public transportation and walkable communities in the Bay Area and beyond. In 2008, TransForm launched GreenTRIP, a certification program for new residential development, focused on Traffic Reduction and Innovative Parking. GreenTRIP certifies projects that will allow new residents to drive less while increasing their mobility in a variety of ways. When residents have access to affordable homes close to services, jobs and transit, and developments are designed with traffic reduction and innovative parking, there are benefits for all:
• Increased household transportation savings.
• Economic support for locally serving businesses.
• Less freeway traffic and fewer vehicle collisions.
• Improved public health through increased walking and better air quality. • Greater demand and support of transit services.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, supporting compliance with SB375 and AB32.
The project meets the GreenTRIP Certification Standards for the “Neighborhood” place type. The Place Type is determined according to definitions set forth by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Station Area Planning Manual, 2007. GreenTRIP Certification standards are designed according to these Place Types and tailored to create a feasible yet innovative standard.
TRANSFORM | 560 14th Street, Suite 400 Oakland, CA 94612 www.TransFormCA.org 510.740.3150 TRIP
Green
GreenTRIP
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Marcial Chao
Pyatok Architects
Elizabeth Deakin
University of California
Berkeley
Joe DiStefano
Calthorpe Associates
David Garcia
Terner Center for Housing
Innovation at UC Berkeley
Curt Johansen
Kings River Community
Partners, LLC
Alison Kirk
Bay Area Air Quality
Management District
Richard Lee
Transportation Choices for
Sustainable Communities
Todd Litman
Victoria Transport
Policy Institute
Kathleen Livermore
Former, City of Alameda
Adam Millard-Ball
University of California
Santa Cruz
John Moon
Federal Reserve Bank of San
Francisco
Natalie Sandoval
Urban Land Institute San
Francisco
Krute Singa
Metropolitan Transportation
Commission
Robert Swierk
Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority
Abby Thorne-Lyman
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Jeffrey Tumlin
Nelson\Nygaard
Aaron Welch
Aaron Welch Planning
Kate White
ARUP
Jeff Wood
The Overhead Wire
The following describes how Woodland Park Euclid Improvements meet the criteria for Standard Certification:
1. The project is projected to create less than 35 miles driven/household/day.
Using GreenTRIP Connect for estimating greenhouse gas emissions, we project that future residents will drive 21 miles per day per household, or 66% less than the Bay Area regional average of about 62 miles per household per day. The primary reasons for reduced driving are the project’s density, location, and proximity to transit.
2. The project will not exceed more than 1.5 residential parking spaces per unit and will provide secured and protected bicycle parking spaces on-site.
The conceptual design meets this standard by proposing 625 residential parking spaces for 605 units, or 1.03 spaces per unit. Fewer spaces provided for parking allow more resources to be spent on other community amenities. The project will also include 625 secured bicycle parking spaces and 125 guest bicycle parking spaces, which meets our requirements of 1.0 ratio for long-term and 0.2 ratio for short-term bicycle parking.
3. The project will provide at least 1 of 3 Traffic Reduction Strategies for 40 years (Transit Passes, Carshare Memberships, and/or Unbundled Parking).
Woodland Park Communities will meet this requirement by providing 100% unbundled parking, which separates the cost of parking a vehicle from the cost of housing. This allows residents who do not have vehicles to save money by not having to pay for a parking space that they are not using. The project will also provide deeply discounted SamTrans, Caltrain, or VTA Passes for low-income residents. For residents that do not own a personal vehicle, they will have the option of using carshare subsidies for free or discounted access to nearby carshare vehicles. Both TRS strategies encourage residents to try transit and potentially have new residents develop transit travel habits in their new home.
Please refer to the attached Project Evaluation Report for a summary of the project’s benefits. You may also view Certification guidelines here: bit.ly/GreenTRIPHowToGuide.
Since this project is still going through entitlements, we are awarding a Conditional GreenTRIP Standard Certification.
We will award a full certification upon city approval of final entitlements, if those entitlements include the following project characteristics:
1. Build no more than 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
2. Install secured residential bike parking spaces at no fewer than 1 per unit.
3. Install publicly accessible guest bike parking spaces numbered at no fewer than 20% of units.
4. Provide one traffic reduction strategy (per the How-to-Guide) for all units.
If any of these characteristics change significantly in the approval process, we will need to re-evaluate the project to determine if the project still meets criteria for GreenTRIP Certification. For more information please refer to our website at: www.GreenTRIP.org.
Sincerely,
Kendra Ma
GreenTRIP Program Manager
(510) 740-9340
Traffic Reduction + Innovative Parking
www.GreenTRIP.org
PROJECT EVALUATION REPORT
GreenTRIP
WOODLAND PARK EUCLID IMPROVEMENTS
Average spaces per home
(including guest parking),
excluding spaces shared with
non-residential uses.
625 Parking Spaces
605 Units
The project must have one
of three traffic reduction
strategies:
• Unbundled Parking
• Discount Transit Passes
• Free Carshare Membership
44% less than the regional
average household driving of
62 miles/day.
Each Household is projected
to drive 21 miles/day
Each household is expected to drive
21 miles/day rather than the regional
average of 62 miles/day
Each household is expected to emit
11 pounds of GHGs/day instead of 15
pounds of GHGs/day.
Woodland Park Euclid
Improvements are
Projected* to result in:
2001 MANHATTAN AVE, EAST PALO ALTO, CA
DEVELOPER: WOODLAND PARK COMMUNITIES
PROJECTED DAILY DRIVING BY RESIDENTS
APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF PARKING
TRAFFIC REDUCTION STRATEGIES
Source: GreenTRIP Connect
Less than 35 miles/day
Maximum 1.5 Spaces/Unit
CONDITIONAL CERTIFICATION
AS OF AUGUST 29, 2022
29% Less GHGs
21 Miles/Day
1.03 Spaces/Unit
Place Type Neighborhood
66% Less Driving
GreenTRIP standards are
customized for different types of
neighborhoods, or “Place Types,”
as defined by the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission’s
Station Area Planning Manual.
Gr e e nTRIP sta n da r ds
Gr e e nTRIP Sta n da r d
Gr e e nTRIP Sta n da r ds
GreenTRIP evaluates how well a
proposed residential project design
achieves Traffic Reduction and
Innovative Parking strategies.
GreenTRIP conducts an evaulation
based on information provided by the
developer and gathered from publicly
available sources.
1 of 3 Standard Traffic
Reduction Strategies
This project meets GreenTRIP
Certification standards for the
Neighborhood Place Type. Above
is an evaluation of how this project
satisfies each requirement.
Source: GreenTRIP Connect
Source: GreenTRIP Connect, MTC Vital
Signs and Bay Area Census
Source: MTC Vital Signs
and Bay Area Census
Unbundled parking
• Unbundled Parking:
Paying for a parking
space is separate
from housing.
Contact:
[email protected]
www.GreenTRIP.org
QUESTIONS?
Driving Reduction
The following is an inventory of
GreenTRIP Connect model inputs
and the projected driving reduction.
Wo o d l a n d Pa r k Euc l i d Impr o v eme n ts Pr o j e c t Co n t e x t Map If built on selected parcel
0%of units will be Deed
Restricted Below Market
rate
*160 replaced rent-controlled
11.7%
Reduction
0%
Reduction
17.6%
Reduction
Affordable Housing
Traffic Reduction Strategies
Selected Site
Key Project Details: • Density 175 units/acre
• *605 units including 160 replaced rentcontrolled units for original tenants • 625 Parking Spaces
• 605 Secured long term bike parking spaces
• 125 Guest bike parking spaces
a project of
Residents living and
working within a 1/2
mile or 10 minute walk
to transit are 10 times
more likely to take
transit. 1
Residents living
within a 1/2 mile of
transit drive 50% less
than those living
further away. 2
1 ABAG New Places, New Choices, 2007
2 Cervero, Arrington, TCRP Report 128, 2008
N
Purple outline represents the project footprint. Concentric circles represent 1/4 and 1/2 mile from the project.
Unbundled Parking:
Paying for a parking space is
separate from paying for
housing.
Transit within a 1/4 mile:
SamTrans 81, 281, 280, 296, 397
Transit within a 1/2 mile:
SamTrans 88, 83, 281, 280, 296, 397
NEARBY TRANSPORTATION
GreenTRIP report:
https://connect.greentrip.org/map-tool.php?p=209852
July 18th, 2022
To whom it may concern,
The Housing Action Coalition is pleased to endorse Sand Hill Property Company’s Euclid Improvements proposal for Woodland Park in East Palo Alto. After a detailed presentation, our Project Review Committee determined the project exceeds our high standards in addressing our regional housing shortage.
The Committee applauds the project team for undertaking a community-centered approach, as Sand Hill hosted 32 community meetings, information booths, and small group listening sessions before submitting a project application and five additional community meetings and information sessions after submission..
Additionally, Sand Hill created relocation commitments after receiving valuable tenant input. These included granting current residents fully paid moving expenses, the right of return to the new apartments, a guarantee to pay the same rent upon return, a choice of a nearby apartment during construction, and a comparable number of bedrooms and square footage. After these discussions and commitments, Sand Hill constructed a plan that exceptionally meets the region's housing needs.
The project will increase the number of homes from 160 to 605 through a variety of building types. These new buildings would range between 5 and 13 stories, transforming a site that is currently comprised of lower density housing types. The Committee specifically commends Sand Hill’s prioritization and commitment to affordability and community. The project will provide 160 rent-stabilized homes offered to the current tenants at their current rent levels. Additionally, Sand Hill will build 75 BMR homes offsite in partnership with Eden Housing. These homes would be available to residents at 35%, 50%, and 60% of Area Median Incomes, which goes above and beyond the affordability requirements. To further enhance community space, Sand Hill plans to build a community park, accessible to all residents, in parity with on-site retail spaces. Lastly, the project will provide 369 bike parking spaces and 625 car parking spaces. Given the site’s proximity to public transit, the Committee encourages the project team to explore increasing bike parking and open space at the expense of the parking structure, but we understand the reality of financing, feasibility, and community concerns.
The Housing Action Coalition applauds the project team for striving to achieve the best possible project for the community. Ultimately, we are proud to endorse Euclid Improvements at Woodland Park, which will provide well-designed and well-located homes that help address our region’s ongoing affordability and displacement crisis.
Sincerely,
Corey Smith, Executive Director
Housing Action Coalition (HAC)
August 29, 2022
Honorable Mayor Ruben Abrica and Members of the City Council City of East Palo Alto
2415 University Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Dear Honorable Mayor Abrica and Members of the City Council, For seven decades, the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA) has been a leading voice for the economic engine that is San Mateo County. SAMCEDA believes in the power of a strong economy driven by an appreciation of what that engine provides to our ecosystem on the Peninsula.
By working with employers of all sizes and industries, engaging with our public sector and our elected leadership, recognizing that we have 21 individual jurisdictions (20 cities and one county) and collaborating and communicating with the Chambers of Commerce, non-profit organizations and our educational institutions, SAMCEDA tackles the most difficult challenges through goal-oriented solutions.
SAMCEDA has supported land use development projects that enhance the economic, environmental, living and transportation qualities that are important to businesses, communities, and residents in San Mateo County. Emphasizing a collaborative approach between public, private, and community stakeholders throughout the development process, SAMCEDA supports projects that have the potential to bring direct benefit to the communities, cities and surrounding areas in which they are located.
We continue to support high-quality projects that improve the quality of life in San Mateo County, which is why the SAMCEDA Board of Directors is pleased to endorse Woodland Park Euclid Improvements in East Palo Alto.
The Woodland Park Euclid Improvements proposes to increase the number of homes from 161 to 605, creating mixed-income housing with no displacement of existing residents. The proposal will include 160 rent-stabilized units, with first priority going to existing tenants, and will provide for 89 below-market-rate affordable units at deep affordability levels between 35% - 60% of area median income. It will provide significant community benefits, including a new public park space and significant local infrastructure improvements. The project team went above and beyond in seeking community input, hosting 32 community meetings, information booths, and small group listening sessions before submitting a project application and five additional community meetings and information sessions after submission.
We are also encouraged that the project will be an economic and employment driver in East Palo Alto and San Mateo County. According to the project’s fiscal impact analysis, it will generate over $1.1 million per year of positive net fiscal impact to the City’s general fund, and will create over 1,500 job years during construction, and 119 direct, indirect, and induced jobs over the long term.
We are optimistic that this project will successfully accomplish multiple regional and local priorities in terms of increasing the housing supply, improving affordable housing, spurring economic growth, promoting energy-efficient and environmental design and advancing the livable communities model that our region, county and communities have envisioned.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best Regards,
Rosanne Foust
President & CEO, SAMCEDA
August 30, 2022
East Palo Alto City Council
RE: Endorsement of Euclid Improvements at Woodland Park Dear Councilmembers:
For over 60 years, Greenbelt Alliance has helped create cities and neighborhoods that make the Bay Area a better place to live. Greenbelt Alliance’s Climate SMART—Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented—Development Endorsement Program provides support for projects that advance the right kind of development in the right places. By promoting climate-smart development we can create thriving, resilient neighborhoods with ready access to transit and housing choices for all of the Bay Area’s people.
After careful review, Greenbelt Alliance is pleased to endorse the proposed Euclid Improvements at Woodland Park.
The Euclid Improvements are a model of what Climate SMART zero-displacement projects should look like when replacing out-of-date residential buildings in a lower-income community. The project goes above and beyond our Climate SMART goals; it will increase the housing supply, as well as provide better parking and mobility options, increase local climate resilience, and provide a significant amount of affordable housing. Of the 605 proposed homes, the project sponsor plans to replace 160 rent stabilized units and allow all tenants of the original units the right to return to a new rent stabilized unit. The project sponsors are also providing for an additional 89 off-site affordable units at deep affordability levels.
On the environmental side, according to GreenTrip certification, the Euclid Improvements will result in 1,628 fewer miles driven every day compared to the San Mateo County average, and 9% fewer GHG impacts every day compared to the San Mateo County average. In addition to being LEED certified, 2.3 trees will be planted for every tree removed, and the project sponsors are working to keep as many trees as possible on the property. Additionally, the project includes a 1.5 million gallon water tank and pump system nearby that will serve both the project and the broader neighborhood, increasing water pressure for fire suppression and as well as for overall fire protection.
This development would not only contribute to meeting the city's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals, but also target both low income and Missing Middle housing. In Euclid Improvements at Woodland Park, the City of East Palo Alto has the opportunity to create new infill housing that will contribute to the State of California’s collective efforts to respond to our ongoing housing crisis.
Greenbelt Alliance believes Euclid Improvements at Woodland Park will play a pivotal role in reimagining a more resilient and inclusive East Palo Alto for all residents to enjoy, and we are proud to give this project our endorsement. We hope its approval will inspire cities around the Bay Area to redouble their efforts to grow in a smart, sustainable manner.
Sincerely,
Jordan Grimes
Resilience Manager, Greenbelt Alliance
August 31, 2022
East Palo Alto City Council
2415 University Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Re: Support Woodland Park Euclid Improvements - Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
Dear Members of the East Palo Alto City Council,
The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLC) works with our communities and their leaders to produce and preserve quality affordable homes.
On behalf of HLC, I’m writing to express our support for the Woodland Park Euclid Improvements proposal by the Sand Hill Property Company - which seeks to rebuild 160 existing rent controlled homes at existing rents, and include 445 new homes; 89 of which will be affordable. HLC’s Board spent significant time deliberating over this proposal and came to the conclusion that it is the best option for your city to keep those existing homes habitable for your residents, while also providing additional affordable homes for your community members - which is why we support this proposal.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. We urge you to support the Woodland Park Euclid Improvements proposal.
Sincerely,
Ken Chan
Organizer
Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
2905 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403 • (650) 242-1764 • hlcsmc.org 1 Kelly Beggs
From: Art Taylor <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, September 2, 2022 12:20 PM
To: Ruben Abrica; Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier; Carlos Romero; Regina Wallace-Jones; Antonio D. Lopez
Cc: Patrick Heisinger; Amy Chen; Elena Lee; Kelly Beggs; cityclerk Subject: RE: Public Hearing Item #9.1: Woodland Park Euclid Improvements Project Attachments: JobTrain Support Letter - Euclid Improvements (1).doc To: East Palo Alto City Council
From: JobTrain
Letter of Support - Woodland Park Euclid Improvement Project Dear Mayor, Councilmembers, and staff,
I am writing this letter in support of the Woodland Park Euclid Improvements Project. JobTrain has a history of working with Woodland Park Communities / Sand Hill Properties. Over the years we have worked together to employ several of our construction trades and building maintenance technician graduates on Woodland and Sand Hill properties projects and apartment communities.
This company has committed to hiring locally on this and other projects that they have in their pipeline. This project has the unique opportunity to positively address many important issues that face our communities beyond the obvious need for more affordable housing.
Much work has been done over the years to provide jobs for East Palo Alto residents. We believe that construction projects in a local community should create jobs for residents. We have been in discussion with the Northern California Regional Construction Council (NCRCC) on how to compliment the considerable efforts that the city has pursued for some time now to provide such a benefit to your residents. Our history with the NCRCC spans 33 years. During that time, we have trained and placed hundreds of East Palo Alto residents in the Carpenters Union where they are making great wages with a pension. What makes our pre-apprentice training so unique is that our construction trades instructors are also active union members. In fact, our current trades instructor is the president of Local 217.
For too long housing construction has been challenging for the recruitment of new workers into the construction industry. More often residential construction contractors compete against each other through cost at the expense of all other factors (skills training, safety, livable wages). This has led to an existential crisis for building more housing, particularly in the Bay Area and other job centers across the country. Fewer and fewer workers are willing to pursue dangerous jobs with 2 little to no skills/safety training at wages no better than what they could make working in a relatively safe indoor environment.
The Developer of this project, Sand Hill Properties, has recognized that they have the ability to impact both of these issues through collaboration with the NCRCC and JobTrain by imposing standards on their contractors and sub-contractors with the language used in their contracts that requires participation in pre-apprenticeship training and the prioritization of local qualified East Palo Alto residents. The result of this unique effort would place a significant number of East Palo Alto residents through a JobTrain pre-apprenticeship training program (assisted by the NCRCC) and placement onto the Woodland project with wages and benefits commensurate with what is required to build the workforce our industry needs. The details of this unique collaboration are still under discussion due to the tentative status of this project and the expected cost to the developer.
We are encouraged and excited by the commitment Sand Hill Properties has made to train and hire locally and we would like you to seriously consider this unique opportunity in your decision to approve this project
Sincerely,
Barrie Hathaway,
Barrie R. Hathaway
President & CEO
Art Taylor
Chief Strategy Officer
3 Email: [email protected]
Mobile: (415) 812-5331
Office: (650) 330-6451
Website: www.JobTrainworks.org
Address:1200 O'Brien Dr. Menlo Park, CA 94025
CAUTION: This e-mail originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you validate the sender and know the content is safe.
On Sep 7, 2022, at 9:49 AM, Johnston, Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
Patrick,
Hope you are doing well. I know I am a day late on the discussion from Council on the water tank on the west side. However, I want to let you know that we support the tank for several reasons.
1. It supports the Water Master Plan requirement for emergency water supply
2. It supports much needed water volume supply to meet water demand on the west side due to lack of proper infrastructure
3. It aid in providing volume as well as a site for a pump house to equalize pressure within the City system
4. It provides opportunity for a public space.
Example in Ripon, CA Mistlin
Sports Park.
Thanks,
Jon
Jon Johnston
Division Chief/Fire Marshal
Menlo Park Fire Protection District | 170 Middlefield Road | Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 688-8431
[email protected]
Mission Statement: To protect and preserve life and property from the impact of fire, disaster, injury and illness.
menlofire.org