Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-22
ZONE DESCRIPTION ACRES PERCENT
(%)
MINIMUM
LOT SIZE
MAXIMUM
COVERAGE
MAXIMUM
HEIGHT
Commercial
Thoroughfare
(CT)
Designed to
encourage a variety
of commercial
residential
developments,
including affordable
housing development
and promote
the economic
and commercial
success of Los
Altos. Encourages
aggregation
of parcels, and
strategies to bugger
the impacts of
commercial and
multifamily uses
on neighboring
residential properties.
54.4 1.4% 20,000 s.f. N/A 55 ft. or 5
stories for
residential only
developments;
60 ft. or 5
stories for
mixed use
developments,
45 ft. or 4
stories for only
non-residential
use
Commercial
Retail Sales/
Office (CRS/
OAD)
Supports a blend
of retail, service,
and office uses and
aims to promote
pedestrian-scale
design through a
series of design
guidelines.
1.3 0.0 N/A N/A 40 ft. or 4
stories for
residential only
developments;
45 ft. or 4
stories for
mixed use
developments,
30 ft. or 2
stories for only
non-residential
use
Other
Planned
Community
(PC)
The purpose is to
provide for the longterm development
of large properties
under unified
ownership or control,
to allow flexibility
and variety in lot
layout and promote
a more desirable
living environment.
Permitted uses
include single-family
residences, senior
citizen housing,
community facilities,
and open space
areas. Amendments
to PC boundaries
may be approved
through a review.
49.8 1.3 20 Acres 20% to 25%
depending
on lot size for
single-family
dwellings on
a traditional
lot, 20% for
single-family
residences
in a cluster
subdivision;
established
through review
for senior
housing; 30%
for community
facilities
27 ft. or 2
stories for
residential
uses; 30 ft. or
2 stories for
community
facilities
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-23
ZONE DESCRIPTION ACRES PERCENT
(%)
MINIMUM
LOT SIZE
MAXIMUM
COVERAGE
MAXIMUM
HEIGHT
Public and
Community
Facilities (PCF)
Reserved for the
construction, use,
and occupancy
of governmental,
public utility, and
educational buildings
and facilities
and other uses
compatible with the
semipublic character
of the district.
265.7 6.8 1 acre 30% 30 ft. or 2
stories
Public and
Community
Facilities/
Single-Family
District (PCF/
R1-10)
Designed specifically
for construction, use
and occupancy of
PCF facilities within
single-family R1-10
zones.
90.9 2.3 10,000 s.f. 30% 27 ft. or 2
stories
Planned Unit
Development
(PUD)
Includes a
combination of
different dwelling
types and/or a
variety of land uses
which complement
each other and
harmonize with
existing proposed
land uses in the
vicinity. Designed for
developments that
may not conform in
all aspects with other
zoning designations.
66.9 1.7 5 acres;
except 3
acres if site
has frontage
of Chester
Circle
20% to 35% 27 ft. or 2
stories
PUD/R1-10 2.1 0.1 10,000 s.f.,
except on
corner lots
(11,000 s.f.)
and glad lots
(15,000 s.f.)
35% for
structure more
than 6 ft. tall
27 ft. or 2
stories
ROW 1.4 0.0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 3,892.4 100
Note:
1. Smaller lot sizes are permissible in single-family districts through SB 9 (LAMC Chapter 14.64).
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-24
Industrial. There are no zoning designations for industrial uses, including general or light manufacturing.
Planned Communities or Planned Unit Developments.
Los Altos’ Planned Community (PC) and Planned Unit
Development (PUD) zoning districts are intended to
allow greater flexibility in site planning while ensuring high-quality development that aligns with the city’s
character and General Plan. The PC district is typically applied to larger or more complex sites and allows a mix of land uses, building types, and development standards to be tailored through a comprehensive plan reviewed
by the city. Only one Planned Community (PC) site exists, located in the western portion of Los Altos, making up
49.9 acres (1.3 percent) of zoned land. Similarly, the PUD district permits deviations from conventional zoning
standards—such as lot size, setbacks, and building placement—in exchange for cohesive design, efficient land use, and enhanced amenities like open space, landscaping, or pedestrian connections. Sites are dispersed across the city and account for 265.7 acres, or 6.8 percent of zoned land.
Both districts rely on discretionary review by the Planning Commission and City Council, emphasizing thoughtful
design, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods,
and long-term community benefits rather than strict
adherence to uniform zoning regulations.
PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS
Several previous planning efforts have played an important role in guiding the development of key areas in Los Altos. Descriptions for each of the plans are provided
below.
Downtown Vision Plan (2018)
The Los Altos Downtown Vision Plan (‘Vision Plan’) is a community-driven planning document adopted by City
Council in August 2018 that outlines a long-term (approximately 20-year) vision for the downtown triangle — the roughly 76-acre area bounded by Edith Avenue, San
Antonio Road, and Foothill Expressway. The plan was
developed with extensive public input and identifies strategies to preserve and enhance the defining characteristics of downtown while strengthening economic vitality and
pedestrian experience. It emphasizes mixed uses that
support retail, dining, services, offices, and residential options; improvements to streetscapes, parking, and
public spaces; and creation of activity nodes such as plazas and enhanced connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.
Although the Vision Plan itself is not a regulatory zoning document, it serves as a guiding framework for future land use decisions and investment priorities in downtown Los Altos.
In recent years, the Vision Plan’s concepts have driven amendments to downtown programs and policies,
reflecting incremental amendments and programmatic
shifts aligned with the Downtown Vision’s broader goals of enhancing public space, pedestrian engagement, and
economic activity. One of the most notable developments has been the adoption of the Downtown Parklet Program,
which allows expanded outdoor dining parklets with
unified design standards and annual renewal requirements. City Council approved this program in May 2023, with implementation beginning January 2024. Another
ongoing initiative tied to downtown revitalization is the proposed downtown park project, which intends to transform parts of existing publicly owned space in downtown into a vibrant, welcoming park. City staff conducted an analysis of all the downtown parking plazas, and identified three plazas (Plazas 1, 2, and 3) as sufficient space to be a suitable location. This new public park aims to enhance downtown’s appeal as a destination for residents, visitors, and businesses – providing opportunities for relaxation, connection, events, and cultural expression. It will also address parking concerns through design and parking
replacement strategies. The project is currently in its concept design phase; there is no planned completion
date at this time.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-25
Downtown Parking Strategy (2025)
The Los Altos Downtown parking strategy is a comprehensive approach to managing and planning for parking in the downtown core as activity and development evolve.
It builds on the 2013 Downtown Parking Management
Plan, which established a framework to ensure convenient access for visitors, support local businesses, make efficient use of existing supply, and mitigate spillover into residential neighborhoods by managing both on- and off-street spaces. Key principles include treating downtown parking as an integrated system with a “park once” philosophy,
balancing supply and demand, supporting turnover near
businesses, and encouraging longer-term spaces for
employees to free up prime short-term stalls for customers. The strategy also considers future growth tied to downtown development envisioned in the Downtown
Vision Plan and focuses on both short- and mid-term
actions to improve parking operations, potentially expand supply, and incorporate technology and policy tools to
enhance the overall user experience.
Recent work to implement the strategy has included
phased parking strategies that prioritize actions over the next five years, such as exploring the creation of a Business Improvement District (BID) and Parking Benefit District (PBD) to fund enhancements and implementing operational improvements to better manage peak demand and support economic activity in the Downtown. Parking
supply and management is also an important consideration in the discussion around how future public space projects — including the proposed new downtown public
park that could repurpose existing surface parking — will impact parking supply and management, prompting
consideration of replacement or restructuring options
(like underground or above-ground parking) to maintain
access while achieving broader community goals.
Los Altos Community Center Master Plan
(2009)
The Los Altos Community Center Master Plan established
a vision for a modern, inclusive civic gathering space at an 18-acre site at 97 Hillview Avenue, east of downtown.
Intended to meet the needs of a multi-generational
community, the City incorporated substantial community input and cutting-edge design features, emphasizing architectural integration, sustainable building practices, and the creation of a versatile hub for recreation, social interaction, and emergency shelter use. Construction was completed in 2021.
At the core of the Plan is a 24,500 square foot community center, which was inaugurated in October 2021. It includes a dedicated space for senior, teen, and preschool programs, as well as flexible indoor and outdoor community gathering spaces to accommodate rentals, various recreational programs, classes and events. Additional
amenities include a playground, commercial kitchen,
bocce ball courts, and space for a future café. The project area also includes key existing community spaces like
Hillview Park, Los Altos History Museum, Los Altos Library, and the Los Altos City Hall, which were retained and
integrated within the masterplan. The original plan also proposed a new performing arts theatre and pool facility, although these were not realized in the final plan.
El Retiro Master Plan (1984)
The El Retiro Master Plan was prepared in 1984 to guide the potential future redevelopment of a 51.5-acre property owned by the California Province of the Society of Jesus and operated as the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos.
The Master Plan was developed to integrate land use,
site development standards, and associated regulatory
changes into the City’s broader planning framework,
shaping how the property would be redeveloped if the
Society of Jesus were to relocate in the future. With
adoption of the Master Plan, 34.5 acres of the site that was formerly in unincorporated Santa Clara County was
annexed into the City of Los Altos. The El Retiro site is identified as a Special Planning Area in the 2020 General Plan, which allows development of 40 units on the site, with a potential density bonus of up to ten additional
units, in exchange for dedicated public open space on the site. The site remains in active use for religious purposes today and the Society of Jesus does not currently have
plans to relocate.
Other Efforts
Other previous specific plans include the Loyola Corners Specific Plan and the Sherwood Gateway Specific Plan,
which served as a blueprint for guiding mixed use development in some of Los Altos’ key commercial areas.
However, City Council repealed these documents in 2023
and 2025, respectively, after years of limited implementation and lack of alignment with evolving local priorities
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-26
related to housing. Since repeal, planning efforts have moved away from narrowly focused specific plans and
toward broader, citywide policy tools that emphasize flexibility, neighborhood compatibility, and community input.
These include updates to the General Plan and zoning
regulations, along with objective standards incorporated into the zoning as required by state law, to guide development in these areas.
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
DESIGN GUIDELINES (1990)
In addition to the objective development standards for
single-family zones in the municipal code, the Residential Design Guidelines guide development of new and remodeled single-family projects located within the city’s Single-Family (R1) District. The Guidelines emphasize
preserving neighborhood character by providing direction on features such as building scale and articulation, landscaping, materials, and architectural detailing. The Guidelines serve as a basis for design review decisions and approval process consistency across City neighborhoods.
GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FOR
LAND USE NEAR STREAMS (2007)
The 2006 Santa Clara Valley Water’s Guidelines and
Standards for Land Use Near Streams focus on protecting riparian areas through specific development standards,
avoiding stream-adjacent sensitive uses (like trash/
chemical storage), using native plants, limiting impervious surfaces, and preserving vegetation to enhance flood control, water quality, and habitat. The intent is to ensure that development near streams occurs in a way
that preserves natural drainage functions, protects wildlife habitat, and minimizes hazards to people and property,
particularly as development pressure and climate-related impacts increase.
City Council adopted the Guidelines and Standards under the title “Water Resources Protection Manual” on February 13, 2007, and has integrated them into its permitting
process, consistent with its General Plan, Specific Plans, and Zoning Ordinance. The City consults with Valley Water and other state/federal agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board (RWQCB), and the United
State Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for permits and
guidance, especially for development near creeks.
Major Recent Development Projects
Based on available data from the City, there were 16 major developments in Los Altos in recent years between 2019
and 2025. These are numbered in Map 2-7 and summarized in Table 2-4. These major developments include six projects under construction, six approved projects
pending construction, and four projects currently under review. A majority of current major development activity (12 of 16 projects) are multifamily residential projects concentrated along key corridors such as El Camino Real and along Foothill Expressway. Four mixed-use residential projects are in the development pipeline, all located within Downtown Los Altos. Together, these projects are expected to result in 627 units and 22,097 square feet of commercial space. All major recent developments are
infill projects involving redevelopment of commercial or single-family residential properties.
Map 2-7 also illustrates recently approved and constructed single-family homes and ADU in Los Altos. The data
indicate that single-family and ADU development activity is generally well dispersed throughout the city with no apparent concentration in particular locations. Los Altos has seen a significant increase in ADU permitting activity since 2018, in line with Statewide trends following the introduction of a series of new State laws intended to facilitate ADU production.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-27
NUMBER
ON
MAP
TYPE ADDRESS APN PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
SITE
AREA
(ACRES)
PREVIOUS
USES
NET
NEW
USES
NON-RESIDENTIAL
SQUARE
FOOTAGE
PROJECT
STATUS
Under Construction
1 Residential140 Lyell
Street
17039106
-10
5-unit
multifamily
residential
developmentfor ownership
0.2 Single-family home4 NA Approved
Feb 2021.
Under Construction
as of May
2023.
2 Residential440-
450 First
Street
16741009,
16766023,
16766001-
27 26 unit
multifamily
residential- for
ownership
0.4 10,000 s.f.
commercial space
26 NA Approved
Jan 2022.
Under Construction
as of Dec
2024.
3 Residential5150 El
Camino
Real
17004068-
69 196-unit
multifamily
residential
development172 units rental,
24 townhouses
(ownership)
3.8 3-story
office
building
196 NA Approved
Aug 2022.
Under construction
as of Dec
2025.
4 Residential40 Main
Street
16738032 15-unit
mixed-use
development –
for ownership
0.1 One-story commercial
building
15 3500 SB35 Project; Permit
issued
Aug 2025.
Under construction
as of Dec
2025.
5 Residential330 Distel
Circle
17004051 90-unit
multifamily
residential
development
– 100%
affordable
0.9 One-story commercial
building
90 NA Approved
Sept 2022.
Under construction
as of July
2025.
6 Residential14 Fourth
Street
16738061 4-unit
multifamily
residential
development –
for ownership
0.2 One-story single
family
home
4 NA Approved
May 2023.
Under construction
as of Sept
2024.
Table 2-4: Major Recent Developments
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-28
NUMBER
ON
MAP
TYPE ADDRESS APN PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
SITE
AREA
(ACRES)
PREVIOUS
USES
NET
NEW
USES
NON-RESIDENTIAL
SQUARE
FOOTAGE
PROJECT
STATUS
Approved
7 Residential4350 El
Camino
Real
16711041 47-unit
multifamily
residential
developmentfor ownership
0.7 Gas station 47 NA Approved
Sept 2022.
Several
project
extensions
received;
no building permit
has been
issued.
8 Mixed
Use
Residential
420 S San
Antonio
Road
16741072 20-unit mixed
use residential
development
with ground
floor
commercial
0.8 One-story commercial
building
20 1,495 Approved
Jan 2025.
Building
permit
application
has not
been submitted.
9 Mixed
Use
Residential
376 First
Street
16741052 15-unit
multifamily
residential
developmentfor ownership
0.2 3,600 s.f.
commercial space
15 NA Approved
April 2022.
Entitlement
expired.
Never constructed.
10 Residential355 First
Street
16741029 49-unit
multifamily
residential – for
ownership
0.6 Six commercial
buildings
and one
single-family residence
49 NA Approved
Jun 2022.
Entitlement
extension
received.
Building
permit
submitted
December
2022;no
building
permit
has been
issued.
11 Mixed
Use
Residential
996
Loraine
Avenue
18915086 12-unit
multifamily
residential with
ground floor
commercial
0.2 One-story commercial
building
12 962 Approved
Nov 2025.
Building
permit
application
has not
been submitted.
NUMBER
ON
MAP
TYPE ADDRESS APN PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
SITE
AREA
(ACRES)
PREVIOUS
USES
NET
NEW
USES
NON-RESIDENTIAL
SQUARE
FOOTAGE
PROJECT
STATUS
12 Residential4898 W
El Camino
Real
17003085 85-unit
multifamily
residential
0.4 Two-story commercial
building
85 NA Approved
January
2026.
Building
permit
application
has not
been submitted.
13 Mixed
Use
Residential
4896 El
Camino
Real
17002026 33 residential
units with
ground floor
commercial
0.8 Fast food
restaurant and
a single-family home
32 16,140 Approved
in November 2024.
Building
permit has
not been
submitted.
Pending Approval Under Review
14 Residential349 First
St
16740047 20-unit multifamily residential development – for ownership
0.2 Two-story commercial
building
20 NA Under review
15 Residential901 Fremont Ave18915106 9-unit residential townhomes 0.7 One-story commercial building
9 NA
16 Residential966 Sherwood Ave17001044 33 townhomes 1.1 Office building
and two
single
family
homes
33 NA Under review
17 Residential95 First
Street
16739136 51-unit multifamily residential development – for ownership
0.5 Existing
two-story office
building
51 NA Under review
18 Residential244 S El
Monte Ave
8 detached
single-family
homes
1.1 Existing
single-family home
7 NA
Total 12.9 715 22,097
Source: City of Los Altos, 2025
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
4 5
11 9
15 7
14 1
13 12
10 8 2
6 16
3 17
18 Marymead Park
McKenzie Park
Grant Park
Rosita
Park
Heritage
Oaks Park
Montclair
Park
Lincoln Park
Hillview Park
Perman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
Major Development Projects
Multi Family Residential
Mixed Use Residential
Townhomes\Single Family Attached
Single Family Detached
Building Permits
Single Family Detached
Single Family Detached with ADU
Assessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
J:\GISData\610_LosAltos_GP\GIS\Projects\Los_Altos\Los_Altos.aprx 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
?»
?»
?¾
?¾
%&j
%&j
Map 2-7: Major Recent Development Projects
Data Source: City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 Map 2-7: Major Recent Developments
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-31
Potential Focus Areas
Focus Areas are locations within the City of Los Altos where significant physical change is anticipated. They typically comprise clusters of vacant and underutilized parcels that present opportunities for redevelopment. Concentrating
planning efforts on these areas allows the community to develop a shared vision for how they should evolve and to align the General Plan accordingly.
To identify these potential areas, a land use analysis utilized data to consider several factors that indicate how likely a property is to be redeveloped. Santa Clara County Assessor data was used to identify and map vacant parcels within the City of Los Altos and flag indicators of underutilization, such as assessed value ratio (AV ratio) and floor area ratio (FAR). The AV ratio compares the value of existing improvements, including buildings and structures, to the value of the underlying land. A ratio below 1.0 suggests a parcel may be underutilized; a ratio below 0.5 indicates even greater redevelopment potential. When land value
substantially exceeds the value of structures on it, property owners have a financial incentive to redevelop the site with uses that can command higher rents or sale prices.
Another indicator that a site may be a candidate for
redevelopment is low intensity of existing non-residential development, or a low FAR. Building intensity can be measured by calculating FAR, the ratio of building floor area to overall site area. A low FAR means that the square footage of buildings is small compared to the overall size of the site — for example, a 1,000 square foot building on 10,000 square foot commercial or industrial lot would
have a 0.1 FAR, indicating potential for redevelopment
with other uses. Non-residential sites with an FAR of 0.20 or below were identified as having high redevelopment
or intensification potential. Those with an FAR between
0.21 and 0.40 were considered to have moderate redevelopment potential.
Lastly, environmental hazards can also affect redevelopment potential. While Los Altos faces minimal environmental constraints overall, existing constraints like liquefaction zones run north-south across the city, while landslide zones and high- to moderate- fire hazard safety zones are concentrated in the southern and western
portions of the City limit. These constraints are illustrated in Map 2-9.
The opportunity sites were ranked by viability for development of the prevailing land use characteristics and environmental hazards, then organized into tiers as shown on Map 2-8. Tier 1 sites are those with indicators that signal the strongest redevelopment potential, and which are also least encumbered by environmental hazards. Tier 5 sites are those with some indication of redevelopment potential, but which are significantly constrained by hazards.
As depicted in Map 2-10, results of this analysis identified several clusters of vacant and underutilized sites, representing areas of potential focus for future change.
A description of each identified Focus Area is provided below.
Map 2-8: Opportunity Sites
Map 2-9: Enviromental Constraints
Map 2-10 Focus Areas
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-35
Focus Area One is located in the northern part of Los
Altos, along El Camino Real between Los Altos Avenue
and Casita Way. Existing land uses include a mix of general commercial, office, multifamily residential and restaurant uses. Notable landmarks in this focus area include Whole Foods Market, Chef Chu’s restaurant and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District offices. The corridor has an auto-oriented character with surface parking located between the public right of way and existing buildings, although newer mixed use developments along the
corridor have smaller landscaped setbacks and building
entries close to the sidewalk for a more walkable urban form. Buildings are typically one or two stories, transitioning to single-family residential uses to the south, in contrast to much taller buildings on the north side of El Camino Real in Mountain View. The corridor is well-served by public transit, including Santa Clara Valley Transit Agency (VTA) routes 21, 22, 522, and 40, and there is a continuous sidewalk along the corridor.
The area is the focus of considerable development activity, with six projects currently in review, recently approved, or under construction. These include five multifamily
residential projects dispersed across the corridor and one mixed-use residential project with ground floor commercial space at 4896 El Camino Real. Additionally, the 2023-31 Housing Element identifies 31 opportunity sites with
a combined capacity of 1,063 housing units along the
corridor, representing 54 percent of Los Altos’ total RHNA allocation.
While there is only one vacant parcel along the corridor, analysis of parcel characteristics indicates opportunities for redevelopment of some underutilized parcels with
new uses to better serve the community. There are also
some notable office vacancies, also indicating opportunities for redevelopment. Parcels range from 0.1 acres to 2.8 acres in size and are typically rectilinear. In general parcels along the corridor are larger than those found downtown, although there is a cluster of smaller parcels, odd-shaped parcels at the southwest corner of San Antonio Road and El Camino Real. There are more than 40 different property owners within the focus area, which can pose a challenge to coordinated redevelopment.
Focus Area Two is Downtown Los Altos, a triangular-shaped area between Edith Avenue, Foothill Expressway, and San Antonio Road in the northern part
of the city. It is characterized by a compact, legible street grid, cohesive architecture, and small-scale storefronts.
It is surrounded by residential neighborhoods within
easy walking distance. Existing uses in the central part of the area are primarily retail, restaurant, and daily service businesses such as hair salons, barbershops, and banks.
Office uses are concentrated in the south and along San Antonio Road, while the northern part of the area features a range of single-family and multifamily residential uses.
There are seven sites with development projects currently in review, recently approved or under construction in
the area, concentrated primarily in the south along First Street. These include six multifamily residential projects and two mixed-use residential projects with ground floor commercial spaces. Additionally, the 2023-31 Housing
Element identifies 27 housing opportunity sites with a
combined capacity of 161 housing units along the corridor, representing 8 percent of Los Altos’ total RHNA allocation.
Overall parcel size is small and ownership is fragmented, which poses a challenge to redevelopment. Properties in the south have the strongest indictors of redevelopment potential, particularly along Whitney and San Antonio
where several properties have both a low AV ratio and a low existing FAR.
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-36
Focus Area Three includes the Loyola Corners area, a
neighborhood-serving commercial node located along
Foothill Expressway between Manor Way and Fremont
Avenue in the central part of the city. Existing uses within the area include a range of commercial and office uses, as well as a newly constructed senior housing complex and a service station. Buildings are typically one or two stories in height, and there are notable vacancies north of Dolores Avenue, including a former Bank of America (where a
9-unit townhome project is proposed) and an adjacent
office building. The area is surrounded by single-family residential neighborhoods within easy walking distance.
The area has long been identified as a candidate for
redevelopment, called out as a Special Planning Area in the 2002 General Plan. More recently, the 2023-31 Housing Element identified 34 housing opportunity sites with a
combined capacity of 167 housing units along the corridor, representing 9 percent of Los Altos’ total RHNA allocation.
Many of the buildings in the area are aging and several properties have both a low AV ratio and a low existing
FAR, indicating potential for redevelopment with new
uses to better serve the community. CalWater is a major landowner in the area, with three parcels totaling 1.2 acres.
Focus Area Four is a commercial area along Grant Road
between Newcastle Drive and Farndon Avenue in the
southern part of the city. It includes the Lucky Grocery store as well as surrounding smaller scale retail businesses, including a nail salon, dry cleaners, and some professional offices. The area is within easy walking distance from
surrounding single-family residential neighborhoods. The largest parcel in the area is the Lucky Grocery store parcel at 3.34 acres. Adjacent parcels are under different ownership and tend to be narrow, which may pose a challenge for coordinated redevelopment. There are no projects
currently in review, recently approved or under construction in the area; however, the 2023-31 Housing Element site identifies seven properties as opportunity sites for housing with a projected capacity for 245 units. Overall, parcels in this area have a low AV ratio and existing FAR of less than
0.3, indicating strong potential for redevelopment.
Focus Area Five is located in the south of the city, straddling the boundary between Los Altos and Cupertino.
The area includes the Foothill Crossing Shopping Center as well as the adjacent 219-unit Springwood Apartment
complex. It’s located at a prominent southern gateway
into Los Altos with good access from I-280. The commercial parcels tend to be slightly larger than others in the city and existing structures are older; however, the existing businesses - including a Trader Joe’s and an Ace Hardware - are vibrant, which does not provide strong incentive for the owner to redevelop. The 2023-31 Housing Element
identifies the Foothill Crossing Shopping Center as a
housing opportunity site with capacity to accommodate
137 multifamily units. There are currently none in review, recently approved or under construction in the area.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-37
Historic Resources
This section provides a snapshot of historical resources in Los Altos and the policies and regulations pertaining to those resources, based on a review of local reference materials, including the Historic Resource Inventory, the General Plan, and the Preservation Ordinance, as well as windshield surveys of the city to observe existing conditions. A summary of findings and considerations regarding the assessment and treatment of historical resources in the future is provided at the end of the chapter.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
The history of Los Altos dates to 1906, when the Altos
Land Co., led by Southern Pacific Railroad executive Paul Shoup, purchased 140 acres of land between Palo Alto
and Mountain View. The company sought to establish
a new town to serve the new Southern Pacific Railroad
cutoff between Mayfield (now part of modern-day Palo
Alto) and Los Gatos. They named their new town “Los
Altos” (Spanish for “the heights”) because the land was the highest along the cutoff. The Los Altos Company began
selling lots in 1907 near today’s intersection of Foothill Expressway and Main Street. Los Altos was primarily an
agricultural community in the early years of the twentieth century, with a preponderance of farms, ranches, and fruit orchards surrounding a compact downtown.
Los Altos formally incorporated as a city in 1952, marking the beginning of a period of significant population
growth for the community over the next four decades.
This population growth solidified Los Altos’ reputation as a primarily residential community on the western edge of Silicon Valley. With decreased interest in train travel due to the wide adoption of the automobile, the Southern Pacific Railroad ceased operation in Los Altos in 1964 and its rightof-way became Foothill Expressway. Today, commercial zones in the city are limited to the downtown area, along with a handful of small shopping centers and office parks along Foothill Expressway.6
EXISTING RESOURCES
The Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) report that was
completed for the City of Los Altos in 2012 includes a series of brief historic contexts summarizing prominent themes and development patterns during different historical
periods, including:
• Context 1: Prehistory
• Context 2: Agriculture 1850 to 1940
• Context 3: Residential Architecture 1907 to 1940
• Context 4: Institutional Development 1907 to 1940
• Context 5: Commercial Development 1907 to 1940
Various existing historic properties associated with
Contexts 2 through 5 are discussed later in this chapter.
In addition, the 2012 document includes a transportation-themed context that frames the city’s subdivision and development with respect to railroad and automobile travel patterns over the first half of the twentieth century. 6 “History of Los Altos,” https://www.losaltosca.gov/460/Historyof-Los-Altos; “Section II – Los Altos Historical Con-text,” The City of Los Altos Historic Resource Inventory, https://www.losaltosca. gov/535/Historic-Inventory.
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
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Landmarks and Historic Resources
The Los Altos Historic Resources Inventory includes both landmarks and historic resources. A Historic Resource is generally defined in Los Altos as a property that (1) is 50 or more years of age; (2) retains integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling, and (3) is associated with a significant event or person; exhibits distinctive design or architecture; or is of archaeological interest. A Landmark property meets these criteria, along with the
additional criteria that it is considered to have special historical, cultural, archeological, scientific, architectural or aesthetic interest or value as part of the heritage or history of the city, the county, the state, or the nation.
Map 2-11 shows the location of Landmarks and Historic
Resources in Los Altos, while Table 2-9 at the end of this chapter provides a full list of names and addresses. The 23 Landmarks include several houses that date from the
late nineteenth century or early twentieth century and
are associated with either Los Altos’ agricultural past, or with the city’s residential development in the early 1900s.
In addition, the list of Landmarks include a handful of commercial buildings along Main Street, as well as the
former Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot (288
First Street) and the American Legion Hall (347 First
Street). With the exception of the cluster near First and Main Streets, these Landmarks are generally dispersed
throughout the northern half of the city (i.e., northwest of El Monte Avenue). A notable exception is the Cyrus P.
Berry House (965 Berry Avenue), which is located just west of Miramonte Avenue in the southeastern portion of the
city.
In addition to these Landmarks, the Los Altos Historic
Resource Inventory includes 81 designated Historic
Resources. Like the Landmarks, these Historic Resources are primarily residential, and most date from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Nonresidential Historic Resources include the Bleibler Ornamental Ironworks (530 Cherry Avenue),
the Formway Machine Shop (170 Formway Court), the
Los Altos Pharmacy (301 Main Street), and the Foothills Congregational Church (461 Orange Avenue). Like the
Landmarks, these Historic Resources are dispersed
throughout the city but are more prevalent in the city’s northern half, northwest of Miramonte Avenue. The
Orange-University area southwest of downtown, in particular, includes several Historic Resources.
The former Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot at 288 First Street (Architectural Resources Group, February 2026).
The 300 block of Main Street includes multiple designated landmarks (Architectural Resources Group, February 2026).
The Guy & Adelle Shoup House at 452 University Avenue is one of multiple residential Landmarks in the Orange-University area (Architectural Resources Group, February 2026).
Map 2-11: Locally Designated
Landmarks and Historic Districts
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
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Other Categories
To develop a comprehensive understanding of all potential historic resources in Los Altos, including and in addition to those identified in the 2012 survey, a California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS) records search of
the Northwest Information Center’s (NWIC) holdings was
conducted.7 The citywide search results included information from the State Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), the 1976 CA Inventory of Historic Resources, and detailed information related to existing evaluations within the project area.8 In addition to information provided
by the 2012 survey, the NWIC search results identified
properties potentially eligible for listing in the National or California Registers that are not formally designated; properties potentially eligible for listing in the Los Altos Historic Resource Inventory; age-eligible properties that have not been evaluated or that require reevaluation
for National or California Register eligibility; and age-eligible properties with no status code or known historic designation.
CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL
RESOURCE STATUS CODES
The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) developed the California Historical Resource Status Codes to classify resources in the State’s Historic Resources Inventory, and reflect the application of National Register, California Register, and local evaluation criteria for
potential historic resources. These codes are assigned to properties through survey and evaluation projects tied
to various regulatory processes and are numbered from
1-7. Categories 1-5 classify properties determined eligible for designation according to National Register, California Register, or local significance criteria. Categories 6-7 are used to classify properties determined ineligible through 7 The NWIC manages and provides public access to cultural resources records, reports, and maps, and is one of seven information centers affiliated with the State of California Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento.
8 The Built Environment Resources Directory (BERD) provides information regarding non-archaeological resources in the Office of Historic Preservation’s (OHP) inventory and only contains information for cultural resources that have been processed through the office. This includes resources reviewed for eligibility to the National Register of Histor-ic Places and the California Historical Landmarks programs through federal and state environmental compliance laws, and resources nominated under federal and state registration programs.
survey or evaluation, and those that have not been evaluated or that need to be reevaluated.9 Listed in the National Register (NR) or the
California Register (CR)
The Paul Shoup House at 500 University Avenue in the
Orange-University neighborhood is the only property in
Los Altos that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Listed in 2011, it is significant for its association with original owner Paul Shoup who was a central figure in the early development of Los Altos through his work with the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Altos Land Company.10 California resources listed in the National Register are automatically listed in the California Register.
9 “California Historical Resource Status Codes” (current as of 3/1/2020), California Office of Historic Preservation, ac-cessed 3/3/2026, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1068/files/ResourceStatus-Codes.pdf. 10 Becky Urbano, “Paul Shoup House,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2011), Section 8.
232 Burke Road, Los Altos (Google Street View, © 2026
Google).
Paul Shoup House, 500 University Avenue (Architectural
Resources Group, February 2026).
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-41
Appears Eligible for National (NR) or
California (CR) Registers
The CHRIS search results identified seven properties in Los Altos that appear eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but that have not been formally listed. This resource category corresponds with California Historical Resource Status Code 3S: appears eligible for NR individually through survey evaluation. These properties are listed below. Six of the seven properties are also listed as either Landmarks or Historic Resources in the Los Altos Historic Resource Inventory.
Recognized as Historically Significant by
Local Government
In addition to the 23 Landmarks and the 81 Historic
Resources formally listed in the Los Altos Historic Resource Inventory, the CHRIS records search identified one
property as eligible for local recognition, corresponding to California Historical Resource Status Code 5S2: individually eligible for local listing or designation.
Table 2-5: Appears Eligible for National (NR) or California (CR) Registers
RESOURCE NAME ADDRESS SURVEY LOCAL DESIGNATION
Morris House 236 Eleanor Avenue (APN 170-41-026) P. Leach, 1991; Unidentified, 1997
City of Los Altos Historic
Resource
Lenox House 25 Maynard Court (APN 167-28-109) P. Leach, 1991:
Unidentified, 1997
City of Los Altos Historic
Resource
Adams House 55 Pepper Drive (APN 170-41-084) P. Leach, 1991:
Unidentified, 1997
City of Los Altos Historic
Landmark
Farnsworth-Myers
House
439 Rinconada Court (APN 170-35-033) P. Leach, 1991:
Unidentified, 1997
City of Los Altos Historic
Landmark
Wallace House 232 Burke Road (APN 175-13-049) Laffey, 1997; P. Leach,
unknown date
City of Los Altos Historic
Resource
Marini House 220 University (APN 175-12-020) Laffey, 1997 City of Los Altos Historic Landmark
1512 Grant Road 1512 Grant Road (APN 193-35-043) P. Leach, 1991:
Unidentified, 1997
None6
6 The house at 1512 Grant Road was constructed in 1986 and does not appear to be historic, so this CHRIS record may be in error.
Table 2-6: Recognized as Historically Significant by Local Government
RESOURCE NAME ADDRESS OTHER DESIGNATION
42 Los Altos Avenue 42 Los Altos Avenue (APN 167-35-067) None Not Eligible or Removed from Listing or
Designation as Specified
The CHRIS records search identified 20 properties previously evaluated as ineligible for listing or designation, corresponding with either Status Code 6L or 6Y, as follows:
• 6L: Determined ineligible for local listing or designation through local government review process; may warrant
special consideration in local planning.
• 6Y: Determined ineligible for NR by consensus through Section 106 process; not evaluated for CR or local listing.
These are properties that have been formally evaluated, typically in conjunction with a major project on-site or nearby and found to meet the eligibility criteria to be considered historic resources.
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Not Evaluated, or Needs Re-evaluation
for National (NR) or California (CR)
The CHRIS records search identified 57 properties as
unevaluated or that require reevaluation, corresponding with Status Code 7N, 7N1, or 7R, as follows:
• 7N: Needs to be reevaluated - formerly “may become
NR eligible with specific conditions”
• 7N1: Needs to be reevaluated (former status code 4)
- may become NR eligible with restoration or other
specific conditions.
• 7R: Identified in Reconnaissance Level Survey or in an Area of Potential Effect (APE) - not evaluated.
Properties coded 7N, 7N1, or 7R are typically properties that have been only preliminarily evaluated and would require further assessment to determine whether they meet the
eligibility criteria to be considered historic resources. In Los Altos, most of these properties relate to the preliminary assessment of a potential Orange-University historic district that was done in 1997.
Other CHRIS Records
The full CHRIS search results also include some properties with no California Historical Resource Status Code or other known historic designation. Because no additional information regarding why these properties appeared in the CHRIS results is available, they have been omitted from this chapter.
Table 2-7: Not Eligible or Removed from Listing or Designation as Specified
RESOURCE NAME ADDRESS STATUS CODE DESIGNATION
42 Los Altos Avenue 42 Los Altos Avenue (APN 167-35-067) None Ramsey House 20 1st Street (APN 167-39-101) 6L
96 Hawthorne Avenue 96 Hawthorne Avenue (APN 170-41-018) 6L 770 Linden Avenue 770 Linden Avenue (APN 167-21-027) 6L 576 Van Buren Street 576 Van Buren Street (APN 167-20-013) 6L 44 View Street 44 View Street (APN 167-36-029) 6L
54 View Street 54 View Street (APN 137-36-028) 6L
333 Clark Avenue 333 Clark Avenue (APN 189-37-072) 6L
Los Altos PG&E Utility Poles 115 E. Portola Avenue, 36 Pine Lane 6Y 735 Campbell Avenue 735 Campbell Avenue (APN 189-41-095) 6L 552 Lassen Street 552 Lassen Street (APN 170-38-033) 6L 531 Rosita Avenue 531 Rosita Avenue (APN 189-59-024) 6L 1365 Miraville Avenue 1365 Miraville Avenue (APN 197-19-074) 6L 253 Fremont Avenue 253 Fremont Avenue (APN 189-48-024) 6L 405 Fremont Avenue 405 Fremont Avenue (APN 189-47-025) 6L 531 Rosita Avenue 531 Rosita Avenue (APN 189-59-024) 6L 368 Main Street 368 Main Street (APN 167-39-087) 6L
Egan Junior High School 100 West Portola Avenue (APN 167-22-012) 6Y Holly Village 1473 Miramonte Avenue (APN 193-41-036) 6L 165 Hawthorne Avenue 165 Hawthorne Avenue (APN 170-41-029) 6L
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-43
RESOURCE NAME ADDRESS STATUS CODE DESIGNATION
184 Marvin Avenue 184 Marvin Avenue (APN 170-40-069) 7R Miller House 322 University Avenue (APN 175-13-002) 7R
350 University Avenue 350 University Avenue (APN 175-13-017) 7R 386 University Avenue 386 University Avenue (APN 175-13-026) 7R 448 Cherry Avenue 448 Cherry Avenue (APN 167-27-049) 7N1 743 Berry Avenue 743 Berry Avenue (APN 170-30-13) 7N1
726 Campbell Avenue 726 Campbell Avenue (APN 189-50-045) 7N1 965 Loraine Avenue 965 Loraine Avenue (APN 189-15-008) 7N O’Neat Home 666 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-025) 7N1
Casa de Robles 1585 Grant Road (APN 197-17-004) 7R
454 Orange Avenue 454 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-034) 7N1 482 Orange Avenue 482 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-037) 7R 490 Orange Avenue 490 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-038) 7N1 506 Orange Avenue 506 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-001) 7R 516 Orange Avenue 516 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-002) 7R Holzauer Home 524 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-003) 7R
Rockhold Home 543 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-016) 7R
546 Orange Avenue 546 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-005) 7R 585 Orange Avenue 585 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-012) 7R William C. Gilligan Home 590 Orange Avenue (APN 175-15-009 7R Dutton Home 595 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-011) 7R
615 Orange Avenue 615 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-059) 7R 625 Orange Avenue 625 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-058) 7R 631 Orange Avenue 631 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-57) 7R
C.B. Olds House 634 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-022) 7N1
645 Orange Avenue 645 Orange Avenue (APN 176-16-055) 7R 651 Orange Avenue 651 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-054) 7R 657 Orange Avenue 657 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-053) 7R 663 Orange Avenue 663 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-052) 7R 667 Orange Avenue 667 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-051) 7R 673 Orange Avenue 673 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-050) 7R 675 Orange Avenue 675 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-049) 7R 680 Orange Avenue 680 Orange Avenue (APN 175-16-027) 7R 713 Orange Avenue 713 Orange Avenue (APN 175-17-57) 7R
Gladstone Home 744 Orange Avenue (APN 175-18-018) 7N1
Table 2-8: Not Evaluated, or Needs Re-evaluation for National (NR) or California (CR)
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EXISTING PRESERVATION PLANS
AND PROGRAMS
The City of Los Altos has a well-established regulatory framework to preserve and protect historic resources.
Components of that framework are described below.
Los Altos General Plan
Existing goals and policies related to the treatment of historic resources are included in the Community Design & Historic Resources Element of the 2002 Los Altos General Plan. These consist of a single goal and three policies related to that goal:
Goal 6: Preserve and enhance selected historic and
cultural structures and resources within the community.
Policy 6.1: Ensure that the integrity of historic structures and the parcels on which they are located are preserved through the implementation of
applicable design, building, and fire codes.
Policy 6.2: The City shall regard demolition of
landmark and historic resources, listed in the
Historic Resources Inventory as a last resort.
Demolition would be permitted only after
the City determines that the resource has lost
its physical integrity, retains no reasonable
economic use, that demolition is necessary
to protect health, safety and welfare or that
demolition is necessary to proceed with a new
project where the benefits of the new project
outweigh the loss of the historic resource.
Policy 6.3: Work with property owners to
preserve historic resources within the community, including the orchard, or representative portion thereof, on the civic center site.
RESOURCE NAME ADDRESS STATUS CODE DESIGNATION
620 Palm Avenue 620 Palm Avenue (APN 175-16-076) 7R
McDermott Home 636 Palm Avenue (APN 175-16-084) 7R
Merril/Smith Home 650 Palm Avenue (APN 175-17-028) 7R
Rathbun Home 656 Palm Avenue (APN 175-17-029) 7R
Gardiner Home 398 University Avenue (APN 175-13-027) 7R 469 University Avenue 469 University Avenue (APN 175-15-48) 7R 569 University Avenue 569 University Avenue (APN 175-15-016) 7R 575 University Avenue 575 University Avenue (APN 175-15-015) 7R The Baby House 581 University Avenue (APN 175-15-014) 7N1 645 University Avenue 645 University Avenue (APN 176-16-055) 7R Morris Home 653 University Avenue (APN 175-16-039) 7R
661 University Avenue 661 University Avenue (APN 175-16-038) 7R 679 University Avenue 679 University Avenue (APN 175-16-036) 7R 690 University Avenue 690 University Avenue (APN 175-14-022) 7R 699 University Avenue 699 University Avenue (APN 175-16-034) 7R 719 University Avenue 719 University Avenue (APN 178-18-022) 7R 732 University Avenue 732 University Avenue (APN 178-18-022) 7R Stevens Home 745 University Avenue (APN 175-18-023) 7R
McDowell Home 655 Washington Street (APN 175-17-035) 7N1 614 University Avenue 614 University Avenue (APN 175-14-005) 7N1 139 W Edith Avenue 139 W. Edith Avenue (APN 167-36-062) 7N1 Moore House 1284 Paula Court (APN 193-33-013) 7N1
Map 2-12: California Historical Resources Information
System (CHRIS) Search Results for Los Altos
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
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In addition, the Community Design & Historic Resources
Element includes a series of actions to implement this
goal and related policies, including:
CDHR9: Historical Preservation Ordinance
Implement the City’s Historical Preservation Ordinance, which establishes criteria for the designation of historic landmarks and historic districts.
CDHR 10: Historic Resource Inventory
Continue to update the City’s Historic Resource Inventory of significant historic properties. Review the current list and determine if significant historic resources are eligible for landmark designation or listing in the California Register of Historical Resources.
CDHR 11: Historical Commission Review
Continue to require Historical Commission review
of projects involving properties listed in the Historic Resource Inventory. Historical Commission review shall
be integrated into the design review process prior to
building permit issuance or design review approval.
CDHR 12: Preserve Significant Historic Resources
Assess development proposals for potential impacts to
significant historic resources pursuant to Section 15064.5 of the CEQA Guidelines. For structures that potentially have historic significance, require a study conducted by a professional archaeologist or historian to determine
the actual significance of the structure and potential
impacts of the proposed development. Require modification of projects to avoid significant impacts or require mitigation measures. Protect historical buildings and
sites to the extent possible, including modifications to Uniform Code requirements for historic structures.
Historical Commission
The roles and responsibilities of the Historical Commission are codified in chapter 2.12 of the Los Altos Municipal Code.
As summarized on the City website, the five-member
commission, which is advisory, has four broad purposes
and objectives:
• Make recommendations on historical site designations
and development activities on historic properties
• Identify, protect, and promote awareness of the city’s history and heritage
• Work and collaborate with the Association of the Los
Altos Historical Museum
• Cooperate with other governmental agencies, civic
groups, and the community on the collection and
preservation of documents, data, and other works of
historical significance to the City of Los Altos
Historic Preservation Ordinance
Regulations and procedures regarding the city’s historical properties are codified in chapter 14.93 of the Los Altos Municipal Code. To be designated, a Landmark or Historic Resource must meet the following criteria for designation:
• Age: it should be more than 50 years of age (or so
remarkable that this age restriction can be waived):
• Integrity: it should retain sufficient integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling to convey
whatever historic significance it possesses; and
• Significance: it should be associated with (1) a significant event or pattern of events, (2) a significant person or persons, (3) exhibit distinctive design or architecture, or (4) be of archaeological interest.
Landmarks and Historic Resources have the same eligibility criteria, with one exception. To designate a Landmark, the City Council must determine that the property
has significant historical, architectural,vcultural, and/or aesthetic interest or value,.” No such finding is necessary in recommending designation of a Historic Resource.
Mills Act Program
The primary economic incentive for which historic properties are eligible in Los Altos is tax reduction through participation in the Mills Act program, a California State law that enables the owner of a historic property to receive a substantial reduction in their property taxes in exchange for maintaining the historic character of their property.
In Los Altos, the Mills Act Program is administered and implemented by the City, and Mills Act contracts are
between the property owner and the local government
granting the tax abatement. Properties in Los Altos that are designated Landmarks or Historic Resources are
eligible to apply to the Mills Act program. Implementation of the Mills Act Program in the City of Los Altos is regulated by Los Altos Municipal Code Chapter 14.95 - Mills Act Program.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-47
POTENTIAL RESOURCES AND
PRESERVATION CONSIDERATIONS
Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
proposed development projects must consider potential
adverse effects to historic resources and take action to reduce or avoid impacts. Typically, projects proposed on a property over 50 years of age that is not already a designated Landmark or Historic Resource should be evaluated to assess whether it is associated with one or more areas of significance and retains integrity and thus should be considered historically significant. Los Altos neighborhoods are well established, and most parts of the city are not expected to see substantial change in the coming
years; however, there are some locations where prior
planning initiatives or property owner interest indicates that redevelopment is foreseeable over the next 10-20
years. These locations include:
• El Camino Real
• Downtown Los Altos
• Loyola Corners
• Lucky’s Shopping Center
• Foothill Shopping Center
The potential for impacts to historic resources in these areas is discussed below.
El Camino Real
The El Camino Real focus area extends along the southern side of El Camino Real, at the northern border of Los Altos.
This focus area does not include any historic resources that have been designated at the local, State or national levels, nor any resources that have been found eligible for such designation. The buildings within this focus area consist of relatively nondescript commercial and multifamily
residential buildings that have been constructed within the past 40 years. New construction within this focus area appears unlikely to pose an adverse impact to historical resources.
Downtown Los Altos
The Downtown Los Altos focus area is a triangular area
bordered by Edith Avenue on the north, San Antonio
Road on the east, and Foothill Expressway on the southwest. This focus area includes several properties that are designated Landmarks or Historic Resources. These are
primarily one-story commercial buildings concentrated
along First and Main Streets. In addition, the former
Southern Pacific Railroad Station at 288 First Street has formally been found eligible for designation as a historical resource. Given the comparatively high concentration of designated Landmarks and Historic Resources, as well as properties that are not currently designated but may possess sufficient age, integrity and significance to be designated in the future, proposed projects in the vicinity of First and Main Streets have a greater likelihood than projects elsewhere in the city to warrant assessment of whether they pose an adverse impact to one or more
historically significant properties.
Loyola Corners
The Loyola Corners focus area extends along the northeast side of Fremont Avenue between McKenzie Park and Miramonte Avenue. This focus area does not include
any historic resources that have been designated at the local, State or national levels, nor any resources that have been found eligible for such designation. A single designated Historic Resource – the single-family residence at 973 Dolores Avenue – is immediately adjacent to the
focus area. In addition, due to its age, the Loyola Corners Shopping Center at 981 Fremont Avenue could be evaluated to determine whether it possesses sufficient integrity and significance to qualify as a Historic Resource. Otherwise, it does not appear that changes in this focus area have the potential to adversely impact historical resources.
Lucky’s Shopping Center
The Lucky’s Shopping Center focus area extends along
the northeast side of Grant Road in the immediate vicinity of the Lucky Grocery Store at 2175 Grant Road. This focus area, and its immediate vicinity, does not include any
historic resources that have been designated at the local, State or national levels, nor any resources that have been found eligible for such designation. It does not appear that changes in this focus area have the potential to adversely impact historical resources.
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Foothill Shopping Center
The Foothill Shopping Center is located at the southeast edge of Los Altos, in the irregularly shaped blocks southeast of the intersection of Homestead Road and
the Foothill Expressway. This focus area, and its immediate vicinity, does not include any historic resources that have been designated at the local, State or national levels, nor any resources that have been found eligible for such designation. The buildings within this focus area consist of a large shopping center and condominium buildings
that have been constructed within the past 40 years. It does not appear that changes in this focus area have the potential to adversely impact historical resources.
ADDRESS DESCRIPTION
Historic Landmarks
210 Alta Vista Avenue William and Harriet Ames - Barn (house not Included) 965 Berry Avenue Cyrus P. Berry House
547 Castano Corte Panama Pacific International Exposition Structure 571 Cherry Avenue Erwin Reichel Designed Home
762 Edgewood Lane Winchester-Merriman House
288 First Street Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot 347 First Street American Legion Hall
1448 Fowler Lane Dutch Colonial Revival Farmhouse
1365 Grant Road Oliver Holt House
300 Main Street Shoup Building
316 Main Street Eschenbruecher Hardware Store
388-398 Main Street Altos Land Company Building
395-399 Main Street Copeland Building
55 Pepper Drive Adams House
439 Rinconada Court Farnsworth-Myers House
1 N San Antonio Road Civic Center Apricot Orchard
647 N San Antonio Road San Antonio Club
51 S San Antonio Road J. Gilbert Smith House
220 University Avenue Marini House
431 University Avenue Eschenbruecher House
452 University Avenue Guy and Adelle Shoup House
482 University Avenue Halsey House and Redwood Grove
500 University Avenue Paul and Rose Shoup House
Historic Resources
19 Almendra Lane Myers House
52 Almond Avenue
11 Angela Drive A.H. Knoll Residence (Villa Angela)
127 N. Avalon Drive
960 Berry Avenue Frank Bacon House
Table 2-9: Los Altos Historic Resource Inventory
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-49
ADDRESS DESCRIPTION
232 Burke Road Wallace Home
876 Carmel Avenue
892 Carmel Avenue Berry House
1398 Chelsea Drive
530 Cherry Avenue H. Bleibler Ornamental Ironworks
90 Cody Lane
980 Covington Road Edwin L. Emerson House
2066 Crist Drive Steve Jobs Garage
290 Cuesta Drive
6 Cypress Court Cranston House
Deep Well Lane Costello Barn
973 Dolores Avenue
133 W. Edith Avenue
331 S. El Monte Avenue Baldwin House
566 S. El Monte Avenue
236 Eleanor Avenue Morris House
170 Formway Court Formway Machine Shop
235 Fremont Avenue
1485 Fremont Avenue
189 N. Gordon Way
60 S. Gordon Way
1365 Grant Road
1520 Grant Road
41 Hawthorne Avenue
109 Hawthorne Avenue
151 Hawthorne Avenue
181 Hillview Avenue Richard Neutra Designed House (City Owned Property) 183 Hillview Avenue DeMartini House (City Owned Property) 1570 Kensington Circle
473 Lincoln Avenue
125 Los Altos Avenue Finnigan House
479 Los Altos Avenue
125 Lyell Street Hollyhock Bungalow
301 Main Street Los Altos Pharmacy
350 Main Street
70 Marvin Avenue
25 Maynard Court Lenox House
120 Merritt Court
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
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ADDRESS DESCRIPTION
604 Milverton Road Costello House
461 Orange Avenue Foothills Congregational Church
580 Orange Avenue Albert S. Robinson House
640 Orange Avenue McKillican House
654 Orange Avenue Denny Residence
668 Orange Avenue F. W. Rathbun House
672 Orange Avenue Francisco Home
706 Orange Avenue
714 Orange Avenue Ingraham Home/Archey Residence
718 Orange Avenue Peters Home
625 Palm Avenue Lanthier Home
10 Pasa Robles Avenue
71 Pasa Robles Avenue Taylor House
41 Pepper Drive
121 Pepper Drive
39 Pine Lane
1050 Portland Avenue
160 W. Portola Avenue Stevens Fox Farm/Thoma Residence
146 N. San Antonio Road
51 S. San Antonio Road Spagnoli Tank House
457 San Luis Avenue
188 Second Street
275 Silvia Court Segur Home
260 Surrey Place
368 University Avenue Sarah Shoup House
436 University Avenue Robert M. Tooker House
485 University Avenue M. O. Adams House
551 University Avenue Frothingham House
662 University Avenue El Retiro, Jesuit Retreat House
711 University Avenue Judge Shenk House
725 University Avenue Scheid Residence
600 University Terrace Hyde/Huttlinger House
275 Valley Street Spangler Home
396 Van Buren Street
556 Van Buren Street
10 Yerba Buena Avenue Wideman House
211 Yerba Buena Avenue
420 Yerba Santa Avenue Coxhead Designed Home
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 2-51
LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT
TRENDS
• Existing Land Use Pattern. Overall, the city is made
of small- to medium-sized parcels primarily comprising
single-family residential uses, with public institutions, schools, and religious facilities dispersed throughout
the city’s residential neighborhoods. Multifamily
residential, commercial, and industrial uses are
concentrated along key arterial corridors such as El
Camino Real and Downtown, and Loyola Corners.
Northeast and western portions of the Planning Area
contain parks and other open spaces; the city also has
access to a golf course, located outside of the City limit but within the SOI.
• Residential Neighborhoods. Single-family residential
uses account for more than 65 percent of all existing
land uses in Los Altos. Typical residential density
ranges from 2 to 8 units per acre in residential
neighborhoods, with some pockets of higher density
development primarily in the northern part of the city, including townhomes, condominiums, and multifamily
developments. More recent developments tend to be
built at higher densities than older developments.
• Commercial Centers. Commercial uses are
concentrated in Downtown Los Altos and along major
commercial thoroughfares, including El Camino
Real, San Antonio Road, and Foothill Expressway.
Downtown has the highest as built FARs reflective of
its smaller parcels built without surface parking onsite.
Development in other commercial areas has lower
FARs typical of suburban style commercial and office
developments with large areas of surface parking onsite.
Office uses account for a large share of commercial land uses in the city, although there are some notable office vacancies including along El Camino Real and Fremont
Avenue.
• Infill Development. Overall, existing land use
matches General Plan land use closely and vacant
land accounts for just 0.8 percent of all land within the City limit, indicating that Los Altos is a largely built out community and future development will largely involve
infill redevelopment of existing properties. Through
recent planning efforts, including the 2023-31 Housing
Element, the City has identified several shopping
centers as potential opportunities for redevelopment.
• General Plan Land Use Designations. Aspects of
some of the City’s current General Plan Land Use
designations are not fully consistent with new State law and will need to be modernized. For example, the Low
Density Multifamily and Medium Density Multifamily
designations allow for a discretionary decision to limit the density of proposed housing projects, which is not
consistent with the Housing Affordability Act, and the
Single-family, Small Lot designation seeks to discourage subdivision of lots less than 10,000 square feet, which is not consistent with the newly enacted Starter
Home Revitalization Act of 2021 (Senate Bill 1123). The General Plan Update process is an opportunity to revisit community objectives and develop new and updated
land use designations, development standards, and
policies designed to achieve them, while ensuring
consistency with State law.
• Planning Efforts. Specific plans and master plans have played an important role to guide the development of
key areas in Los Altos. Between 1984 and 2021, the City adopted six specific plans and master plans to guide the development of key areas in the city. Many of these plans Key Findings and Planning Considerations
Chapter 02 | Land Use and Development Trends
2-52
have been built out or are in the process of achieving its intended objectives. However, two plans – the Loyola
Corners Specific Plan and the Sherwood Gateway
Specific Plan were repealed by City Council in 2023 and 2025 respectively after years of limited implementation and lack of alignment with evolving local priorities. As part of the General Plan Update, there is an opportunity to retire older plans and rethink the planning approach for specific areas, incorporating any relevant policies or components into the update General Plan and Zoning
Code. Furthermore, the City is transitioning away from
natural gas based on its Climate Action & Adaption Plan goals. This opens an opportunity to include policies that incentivize electrification efforts in the General Plan to ensure that the electrical grid capacity can support
new development.
• Residential Development Trends. The focus of
development activity in the city continues to be on
residential projects. Between 2019 and 2025, a total of 16 major projects were proposed, approved, or constructed
and are expected to produce 627 multifamily housing
units once completed. Construction of accessory
dwelling units (ADUs) in established residential
neighborhoods is also increasing, with ADUs
accounting for nearly half of all housing units built in the city in 2024.
• Focus Areas. Based on an analysis of land use
conditions, including identification of underutilized
parcels and an examination of ownership patterns,
five broadly defined “focus areas” can be identified
where change is foreseeable over the horizon of the
General Plan. The focus areas represent opportunities
for potential infill development. These are located in
and around several shopping centers or commercial
areas such as El Camino Real, Downtown Los Altos,
Loyola Corners, Lucky Shopping Center, and Foothill
Shopping Center. This is in line with major recent
development trends and findings from the 6th Cycle
Housing Element. There is an opportunity to work with
property owners, community members, and other
stakeholders, to develop a long-range vision in these
areas and update the land use designations and policy
frameworks accordingly as part of the General Plan
update.
HISTORIC RESOURCES
• Designated Buildings. Los Altos’ designated
Landmarks and Historic Resources are primarily
residential properties but also include some commercial and institutional examples. In addition, with few
exceptions, they were constructed before 1940. While
these historic properties are dispersed throughout the
city, most are more prevalent in the city’s northern half. • Preservation Efforts. Los Altos has a well-established preservation program, including a longstanding
Historic Resources Inventory, a historic preservation
ordinance, a Historical Commission, and regulations
regarding the alteration and demolition of historic
properties.
• Historic Buildings within Focus Areas. Los Altos is a community of well-established neighborhoods and
areas of foreseeable change are limited to a handful of focus areas. Of those focus areas, only Downtown Los
Altos includes a significant concentration of historic
properties.
• Potential Future Preservation Efforts The General
Plan Update can provide policy level direction to
focus future historic preservation planning activities
in Los Altos. Future completion of a citywide historic
resources survey and associated context statement
could enhance the consistency and predictability of
the City’s regulatory treatment of historic resources.
In particular, a context statement addressing postwar
development would be an especially important
reference in evaluating the potential significance of
properties dating from the middle decades of the
twentieth century, a period of dramatic growth for Los
Altos.
MARKET STUDY
3 This chapter presents a demographic, economic, and real estate market overview to inform the City of Los Altos
General Plan Update. Its purpose is to establish a clear understanding of existing conditions and market trends
that shape development potential within the city. The
analysis evaluates population and household characteristics, employment patterns, and real estate market performance across residential and commercial sectors
and compares local conditions to relevant subregional and regional benchmarks. Together, these findings provide a data-driven foundation for assessing future growth opportunities and constraints, and for guiding land use policy decisions in the General Plan.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-2
Methodology and Data
Sources
This chapter provides an analysis of quantitative data
from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the California Department of Finance, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and commercial real estate databases. The
analysis evaluates historical trends and current conditions related to population growth, age, household composition, income levels, employment by industry, retail sales data, and housing characteristics. These findings are complemented by an assessment of the local real estate market, including inventory, vacancy, absorption, rents, sale prices, and development activity across residential and commercial sectors. The results establish a data-driven baseline to inform land use policy and long-term planning decisions within the framework of Los Altos’ General Plan Update.
STUDY GEOGRAPHIES
Where appropriate, the analysis compares conditions
in Los Altos to subregional and regional benchmarks to
provide context and identify competitive advantages
or constraints. This chapter focuses primarily on three geographic areas: the City of Los Altos, the Regional
Submarket, and the nine-county Bay Area. For purposes
of this report, the Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale (Map 3-2). The nine-county Bay Area comprises the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo,
Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, and Marin, as well as the City and County of San Francisco (Map 3-1).
Additional geographies are referenced in specific sections, as appropriate, based on data availability and relevance.
Los Altos neighborhoods are well established, and most
parts of the city are not expected to see substantial change in the coming years; however, there are some locations
where prior planning initiatives or property owner interest indicate that redevelopment is foreseeable over the next 10-20 years. These locations, shown on Map 3-1 include
the El Camino Real corridor, Downtown, Loyola Corners,
the Lucky shopping center and adjacent commercial
properties, and the Foothill Crossing Shopping Center.
Accordingly, this chapter includes an assessment of each focus area for suitability for residential and commercial uses, which will provide context for land use policy considerations.
DATA SOURCES
Data sources for this report include the California Department of Finance, US Census Bureau, CoStar, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments, and City documents and other sources
that provide the information needed to develop a sound
understanding of local demographic, economic, and real
estate conditions.
Demographics and
Employment
POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD
TRENDS
As of 2025, Los Altos has an estimated population of
approximately 31,700 residents. As shown in Table 3-1,
the Bay’s population increased by approximately 4,000
residents over the past 25 years, representing growth of 15 percent. This rate slightly exceeded population growth in the Bay Area overall (13 percent) but remained below growth in the Regional Submarket (20 percent). Over
the same period, the number of households in Los Altos
increased from approximately 10,500 to 11,400, reflecting growth of nine percent. Population growth exceeding
household growth resulted in an increase in average
household size over the 25-year period. The Regional
Submarket experienced a comparable increase in household size, while the Bay Area as a whole saw a decline during the same timeframe. Taken together, these trends indicate sustained population growth in Los Altos and
increasing household formation, consistent with continued demand for family-oriented housing.
Alameda County
Contra Costa County
Marin County
Napa County
San Francisco County
San Mateo County
Santa Clara County
Solano County
Sonoma County
County Limits
Submarket
Bay Area
Los Altos City Limit
Map 3-1: Regional Context Map
0 10 20 30 40
Mile
¯
Data Source: BAE, 2026
Pacific
Ocean
Map 3-1: Regional Context Map
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-4
Cupertino
Los Altos
Los Altos Hills
Mountain View
Palo Alto
Sunnyvale
0 1 2 3 4
Mile
¯ Submarket
Submarket City Limits
Los Altos City Limit
Map 3-2: Regional Submarket Context Map
Data Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Dyett & Bhatia; BAE, 2026. ?¾
%&j
%&j
IÆ
Ë?
?¾
IÆ
?½
Map 3-2: Regional Submarket Context Map
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-5
Table 3-1: Population and Household Trends, 2000 - 2025 POPULATION 2000 2010 2020 2025
CHANGE, 2000-2025
NUMBER PERCENT
City of Los Altos 27,693 28,976 31,553 31,720 4,027 14.5% Regional Submarket (a) 347,470 373,750 405,827 415,079 67,609 19.5% Bay Area (b) 6,784,348 7,150,739 7,765,640 7,656,691 872,343 12.9% Households
City of Los Altos 10,462 10,745 11,162 11,420 958 9.2%
Regional Submarket (a) 140,511 145,589 154,158 161,252 20,741 14.8% Bay Area (b) 2,466,020 2,606,288 2,793,526 2,892,482 426,462 17.3% Average Household Size
City of Los Altos 2.61 2.68 2.80 2.76 -- --
Regional Submarket (a) 2.45 2.55 2.62 2.56 -- --
Bay Area (b) 2.69 2.69 2.71 2.59 -- --
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) Bay area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Source: California Department of Finance; BAE, 2026.
AGE DISTRIBUTION
The population of Los Altos is generally older than that of the Regional Submarket and the Bay Area overall,
though the city also has a comparatively larger share of residents under the age of 18. As shown in Figure 3-1,
the median age of Los Altos residents in 2023 was 46.0
years, compared to 37.8 years in the Regional Submarket and 39.6 years in the Bay Area. Between 2010 and Figure 3-1: Age Distribution Trends, 2010-
2013
Notes:
(a) Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census 2010, Tables P12 & P13; American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Tables B01001 & B01002; BAE, 2026.
2023, the median age in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket declined slightly (by approximately 0.5 years), in contrast to the Bay Area where the median age
increased by nearly two years. As of 2023, the largest age cohort in Los Altos is residents aged 55+ (34 percent), followed by 35-54 (28 percent), and under the age of 18 (24 percent). Younger adults aged 18 to 34 represented
the smallest cohort, accounting for 13 percent of the city’s population, compared to nearly one-quarter of residents in both the Regional Submarket and the Bay Area. The
age distribution of Los Altos’ population reflects the city’s concentration of family households and single-family
housing, as well as its attractiveness to families seeking a suburban setting that is somewhat removed from, yet
accessible to, the region’s denser employment centers.
The relatively small share of residents aged 18 to 34 is likely influenced by high housing costs, which are out of reach for many early-career professionals.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-6
Figure 3-2: Race and Ethnicity, 2023
Figure 3-3: Educational Attainment,
Population Age 25+, 2023
Notes:
(a) Includes all races for those of Hispanic/Latino background. (b) Includes those of Native American background, Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander background, Other races, and Two or More races. (c) Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(d) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Sources: American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Table B03002; BAE, 2026.
Notes:
(a) Includes all races for those of Hispanic/Latino background. (b) Includes those of Native American background, Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander background, Other races, and Two or More races. (c) Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(d) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Sources: American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Table B03002; BAE, 2026.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
In contrast to the population of the Regional Submarket and Bay Area as a whole, Los Altos has a notably larger share of Non-Hispanic White residents and a smaller
share of Hispanic/Latino residents. As shown in Figure
3-2, between 2010 and 2023 Los Altos transitioned from
a majority Non-Hispanic White community to one where
White residents make up roughly half of the local population. With the most significant increase in the Asian population, Los Altos has become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2010; however, as of 2023 the city still has a larger White population than either the Regional
Submarket or Bay Area as a whole. The increasing diversity in Los Altos reflects the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the Regional Submarket and the broader Bay Area.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
income levels among Los Altos residents. The city’s high level of educational attainment provides a strong source of talent for professional and technology-oriented sectors, including locally initiated start-ups, which may generate demand for office space in Los Altos or in neighboring
communities.
Los Altos is characterized by a highly educated resident base, with city residents ages 25 and older tending to have higher levels of educational attainment than those in the Regional Submarket or Bay Area as a whole. As shown in
Figure 3-3, nearly all Los Altos residents ages 25+ are high school graduates, roughly nine out of ten have at least a bachelor’s degree, and more than half have a graduate
or professional degree. In each of these categories, Los Altos has a higher share than the Regional Submarket
and a significantly higher share than the Bay Area overall.
The data is consistent with the higher median age and
INCOME
Los Altos households are relatively affluent even within the high-income Regional Submarket, with a median
household income of over $250,000 annually. As shown
in Figure 3-4, nearly two-thirds of Los Altos households have incomes over $200,000 annually, compared to
approximately one-half of households in the Regional
Submarket and about one-third in the Bay Area overall.
Income levels in Los Altos are also elevated on a per capita basis. At approximately $143,000, per capita income in the city exceeds the median household income for the Bay
Area overall ($133,000). The data is consistent with the high educational attainment levels of Los Altos residents, as well as the city’s high housing costs and shortage of affordable housing options. Residents’ high household
incomes provide strong support for local retail, dining, health and wellness services, and other goods and
services.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-7
Figure 3-5: Household Composition, 2010
- 2023
Figure 3-6: Household Tenure, 2010 - 2023
Five Year Estimates
Figure 3-4: Household Per Capita Income,
2023
Note:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census 2010, Table P28; American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Table B11001; BAE, 2025.
Note:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census 2010, Table P28; American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates, Table B11001; BAE, 2025.
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region. (c) ACS does not provide exact values for median household income above $250,000.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Tables B19001, B19013, B19113 & B19301; BAE, 2026.
Per capita Income
$142,907
Median HH Income (c)
$250,000+
Per capita Income
$109,157
Median HH Income
$198,696
Per capita Income
$70,453
Median HH Income
$133,482
HOUSEHOLDS AND HOUSING
Families account for the majority of households in Los
Altos, and their share has increased slightly over time.
As shown in Figure 3-5, in 2023 approximately four out
of five households in Los Altos were family households, compared to about two-thirds of households in both the
Regional Submarket and the Bay Area overall. Within Los Altos, the estimated share of family households increased marginally between 2010 and 2023, from 77 percent of
all households to 81 percent of all households. Over the same period, the share of family households in both the Regional Submarket and the Bay Area remained relatively stable. The data is consistent with the increasing average household size in Los Altos and larger share of residents under the age of 18 within the city. These trends reflect Los Altos’ attractiveness as a family-oriented community on the peninsula as well as the city’s relative shortage of smaller housing units.
The large majority of Los Altos households own their
homes, in contrast to households in the Regional Submarket and Bay Area where just over half of households are homeowners. As shown in Figure 3-6, as of 2023 approximately 81 percent of Los Altos households owned their homes, compared to 50 percent in the Regional Submarket and 56 percent in the Bay Area. Between 2010 and 2023, the share of owner-occupied households declined
modestly in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket,
reflecting a gradual increase in renter households over time, though the Los Altos housing market continues
to be heavily oriented toward owner-occupied homes.
The predominance of owner-occupied housing in Los
Altos contributes to the city’s older and higher-income demographic profile, as many lower-income households
and early-career professionals tend to depend on rental housing options that are more limited in Los Altos.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-8
EMPLOYED RESIDENTS
As of 2024, Los Altos has an estimated labor force of
approximately 13,700 people, representing about six
percent of the Regional Submarket’s total labor force. As shown in Table 3-2, the city’s unemployment rate in 2024 was relatively low at 4.2 percent, generally consistent with the Bay Area overall and slightly higher than the Regional Submarket. Since 2010, the labor force in Los Altos has grown modestly by approximately five percent, trailing
growth in both the Regional Submarket (11 percent) and
the Bay Area overall (eight percent). While the increase in the labor force in the Regional Submarket and Bay Area
is proportional to the increase in the population in both areas, the labor force in Los Altos has grown at a slower rate than the rate of population growth. This indicates an increase in the proportion of Los Altos residents that are not part of the labor force, such as retirees, full-time students without paid employment, and individuals
engaged in unpaid household and caregiving activities.
Unemployment rates throughout the Bay Area, including Los Altos and the Regional Submarket, have declined since 2010 following the period of elevated unemployment associated with the Great Recession.
Employed residents of Los Altos predominantly work in
white collar occupations, with management roles representing the largest occupation category. As shown in Table 3-3, more than half of employed Los Altos residents work in just three occupation categories: management
(26 percent), computer/mathematical (17 percent), and
healthcare practitioner/technician (nine percent). While these categories also account for a significant share of employment in the Regional Submarket, Los Altos has
a higher proportion of residents employed in management occupations and a lower proportion employed in computer and mathematical occupations relative to the
Submarket. These findings are consistent with the higher household income and higher median ages of Los Altos
residents in comparison to the Regional Submarket and
Bay Area.
Together with the educational attainment of the population, the employment profile of Los Altos residents supports a strong labor pool for office-based industries, creating conditions that are supportive of office development in Los Altos or nearby communities. Los Altos also has a relatively high proportion of residents in healthcare occupations, providing a local labor pool for medical office.
Table 3-2: Labor Force Characteristics, 2010 - 2024
CITY OF LOS ALTOS 2010 2024
CHANGE, 2010-2024
NUMBER PERCENT
Labor Force 13,000 13,700 700 5.4%
Employment 12,000 13,100 1,100 9.2%
Unemployment 900 600 (300) -33.3%
Unemployment Rate 7.1% 4.2% -2.9% -40.8%
Regional Submarket (a)
Labor Force 192,900 213,200 20,300 10.5%
Employment 176,100 205,300 29,200 16.6%
Unemployment 16,700 7,700 (9,000) -53.9%
Unemployment Rate 8.7% 3.6% -5.0% -58.3%
Bay Area (b)
Labor Force 3,766,600 4,062,200 295,600 7.8%
Employment 3,378,000 3,891,400 513,400 15.2%
Unemployment 388,700 170,900 (217,800) -56.0%
Unemployment Rate 10.3% 4.2% -6.1% -59.2%
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) Bay area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Source: California Development Department; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-9
Table 3-3: Employed Residents by Occupation, 2023
OCCUPATION
CITY OF LOS ALTOS REGIONAL SUBMARKET (A) BAY AREA (B)
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
Management 3,505 26.0% 33,774 15.9% 566,382 14.3%
Computer/
Mathematical
2,304 17.1% 51,524 24.2% 349,396 8.8%
Healthcare
Practitioner/Technician
1,233 9.1% 10,198 4.8% 211,803 5.3%
Architecture/
Engineering
1,139 8.4% 19,730 9.3% 169,058 4.3%
Business/Financial 1,136 8.4% 15,465 7.3% 288,498 7.3%
Education/Training/
Library
804 6.0% 12,866 6.0% 221,545 5.6%
Sales and Sales Related 577 4.3% 10,986 5.2% 323,224 8.2% Arts/Design/
Entertainment/
Sports/Media
464 3.4% 5,370 2.5% 113,510 2.9%
Legal 453 3.4% 3,072 1.4% 62,106 1.6%
Life/Physical/Social
Science
452 3.4% 8,567 4.0% 88,306 2.2%
Office/Administrative
Support
412 3.1% 10,144 4.8% 345,158 8.7%
Personal Care/Service 163 1.2% 3,404 1.6% 96,401 2.4%
Healthcare Support 122 0.9% 3,732 1.8% 130,405 3.3%
Food Preparation/
Serving Related
121 0.9% 5,337 2.5% 176,328 4.4%
Community/Social
Service
111 0.8% 1,570 0.7% 60,363 1.5%
Material Moving 108 0.8% 1,986 0.9% 93,606 2.4%
Production 84 0.6% 3,924 1.8% 133,314 3.4%
Construction/Extraction 76 0.6% 2,678 1.3% 153,662 3.9% Protective Service 71 0.5% 1,584 0.7% 65,272 1.6%
Installation/
Maintenance/Repair
70 0.5% 1,743 0.8% 74,991 1.9%
Transportation/Material
Moving
59 0.4% 2,620 1.2% 102,805 2.6%
Building/Grounds
Cleaning/Maintenance
23 0.2% 2,571 1.2% 120,584 3.0%
Farming/Fishing/
Forestry
4 0.0% 179 0.1% 16,842 0.4%
Total Employed
Residents (c)
13,491 100.0% 213,024 100.0% 396,354 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region. (c) Totals may not match totals in other tables due to independent rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Table S2401; BAE, 2026.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-10
JOBS BY INDUSTRY
While Los Altos is not a major employment hub within the Regional Submarket, the city has experienced substantial job growth since 2010. As shown below in Table 3-4, as
of 2023 there are approximately 14,500 jobs in Los Altos, representing a 38-percent increase since 2010. Approximately one-half of total employment in Los Altos is concentrated in just two industry sectors: Professional and Business Services (27 percent), which includes professional, scientific, technical services, management, and administrative and waste services; and Education and
Health Services (22 percent).
Professional and Business Services accounted for the
largest share of job growth since 2010 in Los Altos, with more than 2,000 jobs added, representing growth of
approximately 104 percent. To a lesser extent, Los Altos also experienced employment gains in several other
sectors including education and health services (approximately 720 jobs), manufacturing (approximately 450 jobs), and information (approximately 400 jobs).
Table 3-4: Jobs by Industry, City of Los Altos, 2010 - 2023
INDUSTRY
2010 2023 CHANGE, 2010-2023
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
Natural Resources & Mining 77 0.7% 58 0.4% (19) -24.7%
Construction 621 5.9% 579 4.0% (42) -6.8%
Manufacturing 692 6.6% 1,139 7.8% 447 61.6%
Wholesale Trade 190 1.8% 82 0.6% (108) -56.8%
Retail Trade 1,026 9.8% 1,218 8.4% 192 18.7%
Transportation, Warehousing, &
Utilities
170 1.6% 139 1.0% (31) -18.2%
Information 241 2.3% 637 4.4% 396 164.3%
Financial Activities 1,049 10.0% 1,099 7.6% 50 4.8%
Professional & Business Services 1,943 18.5% 3,960 27.2% 2,017 103.8% Education & Health Services 2,513 23.9% 3,236 22.3% 723 28.8% Leisure & Hospitality 819 7.8% 1,045 7.2% 226 27.6%
Other services (except public
administration)
956 9.1% 1,186 8.2% 230 24.1%
Public Administration 203 1.9% 164 1.1% (39) -19.2%
Armed Forces 13 0.1% 0 0.0% (13) -100.0%
Total Jobs (a) 10,513 100.0 14,542 100.0 4,029 38.3%
Notes:
(a) Totals may not match totals in other tables due to independent rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2010 and 2023 five-year sample periods, Table B08526; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-11
The 14,500 jobs in Los Altos represent just four percent of total jobs in the Regional Submarket (336,000, see Table 3-5), despite city residents making up eight percent of the Submarket’s population. This finding reflects Los Altos’ primarily residential land uses, with fewer office parks and other major employment centers than the Regional
Submarket. However, overall job growth in Los Altos
outpaced job growth in the Submarket since 2010, at 38
percent compared to 23 percent, respectively.
As in Los Altos, the Regional Submarket saw the largest job growth in the professional and business services
industry, with approximately 33,000 new jobs added (53
percent growth). The Regional Submarket also saw significant growth in the information industry (approximately 23,000 new jobs), and the education and health services industry (approximately 12,000 new jobs). The number
of jobs in the manufacturing industry decreased in the
Regional Submarket by 14 percent while the number of
manufacturing jobs in Los Altos increased by 65 percent.
The increase in jobs in the manufacturing industry in Los Altos is largely attributable to the Toyota Research Institute Table 3-5: Jobs by Industry, Regional Submarket(a), 2010 - 2023
INDUSTRY
2010 2023 CHANGE, 2010-2023
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
Natural Resources & Mining 407 0.1% 343 0.1% (64) -15.7% Construction 8,042 3.0% 9,090 2.7% 1,048 13.0%
Manufacturing 62,579 23.0% 53,715 16.0% (8,864) -14.2%
Wholesale Trade 5,002 1.8% 2,689 0.8% (2,313) -46.2%
Retail Trade 20,837 7.7% 23,772 7.1% 2,935 14.1%
Transportation, Warehousing, &
Utilities
4,503 1.7% 6,776 2.0% 2,273 50.5%
Information 19,039 7.0% 41,849 12.4% 22,810 119.8%
Financial Activities 12,392 4.5% 11,895 3.5% (497) -4.0% Professional & Business Services 62,710 23.0% 95,678 28.5% 32,968 52.6% Education & Health Services 49,286 18.1% 61,006 18.1% 11,720 23.8% Leisure & Hospitality 14,483 5.3% 17,413 5.2% 2,930 20.2% Other services (except public
administration)
8,583 3.2% 7,623 2.3% (960) -11.2%
Public Administration 4,219 1.5% 4,246 1.3% 27 0.6%
Armed Forces 274 0.1% 193 0.1% (81) -29.6%
Total Jobs (a) 272,356 100.0% 336,288 100.0% 63,932 23.5% Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) Totals may not match totals in other tables due to independent rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2010 and 2023 five-year sample periods, Table B08526; BAE, 2026. on El Camino Real. The data reflects the strong job market in Silicon Valley, including the Regional Submarket, particularly among jobs in the technology sector. Despite the fact that Los Altos lacks the major employment hubs that are present in many of the other cities within the Regional Submarket, the city has captured a share of the overall job growth in the region.
Job growth rates in both Los Altos and the Regional
Submarket outpaced job growth in the Bay Area as
a whole. As shown in Table 3-6, the number of jobs
across the Bay Area has increased 15 percent since
2010, compared to 38 percent growth in Los Altos. Like
in Los Altos and the Regional Submarket, the largest
growth industries for Bay Area jobs were professional
and business services (267,000 new jobs), educational
and health services (140,000 new jobs), and information (51,000 new jobs). New jobs in the Regional Submarket in the information industry, which includes tech, made up
nearly half of all new Information jobs in the Bay Area as a whole. The data reflects Silicon Valley’s continual growth as a regional tech and employment hub.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-12
Table 3-6: Jobs by Industry, Bay Area(a), 2010 - 2023
INDUSTRY
2010 2023 CHANGE, 2010-2023
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
Natural Resources & Mining 27,828 0.8% 29,127 0.7% 1,299 4.7% Construction 231,711 6.6% 253,163 6.3% 21,452 9.3%
Manufacturing 401,761 11.5% 415,927 10.3% 14,166 3.5%
Wholesale Trade 99,731 2.9% 73,774 1.8% (25,957) -26.0% Retail Trade 356,520 10.2% 355,506 8.8% (1,014) -0.3%
Transportation, Warehousing, &
Utilities
154,543 4.4% 199,836 5.0% 45,293 29.3%
Information 123,031 3.5% 174,257 4.3% 51,226 41.6%
Financial Activities 263,680 7.6% 241,933 6.0% (21,747) -8.2% Professional & Business Services 550,566 15.8% 817,522 20.3% 266,956 48.5% Education & Health Services 680,574 19.5% 820,211 20.4% 139,637 20.5% Leisure & Hospitality 287,654 8.3% 309,753 7.7% 22,099 7.7% Other services (except public
administration)
167,077 4.8% 166,829 4.1% (248) -0.1%
Public Administration 132,050 3.8% 151,870 3.8% 19,820 15.0% Armed Forces 9,130 0.3% 10,920 0.3% 1,790 19.6%
Total Jobs (a) 3,485,856 100.0% 4,020,628 100.0% 534,772 15.3% Notes:
(a) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region. (b) Totals may not match totals in other tables due to independent rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2010 and 2023 five-year sample periods, Table B08526; BAE, 2026.
TOP EMPLOYERS
According to the City of Los Altos 2024/25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the city’s top employers include a mix of public and private entities (see Table 3-7). Public agencies, including the Los Altos School District, Los Altos High School, and the City of Los Altos, account for a significant share of employment in Los Altos. Health-related businesses, including Los Altos Sub-Acute & Rehabilitation Center, Sutter Health, and the Adobe Animal Hospital are also heavily represented among the city’s top employers.
Other top employers include the Toyota Research Institute, Los Altos Golf & Country Club, Whole Foods Market, and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. The Los
Altos School District, which is the largest employer in Los Altos, has a total of 421 employees, while the Toyota Research Institute is the city’s largest private employer at 381 employees. These figures demonstrate the relatively small size of individual employers in Los Altos.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-13
Table 3-7: Principal Employers, City of Los Altos, FY 2017/18 - FY 2024/25
EMPLOYER
FY 2017/18 FY 2024/25
NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES
PERCENT OF
TOTAL CITY
EMPLOYMENT
RANK NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES
PERCENT OF
TOTAL CITY
EMPLOYMENT
RANK
Los Altos School
District
421 3.07% 1 568 4.26% 1
Toyota Research
Institute (HQ)
381 2.78% 2 -- -- --
Los Altos Sub-Acute
& Rehabilitation
Center
225 1.64% 3 -- -- --
Los Altos High
School
210 1.53% 4 217 1.63% 3
Los Altos Golf &
Country Club
193 1.41% 5 -- -- --
Whole Foods
Market
190 1.39% 6 242 1.81% 2
The David and
Lucille Packard
Foundation
144 1.05% 7 100 0.75% 9
City of Los Altos 141 1.03% 8 133 1.00% 5
Sutter Health/
Palo Alto Medical
Foundation
110 0.80% 9 135 1.01% 4
Adobe Animal
Hospital
103 0.75% 10 129 0.97% 7
Coldwell Banker -- 0.00% -- 130 0.97% 6
Compass (formerly
Alain Pinel Realtors)
-- 0.00% -- 107 0.80% 8
Trader Joe’s -- 0.00% -- 71 0.53% 10
Top Ten Total 2,118 15.46% -- 1,832 13.73% --
Total City Labor
Force(a)
13,700 -- -- 13,341 -- --
Notes:
(a) Total City Labor Force provided by EDD Labor Force Data.
Source: City of Los Altos FY 2024/25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report; BAE, 2026.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-14
GROWTH PROJECTIONS
This section provides an overview of the available population, household, and employment projections for Santa Clara County and the Bay Area as a whole during the
General Plan planning period. To the extent that the
overall region is anticipated to experience an increase in residents, households, and jobs, this growth could
generate demand for additional residential and commercial development in Los Altos over the General Plan period.
The analysis draws on data from the City of Los Altos
2023-2031 Housing Element, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments and the California Department of Finance.
2023-2031 Housing Element Goals
Table 3-8 below summarizes Los Altos’ Regional Housing
Needs Allocation (RHNA) and Quantified Objectives for
the 2023-2031 Housing Element cycle. The City of Los Altos is required to plan to accommodate the development of
at least 1,958 units during this time period. The allocation includes 501 units for extremely low- and very low-income households (26 percent), 288 units for low-income households (15 percent), 326 units for moderate-income
households (17 percent), and 843 units for above moderate-income households (43 percent). Based on the city’s 2025 average household size of 2.76 persons per household, the 1,958 new units could accommodate 5,394 new Los Altos residents, or a roughly 17 percent increase from the city’s population in 2023, the base year for the Housing Element planning period.
The RHNA provides a rough indication of the affordability needs for new housing units, given prevailing income levels within local and regional households. Generally
speaking, housing targeted for extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households will need to be subsidized
with below-market rate rents or sales prices if it is to be affordable to the targeted income groups. Some housing
targeted for moderate-income households may also need
some level of subsidy, particularly for for-sale housing types. While some above moderate-income households
can afford market-rate housing, the choices for households closer to the 120 percent AMI level are limited in Los Altos’ high-cost market. This finding suggests that the General Plan Update should emphasize opportunities for the majority of new housing potential to be in the form of multifamily housing that tends to be more affordable by design than single-family housing, though even higher-density residential development tends to target
above-moderate-income households in Los Altos. Multifamily housing is also typically more compatible with the development and financing approaches used for below
market rate housing production.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Household and
Employment Growth Projections
In 2025, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
(MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments
(ABAG) updated the regional household and job growth
projections for the Plan Bay Area 2050+ long-range plan.
The growth projections are presented at the sub-county
“super district” level to report on projected subregional growth. Los Altos is in the Northwest Santa Clara County super district (see Map 3-3), which also includes the
communities of Palo Alto, Los Altos Hills, and the western part of Mountain View.
Table 3-8: City of Los Altos RHNA Allocation, 2023 – 2031 INCOME LEVEL 2010 2024
Extremely Low (≤ 30% AMI) & Very Low (>30% AMI, ≤50% AMI)(a) 501 25.6% Low (>50% AMI, ≤80% AMI) 288 14.7%
Moderate (>80% AMI, ≤120% AMI) 326 16.6%
Above Moderate (>120% AMI) 843 43.1%
Total 1,958 100.0%
Notes:
(a) “Extremely Low” included in “Very Low” Category, assumed to be 50% of the Very Low allocation.
Source: California Development Department; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-15
14 13
12 11
10 9
8 8 Northwest Santa Clara County
9 North Santa Clara County
10 West Santa Clara County
11 Central Santa Clara County
12 East Santa Clara County
13 Central South Santa Clara County
14 South Santa Clara County
0 4½ 9 13½ 18
Mile
Plan Bay Area Super Districts ¯
Los Altos City Limit
Map 3-3: Santa Clara County Super Districts
Data Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission; BAE, 2026.
Pacific
Ocean
Map 3-3: Santa Clara County Super Districts
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-16
The super district that includes Los Altos is expected to experience significant household and job growth over
the next several decades, based on the regional growth
forecasts from MTC/ABAG. As shown in Table 3-9 and
Table 3-10, Northwestern Santa Clara County is projected to add 26,000 new households (34 percent growth) and
43,000 new jobs (25 percent growth) between 2023 and
2050. Although much of the household and employment
growth is likely to occur outside of Los Altos given that Los Altos comprises only a portion of the super district, the growth projections provide a reasonable benchmark
for understanding the potential scale of household and
employment growth in the city.
Table 3-9: Plan Bay Area 2050+ Household Growth Projections SUPER DISTRICT 2023 2050
2023-2050 GROWTH SHARE OF
REGIONAL GROWTH NUMBER PERCENT
Northwest Santa Clara County (a) 77,000 103,000 26,000 34% 3% North Santa Clara County 123,000 215,000 93,000 75% 10% West Santa Clara County 124,000 152,000 28,000 23% 3%
Central Santa Clara County 114,000 175,000 61,000 53% 7% East Santa Clara County 113,000 158,000 45,000 39% 5%
Central South Santa Clara County 74,000 87,000 13,000 17% 1% South Santa Clara County 37,000 44,000 7,000 20% 1%
Santa Clara County Total 662,000 934,000 273,000 41% 29% Bay Area Region Total 2,857,000 3,794,000 937,000 33% 100% Notes:
(a) “Northwest Santa Clara County” includes the cities of: Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Palo Alto (partial), Mountain View (partial).
Source: Plan Bay Area 2050+ Growth Forecasts, 2025; BAE, 2026.
Table 3-10: Plan Bay Area 2050+ Job Growth Projections
SUPER DISTRICT 2023 2050
2023-2050 GROWTH SHARE OF
REGIONAL GROWTH NUMBER PERCENT
Northwest Santa Clara County (a) 174,000 217,000 43,000 25% 3% North Santa Clara County 391,000 640,000 249,000 64% 19% West Santa Clara County 143,000 205,000 62,000 43% 5%
Central Santa Clara County 177,000 283,000 106,000 60% 8% East Santa Clara County 114,000 154,000 39,000 34% 3%
Central South Santa Clara County 53,000 63,000 9,000 18% 1% South Santa Clara County 47,000 59,000 12,000 26% 1%
Santa Clara County Total 1,099,000 1,621,000 520,000 47% 39% Bay Area Region Total 4,101,000 5,434,000 1,333,000 32% 100% Notes:
(a) “Northwest Santa Clara County” includes the cities of: Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Palo Alto (partial), Mountain View (partial).
Source: Plan Bay Area 2050+ Growth Forecasts, 2025; BAE, 2026.
At the countywide level, Plan Bay Area 2050+ projects that Santa Clara County will grow by 273,000 households (41
percent growth) and 520,000 jobs (47 percent growth).
While household growth in the Los Altos super district
is projected to keep pace with the Bay Area as a whole, it is not anticipated to be among the fastest-growing
areas in the county. By comparison, the North Santa Clara County super district, which is just east of Los Altos and includes Sunnyvale and parts of Mountain View, Santa
Clara, and San José, is projected to see the highest rates of both household growth (75 percent) and job growth
(61 percent).
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-17
California Department of Finance
Population Change Projections
In contrast to the Plan Bay Area 2050+ projections,
long-term population projections from the California
Department of Finance (DOF) paint a picture of modest
growth in Santa Clara County through 2050. The DOF
projects that the population of Santa Clara County will remain relatively constant, growing by just 1.5 percent (29,800 residents) between 2020 and 2050 (see Figure
3-7). Over the same 30-year period, the DOF projects that the total population of the Bay Area will grow modestly by
5.2 percent and that the State of California’s population will grow by 3.2 percent.
These growth projections, which are based on official 2024 population estimates, reflect several years of outmigration between 2020 and 2024 from both Santa Clara County
and the Bay Area region as a whole following the onset
of the COVID-19 pandemic. The DOF projects that Santa
Clara County will return to its 2020 pre-pandemic population by 2030, and that the Bay Area will return to its 2020 population in the mid-2030s. The projections indicate that the DOF expects the population of Santa Clara County to plateau and possibly begin declining in the 2040s, while the Bay Area population is expected to continue growing.
Compared to Plan Bay Area 2050+ projections, the DOF
projections suggest a more moderate pace of growth for
Los Altos over the General Plan period.
Figure 3-7: Projected Population Change,
2020-2050
Figure 3-8: Projected Population by Age,
2020-2040
Note: Population projections use 2024 Baseline (Vintage 2025), and incorporate the latest historical population data available as of July 2024.
Source: California Department of Finance; BAE, 2026
Note: Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area Region.
Source: California Department of Finance; BAE, 2026
The DOF also reports county-level population projections by age group through 2040, as shown in Figure 3-8 for
Santa Clara County and the Bay Area. The age distribution projections follow existing aging trends in the region, where the share of younger residents is decreasing and
the share of older residents is increasing. Between 2020 and 2040, the share of residents under the age of 18 is expected to decrease in Santa Clara County (from approximately 418,000 residents to 283,000 residents) and the Bay Area (from 1.6 million residents to 1.2 million residents).
More generally, the DOF projects that the total number of residents under the age of 55 will decrease by roughly 15 percent between 2020 and 2040 in Santa Clara County
and the Bay Area, with decreases in each age cohort
under 55, aside from a slight increase in the number of residents ages 18 to 24.
In contrast, the population of residents ages 55 and older is expected to increase by 50 percent in Santa Clara
County and 41 percent in the Bay Area. Most of this older population growth is projected in the 65 and over age
cohort; the share of residents ages 65 and over is projected to increase by 86 percent in Santa Clara County (from
264,000 residents to 492,000 residents) and increase by 69 percent in the Bay Area (from 1.2 million residents to 2.0 million residents). These demographic shifts could have broad implications for Los Altos over the General Plan
Update planning period, potentially including reduced
school enrollment, increased demand for senior housing
and housing for smaller households, evolving local retail preferences, and demand for City services for older
residents.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-18
Suitability of Focus Areas
for New Development
This section details the suitability of each of the five General Plan Update Focus Areas for new development
of the following land uses: multifamily residential development (for-sale and rental), retail, and office. As described in the real estate market summary section of this chapter, Los Altos has a limited inventory of industrial/flex and research and development (R&D) properties, and these
uses are unlikely to be feasible in Los Altos during the General Plan period due to a lack of large available sites, incompatibility with existing uses, and competition from higher-value land uses.
FOCUS AREA 1: EL CAMINO REAL
CORRIDOR
The El Camino Real corridor in Los Altos is on the northern edge of the city, on the border with Mountain View. This focus area has experienced an uptick in new multifamily residential development (for-sale and rental) in recent years, including 484 units across six properties in various stages of the development pipeline. The focus area is
also home to four of the city’s top ten employers (Toyota Research Institute, Whole Foods Market, Sutter Health/
Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Adobe Animal Hospital).
Due to the corridor’s relative accessibility and proximity to Caltrain and major employment centers, this focus
area is an ideal location for new multifamily residential development and is one of the most attractive locations in Los Altos for new office development. In addition, this focus area includes some of the larger potential opportunity sites in Los Altos, making it one of the more feasible locations within Los Altos for larger-scale development projects. However, the area has few sites that are large enough to accommodate major new office developments
or large-format retail development. Major office developments in Silicon Valley typically exceed 50,000 square feet and require parcels of at least three to five acres to accommodate building footprint and parking, while big-box retail redevelopment typically requires at least five acres.
As a result, new development opportunities are likely to consist primarily of small to medium-sized infill projects.
New office or residential projects may be able to support ground floor retail space, though there may be challenges competing with the shopping center across El Camino
Real in Mountain View and with Downtown Los Altos.
FOCUS AREA 2: DOWNTOWN LOS
ALTOS
Downtown Los Altos is the heart of the city, with traditional storefront retail along Main and State streets and a mix of multifamily residential and local-serving office uses.
This focus area has seen a number of recent condominium and townhome developments in recent years, including
one recently completed 26-unit development and 174
units across seven properties in various stages of the
development pipeline. Going forward, the Downtown Los
Altos focus area will continue to be an attractive location for multifamily residential development due to the retail and lifestyle amenities that the area provides. The focus area may also be a viable location for additional office/ medical office space, with a primary focus on local-serving office uses, as well as ground floor retail in new residential buildings. New development is likely to consist largely of smaller-scale infill development due a lack of large vacant sites, with the possible exception of City-owned parking lots, which could provide opportunities for one or more medium-scale infill projects.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-19
FOCUS AREA 3: LOYOLA CORNERS
Loyola Corners is an area along Foothill Expressway with a mix of residential and commercial uses that includes
one of the city’s top ten employers (Los Altos Sub-Acute & Rehabilitation Center). Compared to the El Camino
Real corridor and Downtown Los Altos, this focus area
has experienced relatively limited new development in
recent years, though there are two residential properties totaling 21 units in the development pipeline. The Loyola Corners neighborhood presents a unique placemaking
opportunity to create a slightly denser, more walkable
district in the central section of the city. Possible strategies include facilitating additional multifamily residential development, supporting and expanding the existing
medical office cluster, and implementing targeted public realm improvements such as enhanced streetscapes,
new public outdoor seating and dining areas, and the
potential pedestrianization of B Street to strengthen the area’s neighborhood character and functionality. Across uses, new development may be limited to relatively smallscale infill opportunities due to a lack of large available site and the high value of existing uses, which are generally well-tenanted. Development of larger projects would likely require the acquisition and redevelopment of relatively high-value properties and would require increases in
allowable residential densities or development intensities to enable projects that are large enough to support redevelopment costs.
FOCUS AREA 4: LUCKY SHOPPING
CENTER AND ADJACENT
PROPERTIES
The shopping center anchored by Lucky grocery store is
located in the southern portion of Los Altos along Foothill Expressway. Existing uses are primarily commercial and
include local-serving personal and professional services and several medical offices, surrounded by single-family residential. Within the focus area, the primary opportunity sites are well suited to new multifamily residential development due to their relatively large footprints, particularly the site of the existing Lucky supermarket. The Lucky
supermarket site could potentially accommodate new
development on the existing parking lot, with the existing store remaining in place. However, this strategy would
present challenges in terms of maintaining the visibility of, and convenient access to, the existing supermarket from Foothill Expressway. Alternatively, development on the site could include demolition of the existing supermarket, with the possibility of a new supermarket as part of the development and reconfiguration of the site. The viability of this option would depend in part on the property owner’s willingness to pursue redevelopment in favor of retaining the existing income-producing use on the site. Other factors affecting the viability of redevelopment include the length of the lease held by the existing supermarket and the terms under which any long-term lease could be
renegotiated.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-20
FOCUS AREA 5: FOOTHILL
CROSSING SHOPPING CENTER
The Foothill Crossing shopping center is located in the southernmost portion of Los Altos, partially within the City of Cupertino. The shopping center is anchored by
a Trader Joe’s grocery store, with additional tenants
including a hardware store, bank, and other local-serving uses. Given its location within the city and the broader submarket, this Focus Area is generally well positioned to support local-serving retail and residential development.
However, accommodating new development would likely
require construction on existing parking areas or partial demolition and redevelopment of the current shopping
center. As the shopping center is currently well-tenanted, either approach will likely present feasibility and timing challenges, at least in the short- to medium-term.
Residential Real Estate
Market Summary
This section provides an overview of the residential market in Los Altos and the Regional Sub-market (Los Altos,
Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale), as well as Santa Clara County and the Bay
Area Region where appropriate. This information provides insight into potential opportunities and challenges for residential development in Los Altos during the General Plan planning period. The analysis draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Redfin, CoStar, and the City’s development pipeline.
HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS
The housing inventory in Los Altos is distinct from that of the surrounding Regional Submarket, with a significantly higher concentration of single-family homes. As shown
below in Table 3-11, approximately 87 percent of housing units in Los Altos are single-family homes, compared to 55 percent in the Regional Submarket and 62 percent in
the Bay Area overall. Within the single-family category, attached units such as townhomes account for a smaller
share in Los Altos (five percent) than in the Regional
Submarket (ten percent) or the Bay Area (nine percent).
Table 3-11: Housing Unit Characteristics
TYPE OF RESIDENCE
CITY OF LOS ALTOS REGIONAL SUBMARKET (A) BAY AREA (B)
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
Single Family Housing
Units
10,081 86.8% 91,757 54.9% 1,838,281 61.6%
Single Family Detached 9,448 81.3% 74,811 44.8% 1,559,879 52.2% Single Family Attached 633 5.4% 16,946 10.1% 278,402 9.3% Multifamily Housing
Units
1,528 13.1% 70,472 42.2% 1,088,960 36.5%
Multifamily 2 units 57 0.5% 2,370 1.4% 94,057 3.2%
Multifamily 3-19 units 539 4.6% 31,191 18.7% 493,127 16.5% Multifamily 20-49 units 368 3.2% 13,531 8.1% 170,713 5.7% Multifamily 50+ units 564 4.9% 23,380 14.0% 331,063 11.1% Mobile Home/Other (c) 11 0.1% 4,844 2.9% 58,614 2.0%
Total Housing Units 11,620 100.0% 167,073 100.0% 2,985,855 100.0% Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region. (c) Includes boats, RVs, vans, or any other non-traditional residences.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Table B25024; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-21
Multifamily housing represents a comparatively small
portion of the city’s housing stock, accounting for 13
percent of total units, compared to 42 percent in the
Regional Submarket and 37 percent in the Bay Area
overall. The data is consistent with the city’s high rate of homeownership and underscore the limited presence of
higher-density residential development in Los Altos.
More than half of the housing units in Los Altos were built in the 1950s and 1960s, following the City’s incorporation in 1952. Since the 1970s, residential development in the city has mostly slowed, though there was an uptick in new development beginning in the 2010s. As shown in Figure
3-9 below, approximately 35 percent of the housing stock in Los Altos was built in the 1950s, with an additional 20 percent of units built in the 1960s, outpacing new development in both the Regional Submarket and Bay Area during those decades.
Between 1970 and 2009, residential development in Los
Altos lagged behind that of the Regional Submarket
and the Bay Area, with a smaller proportion of housing
units constructed in each of those decades. Since 2010, however, the pace of new residential development in
Los Altos has been generally comparable to that in the
Regional Submarket and has exceeded the pace of
residential development across the Bay Area overall.
Figure 3-9: Housing Units by Year Built,
2023
Figure 3-10: Median Sale Price, SingleFamily Homes, 2016-2025 Note:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
(b) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 fiveyear sample period, Table B25024; BAE, 2025.
Source: Redfin Data Center; BAE, 2026.
Residential vacancy rates provide a measure of the
health of an area’s housing market, reflecting the balance between housing supply and demand. Between 2010
and 2023, the housing unit vacancy rate increased slightly across the Regional Submarket, including in Los Altos,
although overall vacancy rates remain relatively low. As shown in Table 3-12, the reported housing unit vacancy
rate in Los Altos increased from 4.1 percent to 7.4 percent over this period. However, the number of vacant units that were available for sale or rent in Los Altos was notably low in both 2010 and 2023, indicating a tight housing market with few available units. The majority of vacant units in Los Altos fall within the “Other Vacant” category, which includes units undergoing renovation, used for storage, or vacant for reasons not otherwise specified.
FOR SALE HOUSING MARKET
Single-Family Residential Market
Median single-family home prices throughout Santa Clara County have increased substantially over the past decade, with Los Altos consistently ranking among the highestpriced markets in the Regional Submarket. As shown in Figure 3-10, the median sale price for a single-family home in Los Altos increased from approximately $2.65 million in 2016 to just over $5.0 million in 2025, representing growth of roughly 89 percent over the ten-year period.
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Table 3-12: Vacancy Status, 2010 – 2023
2010 2023 CHANGE, 2010-2023
NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT NUMBER PERCENT
City of Los Altos
Occupied units 10,745 95.9% 10,756 92.6% 11 0.1%
Vacant units 459 4.1% 864 7.4% 405 88.2%
For rent 92 0.8% 37 0.3% (55) -59.8%
For sale only 15 0.1% 56 0.5% 41 273.3%
Sold, not occupied 68 0.6% 89 0.8% 21 30.9%
Rented, not occupied 42 0.4% 84 0.7% 42 100.0%
Seasonal, rec, or occasional
use
96 0.9% 153 1.3% 57 59.4%
For migrant workers 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 n/a
Other Vacant 146 1.3% 445 3.8% 299 204.8%
Total Housing Units 11,204 100.0% 11,620 100.0% 416 3.7% Regional Submarket (a)
Occupied units 145,589 95.1% 154,697 92.6% 9,108 6.3%
Vacant units 7,531 4.9% 12,376 7.4% 4,845 64.3%
For rent 3,312 2.2% 5,150 3.1% 1,838 55.5%
For sale only 320 0.2% 1,551 0.9% 1,231 384.7%
Sold, not occupied 904 0.6% 796 0.5% (108) -11.9%
Rented, not occupied 370 0.2% 454 0.3% 84 22.7%
Seasonal, rec, or occasional
use
1,081 0.7% 1,408 0.8% 327 30.2%
For migrant workers 13 0.0% 25 0.0% 12 92.3%
Other Vacant 1,531 1.0% 2,992 1.8% 1,461 95.4%
Total Housing Units 153,120 100.0% 167,073 100.0% 13,953 9.1% Bay Area (b)
Occupied units 2,608,023 93.6% 2,785,482 93.3% 177,459 6.8% Vacant units 177,925 6.4% 200,373 6.7% 22,448 12.6%
For rent 67,844 2.4% 64,899 2.2% (2,945) -4.3%
For sale only 4,208 0.2% 11,215 0.4% 7,007 166.5%
Sold, not occupied 26,803 1.0% 11,544 0.4% (15,259) -56.9% Rented, not occupied 6,654 0.2% 13,574 0.5% 6,920 104.0% Seasonal, rec, or occasional
use
29,223 1.0% 36,601 1.2% 7,378 25.2%
For migrant workers 204 0.0% 259 0.0% 55 27.0%
Other Vacant 42,989 1.5% 62,281 2.1% 19,292 44.9%
Total Housing Units 2,785,948 100.0% 2,985,855 100.0% 199,907 7.2% Notes:
(a) Bay Area represents the nine-county Bay Area region. (b) Totals may not match totals in other tables due to independent rounding.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Decennial Census, Tables H1 & H5; American Community Survey 2023 five-year sample period, Tables B25002 & B25004; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-23
While Los Altos Hills remains the highest-priced market in the Regional Submarket, Los Altos has consistently
ranked among the most expensive jurisdictions and has
generally exceeded median prices in Cupertino, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara County overall, and in recent years has tracked above Palo Alto. In 2025, median prices were approximately $3.4 million in Cupertino, $3.9 million in Palo Alto, $2.6 million in Sunnyvale, $1.6 million in Mountain View, and $2.0 million countywide.
Across all jurisdictions in the Regional Submarket, prices increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, a
period of historically low mortgage interest rates and
elevated housing demand nationally. Following interest
rate increases in early 2022, sale price growth began to slow in 2022 and 2023, in line with regional trends. Despite rising interest rates, in the past several years sale prices have continued to climb, with Los Altos remaining near
the top of the market within an already high-cost regional housing market, demonstrating strong demand for
housing in Los Altos. The data is consistent with the city’s high income levels and indicate a shortage of lower-cost housing options in Los Altos.
Townhome and Condominium
Residential Market
Relative to the single-family market, sale price growth for townhomes in Los Altos has been more moderate over
the past decade. Between 2016 and 2025, the median sale price for townhomes in Los Altos increased by approximately 34 percent, compared to roughly 89 percent for single-family homes. As shown in Figure 3-11, in 2025 the median townhome sale price in Los Altos was approximately $1.93 million, higher than Cupertino ($1.56 million), Mountain View ($1.62 million), Sunnyvale ($1.49 million), and Santa Clara County overall ($1.26 million). The median townhome sale price in Los Altos was also slightly higher than in Palo Alto in 2025 ($1.86 million), though townhome sale prices in Los Altos and Palo Alto have often been
comparable over the past ten years.
While townhomes in Los Altos command generally higher
prices than other Regional Submarket cities, sales volume data indicate that townhomes represent a relatively small portion of the local housing market. On average, there
were approximately 14 townhome sales annually in Los
Altos over the past decade, compared to 30 in Palo Alto, 60 Figure 3-11: Median Sale Price,
Townhomes, 2016-2025
Source: Redfin Data Center; BAE, 2026.
in Cupertino, 159 in Mountain View, and 201 in Sunnyvale.
The comparatively limited number of annual transactions in Los Altos (and to a lesser extent Palo Alto) reflects the limited townhome inventory in the city, consistent with the housing unit characteristics data presented above.
This relative difference in townhome inventory, coupled with community desirability, likely contributes to the
higher sales prices in Los Altos and Palo Alto.
Median condominium sale prices in the Regional Submarket, including Los Altos, have fluctuated more than either the single-family or townhome markets over the past
decade, as shown in Figure 3-12. While the median condominium sale price in Los Altos increased from $1.5 million in 2016 to $2.1 million in 2025 (36 percent growth), almost all of that growth occurred in 2024 and 2025. Between
2016 and 2023, the median sale price for condominiums
in Los Altos declined from $1.5 million to $1.4 million (six percent decrease), with moderate fluctuations in the intervening years.
The significant increase in condominium median sale
prices in Los Altos over the past two years was likely driven in part by newly built condominium developments in
Downtown Los Altos, where sales prices for some units
exceeded $4 million. Within a relatively small market such as Los Altos, the delivery of new high-priced units can substantially influence median sale prices. These trends reflect strong demand for new for-sale housing in the
city. Elevated condominium values also have implications for rental housing production: because high sales prices
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can support greater land values, condominium developers may be able to outbid multifamily rental developers for infill opportunity sites. As a result, market-rate rental development can face competitive challenges in securing sites, particularly in prime locations.
Several other jurisdictions in the Regional Submarket
experienced more moderate increases in median condominium sale prices over the past decade, with prices increasing by four percent in Palo Alto, seven percent in Mountain View, 16 percent in Cupertino, and 30 percent
in Sunnyvale. Over the same period, median condominium sale prices countywide increased by 34 percent.
Overall, while longer-term growth in condominium sales
prices has been more variable than in the single-family or townhome markets, condominiums in Los Altos command consistently higher prices than the rest of the Regional Submarket and Santa Clara County. Similar to
trends in single-family home sale prices, the data demonstrates strong demand for housing in Los Altos. At the same time, the data underscores the limited availability of housing affordable to moderate- and lower-income
households. Although condominiums typically represent
a comparatively more attainable homeownership option,
the median sale price in Los Altos has remained at approximately $1.5 million or higher for the past decade, placing even this form of homeownership beyond reach for many
households.
Figure 3-12: Median Sale Price,
Condominiums, 2016-2025
Source: Redfin Data Center; BAE, 2026.
MARKET RATE MULTIFAMILY
RENTAL MARKET
Most of Los Altos is characterized by single-family residential development, with the city’s multi-family rental inventory concentrated in a few distinct areas, as shown in Map 3-4. Many of the largest multifamily developments are located along and near El Camino Real, close to the city’s border with Mountain View. Additional clusters of rental housing are situated just north of Downtown and
to the southeast of Downtown. A smaller concentration
is located at the southern edge of the city, including a larger property adjacent to the Foothill Crossing shopping center.
Los Altos has a small multifamily rental market within the Regional Submarket and has seen limited new development of this type over the past decade. As noted in the previous subsection, limited multifamily rental development in Los Altos is likely due in part to competition for multi-family sites from condominium developers, who can outbid multifamily rental developers due to the high value of condominium units in Los Altos. As shown in Table 3-13, data from CoStar indicate that there are approximately
1,180 market rate multifamily rental units in c Los Altos, making up just two percent of all market rate multifamily rental units in the Submarket (67,500) as of the end of 2025. Between 2016 and 2025, there were 62 market-rate
multifamily rental units built in Los Altos, accounting for less than one percent of market-rate multifamily rental units built in the Regional Submarket during this period.
Both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket as a whole
have relatively low market rate multifamily rental vacancy rates, at 4.5 percent in Los Altos and 4.2 percent in the Regional Submarket as of the end of 2025. A multifamily rental vacancy rate of five percent is typically considered standard for a healthy rental housing market. While there has been limited market rate multifamily rental development over the past decade in Los Altos, there has been a recent uptick in development activity. According to CoStar, as of the end of 2025 there was one development with
172 market-rate multifamily rental units and 24 for-sale townhomes under construction in the city, which is
roughly three times the number of multifamily rental units that were built over the preceding ten years. These units represent over 40 percent of all market rate multifamily
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-25
Map 3-4: Los Altos Market Rate Multifamily Rental Market
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Table 3-13: Market Rate Multifamily Market Summary by Unit Type, Q4 2025 CITY OF LOS ALTOS STUDIO 1BR 2BR 3BR 4BR ALL
UNITS
Inventory, Q4 2025 (a)
Inventory (units) 242 456 399 78 1 1,176
% of Units 20.6% 38.8% 33.9% 6.6% 0.1% 100.0%
Occupied Units 51 161 206 28 1 446
Vacant Units 2 8 9 1 0 21
Vacany Rate 3.8% 4.7% 4.2% 3.4% 0.0% 4.5%
Avg. Asking Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2024 $2,091 $2,843 $3,343 $3,621 -- $3,091 Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2025 $2,193 $2,929 $3,455 $3,917 -- $3,200 % Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 4.9% 3.0% 3.4% 8.2% -- 3.5% New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries, Q1 2016 – Q4
2025
1 4 43 14 0 62
% of Units 1.6% 6.5% 69.4% 22.6% 0.0% 100.0%
Under Construction
Under Construction Units, Q4
2025
0 196 0 0 0 196
% of Units 8.9% 87.1% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0%
REGIONAL SUBMARKET (B)
Inventory, Q4 2025 (a)
Inventory (units) 15,821 25,424 22,939 3,051 234 67,469 % of Units 23.4% 37.7% 34.0% 4.5% 0.3% 100.0%
Occupied Units 11,872 22,955 19,242 2,249 75 56,393
Vacant Units 464 1,093 843 82 2 2,484
Vacany Rate 3.8% 4.5% 4.2% 3.5% 2.6% 4.2%
Avg. Asking Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2024 $2,582 $2,946 $3,713 $4,475 $4,075 $3,282 Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2025 $2,665 $3,081 $3,883 $4,740 $4,220 $3,432 % Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 3.2% 4.6% 4.6% 5.9% 3.6% 4.6% New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries, Q1 2016 – Q4
2025
1,544 4,557 3,361 822 143 10,427
% of Units 14.8% 43.7% 32.2% 7.9% 1.4% 100.0%
Under Construction
Under Construction Units, Q4
2025
121 257 69 0 0 447
% of Units 28.7% 55.5% 15.8% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Data represents market rate and mixed-income multifamily rental properties as tracked by CoStar. (b) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Data excludes the Los Altos Gardens II rental condominium property at 960 N San Antonio Road because this property is an outlier with significantly higher rents (average rent of $10,400 per unit) compared to other properties in Los Altos. Due to the small size of the Los Altos inventory, inclusion of this property would skew the figures shown in the table.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-27
rental units under construction in the Regional Submarket. For more information on the under-construction properties, refer to the Major Residential Development
Pipeline section of this report.
Over the past ten years, average asking rents in Los
Altos have been slightly lower than those in the Regional Submarket as a whole (see Figure 3-13), likely reflecting the relatively limited and older multifamily rental inventory in the city. Average rental rates have generally increased year over year in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket between 2016 and 2025, with an 18 percent increase in the city and a 21 percent increase in the Submarket.
Over the same time period, the vacancy rate for market
rate multifamily rental properties in Los Altos has generally been equivalent to or lower than that of the Submarket, typically remaining at or below five percent, suggesting a stable rental market within the city with strong demand for multifamily rental units (see Figure 3-14). Vacancy rates for both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket peaked
in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic at 9.0 percent in
Los Altos and 11.5 percent in the Submarket but quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels in by the end of 2021.
The Regional Submarket has seen significant new market
rate multifamily development over the past decade, with approximately 10,400 new units built between 2016 and
2025 (see Figure 3-15). Less than one percent of this
new supply was located in Los Altos, where two projects totaling 62 units were completed during the same period.
Within the Regional Submarket development intensity
fluctuated over the past ten years, peaking in 2022 with nearly 1,700 new units delivered. Although new deliveries declined in 2023 relative to prior years, construction activity remained elevated, with nearly 2,900 additional units delivered in 2024 and 2025, indicating continued
developer interest in rental housing in the Regional
Submarket.
Figure 3-13: Market Rate Multifamily Rent
Trends, Q1 2016 - Q4 2025
Figure 3-14: Market Rate Multifamily
Vacany Rate Trends, Q1 2016 - Q4 2025
Note: Data represents market rate and mixed-income multifamily rental properties as tracked by CoStar.
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Note: Data represents market rate and mixed-income multifamily rental properties as tracked by CoStar.
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Source: Redfin Data Center; BAE, 2026.
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Figure 3-15: Market Rate Multifamily
Rental Delivery Trends, 2016 - 2025
Note: Data represents market rate and mixed-income multifamily rental properties as tracked by CoStar.
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: Redfin Data Center; BAE, 2026.
Source: City of Los Altos; BAE, 2026.
MAJOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
Los Altos has experienced an uptick in new development
over the past several years, particularly in the for-sale townhouse and condominium product types. The
following section details the recently completed, under construction, and planned and proposed residential developments in the city since 2019. As shown below in Table 3-14, there are a total of 718 units in various stages of the development pipeline, including 336 units currently under construction, an additional 245 units already approved, and 122 units under planning review. The data below
does not include new single-family homes or accessory
dwelling units (ADUs).
Table 3-14: Major Residential Developments Summary, 2019 to Present
STATUS PROPERTIES TOTAL UNITS (A) NET NEW UNITS
(A)
Recently completed 0 0 0
Under Construction 6 336 335
Approved 6 245 245
Under Review 5 122 120
Expired 1 15 15
Total 18 718 715
Notes: (a) Table does not include individual single-family homes or accessory dwelling units. (b) Expired units are included under Approved category in Chapter 2: Land Use and Development Trends; Table 2-4: Major Recent Development Projects
As shown in Map 3-5, the majority of new development
has been concentrated along the El Camino Real corridor and in Downtown Los Altos. The project numbering on
the map below corresponds to the project descriptions
following the map.
Under Construction
There are six residential properties currently under
construction in Los Altos:
1. 440-450 First Street is a 26-unit luxury condominium development in downtown Los Altos that was completed
in 2024. The property includes 10,000 square feet of
ground floor commercial space.
2. 140 Lyell Street is a five-unit townhome development just outside of downtown Los Altos to the west, completed in 2024.
3. 5150 El Camino Real is a 196-unit property on the
northern edge of Los Altos, on the border with Mountain View. The property includes a mix of rental apartments
(172 units) and for-sale townhomes (24 units). According to CoStar, construction is expected to be completed in
mid to late 2026.
4. 330 Distel Circle is a 90-unit affordable housing property just off of El Camino Real on the city’s northern edge. The property is Los Altos’ first 100 percent deed-restricted affordable housing development and is intended for
households earning 30 to 80 percent of the area median
income (AMI). According to the Developer’s website, the project is expected to complete construction and begin
leasing in January 2027.
5. 40 Main Street is a 15-unit luxury condominium
development in downtown Los Altos, with plans for
approximately 3,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space. Demolition of the previous office building on site began in July 2025, with building permits issued in August 2025.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-29
Map 3-5: Los Altos Major Residential Development Pipeline
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6. 14 Fourth Street is a four-unit townhome development in downtown Los Altos. Building permits for the property were approved in May 2023, and one of the townhome
units has been listed for sale as of February 2026.
Approved
There are six residential properties that have been
approved but have not yet applied for and/or been issued building permits:
7. 4894 El Camino Real is an 85-unit multifamily project on the northern edge of the city. Once built, the property will be the tallest residential building in Los Altos, at eight stories tall, and will include ten below-market rate units.
8. 355 First Street is a 49-unit condominium project in downtown Los Altos. The project was approved in June
2022 and has received an entitlement extension, with no building permits yet issued.
9. 4350 El Camino Real is a 47-unit condominium project on the northern edge of Los Altos. Project plans include 40 market-rate units and seven below-market rate units.
The development was approved in September 2022 and
has received several entitlement extensions, with no
building permits yet issued.
10. 420 South San Antonio Road is a 20-unit condominium development in downtown Los Altos. Project plans
include three below-market rate units and approximately 1,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space. The development was approved in January 2025, with no
building permits yet issued.
11. 996 Loraine Avenue is a 12-unit multifamily development in the Loyola Corners neighborhood, with approximately 1,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space. The developer has divided the property into condominium lots, but has not yet announced whether
the project will be for sale or for rent. The project was approved in November 2025 but has not yet submitted
building permit applications.
12. 966 Sherwood Avenue is a 33-unit proposed townhome
development on Sherwood Avenue near the intersection of El Camino Real and North San Antonio Road. The existing uses onsite are a fast food restaurant and one single-family home.
Under Review
There are five residential projects currently under Planning Commission review in Los Altos:
13. 4896 El Camino Real is a 33-unit mixed-use development with plans for approximately 16,100 square feet of commercial space on the city’s border with Mountain
View. Previous plans for the site had been primarily
office-focused, with 45,000 square feet of office space.
14. 349 First Street is a 20-unit proposed condominium
development in downtown Los Altos, near the sites of
recently completed and under construction condominium properties. The six-story project would replace an existing two-story commercial property.
15. 901 Fremont Avenue is a proposed nine-unit for-sale townhome development in the Loyola Corners neighborhood. The development would replace an existing one-story commercial building.
16. 95 First Street is a proposed 51-unit for-sale development in downtown Los Altos. The project would replace an existing two-story office building.
17. 244 South El Monte Avenue is a proposed development that would replace one existing single-family home with eight detached single-family homes. The project is not
located in any of the Focus Areas for the General Plan
Update.
Expired
There is one residential development project that was
approved, but the entitlement expired:
18. 376 First Street was a 15-unit condominium development in downtown Los Altos, near other recently completed and under construction condominium developments. The project was approved in April 2022, but never moved forward with filing for building permits.
SUMMARY RESIDENTIAL MARKET
CONDITIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
FOR THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
The residential market in Los Altos is characterized by strong demand, exceptionally high housing costs, and a
housing stock that is heavily oriented toward single-family, owner-occupied homes. Demographic and economic conditions, including high household incomes, high
educational attainment, and a large share of family
households, continue to support sustained demand for
housing, particularly for ownership-oriented products. At the same time, limited housing production over several
decades has contributed to escalating prices across all for-sale housing types, with single-family home values
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-31
among the highest in the region and even condominiums and townhomes priced beyond the reach of many moderate-income households. The city’s older and
higher-income demographic profile, combined with
modest labor force growth and an increasing share of older adults not participating in the labor force, suggests that future housing demand will increasingly include smaller households, seniors, and downsizing households, along-side continued demand from families.
The rental housing market in Los Altos remains small
and constrained relative to the Regional Submarket, with limited recent production and a predominantly older
multifamily inventory. Low vacancy rates and steadily
rising rents indicate strong demand for rental housing, yet the city has captured only a minimal share of regional multifamily development over the past decade. Competition from high-value condominium development further limits the feasibility of new market-rate rental projects, reinforcing the shortage of rental housing options for
early-career professionals, service workers, and households that rely on rental housing for affordability. These conditions underscore the importance of policies that
support a broader range of housing types, including
multifamily rental housing and deed-restricted affordable housing, to better align housing supply with the needs of the local workforce and evolving household
demographics.
From a General Plan perspective, the city’s Focus Areas represent the primary opportunity to meaningfully
expand housing supply while maintaining compatibility
with surrounding neighborhoods. The El Camino Real
corridor and Downtown Los Altos are particularly well
positioned to accommodate higher-density multifamily
development due to their access to regional transportation, proximity to employment centers, and existing patterns of mixed-use development. Loyola Corners and
the larger shopping center sites also present opportunities for incremental residential growth through carefully designed infill and mixed-use projects. Collectively, these market conditions support a General Plan Update that
emphasizes targeted increases in residential density
within Focus Areas, prioritizes multifamily housing as a means of improving affordability by design, and facilitates the production of below-market-rate housing to meet
RHNA obligations and respond to long-term demographic
and economic trends.
Retail Real Estate Market
Summary
This section provides an overview of the retail market in Los Altos and the broader Regional Submarket (Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale). This information provides insight into potential opportunities and challenges for the City to consider during the General Plan Update planning process. The analysis
draws on data from CoStar, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and the city’s development pipeline.
RETAIL CONTEXT
Los Altos’ retail inventory is organized into several primary clusters: the El Camino Real corridor, Downtown Los Altos, Loyola Corners, and three neighborhood shopping centers along Foothill Expressway, as shown in Map 3-6. Downtown Los Altos and the El Camino Real corridor together account for a substantial share of the city’s total retail inventory, while the remaining areas function as smaller nodes. Downtown offers a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented retail environment, whereas retail along El Camino Real is more automobile-oriented and characterized by a mix of stand-alone stores and restaurants and small retail centers. Loyola Corners provides a smaller-scale, pedestrian-focused retail node. The remaining retail nodes along Foothill Expressway consist primarily of neighborhood shopping centers anchored by grocery stores.
Overall, the city’s retail areas are active and well-tenanted, featuring a diverse mix of restaurants, cafés, traditional retail, and service-oriented uses such as dry cleaners, salons, and bicycle repair shops. Grocery stores are distributed throughout these retail nodes and include Safeway, Lucky, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Andronico’s Community Market.
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Map 3-6: Los Altos Retail Inventory
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-33
RETAIL INVENTORY, ABSORPTION,
AND VACANCY
Retail trends in Los Altos reflect a strong and primarily local-serving market, with both traditional storefront retail in the city’s downtown and larger shopping centers. According to CoStar, the city’s retail inventory consists of approximately
1.1 million square feet of retail space, representing approximately eight percent of the Regional Submarket’s total inventory (see Table 3-15).
As of the end of 2025, the reported retail vacancy rate in Los Altos was relatively low at 4.2 percent, compared to 3.7 percent in the Regional Submarket. Nearly half of the vacant retail space in Los Altos is in just one property: the Foothill Crossing shopping center, where a 22,000 square foot Rite Aid closed in October 2025 after the company filed for
bankruptcy and shuttered all stores. The closing and related retail vacancy are not reflective of Los Altos local market conditions, though there may be challenges with leasing a space of that size. Excluding the Rite Aid space from the retail inventory, the retail vacancy rate in Los Altos would be just 2.3 percent, in line with the historical vacancy rates. Retail spaces in Los Altos command significantly higher rents than those in the Regional Submarket as a whole. As of the end of 2025, the average asking rent per square foot per year in Los Altos was approximately $50, compared to $40 in the Submarket, representing a 25 percent premium. Asking rents in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket as a whole declined slightly year-over-year between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2025 but overall remain strong.
Over the past ten years, there has been limited new retail space added to Los Altos’ inventory. Los Altos added just 8,000 new square feet of retail space representing less than one percent of the total inventory, while the Regional Submarket added over half a million new square feet of
retail space representing four percent of the total inventory. According to available CoStar data, there is one 85,000 square foot retail property under construction in Los Altos at 5158 West El Camino Real. This property represents all new retail space under construction in the Regional Submarket.
Table 3-15: Retail Market Summary, Q4 2025
RETAIL CITY OF LOS ALTOS REGIONAL SUBMARKET (A)
Inventory, Q4 2025
Inventory (sf) 1,136,203 14,624,224
Inventory (% of Submarket) 7.8% 100.0%
Vacant Stock (sf) 48,112 536,178
Vacany Rate 4.2% 3.7%
Avg. Asking Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2024 $52.05 $45.09
Avg. Asking Rent, Q4 2025 $49.59 $39.93
% Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 -4.7% -11.4%
Net Absorption
Net Absorption (sf), Q1 2016-Q4 2025 (25,340) (918,808) Net Absorption (sf), Q1 - Q4 2025 (3,904) (51,388)
New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries (sf), Q1 2016 - Q4 2025 8,000 550,716
New Deliveries (% of Submarket) 1.5% 100.0%
Under Construction
Under Construction (sf), Q4 2025 85,000 85,000
Under Construction (% of Submarket) 100.0% 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
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Over the past decade, Los Altos has generally outperformed the broader Regional Submarket, with similar or higher rents and lower retail vacancy. As shown in Figure 3-16, average asking rents in Los Altos have been on par with or above those of the Regional Submarket since 2016, with a growing rent premium for Los Altos from mid-2023 to the present.
Historically, Los Altos has had significantly lower retail vacancy rates than the Regional Submarket, hovering at or below two percent between 2016 and early 2024, as shown in Figure 3-17. Even after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of challenging retail market conditions nationwide, the Regional Submarket maintained relatively low retail vacancy rates, reflecting overall market resilience. Within this context, Los Altos performed particularly well, with little to no change in retail vacancy. The relative strength of the Los Altos retail market during this period is likely because the city is not a major employment center and its retail base is therefore less dependent on a daily workforce. By contrast, retail districts in other submarket cities that rely more heavily on office workers experienced greater vacancy impacts as remote work became more prevalent. Beginning in 2024, the Figure 3-16: Rental Rent Trends, Q1 2016 -
Q4 2025
Figure 3-18: Retail Net Absorption Trends,
City of Los Altos, 2016 - 2025
Figure 3-19: Retail Net Absorption Trends,
Regional Submarket(a), 2016 – 2025
Figure 3-17: Rental Vacancy Trends, Q1
2016 - Q4 2025
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. The elevated vacancy rate in the Regional Submarket from 2016 to 2018 was driven by the closing of the Vallco Shopping Mall in Cupertino, which was held vacant for redevelopment before being demolished in 2018.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
retail vacancy rate in Los Altos began to climb slightly, driven by store closings including the Rite Aid at Foothill Crossing.
Despite this vacancy rate increase in the past two years, Los Altos’ retail market remains robust overall.
The retail absorption trends shown in Figure 3-18 and
Figure 3-19 underscore the stability of Los Altos’ retail market. Though net absorption has been modestly
negative over the past several years, the absorption trends are generally consistent with normal business openings
and closings, rather than a declining retail market. As noted above, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a
major impact on retail in Los Altos, likely due to Los Altos’ position as a primarily residential community that does not rely heavily on worker spending. By comparison, retail in the Regional Submarket seems to have been more
impacted by pandemic-related retail vacancy in 2020
and 2021, though the retail market appears to have mostly recovered.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-35
RETAIL SALES AND LEAKAGE
This section evaluates retail sales trends in Los Altos and presents the results of a retail leakage analysis to assess the performance of the city’s major retail sectors. The primary data source for retail expenditures in California is the taxable sales information published by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), which provides quarterly and annual sales data by major store category at the city and county levels. Although the data captures most retail activity, certain items, such as many food products and prescription medicines, are exempt
from sales tax and therefore not fully reflected. To develop a more comprehensive estimate of total retail sales, the analysis adjusts 2024 CDTFA data for Los Altos to account for nontaxable categories using information from the 2022 Economic Census. Specifically, the Economic Census was
used to estimate nontaxable sales as a share of total sales based on a comparison with 2022 statewide CDTFA data,
resulting in a more complete baseline for the leakage
analysis.
The first step in the analysis compares Los Altos’ per
capita taxable sales to those of Santa Clara County to
evaluate the relative strength of the city’s sales tax–generating base. Per capita retail sales are an indicator of a Table 3-16: Taxable Retail Sales Per Capita by Category, 2024
RETAIL CATEGORY
CITY OF LOS ALTOS SANTA CLARA COUNTY
TAXABLE SALES
PER CAPITA (A)
% OF TOTAL
SALES
TAXABLE SALES
PER CAPITA (A)
% OF TOTAL
SALES
Home Furnishings and Appliance
Stores
$151 2.2% $1,265 8.1%
Building Material and Garden
Equipment and Supplies Dealers
$226 3.3% $1,068 6.8%
Food and Beverage Stores $1,223 18.0% $733 4.7%
Gasoline Stations $1,077 15.9% $1,181 7.6%
Clothing and Clothing Accessory
Stores
$315 4.6% $1,230 7.9%
Food Services and Drinking Places $2,860 42.1% $3,414 21.8% Other Retail Group (b) $940 13.8% $6,735 43.1%
Total Taxable Sales $6,793 100.0% $15,625 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Taxable sales per capita calculated based on total taxable sales divided by population. Population estimates for 2024 are from the CA State Dept. of Finance.
(b) Other retail group includes sales in the motor vehicle and parts dealers and general merchandise store categories. City data for these two categories were unavailable due to confidentiality rules that suppress data when there are four or fewer outlets or when sales in a category are dominated by one store.
Source: CA State Dept. of Finance; CA Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration; BAE, 2026. jurisdiction’s ability to attract and retain shoppers: higher per capita sales relative to a broader benchmark suggest that a city is drawing spending from outside its boundaries, while lower levels indicate that residents are making purchases elsewhere. This comparison is particularly
relevant for a high-income community such as Los Altos, where per capita spending would be expected to meet
or exceed countywide averages. In 2024, taxable retail
sales in Los Altos totaled $6,793 per capita, compared to $15,625 per capita in Santa Clara County (Table 3-16). Los Altos fell below countywide per-capita sales levels across retail categories, with the exception of food and beverage stores.
The next step in the analysis incorporates both taxable and nontaxable transactions to estimate total retail sales.
Including these adjustments, total retail sales in Los
Altos are estimated at approximately $10,400 per capita, compared to approximately $20,600 per capita countywide (Table 3-17), yielding similar conclusions. By sales volume, the largest categories in Los Altos are food and beverage stores and food services and drinking places,
which together account for roughly 70 percent of retail sales in the city, compared to approximately 30 percent countywide.
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Figure 3-20 and Table 3-18 present these findings as a
retail “leakage” and “injection” analysis, comparing actual sales in Los Altos to the level of spending that would be expected based on resident demand, using Santa Clara
County as the benchmark. Because the county includes
a broad range of retail offerings, it is assumed that overall retail supply and demand are generally in balance at
that scale. When actual sales fall below expected levels, spending is considered to be “leaking” out of the city; when sales exceed expected levels, the city is experiencing a retail “injection,” indicating that it is attracting spending from outside its boundaries.
As summarized in Figure 3-20 and Table 3-18, Los Altos
exhibits net retail leakage in nearly all major categories.
The only category showing a net injection is food and
beverage stores, reflecting the city’s concentration of grocery stores and strong local spending in this category.
In total, leaking categories represent approximately $374 million in annual sales leakage, while food and beverage stores generate an estimated $51 million in annual sales injections.
Overall, the results indicate that Los Altos captures
a below-average share of per capita retail spending
compared to Santa Clara County. Given the city’s high
household incomes, this pattern likely reflects a limited supply of retail space and variety, rather than insufficient local consumer demand. At the same time, retail leakage does not necessarily imply that all leaked sales can or should be recaptured locally. The city’s predominantly
residential character, relatively small size, and lack of large vacant sites constrain its ability to support the full range of retail uses, particularly large-format establishments. In Figure 3-20: Annual Per Capita Retail Sales
Leakages and Injections by Category
Note: (a) Other retail group includes sales in the motor vehicle and parts dealers and general merchandise store categories. City data for these two categories were unavailable due to confidentiality rules that suppress data when there are four or fewer outlets or when sales in a category are dominated by one store.
Source: CA State Dept. of Finance; CA Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census; BAE, Table 3-16: Taxable Retail Sales Per Capita by Category, 2024
RETAIL CATEGORY
CITY OF LOS ALTOS SANTA CLARA COUNTY
TAXABLE SALES
PER CAPITA (A)
% OF TOTAL
SALES
TAXABLE SALES
PER CAPITA (A)
% OF TOTAL
SALES
Home Furnishings and Appliance
Stores
$151 2.2% $1,265 8.1%
Building Material and Garden
Equipment and Supplies Dealers
$226 3.3% $1,068 6.8%
Food and Beverage Stores $1,223 18.0% $733 4.7%
Gasoline Stations $1,077 15.9% $1,181 7.6%
Clothing and Clothing Accessory
Stores
$315 4.6% $1,230 7.9%
Food Services and Drinking Places $2,860 42.1% $3,414 21.8% Other Retail Group (b) $940 13.8% $6,735 43.1%
Total Taxable Sales $6,793 100.0% $15,625 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Taxable sales per capita calculated based on total taxable sales divided by population. Population estimates for 2024 are from the CA State Dept. of Finance.
(b) Other retail group includes sales in the motor vehicle and parts dealers and general merchandise store categories. City data for these two categories were unavailable due to confidentiality rules that suppress data when there are four or fewer outlets or when sales in a category are dominated by one store.
Source: CA State Dept. of Finance; CA Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-37
addition, established regional retail destinations in neighboring communities may continue to capture certain categories of spending. Nevertheless, opportunities may exist to expand smaller-format, neighborhood-serving
retail, such as additional food services and drinking places or clothing and clothing accessories establishments,
within existing commercial nodes.
The findings also suggest that the city’s existing retail base is generally stable and supported by a strong local customer base, consistent with the retail real estate
market conditions described earlier in this chapter. To the extent that the city is able to retain and modestly expand its retail offerings over the General Plan period, the retail sector will continue to contribute to fiscal sustainability.
Sales tax revenues account for approximately six percent of General Fund revenues as of FY 2025/26, a modest but Table 3-18: Taxable Retail Sales Per Capita by Category, 2024 RETAIL
CATEGORY
BASELINE PER CAPITA RETAIL
SALES
2024 TOTAL ANNUAL RETAIL
SALES IN $000 (B) 2024 TOTAL
INJECTION/
(LEAKAGE)
IN $000
2024 PER
CAPITA
INJECTION/
(LEAKAGE)
INJECTION/
LEAKAGE
AS % OF
POTENTIAL
SALES
EST. SALES
IN CITY
EST RESIDENT
EXPENDITURES
(A)
EST. SALES
IN CITY
EST RESIDENT
EXPENDITURES
(A)
Home
Furnishings and
Appliance Stores
$151 $1,265 $4,760 $39,890 ($35,131) ($1,114) -88%
Building Material
and Garden
Equipment and
Supplies Dealers
$226 $1,068 $7,125 $33,663 ($26,538) ($842) -79%
Food and
Beverage Stores
$4,077 $2,443 $128,525 $77,008 $51,517 $1,634 67%
Gasoline Stations $1,077 $1,181 $33,965 $37,220 ($3,255) ($103) -9% Clothing
and Clothing
Accessory Stores
$315 $1,230 $9,938 $38,779 ($28,841) ($915) -74%
Food Services
and Drinking
Places
$3,178 $3,793 $100,166 $119,563 ($19,397) ($615) -16%
Other Retail
Group (c)
$1,343 $9,621 $42,345 $303,278 ($260,934) ($8,278) -86% Total Retail and
Food
$10,368 $20,601 $326,822 $649,402 ($322,579) ($10,233) -50% Notes:
(a) Equal to Santa Clara County sales per capita.
(b) Total sales = baseline sales per capita multiplied by population. Sales are shown in $000. 2024 Los Altos population: 31,523
(c) Other retail group includes sales in the motor vehicle and parts dealers and general merchandise store categories. City data for these two categories were unavailable due to confidentiality rules that suppress data when there are four or fewer outlets or when sales in a category are dominated by one store.
Source: California Development Department; BAE, 2026.
meaningful source of funding. Accommodating strategically located retail space within established commercial areas may allow Los Altos to capture a greater share of resident spending while reinforcing the vitality of its commercial districts.
SUMMARY OF RETAIL MARKET
CONDITIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
FOR THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
Los Altos’ retail market is stable, well-tenanted, and
primarily local-serving, reflecting the city’s predominantly residential character and high-income population.
Retail inventory is concentrated in established nodes
Downtown, along the El Camino Real corridor, and in
Loyola Corners and neighborhood shopping centers along
Foothill Expressway and is anchored by grocery stores and
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restaurants that cater to daily needs. Vacancy remains low, rents command a premium over the Regional Submarket,
and absorption trends indicate normal business turnover rather than structural weakness. Unlike office-oriented districts elsewhere in the region, Los Altos’ retail base proved resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely
because it depends more on resident spending than on
commuter or office-worker demand. Limited new retail
construction over the past decade further underscores a constrained but stable market environment.
Retail sales data indicate that, despite strong household incomes, Los Altos captures a below-average share of per capita retail spending relative to Santa Clara County, with net retail leakage in most categories except food and
beverage stores. Given the city’s demographic profile, with high-income households, a large share of families, and an aging population, this leakage appears to reflect limited retail space and variety rather than insufficient purchasing power. At the same time, the city’s small size, lack of large development sites, and proximity to major retail
destinations in neighboring communities limit its ability to recapture all leaked sales, particularly in large-format or destination retail categories. Opportunities are more likely to exist in smaller-format, neighborhood-serving retail that reinforce existing commercial nodes and align with local demand, such as additional dining, specialty food, apparel, and service uses.
From a General Plan perspective, the Focus Areas provide the most logical locations for modest retail expansion
and reinvestment. Downtown and the El Camino Real
corridor are best positioned to support additional groundfloor retail integrated with new multifamily development, strengthening mixed use environments and enhancing
walkability. Loyola Corners and the Foothill Expressway shopping centers present opportunities for targeted
revitalization, adaptive reuse of underperforming spaces, and incremental infill, particularly where residential intensification may increase nearby customer bases. Overall, the retail market does not suggest a need for substantial new retail acreage, but rather a strategy focused on maintaining high occupancy, supporting small-scale
additions within mixed use projects, and reinforcing the vitality and fiscal contribution of existing commercial districts over the General Plan period.
Office Real Estate Market
Summary
This section provides an overview of the overall office market in Los Altos and the broader Regional Submarket (Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale) and includes a targeted analysis of the medical office market. This information provides insight into potential opportunities and challenges for the City to consider during the General Plan Update planning process. The analysis draws on data from CoStar.
OFFICE CONTEXT
Los Altos’ office inventory is concentrated along El Camino Retail, in Downtown and Loyola Corners, and directly south of the Lucky anchored retail center on Foothill Expressway, as shown in Map 3-7. In addition to traditional office tenants, the office mix includes a number of local-serving office uses such as medical providers (discussed in more detail in the following subsection), financial services firms, real estate offices, and tax preparation. According to CoStar, the office inventory consists of relatively small properties, with all office properties totaling less than 100,000 square feet and most office properties measuring less than 10,000 square feet. The inventory is also notable for its building class composition: Class B space accounts for approximately 52 percent of total office inventory in Los Altos, while Class A space accounts for only about
nine percent, a significantly lower Class A share than the Regional Submarket, where the Class A and Class B inventory are roughly equal in size.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-39
Map 3-7: Los Altos Office Inventory
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OFFICE INVENTORY, ABSORPTION,
AND VACANCY
Office market trends in Los Altos reflect both its position within the strong Silicon Valley market and its relative disadvantages, including limited direct access to Caltrain and distance from major tech campuses and a shortage
of available sites for large-scale office development.
According to CoStar, the city’s office inventory consists of approximately 1.4 million square feet of office space, representing about two percent of the Regional Submarket’s total inventory. Vacancy rates are elevated in both Los Altos and the broader submarket at approximately
12 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Despite these
higher vacancy levels, office rents remain strong. As of the fourth quarter of 2025, average asking rents in Los Altos were approximately $69 per square foot per year, below
the Regional Submarket average of $75 per square foot
per year. CoStar reports no office space currently under construction in Los Altos, compared to approximately 1.5 million square feet underway elsewhere in the Regional
Submarket. Between the first quarter of 2016 and the
fourth quarter of 2025, the Regional Submarket delivered
17.9 million square feet of new office space, equating to almost one third of the total inventory in the Submarket, while new office deliveries in Los Altos totaled a modest 18,300 square feet.
Los Altos’ office market, though strong overall, has
generally lagged performance in the broader Regional
Submarket. As shown in Figure 3-21, office rents in Los Altos remained relatively stable from 2016 through 2018, declined slightly in 2019, and then fell more sharply
following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In contrast, office rents in the Regional Submarket increased steadily between 2016 and 2019 and declined only after the start of the pandemic. Since that time, rents in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket have recovered and, as of the fourth quarter of 2025, exceed pre-pandemic levels.
As shown in Figure 3-22, office vacancy rates in Los Altos fluctuated between 2016 and 2019 before increasing to
approximately 11 percent in 2020 and remaining in the
12 to 13 percent range over the following four years. As of the fourth quarter of 2025, vacancy rates in Los Altos were approximately 11 percent. Vacancy rates in the Regional Submarket increased more consistently over time, with
sharper increases beginning in 2020. However, these
increases coincided with substantial construction of new office inventory, with absorption lagging new deliveries, as shown in Table 3-19. Elevated vacancy rates in the
Regional Submarket therefore largely reflect the continued lease-up of recently delivered space, while vacancy in Los Altos, where little new office development occurred during this period, primarily reflects the vacating of previously occupied space.
The office absorption trends shown in Figure 3-23 and
Figure 3-24 are consistent with the vacancy patterns
described above. As shown in Figure 3-23, Los Altos
experienced positive net absorption between 2016
and 2018, indicating that more office space was newly
occupied than vacated during this period. In 2019, the
city’s office market shifted to negative net absorption, a Figure 3-21: Office Rent Trends, Q1 2016 –
Q4 2025
Figure 3-22: Office Vacancy Rate Trends,
Q1 2016 – Q4 2025
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-41
Table 3-19: Office Market Summary, Q4 2025
OFFICE CITY OF LOS ALTOS REGIONAL SUBMARKET (A)
Inventory, Q4 2025
Inventory (sf) 1,366,135 61,129,722
Inventory (% of Submarket) 2.2% 100.0%
Occupied Stock (sf) 1,209,545 52,651,753
Vacant Stock (sf) 156,590 8,477,969
Vacany Rate 11.5% 13.9%
Building Class
Class A Office (sf) 117,263 29,805,201
Class B Office (sf) 709,455 25,309,156
Class C Office (sf) 539,417 6,010,858
Avg. Asking Gross Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2024 $55.82 $57.33
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2025 $69.40 $75.34
% Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 24.3% 31.4%
Net Absorption
Net Absorption (sf), Q1 2016-Q4 2025 (30,411) 9,472,529 Net Absorption (sf), Q1 - Q4 2025 1,810 299,581
New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries (sf), Q1 2016 - Q4 2025 18,300 17,859,889 New Deliveries (% of Submarket) 0.1% 100.0%
Under Construction
Under Construction (sf), Q4 2025 0 1,540,633
Under Construction (% of Submarket) 0.0% 100.0%
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
trend that persisted through 2024, reflecting continued net vacating of office space. In 2025, Los Altos recorded a modest return to positive net absorption.
In contrast, the Regional Submarket recorded positive
net absorption in most years between 2016 and 2025
(see Figure 3-24), resulting in overall net positive absorption over the period. This pattern indicates that newly constructed office space in the Submarket has generally been absorbed over time, although at a slower pace than the delivery of new inventory.
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Figure 3-23: Office Net Absorption
Trends, City of Los Altos, 2016 – 2025
Figure 3-24: Office Net Absorption Trends,
Regional Submarket(a), 2016 – 2025
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
MEDICAL OFFICE MARKET
This subsection provides an overview of the medical
office market in Los Altos, which is a subset of the office market described above. As shown in Map 3-8, Los Altos
has a medical office cluster located north of the Loyola Corners focus area on Altos Oaks Drive, comprised of an estimated 14 individual single-story medical office buildings averaging approximately 4,000 square feet each. The city’s larger medical office buildings are located primarily along El Camino Real, with some remaining medical office located Downtown, in Loyola Corners, and along
Foothill Expressway south of Loyola Corners. Los Altos
has a sizable medical office inventory that outperforms both the broader Regional Submarket medical office
market and the city’s overall office market, indicating strong and sustained demand for medical office space.
As shown in Table 3-20, medical office space in Los Altos accounts for approximately 10 percent of the Regional
Submarket’s medical office inventory, even though the
city represents only about two percent of the Submarket’s total office inventory. Medical office properties in Los Altos also achieve higher rents than the Regional Submarket
overall, while maintaining a comparable vacancy rate.
However, no new medical office space was delivered in
Los Altos between 2016 and 2025, and only limited new
deliveries occurred in the Regional Submarket during the same period.
Medical office trends indicate that medical office space in Los Altos has consistently achieved higher average rents while generally maintaining vacancy rates that are comparable to those among medical office space in the Regional Submarket overall, as shown in Figure 3-25 and Figure
3-26. However, the medical office market in both Los Altos and the Regional Submarket have experienced increases
in vacancy rates over the past several years, beginning in 2020.
SUMMARY OF OFFICE MARKET
CONDITIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
FOR THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
Los Altos’ office market is modest in scale, locally oriented, and structurally different from much of the broader Silicon Valley office market. The city’s office inventory is small and concentrated in Downtown, along El Camino Real,
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-43
Map 3-8: Los Altos Medical Office Inventory
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Figure 3-25: Medical Office Rent Trends,
Q1 2016 – Q4 2025
Figure 3-26: Medical Office Vacancy Rate
Trends, Q1 2016 – Q4 2025
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Note: (a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026. Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Table 3-20: Medical Office Market Summary, Q4 2025
MEDICAL OFFICE CITY OF LOS ALTOS REGIONAL SUBMARKET (A) Inventory, Q4 2025
Inventory (sf) 275,919 2,745,260
Inventory (% of Submarket) 10.1% 100.0%
Occupied Stock (sf) 255,308 2,527,934
Vacant Stock (sf) 20,611 217,326
Vacany Rate 7.5% 7.9%
Building Class
Class A Office (sf) 0 241,676
Class B Office (sf) 155,816 1,760,316
Class C Office (sf) 120,103 743,268
Avg. Asking Gross Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2024 $54.00 $44.65
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2025 $73.11 $61.59
% Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 35.4% 37.9%
Net Absorption
Net Absorption (sf), Q1 2016-Q4 2025 (14,551) (74,191)
Net Absorption (sf), Q1 - Q4 2025 3,771 (9,069)
New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries (sf), Q1 2016 - Q4 2025 0 88,033
New Deliveries (% of Submarket) 0.0% 100.0%
Under Construction
Under Construction (sf), Q4 2025 0 0
Under Construction (% of Submarket) -- --
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-45
Loyola Corners, and near Foothill Expressway, with buildings generally under 10,000 square feet and no properties exceeding 100,000 square feet. While office rents remain relatively strong and have recovered to above pre-pandemic levels, vacancy rates are elevated and absorption trends indicate that Los Altos experienced sustained net office space vacating between 2019 and 2024, with only
a modest rebound in 2025. Unlike the broader Regional
Submarket, where higher vacancy is largely attributable to the lease-up of significant new construction, vacancy in Los Altos reflects limited demand growth and the departure of existing tenants rather than oversupply from new development.
The building class composition of Los Altos’ office inventory presents an additional structural challenge. With Class B space accounting for more than half of the city’s office inventory and Class A space representing less than ten percent, Los Altos is more exposed than the broader Regional Submarket to the “flight to quality” dynamic that has characterized office markets in the post-pandemic
period, in which office tenants are increasingly seeking newer, higher-amenity Class A space. In a market with
already-elevated vacancy rates, this dynamic can result in chronic underperformance of Class B and Class C
space even as Class A space remains competitive. For Los Altos, where virtually no new Class A office development has occurred in the past decade and none is currently
planned, the risk is that a portion of the existing Class B inventory may face sustained or worsening vacancy over
the General Plan horizon. This in turn creates redevelopment pressure: Class B office buildings with persistent vacancies, particularly smaller and older properties, may become viable candidates for conversion or replacement
rather than continued operation as conventional office
space. General Plan policies should anticipate interest from property owners and developers in conversion of a
portion of the City’s Class B inventory to uses that have demonstrated stronger performance in Los Altos, such as residential, medical office, or mixed-use.
These trends suggest that Los Altos is not positioned to compete for large-scale, corporate office users, particularly given its limited access to regional transit, distance from major tech campuses, and lack of large development sites. Instead, the city’s office market continues to function primarily as a provider of small-scale, professional and local-serving office space. From a General Plan perspective, this indicates limited justification for expanding office-only land use designations or planning for significant new office growth. Policies that prioritize flexibility, such as allowing office uses as part of an overall mixeduse development pattern in commercial nodes, would better reflect market realities.
In contrast to the broader office market, medical office space represents a clear area of strength and stability for Los Altos. The city captures a disproportionately large share of the Regional Submarket’s medical office inventory, achieves higher rents, and maintains vacancy rates com-parable to or better than regional averages. Demand for medical office space appears sustained by local and regional healthcare needs, the city’s aging population
and high incomes, and the attractiveness of Los Altos as a location for outpatient and specialty care. For the General Plan Update, these conditions support policies that protect and allow for the continued operation and modernization of medical office clusters, particularly in Loyola Corners and along El Camino Real. Allowing medical office as part of mixed-use development, rather than assuming broad
office expansion, would align land use policy with demonstrated demand and long-term demographic trends.
Industrial/Flex and R&D
Real Estate Market
Summary
This section provides an overview of the overall industrial/flex and specialty research and development (R&D) market in the Los Altos Regional Submarket (Los Altos,
Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale). The analysis draws on data from CoStar, which categorizes R&D space as a subcategory of industrial/flex space. CoStar shows only one small industrial/flex property in Los Altos, which functionally operates as a retail space on El Camino Real. Therefore, this section does not provide data on the industrial/flex or R&D markets within Los Altos itself.
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INDUSTRIAL/FLEX AND R&D INVENTORY, ABSORPTION, AND VACANCY The inventory of industrial/flex space in the Regional
Submarket has declined over the past decade, including
a reduction in R&D space, due in part to the redevelopment of these properties for office, residential, and other higher-value uses. As shown in Table 3-21, the Regional Submarket experienced significant negative net absorption of industrial/flex and R&D space between 2016 and 2025, alongside declining rental rates and relatively
elevated vacancy levels. Despite these trends, approximately 1.5 million square feet of industrial/flex space was delivered during this period, with an additional 1.4 million square feet under construction as of the fourth quarter of 2025. Nearly all of the recently delivered and under construction space falls within the R&D sub-category.
Collectively, these trends point to an industrial/flex and R&D market in transition, shaped by softening demand
and increasing competition for sites from higher-value
land uses. At the same time, the continued delivery of
new space suggests there may be ongoing demand for
a limited amount of new construction, particularly space designed to meet contemporary R&D and flex requirements that are underrepresented in the existing inventory.
In Los Altos, the market for industrial/flex and R&D uses is likely to remain constrained, in part due to the limited availability of sites capable of accommodating the large building footprints typically associated with these uses.
Table 3-21: Industrial/Flex Market Summary, Regional Submarket(a), Q4 2025
MEDICAL OFFICE INDUSTRIAL/ FLEX R&D(B)
Inventory, Q4 2025
Inventory (sf) 37,109,906 18,595,416
Occupied Stock (sf) 34,128,824 16,216,482
Vacant Stock (sf) 2,981,082 2,378,934
Vacany Rate 8.0% 12.8%
Avg. Asking Gross Rents, YoY
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2024 $42.61 $45.51
Avg. Asking Rent (psf), Q4 2025 $40.53 $44.65
% Change, Q4 2024 – Q4 2025 -4.9% -1.9%
Net Absorption
Net Absorption (sf), Q1 2016-Q4 2025 (5,249,247) (1,903,371) Net Absorption (sf), Q1 - Q4 2025 (71,321) (87,069)
New Deliveries, Past 10 years
New Deliveries (sf), Q1 2016 - Q4 2025 1,515,186 1,469,474 New Deliveries (% of Submarket) 4.1% 7.9%
Under Construction
Under Construction (sf), Q4 2025 1,428,368 1,027,000
Under Construction (% of Submarket) 3.8% 5.2%
Notes:
(a) Regional Submarket includes the cities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. (b) The “Industrial/Flex” data presented above includes all “R&D” properties, which is a “secondary type” within Flex in CoStar.
Source: CoStar; BAE, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-47
SUMMARY OF INDUSTRIAL/FLEX
AND R&D MARKET CONDITIONS
AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
Industrial/flex and R&D space plays a limited role in
Los Altos itself, where CoStar identifies only a single small industrial/flex property that functions more like retail space. At the Regional Submarket level, however, industrial/flex and R&D space has undergone a notable
transition over the past decade. Inventory has declined as older facilities have been redeveloped for office, residential, and other higher-value uses, contributing to negative net absorption, softening rents, and elevated vacancy
levels between 2016 and 2025. Despite these trends, new construction has continued, indicating selective demand for modern facilities that can accommodate contemporary research, lab, and flexible production needs.
For the General Plan Update, these conditions suggest
that industrial/flex and R&D uses are unlikely to represent a meaningful growth sector within Los Altos, given the
city’s limited sup-ply of suitable sites and the large building footprints typically required for such development.
Instead, the city is more likely to continue functioning as part of a broader regional ecosystem, where R&D activity concentrates in neighboring jurisdictions with larger
parcels, stronger freeway access, and established innovation clusters. General Plan policies should therefore be realistic about Los Altos’ capacity to attract these uses at scale.
Chapter 03 | Market Study
3-48
• Residential Demand. The market for residential
development in Los Altos is strong across all focus
areas, supported by a robust regional economy,
high household incomes, and the city’s continued
attractiveness as a family-oriented community. The
aging population is generating increased interest in
smaller units and senior-oriented housing, while high
prices and limited affordability leave substantial unmet demand among lower-income house-holds and earlycareer professionals. The rental market in particular is undersupplied, with low vacancy rates and rising
rents signaling sustained demand. However, high land
and construction costs, coupled with competition
from ownership housing, present on-going feasibility
challenges for new market-rate multifamily rental
production. All five focus areas are well-suited for
new residential development, with El Camino Real,
Downtown, and Loyola Corners representing the
strongest opportunities. While demand for residential
development would also be strong in the Lucky
Shopping Center and Foothill Crossing Shopping Center
Focus Areas (Focus Areas Four and Five), the presence
of existing high-value uses in the two shopping centers may limit development potential.
Key Findings and Implications
• Retail Demand. The retail market in Los Altos is stable and well-performing, with low vacancy rates, strong
rents, and a high-income resident base that supports
spending on local goods and services. Retail leakage
analysis suggests that opportunities exist to capture
additional spending, particularly in food service and
specialty retail categories, though the city’s limited
land supply and small parcel sizes constrain the scale of new retail development. The focus for new retail should be on smaller-format, neighborhood-serving uses
and ground floor retail in mixed use projects, rather
than large-format or destination retail. Downtown Los
Altos represents the strongest location for new retail
investment, followed by El Camino Real as part of
mixed use development. Among the remaining focus
areas, Loyola Corners presents a moderate opportunity
for small-format retail as part of placemaking-oriented infill development, while the Lucky Supermarket and
Foothill Crossing shopping centers offer near-term
opportunities to retenant existing vacant spaces, with
the potential for additional retail as part of any larger redevelopment of those sites.
• Office Demand. The general office market in Los Altos is modest in scale, locally oriented, and faces structural headwinds that limit its growth potential. The city’s
limited direct access to Caltrain, distance from major
tech campuses and regional employment hubs, and
lack of large development sites position it poorly to
compete for the corporate and technologysector
tenants that drive demand elsewhere in the Regional
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 3-49
Submarket. These locational disadvantages are
reflected in the city’s office inventory itself, which is heavily weighted toward smaller, older Class B and Class C buildings. In the post-pandemic period, this Class
B-heavy inventory is increasingly exposed to the ‘flight to quality’ dynamic, contributing to the sustained net
vacating of office space the city experienced between
2019 and 2024. Some properties with persistent
vacancies may be better candidates for conversion
or redevelopment than for continued operation as
conventional office. The General Plan should provide
land use flexibility that allows office-to-other-use
transitions where appropriate, rather than expanding
office-only designations. Within this context, El Camino Real and Downtown represent the strongest locations
for small-scale office or mixed use office development, given their relative accessibility and existing commercial character, while Loyola Corners offers more limited
opportunity focused primarily on local-serving uses
and expansion of the existing medical office cluster. The Lucky Supermarket and Foothill Crossing focus areas
are the least well-suited for new office development,
where residential and retail uses are likely to represent higher and better uses given site characteristics and
surrounding land use patterns.
• Medical Office Demand. Medical office is a clear area of relative strength within Los Altos’ commercial real
estate market. The city captures a disproportionately
large share of the Regional Submarket’s medical
office inventory, achieves above-average rents, and
maintains vacancy rates comparable to the broader
submarket. Demand is supported by the city’s
aging population, high household incomes, and an
established base of healthcare providers. The absence
of new medical office deliveries since 2016 may indicate constrained land supply rather than weak demand,
suggesting that opportunities may exist to expand
the inventory if suitable sites and policy frameworks
can be identified. El Camino Real and Loyola Corners
represent the strongest locations for potential medical office growth: El Camino Real offers larger building
footprints, strong visibility, and proximity to existing healthcare providers such as Sutter Health/Palo Alto
Medical Foundation, while Loyola Corners is home to
the city’s most established medical office cluster and
may have capacity for additional infill development or
modernization of existing facilities. Downtown presents a more modest opportunity, better suited to smaller
individual practices that benefit from proximity to
retail and services. The Lucky Supermarket and Foothill Crossing focus areas have more limited potential for
medical office, though both shopping centers could
provide opportunities to retenant spaces with medical
or health-related uses where building configurations
are suitable.
• Industrial/Flex and R&D Demand. Industrial/flex and
R&D uses are not expected to represent a meaningful
growth sector in Los Altos during the General Plan
period. The city has virtually no existing inventory in these categories, lacks the large parcel sizes and freeway access typically required for such development, and
faces competition from established innovation clusters
in neighboring jurisdictions. General Plan policies
should be realistic about the city’s limited capacity to attract these uses and focus instead on supporting the
commercial and residential uses for which Los Altos is
better positioned.
TRANSPORTATION
4 This chapter describes existing transportation conditions in the City of Los Altos including the street system, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and transit network, and summarizes how residents, employees, and visitors travel within the community. It evaluates key factors that influence
travel behavior such as regional commute connections
and the availability and quality of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Understanding current travel demand, mode choice, and
system performance provides a foundation for the General Plan Update by identifying existing opportunities and
constraints and informing future policies and investments to support safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-2
Mobility and Transportation Context
EXISTING TRAVEL
CHARACTERISTICS
Travel characteristics—such as how people travel around Los Altos, why they travel, where they go, and the modes they use—help inform transportation decisions and
identify opportunities to improve mobility, safety, and access for all users. Understanding these patterns also supports the City’s broader goal of developing a transportation system that not only operates efficiently but also reduces emissions and supports decarbonization. Travel
behavior can be evaluated using US Census data and
the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)
survey which describe local population and workforce
characteristics, commute patterns, and travel flows to and from the city.
Travel behavior accounts for all trips, including work trips, recreational trips, errands and shopping trips, and trips to meet friends or enjoy activities. Work commute trips tend to be concentrated in morning and afternoon periods and contribute to peak period congestion on roadways. Based on 2024 Census data, approximately 13,400 residents in
the City of Los Altos are employed, which corresponds to 54 percent of the population 16 years or older. Non-work trips including trips to school, shopping and errands,
or for recreational purposes such as visiting parks and open spaces tend to be more evenly distributed across
time and can vary widely in length and start/end points.
While non-work trips make up a considerable share of
overall trips in Los Altos, the data is more varied and less documented.
Inflow/ Outflow of Jobs
Figure 4-1 shows the inflow and outflow of workers. Inflow includes people who are employed in Los Altos but live
outside of the area, and outflow includes those that live in Los Altos but are employed outside of the area. As
shown in Figure 4-1, the number of commuters entering
and exiting the City of Los Altos for work is generally balanced. According to LEHD1 data from 2023, 11,500
people commute into Los Altos for work, 700 residents
live and work within the City, and 12,800 people living in Los Altos commute to jobs outside the city.
Job Concentration
Map 4-1 shows the concentration of jobs in Los Altos.
The highest concentration of jobs is within Los Altos’
downtown; however, there are pockets of jobs near
Covington Elementary School and at the northern City
border along San Antonio Road. Nearly 94 percent of the Los Altos workforce resides outside of the City limits, with workers commuting primarily from other Santa Clara
County communities, including San Jose (18.4 percent),
Mountain View (6.5 percent), and Sunnyvale (5.8 percent).
Many people employed in Los Altos work in sectors such
as healthcare, education, and retail/service with salaries that make it challenging to find housing in Los Altos, given the high cost of housing and the relative lack of smaller housing types that may be more affordable based on size. 1 US Census Bureau, On the Map, 2023 Inflow/Outflow Analysis.
Figure 4-1: Inflow/Outflow of Jobs
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
Job Density
Los Altos Jobs per Square Mile
Low
High
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
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¯
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%&j
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Map 4-1: Job Centers in Los Altos
Data Source: US Census, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD); City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 Map 4-1: Job Centers in Los Altos
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-4
Commute Distance and Travel Time
Commute distance is measured by the length of travel
from Los Altos residents’ homes to their places of work.
Commute travel time is the time it takes residents to
commute to and from their home to work. Understanding commute distances and travel time helps to support the jobs housing balance and provides insight into how
this dynamic affects overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT)2 and the City’s sustainability goals. Commute patterns can inform key decisions as part of the General Plan update process including land use decisions such as where to
focus housing, transit, and infrastructure investments.
Nearly 60 percent of employed Los Altos residents
commute fewer than 10 miles to their job as shown in
Figure 4-2. This accounts for people commuting to job
centers in Los Altos as well as other cities within 10 miles, which includes most of Santa Clara County: 11 percent of all workers living in Los Altos work in San Jose, 10 percent work in Mountain View, 8 percent work in Sunnyvale, 8
percent work in Palo Alto, 6 percent work in Santa Clara City, 5 percent work in Los Altos, 4 percent work in Cupertino, and 4 percent work in Menlo Park.
Approximately 20 percent of employed residents
commute between 10 and 24 miles to work, while about
22 percent of employed residents commute more than
25 miles—this accounts for people who work in San
Francisco and Oakland/East Bay. Although these groups
represent a smaller portion of total trips, long commute distances may have an outsized effect on citywide VMT.
2 Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) measures the total amount of driving that occurs over a given period of time by summing the miles traveled by all vehicles. It is used to understand how land use and transportation systems influence travel behavior, emissions, and overall transportation impacts.
Figure 4-2: Commute Distance
Figure 4-3: Commute Time for Los Altos
Residents
Source: LEHD, 2023.
Source: US Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08303.
Los Altos residents experience relatively short commute travel times compared to the region, reflecting the city’s proximity to major regional job centers. The average
commute time is 22 minutes, shorter than the County
average of 26 minutes and the statewide average of 28
minutes. Additionally, as shown in Figure 4-3, about 70 percent of all employed residents commute less than 30
minutes to their job. This pattern suggests that Los Altos offers convenient access to nearby job centers, helping to make it an attractive place to live.
Commuter Mode Share
Mode share refers to the different ways people travel
such as walking, biking, riding transit, or driving. While commute trips represent a small share of all daily trips, they are often the most consistently measured. Non-commute trips such as shopping, school, recreation, or errands make up a significant portion of travel and tend to have a higher share of walking and other active modes.
Commute mode choice for Los Altos residents is available from US Census data. Table 4-1 describes commuter mode choice between 2010 and 2024, providing insight
into commute patterns over time including before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 mode share
is shown in Figure 4-4.
Driving alone is the predominant mode of commute travel for Los Altos residents and visitors. In 2024, approximately 51 percent of employed Los Altos residents drove alone
to work3. Over the last decade, the drive alone rate has 3 US Census Bureau, 2024 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-5
Note: * Other includes taxicab, motorcycle, or other means.
Figure 4-4: Los Altos Commute Mode
Share, 2024
Source: US Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301.
Table 4-1: Los Altos Commute Mode Share Distribution Over Time 2010 2015 2020 2024
Population 28,400 30,000 30,900 30,700
Drive Alone 80% 78% 72% 51%
Carpool 4% 5% 6% 4%
Walk 1% 3% 1% 2%
Bike 1% 3% 2% 2%
Transit 0% 3% 2% 1%
Work from Home 12% 8% 17% 39%
Other1 1% 0% 0% 1%
Notes:
1. “Other” includes taxicab, motorcycle, or other means.
Source: US Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301; US Census Bureau, 2020 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301; US Census Bureau, 2015 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301; US Census Bureau, 2010 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08301; US Census Bureau.
decreased by about 20 percentage points. This is likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic remote work trend. After
2020, the work from home rate in Los Altos increased
about 20 percentage points to 39 percent in 2024. Following similar post-pandemic trends, the share of transit riders dropped slightly to 1 percent. This is consistent with countywide trends. Carpool, walk, and bike rates have
remained relatively consistent over the past 15 years, but collectively made up less than 10 percent of all commuters in 2024. Infrastructure changes that improve the safety and connectivity of pedestrian and bicycle facilities could help promote active transportation use.
Vehicle Ownership
Vehicle ownership is a key indicator of travel behavior.
Households with access to one or more vehicles are
likely to rely on driving for daily trips and commuting.
Households with limited or no vehicle access are more
dependent on walking, biking, and riding transit. Vehicle ownership rates in Los Altos are slightly higher than Santa Clara County and statewide rates, as shown in Table 4-2.
The percentage of residents with no vehicle access is
only 3 percent, about half the countywide or statewide
average. Three out of four homes (76 percent) in Los Altos own two or more vehicles. While vehicle ownership is high, providing convenient options to driving, including safer and more connected bicycle and pedestrian facilities and shared ride options, can provide more equitable access
and encourage reduced vehicle dependence, helping the
City to meet its sustainability and community health goals.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-6
Vehicle Miles Travelled
Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) measures the number of
miles traveled during a specified time period within a
specific region. Cities with greater accessibility to key destinations and job centers tend to generate less VMT
on a per service population (service population is resident population plus employment) or per household basis
compared to locations further away from job centers. After adjusting for commute distances—all other factors being equal—VMT can also act as a reliable proxy to evaluate
whether residents use local services or travel farther for those services.
Table 4-3 shows two types of VMT in Los Altos, Santa
Clara County, and the state. VMT is typically reported as a daily average and is a required performance measure
for environmental review. VMT per resident refers to all vehicle trips that start or end back at the driver’s residence including trips to and from work, shopping, and recreation as illustrated in Figure 4-5. VMT per employee refers to vehicle trips directly between home and work as illustrated in Figure 4-6. If a trip home from work includes stopping at the grocery store, it is no longer considered VMT per employee. Los Altos’ VMT rates, as shown in Table 4-3, are slightly lower than the countywide and statewide rates, implying fewer or shorter vehicle trips in Los Altos.
The City of Los Altos adopted a Vehicle Miles Traveled
Policy in 2023 through Resolution 2023-08. The guidelines outline CEQA project screening criteria, thresholds of significance, and mitigation of significant impacts.
The CEQA thresholds of significance for residential and office land use projects are 15 percent below the Bay Area average VMT per capita and 15 percent below the Los
Altos citywide average VMT per employee.
Table 4-2: Vehicle Ownership in Los Altos and Surrounding Areas
NO VEHICLE
AVAILABLE
1 VEHICLE
AVAILABLE
2 VEHICLES
AVAILABLE
3+ VEHICLES
AVAILABLE
Los Altos 3% 21% 47% 29%
Santa Clara County 6% 31% 39% 24%
California 7% 31% 36% 26%
Source: US Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08201.
Table 4-3: 2022 VMT Per Capita1
LOCATION VMT PER
RESIDENT1
VMT PER
EMPLOYEE2
City of Los Altos 18.1 13.1
Santa Clara
County
18.9 15.5
California 21.1 15.1
Notes:
1. Home-based daily VMT per resident.
2. Home-based daily work VMT per employee.
Source: VMTIndex, Fehr & Peers, 2022.
Figure 4-6: VMT per Employee
Figure 4-5: VMT per Resident
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-7
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
FRAMEWORK
Multiple agencies oversee the planning, development,
operation, and funding of Los Altos’ transportation
network. Both regional and local plans affect transportation in Los Altos.
Regional Transportation Planning
Regionally, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) jointly serve as the metropolitan planning organization for the nine Bay Area counties. ABAG is responsible for developing housing, population, and employment
forecasts for the region and MTC leads transportation
planning and funding. Plan Bay Area 2050, adopted
2021, is the Bay Area’s long-range plan for housing, transportation, economic development, and environmental resilience. Plan Bay Area 2050 also serves as the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy, required by many
state funding programs. Plan Bay Area 2050+ serves
as the limited and focused update to the long-range
plan to better reflect recent growth patterns in the Bay Area accounting for post-COVID-19 commute behaviors and changes in the transit funding landscape. Both documents are intended to improve mobility, increase
housing affordability, advance equity, enhance climate
resilience, and achieve regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA) is Santa Clara County’s congestion management
agency. The VTA Board of Directors adopted the Valley
Transportation Plan 2050 (VTP 2050), Santa Clara County’s long-range transportation plan. VTP 2050 establishes
goals, policies, and investment priorities to guide transportation improvements through the year 2050, with an emphasis on improving mobility and safety, supporting
economic vitality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
and promoting a more sustainable, multimodal transportation system for Santa Clara County.
Citywide Transportation Planning
Locally, the City of Los Altos has several plans that
guide transportation. The Los Altos General Plan was
last comprehensively updated in November 2002. The
General Plan establishes goals and policies for future
development in Los Altos. It supports multimodal transportation, environmental stewardship, and neighborhood compatibility, providing a framework for future planning decisions and anticipated growth in Los Altos. The Circulation Element guides the development of the circulation system and identifies improvements for all transportation modes. In addition to State requirements, Los Altos maintains a goal of protecting the quiet and safe character of its neighborhood streetscape.
The City adopted its Complete Streets Master Plan (2022) to improve walking and biking while committing to the
City’s Complete Streets Policy. Complete streets are
designed to promote safe use and support access for all users regardless of age, ability, or mode of travel. The City’s policy commits Los Altos to providing and maintaining
complete streets. The plan identifies bicycle and pedestrian network improvements and recommends programs that would encourage bicycling in Los Altos. The Complete Streets Master Plan includes a Safe Routes to School Plan to improve the walking and biking environment to and
from schools. The City has made progress implementing
improvements from the Safe Routes to School Plan that
have increased access to schools and key open space
destinations including Rancho San Antonio County Park.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-8
Additionally, the City’s Downtown Vision Plan (2018)
provides the Los Altos community with a vision for the
future of the downtown triangle to guide growth and
development over the next 20 years. It acts as the guiding document for future development of the downtown area,
maintaining the community’s history, values, and desired intensity of development while allowing for incremental change intended to facilitate a unique, vibrant village that exemplifies the exceptional character and qualities of Los Altos. To help achieve this, the plan emphasizes the creation of a more walkable and accessible downtown by
improving pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, enhancing safety, and supporting multimodal circulation to strengthen downtown vitality and access for all users.
VTA also developed a Countywide Local Roads Safety
Plan (LRSP) for Los Altos in 2022. The plan is a localized data-driven traffic safety plan that provides opportunities to address unique highway safety needs and reduce the
number of killed and severe injuries (KSI) collisions. The LRSP creates a framework to systematically identify and analyze traffic safety-related issues and trends and recommend safety projects and countermeasures at the two high-injury intersections and street segments in the city.
Existing Transportation
System
This section summarizes the existing transportation
system in Los Altos, including street classifications, vehicle facilities, the bicycle and pedestrian network, public transit services, parking, and major infrastructure projects that will inform General Plan update discussions concerning
traffic and circulation.
STREET SYSTEM
The City of Los Altos is connected to the regional transportation network by State Route (SR) 85, SR-82, Foothill Expressway, and Interstate 280 (I-280), while local
roadways provide access to and from destinations within the city. Street classifications establish how different streets function within the regional and local transportation system and provide context about where to prioritize certain travel modes.
Street Classifications
Functional street classification refers to the organization of streets into a hierarchy based on the type and character of transportation service they provide. The Caltrans California Road System Functional Classifications are primarily developed to identify regional connectors and develop
a statewide network and designate seven categories of
classification: Interstate, other freeway or expressway, other principal arterial, minor arterial, major collector, minor collector, and local as shown on Map 4-2. Caltrans determines functional classification based on regional
connectivity, function, the level of access, and traffic volumes.
At the city-level, the functional classifications are useful to align with state and federal funding applications;
however, this categorization method can de-emphasize
multimodal planning processes at the local street level.
The functional classification system is often considered a vehicle-centric method of planning and does not typically consider travel characteristics and multimodal priorities.
At the city level, the Caltrans classifications can conflict with state and regional policies that require cities to plan for complete streets and address the needs of all street
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-9
Map 4-2: Existing Street Classifications
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-10
users4; consequently, many cities are shifting away from only relying on Caltrans classifications and are adopting context-sensitive street categorizations that supplement Caltrans classifications.
This approach would align with how Los Altos has historically approached street classifications. The previous General Plan also established its own classification system that varied from the Caltrans designations to better serve local travel patterns and users. Table 4-4 shows how the classifications vary on different streets in the city.
Since the previous General Plan, new state and regional efforts have provided additional guidance on how to plan multimodal streets. Because streets often serve multiple functions, defining street “typologies” beyond existing functional classifications could better support a multimodal transportation network, assist in implementing complete streets, and generally match the street with
the context of the land use environment. This framework 4 California Assembly Bill 1358 require circulation elements to plan multimodal networks and California Senate Bill 932 requires circulation elements to incorporate the Safe System Approach which requires planning for all users with the goal of improving road safety and reducing traffic related severe and fatal collisions. Caltrans Design Information Bulletin 94 and Main Street Guidance provide additional policy and design guidance on how to plan for all street users.
organizes streets into modal layers, where each layer prioritizes a specific travel mode (e.g., walking, biking, transit, auto, freight).Instead of trying to accommodate every
mode on every street, through this approach, a mode
priority could be assigned to streets based on context and network function, creating continuous and connected
routes for each mode. Such a “layered network” approach identifies preferred travel modes (auto, pedestrian, bicycle, and/or transit) for each street. Non-preferred travel modes are accommodated, but their service is not prioritized. As part of the General Plan Update, the City may wish to
consider adopting a layered network approach for local
planning while maintaining the Caltrans classifications at the state level.
Existing Street Network
The following section describes the city roadways, truck routes, state routes, and expressways in the City of Los Altos.
City Roadways
City roadways provide local and regional access and serve local destinations. Some of the key city roadways in Los Altos are described below including the street’s Caltrans classification, posted speed, vehicle volume, and land use context.
Table 4-4: Street Classification Comparison
STREET NAME CALTRANS CLASSIFICATION 2005 LOS ALTOS GENERAL PLAN
STREET CATEGORY
Los Altos Avenue Major Collector Local Collector
El Monte Avenue Major Collector, minor collector Collector, local collector Edith Avenue Major Collector Collector
San Antonio Road Principal Arterial Arterial
Almond Avenue Major Collector Collector
Cuesta Drive Major Collector Collector
Covington Road Major Collector Local Collector
Springer Road Major Collector Collector
Miramonte Avenue Major Collector Collector
Magdalena Mino Arterial Arterial
Fremont Avenue Major Collector Collector
Homestead Road Principal Arterial Arterial
Foothill Expressway Principal Arterial Expressway
Source: VMTIndex, Fehr & Peers, 2022.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-11
• San Antonio Road is a four-lane north-south principal arterial that connects Los Altos with Mountain View and Palo Alto. It extends north from Foothill Expressway to US 101. San Antonio Road forms the eastern boundary
of the downtown area. The posted speed limit is 35
mph, and the average daily traffic is generally between 16,000 and 20,000 vehicles.
• Homestead Road is an east–west, four-lane principal
arterial that provides countywide access. Homestead
Road forms part of the southern boundary of Los Altos.
It connects with Foothill Expressway and SR 85, and
Cupertino and Sunnyvale to the east. The posted speed
limit is 35 mph. The average daily traffic is generally around 13,000 vehicles.
• Magdalena Avenue is an east–west, two-lane minor
arterial that connects residential neighborhoods in
south Los Altos to Foothill Expressway and Interstate
280 to the west. The posted speed limit is 25 to 35 mph.
The average daily traffic is 12,000 vehicles.
• El Monte Avenue is an east–west, four-lane major
collector street extending across central Los Altos. It connects residential neighborhoods and intersects with
key north–south streets, including Foothill Expressway.
The posted speed limit is 25 mph. The average daily
traffic varies between 7,000 vehicles north of Los Altos to 25,000 vehicles south of Foothill Expressway.
• Grant Road is a north–south, two-lane major collector street located along the southern portion of Los Altos. It continues north to Mountain View and provides access
to Foothill Expressway in the south. The posted speed
limit is 35 mph. The average daily traffic is typically around 13,000 vehicles. South of Foothill Expressway,
Grant Road is a lower volume street with average daily
traffic around 3,000 vehicles.
• Miramonte Avenue is an east–west, two-lane major
collector street connecting Downtown Los Altos
with Foothill Expressway and nearby residential
neighborhoods to the north. The posted speed limit
ranges from 25 to 35 mph. The average daily traffic is
generally around 6,000 vehicles.
• Fremont Avenue is an east-west, two-lane major
collector street running through central Los Altos. It
connects residential neighborhoods to Downtown
Los Altos. The posted speed limit ranges from 25 to
30 mph. The average daily traffic is generally between
2,000 and 7,000 vehicles.
• Los Altos Avenue is a north-south, two-lane major
collector street that runs parallel to San Antonio Road to Downtown Los Altos. It connects to El Camino Real
to the north and to Edith Avenue to the south. The
posted speed limit is 25 mph. The average daily traffic is generally around 4,000 vehicles.
Truck Routes
The City has designated truck routes as shown on Map
4-3. Foothill Expressway and El Monte Avenue south of
Foothill Expressway as designated as truck routes to be used by all trucks transiting through Los Altos for destinations outside the city. San Antonio Road between Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real is designated as a limited truck route for trucks making deliveries within the City limit. All truck traffic in Los Altos is required to use only designated truck routes or limited truck routes except as required to access a destination within City limit via the shortest and most direct route possible. Additionally, El Camino Real is a State-designated regional truck route.
There is an opportunity to update truck routes as part of the General Plan process to better align with street use and land use context and further shift truck traffic away from residential neighborhoods and off streets where
many people walk and bike.
Freeways
Freeways are grade separated high-speed facilities that provide connections throughout the state.
Interstate 280 (I-280) is a north–south interstate that skirts the southwestern edge of Los Altos. It provides
regional connectivity between Santa Clara County and
San Mateo County, linking Los Altos to San Jose to the east and the peninsula to the north. The posted speed limit is 65 mph.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-12
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
State Truck Routes
Local Truck Routes
Truck Routes
Limited Truck Routes
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-3: Designated Truck Routes
Data Source: City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-3: Designated Truck Routes
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-13
State Routes
State routes (SR) are local streets and regional highways owned and operated by Caltrans that provide connection
throughout the state. There are two State routes that run through or connect to Los Altos.
• SR-85 is a freeway located east of Los Altos. While SR 85 does not pass directly through the City, it provides regional access to nearby communities including
Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Mountain View. The highway
is grade separated and accessible via ramps at Fremont
Avenue. The posted speed limit is 65 mph.
• SR-82, also known as El Camino Real, connects the City with Mountain View to the north and Palo Alto to the
east and south with a posted speed limit of 35 mph.
Expressways
Expressways are county-owned and operated and
provide regional access throughout the county. These
streets typically have four to six lanes and prioritize vehicle movement over local access.
• Foothill Expressway, a principal arterial, serves as
a primary connection between Los Altos and the
communities of Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, and Palo
Alto. Foothill Expressway extends north to Stanford
University and south to Interstate 280. Within Los
Altos, Foothill Expressway forms the southern/western
boundary of the downtown area. The posted speed
limit is 45 mph, and the average daily traffic is generally between 18,000 and 20,000 vehicles.
Street Evaluation Metrics
This section discusses two metrics for evaluating street conditions in Los Altos. These metrics describe vehicle demand and operations on key street segments but do
not consider multimodal conditions. When evaluating
transportation, additional metrics such as travel time or level of traffic stress should be considered in addition to the metrics below to develop a comprehensive understanding of multimodal operations and safety.
Traffic Volumes
Traffic counts were collected over a typical three-day
midweek period in January 2026. Counts were collected
near key destinations including shopping centers and
schools on all collector and arterial streets. The average daily traffic is described in Table 4-5. On arterials, the average daily traffic generally ranges from 16,000 to
25,000 vehicles. On collectors, the average daily traffic ranges from 3,000 in residential areas to 6,000 vehicles near retail centers.
Vehicle Level of Service
Level of service (LOS) measures street performance by
evaluating the flow of traffic and is based on factors such as speed, travel time, delay, and freedom to maneuver.
LOS does not consider conditions experienced by
non-drivers or other street characteristics such as safety or comfort. As a result, it should not be the only metric used to understand street conditions and additional criteria are needed to address other important factors such as safety, walkability, and livability.
LOS is reported in six ratings from LOS A, which reflects free-flow conditions where there is very little interaction among vehicles, to LOS F, where traffic is slow-moving
due to an excess number of vehicles. LOS E represents
“at-capacity” operations. When traffic volumes exceed
capacity on a street segment, vehicles may experience
slower speeds and can be characterized as forced flow
conditions; these operations are designated as LOS F.
The typical application of LOS is to measure the average amount of delay experienced by drivers along a street
or at an intersection during the most congested time of day and to assign a grade from LOS A to LOS F. Traditionally, LOS only considers delay experienced by drivers and does not account for how traffic speeds and congestion
affect travelers using other modes like transit, walking and biking.
Table 4-5 shows daily traffic volumes and LOS for key
street segments in Los Altos. Street segment LOS is
measured based on average daily traffic volume, type of street, number of lanes, and other street characteristics.
The 2002 General Plan establishes a standard of LOS D
or better for roadways in Los Altos. As shown on Table
4, many streets operate at LOS B, which exceeds the
established standard. Fremont Avenue between Fallen
Leaf Lane to Belleville Way is currently operating at LOS E, which is below the current standard. To better capture the different types of street users, some cities such as Pasadena, South San Francisco, and San Carlos have
shifted away from primarily using LOS to evaluate street conditions. As part of the General Plan Update, the City may consider revising its LOS criteria to better reflect the City’s multimodal priorities. Based on the data collected, no streets in Los Altos currently appear to operate at LOS F.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-14
Table 4-5: Daily Traffic Volumes and Level of Service on Select Streets
STREET NAME CROSS STREET (TO/FROM) AVERAGE WEEKDAY
TRAFFIC VOLUME
LEVEL OF
SERVICE (LOS)
Almond Avenue Frederick Court to Gordon Way 6,300 B
Campbell Avenue Arboleda Drive to Rosita Avenue 1,300 B Covington Road Springer Road to Spencer Way 5,600 C
Foothill Expressway Miguel Avenue to Brucito Avenue 19,700 D Foothill Expressway Shasta Street to Main Street 18,800 D Fremont Avenue Manor Way to Dolores Avenue 2,000 B
Fremont Avenue Fallen Leaf Lane to Belleville Way 21,100 E Fremont Avenue Kensington Avenue to Lisa Lane 7,000 B
Grant Road Garthwick Drive to Fremont Avenue 12,700 D
Grant Road Newcastle Drive to Farndon Avenue 3,100 C
Homestead Road FCSC Driveway to Fallen Leaf Lane 12,600 D Los Altos Avenue Langton Avenue to Santa Rita Court 4,000 B Magdelena Avenue Country Club Drive to Magdelena
Court
11,500 B
Miramonte Avenue Clinton Road to Manor Way 6,200 B
N El Monte Avenue Higgins Avenue to S Clark Avenue 7,100 B N San Antonio Road Loucks Avenue to Sherwood Avenue 19,800 D Portland Avenue Concord Avenue to Sunrise Court 2,700 C S El Monte Avenue Woodstock Lane to Bay Tree Lane 25,400 D S San Antonio Road Edith Avenue to Hillview Avenue 15,600 B W Edith Avenue Hampton Court to Oak Steet 6,000 B
W Portola Avenue Mercedes Avenue to Pleasant Way 2,100 C El Camino Real Los Altos Square to Los Altos Square 24,700 B Springer Road Berry Avenue to Magdelena Avenue 8,700 B
Main Street 2nd Street to 3rd Street 3,500 C
Source: Fehr & Peers, 2026.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-15
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN
NETWORK (EXISTING/ PLANNED)
Bicycle Facilties
The four classes of bicycle facilities in Los Altos are described in the Complete Streets Master Plan (2022).
These descriptions are based on California Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) classifications of bikeways from California Assembly Bill 1193 and the Highway Design Manual (Chapter 1000: Bikeway Planning and Design).
Each bikeway class is intended to provide bicyclists with enhanced riding conditions. Bikeways offer various levels of separation from traffic based on traffic volume and
speed, among other factors. In addition to serving bicycle riders, bikeways are also commonly used by electric bike riders and electric scooters. The four bikeway types and appropriate contexts for each are presented below.
Class I Bikeways (Shared Use Paths): Shared-use
paths, sometimes referred to as multi-use paths, provide completely separate right-of-way and are designated for the exclusive use of people walking and riding bicycles with minimal street crossings. In general, shared-use
paths are sited along corridors not served by streets or where sufficient right-of-way exists to allow them to be constructed away from the influence of vehicles. Class I Bikeways can also offer opportunities not provided by the street system by serving recreational areas and/or desirable commuter routes.
Class III Bikeways (Bike Routes): Bike routes may be
identified on a local residential or collector street when the travel lane is wide enough and the traffic volume is low enough to allow both bicyclists and vehicles to share a lane and/or to provide continuity to a bikeway network.
Shared-use arrows or “sharrows” are common striping
treatments for bike routes.
Class II Bikeways (On-Street Bike Lanes): Bike lanes
provide a striped lane, pavement markings, and signage
for one-way bike travel on a street or highway. Bicycle lanes are typically five feet wide, although wider lanes are desirable on streets with high traffic volumes and/or high travel speeds. Bike lanes may be enhanced with painted
buffers between vehicle lanes and/or parking, and green paint at conflict zones (such as driveways or intersections).
Class IV Bikeways (Separated Bikeways): Separated
bikeways, also referred to as cycle tracks or protected bikeways, are bikeways for the exclusive use of bicycles which are physically separated from vehicle traffic.
Separated bikeways were adopted by Caltrans in 2015 and expanded through updated guidelines in Design Information Bulletin 89 (2018). Types of separation may include, but are not limited to grade separation, flexible posts, physical barriers, or on-street parking.
Under California Law, bicyclists are allowed to use all streets in California unless posted otherwise. Therefore, even for streets without designated (or planned) bikeways, a majority are open for bicycling.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-16
Map 4-4 shows the existing and planned bicycle network
in Los Altos. While there are many bicycle facilities in the City, the network is disconnected in many places, which can make it difficult to travel in the City using the existing bike network. Many Class I separated bicycle facilities in are short segments, often less than a block, and do not currently function well as a connected bicycle network.
Furthermore, some existing bicycle facilities are missing signs or lack striping, and do not currently meet the
standards of the bikeway classification attributed to them.
The City is working to improve substandard existing facilities and enhance connectivity of the network through the Annual Streets Plans.
Los Altos also has multi-use trails that serve recreational travel and provide connections to parks and open space.
These trails include the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve
trails and Rancho San Antonio County Park trails5. Trails offer separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities that
provide options for recreational biking or walking.
Los Altos has a strong foundation of bicycle facilities; many streets provide some level of bicycle accommodation,
indicating the existing and potential demand for bicycling.
Although many Los Altos streets have bicycle facilities, the segments are often short or disconnected, creating gaps in the network that make it difficult to travel comfortably or efficiently by bicycle. High vehicle traffic volumes and speeds on many key corridors can further reduce comfort, particularly for less confident bicyclists. This can be particularly noticeable when facilities are narrow and do not provide comfortable space for bicyclists. In addition, limited bicycle wayfinding (signs and maps) can make
navigating the network challenging.
Recent City efforts including the Complete Streets Master Plan (2022) aim to address these needs by proposing
additional facilities that close critical gaps, upgrade facilities to provide more separation from vehicles, and build a more connective and intuitive network. The planned
bike facilities are shown in Map 4-4. While many existing gaps in the network are proposed to be bridged by bike
routes, these facilities typically lack physical separation from vehicles and may offer lower levels of comfort and safety for users. Providing more physical separation
5 Biking is not allowed at Redwood Grove and is limited to Rancho San Antonio County Park.
between bicyclists and vehicles improves comfort
which can encourage mode shift to bicycling and help
achieve the active transportation targets in the CAAP. The proposed improvements represent an important step
toward addressing these gaps and enhancing the overall
safety and connectivity of the bicycle network. Additional recommendations from the Complete Streets Master Plan
include support amenities such as wayfinding signage,
bicycle parking, pedestrian and bicycle detection at
signals, and additional pavement markings.
Existing Pedestrian Facilities
Walking plays a central role in shaping healthy, connected, and vibrant communities. By bringing people into shared public spaces, it fosters everyday social interactions
that build trust, familiarity, and a sense of belonging.
At the same time, it supports public health by integrating physical activity into daily routines, improving both physical and mental well-being. Walkable environments
also strengthen the local economy by generating foot
traffic that benefits small businesses and activates
commercial areas, like Downtown Los Altos. Beyond these social and economic benefits, walking reduces reliance
on cars, helping to lower emissions and congestion while supporting more sustainable transportation systems.
Ultimately, communities designed for walking tend to be safer, more attractive, and more human-scaled—making
walkability a key ingredient in overall quality of life.
Pedestrian facilities consist of sidewalks, crosswalks, and street furniture (e.g., benches, landscaping, shade, lighting). Sidewalks provide designated spaces for pedestrians separated from vehicle traffic, while crosswalks provide marked locations for pedestrians to safely cross streets.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-17
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
Existing Bike Facilities
Shared Use Path
Bike Lane
Bike Route
Proposed Bike Facilities
Shared Use Path
Bike Lane
Buffered Bike Lane
Bike Route
Separated Bikeway
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-4: Existing and Planned Bicycle Network
Data Source: City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-4: Existing and Planned Bicycle Network
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-18
Sidewalks
Sidewalk continuity is an important element of pedestrian comfort. Dedicated sidewalk space fosters a sense of community and generates activity and should be present
in areas where numerous people walk such as downtown,
near retail centers, and surrounding schools.
While sidewalks are present downtown and near most
retail areas and schools in Los Altos, it can be more
challenging to access these areas as pedestrians due to a lack of sidewalks in the surrounding areas. Providing sidewalks and pedestrian scaled lighting on key streets within the city can help to support pedestrian access to destinations like downtown, retail centers, and schools.
Most residential streets have lower vehicle volumes and speeds and may require few pedestrian facilities. Many
residential streets currently lack formal sidewalks or only provide wide shoulders in line with desired community
aesthetics. Sidewalk width in the City typically varies between 4–10 feet; downtown sidewalks are much wider,
ranging from 10–14 feet. With the inclusion of typical
sidewalk features such as trees, signs, and lights, sidewalks widths may be insufficient for those with impaired
mobility. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990) requires a minimum width of 3 feet for walking surfaces.
Crosswalks
Crosswalks dedicate pedestrian space within intersections and increase pedestrian visibility. Most major street intersections are marked with crosswalks; however, they vary in the level of visibility provided. Crosswalks with higher visibility have been found to make drivers more likely to yield to pedestrians. Crosswalks with two transverse lines that run the length of the crosswalk are less visible to drivers. Crosswalks with bold lines perpendicular to the length of the crosswalk are known as high-visibility or continental crosswalks and are more visible to drivers. In some areas, such as downtown, intersections have decorative crosswalks marked with colors or patterns such as a brick coloring. The Complete Streets Master Plan includes crosswalk recommendations at many intersections as
well as additional intersection improvements that help to increase pedestrian visibility, shorten crossing distances, and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles.
Additionally, the City’s Safe Routes to School maps call out marked crosswalks along suggested walking routes.
TRANSIT NETWORK
Public transportation is an important part of the transportation system. Transit expands mobility options for residents that may not be able to afford or operate another means of travel. As shown on Map 4-5, the transit options in Los Altos consist of local bus service, but there are regional connections to commuter rail and light rail services.
Bus
A wildfire is defined as an unplanned and unwanted The
Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) provides bus service in Los Altos. Table 4-6 shows the routes in Los Altos.
The highest ridership routes are Route 22 (380 boardings and 330 alightings daily) and Route 522 (300 boardings
and 310 alightings daily). Boardings refer to passengers getting on the bus and alightings refer to passengers
getting off the bus. The top three highest ridership stops are shown in Table 4-7. These stops provide access to key destinations including shopping centers and schools and are along high frequency routes.
Regional Service
VTA also provides light rail service throughout Santa Clara County, although no light rail lines pass through Los Altos.
VTA’s Orange Line can be accessed at the Downtown
Mountain View Transit Center, approximately three miles from Downtown Los Altos. Caltrain commuter rail service provides regional rail connections between Gilroy and
San Francisco. The closest Caltrain stations to Los Altos are the San Antonio Station in Palo Alto (two miles from Downtown Los Altos) and the Mountain View Station
(about three miles from Downtown Los Altos), located
near Castro Street at the Downtown Mountain View
Transit Center.
Mountain View provides two shuttle services that run
through Mountain View with limited stops near Los Altos.
MVgo, a free shuttle service provided by the Mountain
View Transportation Management Association, connects
the Mountain View Transit Center to various locations in Mountain View. Routes C and D are accessible from the
intersection of El Camino Real and San Antonio Road in
Los Altos. The Mountain View Community Shuttle is a
free shuttle service also provided by the Mountain View
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-19
Table 4-6: Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Bus Service
ROUTE FROM VIA DESTINATION
WEEKDAYS WEEKENDS AVERAGE
RIDERSHIP
(BOARDING
AND
ALIGHTING)
OPERATING
HOURS
HEADWAY
(HOURS)
OPERATING
HOURS
HEADWAY
(HOURS)
22 Palo Alto
Transit
Center
El
Camino
Real
Eastridge
Transit Center
4:20 AM –
3:00 AM
15 min 4:30 AM –
3:15 AM
15 min 700
40 Foothill
College
San
Antonio
Road
Mountain View
Transit Center
6:20 AM
-10:50 PM
20-30 min 8:20 AM –
7:20 PM
30-40 min 380
51 West
Valley
College
Grant
Road
Moffett Field 5:50 AM –
8:00 PM
30 min N/A N/A 80
52 Foothill
College
El Monte
Avenue
Mountain View
Transit Cente
7:10 AM –
7:30 PM
20-30 min N/A N/A 70
522 Palo Alto
Transit
Center
El
Camino
Real
Eastridge
Transit Center
4:30 AM –
11:45 PM
15 min 6:00 AM –
11:45 PM
20 min 610
Source: US Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimate, Table B08201.
Table 4-7: VTA Bus Stops with the Highest Daily Ridership BUS STOP BOARDINGS1 ALIGHTINGS1
El Camino Real & Showers Drive 370 190
El Camino Real and San Antonio Road 50 120
San Antonio Road & Almond Avenue 50 5
Notes:
1. Rounded to nearest 5.
Source: VTA, October 2024.
Transportation Management Association and the City
of Mountain View to connect community members to
various destinations in Mountain View. The shuttle is
accessible from the intersection of Grant Road and Cuesta Drive in Mountain View just outside of Los Altos.
Planned Transit Service
The City of Los Altos Climate Action and Adaptation Plan recommends considering feasibility of an electric shuttle program for cross-town traffic that services several key commercial areas. The potential electric shuttle program would help reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips and
provide additional transit service in the City but does not currently have funding or plans for implementation.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-20
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
522
522
40 40
40 52
52 21
21 51
51 51
22 22
22 104
101
101
103
103
102
102
Mountain
View Station
VTA Bus Route
Express Bus
Frequent Bus
Local Bus
Rapid Bus
CaltranStation
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-5: Transit Routes
Data Source: Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), 2025; City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-5: Transit Routes
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-21
DOWNTOWN PARKING
Parking plays an important role in how people experience Downtown Los Altos. It provides access to local restaurants, shops, and community spaces. While convenient parking can reduce stress for drivers, an abundance of
parking can result in underutilization of public space and indicate an area is over-prioritizing vehicle storage over uses that better support vibrant communities such as
pedestrian spaces and quality public space. Parking in
Downtown Los Altos includes on-street and off-street
spaces and there are generally enough spaces to meet
demand. To encourage turnover, many parking spaces
downtown are time limited but remain free to use.
In 2025, Los Altos adopted the Downtown Los Altos
Parking Strategy, a framework to manage parking in the
downtown core. The parking strategy evaluates existing
parking supply, demand, and utilization, and identifies policies and implementation actions to improve parking
availability, increase turnover, and enhance access for all users. The parking strategies range from short-term to
long-term and include improvements such as bicycle
parking and shared parking. According to the Strategy,
current vehicle parking supply in Downtown Los Altos
is about 2,500 spaces. Of those spaces, about 400 are
on-street spaces, 1,300 are off-street, and 800 are private off-street spaces. Generally, the downtown average
daily occupancy rate is 54–60 percent during weekdays,
implying that the supply is sufficient to meet demand.
To help increase turnover, many downtown parking spaces have time limits: 60 percent of the on street spaces have a two-hour time limit, while 79 percent of the off-street spaces have a three-hour time limit. Currently, public
parking is free downtown, but the Downtown Los Altos
Parking Strategy proposes to amend the zoning code to
establish a parking district and introduce parking in lieu fees. A parking district would establish a defined area (downtown) where parking requirements are addressed
collectively, allowing the City to manage parking supply within the downtown areas as a whole rather than at
specific buildings. This could be supplemented with
an in-lieu fee program which allow developers to pay a
fee instead of providing on-site parking. Fees collected could be used to fund public structured parking facilities downtown or other parking management strategies.
PLANNED TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
The City has proposed several transportation infrastructure projects aimed at improving safety, connectivity, and multimodal transportation as shown on Map 4-6.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects
The following is a summary of planned and funded bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects:
• The City recently received a $7 million dollar grant to redesign San Antionio Road incorporating Complete
Streets elements. The project scope includes protected
bikeways, narrowed vehicle lanes, and other Complete
Streets elements that would extend between El
Camino Real and Foothill Expressway. The grant was
accepted in 2024, and the project is expected to begin
design in 2026.
• The City’s Complete Streets Master Plan
recommends high priority bicycle network
improvements including Class IV bike lanes on
North San Antonio Road and Foothill Expressway
and a Class I bike lane on San Antonio Road.
• The City recently completed construction on a complete street project on Jardin Drive. The redesign included
new buffered bike lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, and skipped bike striping through intersections.
• The City’s Capital Improvement & Major Maintenance
Program proposed the First Street Streetscape Design
Phase II between San Antonio Road and Main Street to
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-22
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
SUNNYVALE
2. Jardin Drive Redesign
6. First Street
Streetscape Design
Phase II
3. Homestead Road
Safe Routes to School
1. San Antonio Road
Complete Streets
Study
4. I-280 Express Lanes
5. I-280 Interchange
Improvements
Perman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-6: Planned Transportation Infrastructure Projects Data Source: VTA and VTP, 2050; City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-6: Planned Transportation Infrastructure Projects
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-23
develop a streetscape plan and design guidelines for
improving public infrastructure and public access and
bicycle and pedestrian safety. The CIMMP also proposes
a citywide traffic survey to determine speed limits.
• VTA is planning the Homestead Road Safe Routes
to School project, which would implement a
comprehensive set of bicycle and pedestrian safety
improvements along approximately 1.5 miles of
Homestead Road within Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and
Cupertino. The project is intended to improve access
and safety for students walking and biking to nearby
schools and proposed improvements include sidewalk
widening and gap closures, ADA compliant curb ramps,
high visibility crosswalks, intersection reconfigurations to shorten crossing distances, upgraded bicycle
facilities such as separated bikeways and shared use
paths, and traffic signal modifications to improve
bicycle and pedestrian operations.
• The County of Santa Clara is conducting the Foothill
Expressway Multimodal Feasibility Study to evaluate
alternatives to improve walking and biking along and
across Foothill Expressway from Sand Hill Road to
Cristo Rey Drive. The study began in Spring of 2025 and is expected to be completed around Summer/Fall 2026.
Safety Assessment
Transportation safety is fundamental to community
well-being and quality of life in Los Altos. Evaluating collision history is a helpful first step in identifying safety concerns in Los Altos and developing solutions to address them.
COLLISION SUMMARY
The Federal Highway Administration adopted the Safe
System Approach which is a holistic framework for
addressing traffic safety. The Safe System Approach
recognizes human mistakes are inevitable and focuses
on designing the transportation system to prevent those mistakes from resulting in death or serious injury. California Senate Bill 932 requires General Plans to incorporate the Safe System Approach.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) contains a record of
all collisions causing damage or injury in the state as reported by local law enforcement agencies. A traffic collision is considered to be any event where a vehicle strikes any object while moving, whether the object is another
car, a pedestrian, or something fixed in place (such as a light post). A high-level review of SWITRS data on injury collisions in Los Altos was conducted using data from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), which includes georeferenced versions of SWITRS data.
For more detail, the VTA Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP)
provides a more in-depth safety assessment.
Based on the past five years of available TIMS data (2019 through 2023), there were a total of 315 collisions reported in Los Altos during this time excluding most freeways. Of the 315 collisions that occurred, 11 percent (34) resulted in someone being killed or severely injured (KSI). The total collisions in Los Altos have decreased slightly compared to the LRSP which represents collision data from 2015 to 2019. The LRSP reported a total of 367 collisions and 22 KSIs (6 percent).
The total number of collisions and KSI collision in Los Altos is consistent with trends in similar sized nearby cities.
Compared to cities with similar characteristics, Los Altos falls in the middle range for KSI collisions but ranks slightly higher in terms of total collisions. Over the five-year period, Los Altos recorded fewer collisions than Menlo Park but higher than all other comparison cities as shown in Table 4-8.
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-24
Table 4-8: Collision Comparison
CITY TOTAL
POPULATION1
TOTAL
COLLISIONS
TOTAL COLLISIONS
PER CAPITA
KSI
COLLISIONS
KSI PER
CAPITA
Los Altos 13,000 315 2% 34 0.26%
Menlo Park 33,000 771 2% 47 0.14%
Orinda 19,000 255 1% 40 0.21%
Piedmont 11,000 46 0% 2 0.02%
Capitola 10,000 103 1% 16 0.16%
Hillsborough 11,000 50 0% 8 0.07%
Los Altos Hills 8,000 120 2% 28 0.35%
Source: TIMS, 2019 – 2023; Fehr & Peers, 2026.
Improving transportation safety is essential to not only reduce KSIs but to ensure everyone can travel on streets comfortably and safely, consistent with the Safe System Approach. The City of Los Altos has made efforts to reduce crashes on Los Altos streets through the Complete Streets Master Plan and the Downtown Vision Plan. The LRSP
identifies the high-injury network (HIN) shown on Map
4-7. The HIN highlights streets and intersections with high concentrations of KSI crashes based on TIMS data from
2015 to 2019, providing a foundation to prioritize safety goals to reduce KSI outcomes. The LRSP establishes a
framework to systematically identify and analyze traffic safety-related issues and trends, while recommending
safety projects and countermeasures.
Map 4-7 also shows the collisions in Los Altos between
2019 through 2023, based on TIMS data. The corridors
with high concentrations of KSIs are Foothill Expressway, Fremont Avenue, San Antonio Road, Edith Avenue, El Camino Real, and Main Street. The intersections with high KSI concentrations are Foothill Expressway and Edith Avenue, Fremont Avenue and Truman Avenue, First Street
and Main Street, and San Antonio Road and El Camino
Real, four of the five HIN intersections. Springer Road and Foothill Expressway also have a high concentration of KSI collisions. The corridors and intersections with high KSI concentrations tend to be along streets with many lanes and high speeds. Many of these streets and intersections lack adequate bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
As travel behaviors change over time and improvements
from previous planning efforts are implemented, the
high collision locations may change. While many HIN
corridors and intersections align with areas that have a higher density of collisions, there are some HIN corridors, such as Covington Road and Grant Road, where the latest TIMS data does not reflect the HIN conditions. The General Plan Update presents an opportunity to re-evaluate and
update HIN locations based on the latest conditions. The HIN is an important tool that can help focus roadway
safety improvement efforts and it is a required component of the General Plan Circulation Element. Pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 67 percent (2 out of 3) of collisions that resulted in a fatality and 52 percent (16 out of 31) of collisions that resulted in a severe injury, despite representing only 29 percent (90) of all collisions. Pedestrian and bicycle collisions as a proportion of total collisions are shown in Figure 4-7.
The top five primary collision factors - factors that led to the collision - for KSIs are vehicles speeding (29 percent), drivers on the wrong side of the road (25 percent), drivers Figure 4-7: Pedestrian and Bicycle
Collisions as a Proportion of Total Collisions
Source: TIMS, 2019-2023.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-25
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek
Crshes by Severity
TIMS (2019-2024)
KSI Crashes
Non-KSI Crashes
High Injury Intersections
High Injury Network (HIN) Corridors
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-7: High Injury Network
Data Source: TIMS (2019-2024); VTA Local Road Safety Plan (2022; City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-7: High Injury Network
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-26
not following traffic signals and signs (17 percent),
improper turning6 (17 percent), and drivers failing to
yield to pedestrians (12 percent). While these factors are recorded as driver behaviors, the latest safety guidance from the Federal Highway Administration, consistent with the Safe System Approach, recommends shifting focus to
street design conditions as a way to help influence driver behavior in addition to safety education for all road users.
For example, street design improvements that help to
slow speeds (medians, narrower lanes, curb extensions,
and speed humps) and separate users (sidewalks and
separated bike facilities, high-visibility crosswalks, and intersection controls) can help to address these behaviors.
Figure 4-8 shows the primary collision factors for KSIs.
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC
MANAGEMENT
Neighborhood traffic management refers to traffic
measures aimed at reducing vehicle speeds and
cut-through volumes on neighborhood streets to
help improve safety. Traffic calming measures include
road narrowing and turn restrictions. The City recently completed the Cuesta Drive Traffic Calming Plan. As part of this plan, the City installed vertical posts, speed tables, a stop sign, and speed feedback signs on Cuesta Drive to help slow vehicle speeds.
6 Improper turning refers to a driver making a turn that is unsafe or violates a traffic law.
Note: Improper turning refers to a driver making a turn that is unsafe or violates a traffic law. Pedestrian Right of way violation refers to a driver failing to yield to a pedestrian who has the legal right of way at a crossing.
Figure 4-8: Top 5 Primary Collision
Factors by Collision Severity in Los Altos
(2019-2023)
Source: TIMS, 2019-2023.
Regulatory Framework
The following State laws have implications for the General Plan Update. Related requirements will need to be
addressed in updating the Plan.
• Assembly Bill 32 (Global Warming Solutions Act);
2006 – requires the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) to develop regulations that reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
• Assembly Bill 1358 (California Complete Streets Act); 2008 – requires the circulation element of the General
Plan to address the transportation system from a
multimodal perspective. In 2022, Los Altos adopted a
Complete Streets Master Plan which addresses this
requirement and can be references in the General Plan.
• Senate Bill 375 (Sustainable Communities and
Climate Protection Act); 2008 – aims to reduce the
number and length of vehicle commuting trips, helping
to meet statewide targets for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions set by AB 32. In the nine county San Francisco Bay Area, SB 375 and AB32 are implemented through
Plan Bay Area 2050+, described above, which seeks
to integrate land use and transportation planning to
further climate and sustainability goals.
• Senate Bill 743 (SB 743); 2013 – requires cities to adopt vehicle miles traveled (VMT) guidelines and evaluate
VMT as part of the CEQA process. Los Altos adopted a
VMT policy in 2023 to guide how transportation impacts
are analyzed and mitigated.
• Senate Bill 932 (Circulation Element Update); 2020
– requires that General Plan Circulation Elements
incorporate the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) Safe Systems Approach, a holistic roadway
safety framework aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injuries by anticipating human mistakes and designing
systems to accommodate them.
• Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131; 2023 – introduces changes to the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) aimed at streamlining housing development
and reducing barriers to project approval.
Technical Background Report | Los Altos General Plan Update 4-27
Other Transportation
Considerations
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles have gained popularity in the last decade, supported by regulation and incentives at both the State and local levels. In 2025, Santa Clara County saw nearly 409,000 new electric vehicles on the road according to
the California Energy Commission. To support the growth in electric vehicle ownership, the City of Los Altos offers a network of charging facilities as shown in Map 4-8.
Charging facilities are equally distributed throughout the City and provided at most schools.
The Los Altos Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) (2022) has a target to electrify 80 percent of all light duty vehicles by 2035. To support this transition, the City plans to accelerate community-wide electric vehicle supply
equipment. As part of this effort, Los Altos aims to adopt an electric vehicle supply equipment master plan to
identify new charging facilities to ensure citywide access.
The CAAP also includes recommendations to develop an
electric shuttle program for cross-town traffic as an alternative to single-occupancy vehicle trips. scooters through a partnership with Lime. Mountain View and Palo Alto are currently evaluating the feasibility of a shared micromobility program. The CAAP proposes an
evaluation of shared micromobility feasibility in Los Altos.
Transportation Network Companies
Transportation network companies (TNCs), also known
as rideshare or ridehail companies such as Lyft and Uber, are businesses that provide prearranged transportation
services through a digital platform like a smartphone app.
Transportation network companies have been prevalent
in Los Altos and provide an alternative to private vehicle ownership and for residents who may not be able to drive.
They also provide a convenient option for getting around town that does not require parking space at the destination. As TNCs play a larger role in the transportation network, they influence travel behavior and provide new challenges such as curb management.
Food delivery companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats,
while not TNCs, provide a similar type of on-demand
service focused on delivery that has grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivery activity from services such as Amazon and Instacart has also increased.
Some cities are also beginning to pilot emerging delivery methods, including sidewalk delivery robots and drone
delivery, although Los Altos is not yet among them.
Delivery services provide time savings and convenience
for Los Altos residents and may reduce the number of
private vehicle trips taken for shopping and dining and reduce the need for parking in commercial areas; however, the continued growth of delivery services may increase
the total number of vehicles on local roadways and result in curbside loading activity in commercial areas, creating new challenges related to curb management and street
operations. The General Plan update should consider and seek to address these opportunities and challenges.
Shared Micromobility
Shared micromobility is a fleet of lightweight micromobility vehicles (scooters or bikes) available in the public realm that can be rented (often through a smartphone
app) typically used to serve first and last mile connections or short trip distances. In the South Bay Area, the City of San José provides bikeshare operated through
MTC’s BayWheels program. They also allow shared electric
Chapter 04 | Transportation and Multimodal Mobility
4-28
JORDAN AVE
MAIN ST
STATE ST
2ND ST
NEWCASTLE DR
MARICHWAY
DISTEL DR
AUSTIN AVE
LYELL ST
PORTOLA AVE
HOLT AVE
DISTEL DR
WHITNEY
AURAWY
ELSERENO AVE
1ST ST
FALLEN LEAF LN
GOLDEN WAY
MANOR WAY
ALTOS OAKS DR
LOUCKS AVE
LOS ALTOS AVE LOS ALTOS AVE
PINE LN
YERBA SANTA AVE
MT HAMILTON AVE
1ST ST
ALVARADO AVE
PANCHITA WAY JARDIN DR
JAY ST
N CLARKE AVE
ALICIA WAY
N GORDON WAY
HILLVIEW AVE
EDITH AVE
N AVALON DR
S CLARKE AVE
PACO DR
VISTA GRANDE AVE
RAYMUNDO AVE
BENVENUE AVE
MERRITT RD
PEPPER DR HAWTHORNE AVE ELEANOR AVE
VAN BUREN ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
UNIVERSITY AVE
PALM AVE
MILVERTON RD
SHERMAN ST
COVINGTON RD
CAMPBELL AVE ROSITA AVE
ARBOLEDA DR
PARMAWAY
ECHO DR
RIVERSIDE DR
BERRY AVE
COVINGTON RD
EDGE LN
PORTLAND AVE
SUFFOLK WY
COVINGTON RD
ALTAMEAD DR
OAKHURST AVE LISA LN
MCKENZIE AVE OAK AVE
RANCHITA DR
TRUMAN AVE
WESSEX AVE
RICHARDSON AVE
THURSTON AVE MORTON AVE JUAREZ AVE
FALLEN LEAF LN
CHURTON AVE
FARNDON AVE ALFORD AVE
EVA AVE
ST JOSEPH AVE
ARBORETUM DR
ST JOSEPH AVE
DEODARA D
KE
R
NT DR
GI H L H NA DS C RI
BEECHWOOD LN
WOODS LN
SAN ANTONIO RD
CUESTA DR
GRANT RD
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
FOOTHILL EXPWY
MIRAMONTE AVE
SPRINGER RD
ALMOND AVE
FREMONT AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EDITH AVE
EL MONTE AVE
EL CAMINO REAL
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Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
LOS ALTOS CITY LIMIT
CUPERTINO
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
PALO
ALTO
LOS ALTOS
HILLS
P
SUNNYVALE erman e nte Cr eek
Ha le Cr eek Created by Bakunetsu Kaito
from the Noun Project
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Los Altos City Limit
Sphere of Influence
Stream
Park
0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1
Mile
¯
Map 4-8: Public Vehicle Charging Facilities in Los Altos Data Source: U.S. Department of Energy's Natonal Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), 2025; City of Los Altos, 2025; Santa Clara County GIS, 2025; Dyett & Bhatia, 2025 ?¾
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Map 4-8: Public Vehicle Charging Facilities in Los Altos