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Attachment D: Summary of Preferred Plan
City Council endorsed 01/10/2022 & refined 11/14/2022 (or strikethrough) Component Preferred Plan Draft Plan
Housing •530 housing units
•Emphasizes townhomes near
existing residential; mid-rise
residential/mixed-use on corridors
and elsewhere in plan area.
•Taller mid-rise residential/mixed-
use along Park Boulevard adjacent
to train tracks.
•530 housing units
•Emphasizes townhomes on cannery
property. Mid-rise residential/mixed-
use on corridors and elsewhere in the
plan. Affordable housing site adjacent
to public park site. Taller mid-rise
residential/mixed-use along Park
Boulevard adjacent to train tracks.
See also “Height/Density and Transitions”
Affordable
Housing
•Include 100% affordable housing
height limits based on the
minimum height necessary for a
five-story retail affordable housing
project (e.g., 55’) or a six story
non-retail affordable housing
project (e.g., 65’).
•Require 20% BMR for for-sale
townhomes, 15% for for-sale
condos, and for rental 15% BMR or
use in-lieu fee. (66% of units
affordable to households of 80-
100% area median income (AMI)
and up to 33% affordable to
households 100-120% AMI.)
•100% affordable housing height limits
determined by state density bonus
housing law (33’ above base zoning
height limit)
•Requires 20% BMR for for-sale
townhomes, 15% for for-sale condos,
and for rental 15% BMR or use in-lieu
fee. (66% of units affordable to
households of 80-100% area median
income (AMI) and up to 33%
affordable to households 100-120%
AMI.)
See also “Height/Density and Transitions”
Height/Density
and
Transitions
•Place higher heights and greater
densities on El Camino Real and
Page Mill Road, where multifamily
and residential mixed-use buildings
with ground floor retail would be
permitted. Transition between
higher density/height areas and
existing single-family homes
through height transitions.
•Expand Housing Incentive Program
or similar into other areas other
than El Camino Real corridor.
•Rezones proposed in the plan area to
transition from commercial, general
manufacturing and residential to
residential and residential mixed-use
(low, medium, and high density).
•Greater heights and densities are
located along corridors (El Camino
Real, Page Mill and Park Boulevard).
Height is limited for cannery building
adaptive reuse projects. Height
transitions will follow objective
standard requirements in the Palo Alto
Municipal Code.
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Component Preferred Plan Draft Plan
•Allow 45 feet transition on El
Camino
•Raise the height limit along Park
Blvd to 55 feet, for residential or
residential mixed-use without
increasing commercial FAR
•Request Staff to evaluate zoning
changes that would increase FAR
for housing on commercial sites
along Park Blvd. and Page Mill Rd.
•Height limits range from 30 to 65 feet.
•Increase FAR for residential for 395
Page Mill and Park Boulevard.
•Limits commercial FAR throughout the
plan area.
•Housing Incentive Program would
follow the Citywide Housing Incentive
Program (Chapter 18.14)
Open Space Parks, pedestrian and/or bike
connection, landscape setbacks and
buffers. Creek option #3, full
naturalization. Look for preferred park
locations (larger public spaces
desired). Park development based on
no less than 1.6 acres/1,000 residents
to 1.7 acres/1,000 residents.
•Includes creek option #3 for full
naturalization
•Identifies 2.25-acre public park
location adjacent to creek
Office •Allows existing large-format office
floor area to continue. Once
demolished, the office space may
not be rebuilt.
•Would allow new, ground-floor,
small, professional office (such as
dentist, etc.). (5,000 sf or less)
•Define a low-density R&D zone
limiting employment density. (not
clear on what this means)
•Define strict TDM
•Plan sites are rezoned and allow
limited office space (up to 5,000 sf)
per parcel.
•Existing office space to continue until
demolished, then parcel must conform
with underlying zoning requirements.
See also “Commercial Parking Ratio.”
Retail Would allow ground floor retail.
Encourages active-ground floor uses,
which can be retail or retail-like.
Required on ECR, consider on Park.
Deed restricted retail required to get
15’ first floor height incentive.
•Allows ground floor retail and
encourages ground floor active uses
along Park Boulevard. Requires ground
floor active uses along El Camino Real.
Requires ground floor retail along El
Camino Real at Portage and Acacia.
•Requires minimum ground floor
ceiling height to be consistent with
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Component Preferred Plan Draft Plan
objective design standards (Chapter
18.24)
340 Portage
(Cannery)
Maintains the cannery building and
Ash Office Building and allows for 2
possible uses of the buildings: (1)
continued use as retail and office
space (2) adaptive re-use into housing
(transition to housing is a long-term
vision). Also permits the construction
of housing on remaining portions of
the parcel, specifically the two
remaining surface parking lots on the
property. Ash Building – Creative Arts
space (see concept plan, page 180)
Expanded setback needed due to
creek naturalization – easements
and/or acquisition needed.
65 feet for 100% affordable site at 340
Portage without retail, (to include 5
stories of residential, with one level
for parking)
Staff will review and return with
recommendation about designation of
340 Portage Rd as a historical resource
•Maintains the cannery building and
Ash Office Building and allows for 2
possible uses of the buildings: (1)
continued use as retail and office
space (2) adaptive re-use into housing
(transition to housing is a long-term
vision).
•Also permits the construction of
housing on remaining portions of the
parcel, specifically the two remaining
surface parking lots on the property.
•2.25-acre public park site identified
•100% Affordable housing site
identified adjacent to the public park
site to comply with development
standards for R-4, including the height
limit of 65’.
•Implementation measure to explore
within the first-year historic
designation of the cannery building
and the Ash building.
395 Page Mill
Rd (Cloudera)
Retain office, parking garage, swale,
etc. Allows multifamily housing at
moderate density on remaining
surface parking lot; allow internal
height of 55’.
Site is rezoned to high density residential.
Allow height up to 65 feet.
Residential
Parking Ratio
•1 space per bedroom, capped at 2
spaces per unit (existing
requirement).
•(Return to PTC to make
recommendations for analysis of
appropriate parking based on Fehr
and Peers study and other studies,
and encourage mechanisms to
discourage street parking)
•No parking minimums or maximums.
•Implementation measure to explore
TDM programs and evaluate parking
management within the area.
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Component Preferred Plan Draft Plan
•No parking minimums &
maximums
•Define strict TDM and evaluate a
city initiated RPP district to protect
residential parking
Commercial
Parking Ratio
•Blended standard rate same as
Downtown Palo Alto: 1 space per
250 sf.
•Exempt first 1,500 sf of ground
floor commercial floor area from
parking requirement.
•No parking minimums &
maximums
•Define strict TDM
•No parking minimums or maximums.
•Implementation measure to explore
TDM programs and evaluate parking
management within the area.
Transportation
Improvements
•Follow concept plan, see
attachment A (page 34) from
6/2021 council report
•Evaluate removing the woonerf to
decrease congestion as an option
in the EIR
•Plan to follow preferred plan.
•EIR to evaluate woonerf impacts.