May 5, 2025 City Council
4075 EL CAMINO WAY
Planned Community
Addition Project
2 • Amendment of an existing Planned Community (PC) zone to allow for:
o Construction of 16 additional Assisted Living units, and 172 square feet of support space, to an existing 121 unit Assisted Living and Memory Care facility, and site improvements including exterior color changes and landscaping
o Prior approvals PC 5116 (The Avant) and 3775 (Palo Alto Commons) • Assisted Living use is not a Housing Development Project
PROJECT OVERVIEW
3 PROJECT LOCATION
1 PC Process
• Prescreening – August 2023
• Formal application – August 2023
• PTC hearings – Feb. and June 2024
• ARB hearings – July and Oct 2024
• ARB recommendation – October 17, 2024
• PTC recommendation – December 12, 2024
• Council decision
Public comments are accepted at all public
hearings, and through writing at any time
throughout this process
BACKGROUND / PROCESS
5 ARB AND PTC RECOMMENDATIONS
• ARB recommended approval, noting that the scale and privacy measures for the additions were appropriate
• PTC split their vote – 3 voted in support of a recommendation of approval for only the 7 units that do not face Wilkie Way. 2 voted against that motion, but confirmed they supported recommending approval of the full project. o Now-Councilmembers Lu and Reckdahl recused themselves from this hearing • PTC recommended conditions of approval to:
o Return the TDM plan to the PTC for approval
o Remove past public benefits of the existing PC from the Ordinance o Staff does not support these conditions
4 • Fills in 9 existing step-backed areas
at 2-3 stories
• Adds 1,186 sf to the ground floor, at
a height of 1-3 stories, including 172
sf of ground floor office/admin space
• Provides 16 new units, 6,891 sf total
• Building is outside of the 45-degree
daylight plane
• No change to maximum building
height or minimum setback adjacent
to single-family homes
PROJECT SITE PLAN
7 DAYLIGHT PLANE
• PC Ordinance 3775 shows the existing Palo Alto Commons building was built with the R-1 45-degree at 10 ft. daylight plane as the requirement. • PAMC 18.38 requires a more restrictive 3:6 at 10 ft. daylight plane for non- residential buildings adjacent to residential zoning districts. • Neighbors and some PTC commissioners prefer applying the more restrictive daylight plane
8 PRIVACY MEASURES FOR UNITS FACING WILKIE WAY
• All new windows meet the Objective Design Standards for multi-family windows facing single-family uses (PAMC 18.24.050(D))
o Strategies include high sills, angled windows, and increasing distance from windows to property lines
o Some existing balconies are being removed
o New landscaping proposed in existing gaps in the tree line 9 10
PARKING AND TDM PLAN
• A TDM plan was prepared, and is required by the existing Conditions of Approval
• A Parking Memo was prepared by Hexagon Transportation Consultants
• Parking meets Zoning minimum requirements
• Parking spaces have been designated as visitors, staff, and residents (11 Avant residents have cars)
• Garage now has key card access for employees
11 PC SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 18.34.150
Complies with Special Requirements for:
• Height – Maximum height is 35 feet, proposed height is 32 feet 6 inches • Interior Setbacks – 10 feet required and proposed adjacent to single-family • Street-side setbacks – 10 feet required, no changes proposed 12 PUBLIC BENEFITS
The existing PC included these public benefits:
• Senior housing, and specialized care, with the intent for Palo Alto residents to “age in place”
• Roadway, pedestrian, and bus stop improvements
• A $100,000 donation to Avenidas
The additions would add 16 more units. The Development
Impact Fees associated with this is approximately $382,000. 13 NEIGHBOR COMMENTS
Sixteen neighbors signed a petition sent to the PTC, ARB, and City staff on October 28, 2024, citing the following concerns:
• Privacy towards the single-family neighborhood
• Reduced natural sunlight
• Staff and Visitors parking in the neighborhood
• A desire for the addition to not request any exceptions from the Zoning Code • Concern that WellQuest is a for-profit company that does not care for the neighbors’ best interests
• Lower Property Value and Quality of Life
14 5
NEIGHBOR COMMENTS
Over 30 additional emails were also received, including:
• Letters in support
• Reiterating the neighborhood petition concerns
• Concerns that the PC conditions of approval were not enforced 15 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) Categorical Exemption has been prepared. 16 RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council take the following
actions:
1. Find the project exempt from CEQA in accordance
with CEQA Guidelines Section 15301;
2. Adopt the Ordinance, amending Planned
Community Ordinance 5116; and
3. Approve the Record of Land Use Action based on
findings and subject to conditions of approval.
Emily Kallas, AICP
Planner
[email protected]