349 Sutter Street
San Francisco
California 94108
KSH Architects | 349 Sutter Street San Francisco California 94108 | 415.954.1960 PROJECT DESCRIPTION – 660 UNIVERSITY AVE, PALO ALTO
Located on a prominent site in Palo Alto, the 660 University project is situated on University Avenue between Middlefield Road and Byron Street. The project proposes a mixed-use 6-story building with two (2) levels of below-grade parking and includes the following: 1,984 square feet of office space on the ground floor; 66 residential units (1 employee unit + 65 rentable units) with an entry lobby; a shared fitness center for office and residential uses; and parking to service both uses.
The residential and office entrances are located on University Avenue with recessed alcoves designed to welcome tenants, connected to the sidew alk grade via ramps and stairs. Separate elevators are also provided for each use and are accessible from the below grade parking levels.
Natural finishes have been selected for the exterior of the building, including clear glass, board- formed concrete, simulated wood panels and horizontal siding. The residential elevator tower on University Avenue, as well as the stair towers on Middlefield Road and Byron Street, are expressed as sculptural forms highlighted by extensive landscaping at the edges of the site. Changes in plane, setbacks, and projecting balconies further contribute to the character and texture of the proposed building.
Three parcels will be combined and two existing office buildings on the site will be demolished in order for this project to proceed. We are estimating that the approximate start date for construction will be 06/01/2027, and the approximate end date for construction will be 05/01/2028.
On sheet A0.1 of this submittal package (Project Information), detailed information is provided regarding Land Use, FAR, Unit Counts, Building Area, Density, Parking Counts, Site Coverage, Open Space, Building Height and Setbacks, which is also summarized below for reference.
Context
The project is designed to be a high-quality addition to Palo Alto. Features include changes in plane, the expression of varied heights in the building volumes, material and color variation, recessed windows and projecting balconies with glass railings. In addition to the private balconies, a terrace for residents is proposed at the ground floor, to provide common open space.
The project has taken steps to respond to the surrounding context of the site. The form of the building steps down toward the adjacent residence located at 524 Middlefield Road and responds to the context of the neighboring single-family use lot through setbacks along the common property line. The shared fence between the neighboring property and the site will be updated based on multiple discussions with the resident of 542 Middlefield Road, and the proposal has been received positively by the neighbor. To avoid heavy congestion along Middlefield Road, trash staging has been located on Byron Street for both residential and office uses. The vehicular entry to the parking garage is also located on Byron Street to avoid further congestion along Middlefield Road.
The preservation of a large oak tree, located on an adjacent parcel, is incorporated into the design, and conforms to all recommendations and setbacks pr escribed by a city approved arborist. An outdoor deck will also be constructed beneath the existing oak tree without disturbing the existing
349 Sutter Street
San Francisco
California 94108
KSH Architects | 349 Sutter Street San Francisco California 94108 | 415.954.1960 conditions of the root system. The team for this project successfully designed & constructed a similar project at 250 Bryant in Mountain View (3 stories with two levels of below grade parking) around an existing oak tree and has experience with this type of installation.
The project front yard (Middlefield Rd) has a special 24 ft. setback that is required per the current zoning map. The design seeks to comply with the 24 ft. setback, but proposes added height in order to deliver the needed housing to Palo Alto. The current 25 ft. setback consists of a landscaped area with trees to transition between the sidewalk and the building. Combined with the 12 ft. sidewalk width, the proposed building is located approximately 37 ft. from the face of the curb on Middlefield Road.
The street side yard setback (University Ave.) requires a 16 ft. setback per zoning, or a 0-20’ setback on arterial roadways. The project proposes a 7 ft. setback, and combined with a 12 ft. wide sidewalk, places the building 19 ft. from the face of curb on University Ave. Similarly, the street rear yard (Byron St) proposes a 11 ft. setback wher e 16 ft. is required. With the 10 ft. sidewalk width, the face of the proposed building is 21 ft. from the face of the curb on Byron Street.
The interior side yard requires a 10 ft setback. To accommodate the existing oak tree canopy, our building proposes a 26.5 ft. minimum setback, and a 28.5 ft. maximum setback with additional insets. In addition, while the form of the building steps down to respond to the single family residence at 534 Middlefield Rd., it does not fully comply with the daylight plane condition. This is shown on Sheets A3.3B and A3.3C in the drawing set.
Open Space – 35% min. required
The proposed design provides 11,144 SF (49.5%) grou nd level open space as well as the following: 735 SF of private (residential) common terrace area at the ground floor; 4,955 SF of private (residential) balcony area; and 1,067 SF of private (residential) terrace area on the fourth floor (subdivided for the 2 units adjacent). In total, 5,690 SF of private residential balcony & private/common terrace area is provided where 9,900 SF is required.
All units are provided with private balconies of minimum 60 square feet each. The ground floor terrace will provide a private space that allows for small and large gatherings, and acts as an extension of the indoor residential lounge directly adjacent.
FAR – 0.5:1 max, min. 11 units – max 20 units / acre
The proposed non-residential FAR is 0.437 & the proposed residential FAR is 2.614 (66 units for ~
0.5 acres where 10 are allowed) for a combined proposed FAR of 3.051 . This residential FAR calculation includes the proposed units, stairs, elevators, MEP rooms, lobby, and other residential amenities to support the residential units. The project seeks to exceed the allowable FAR in order to provide much needed housing within the downtown community.
349 Sutter Street
San Francisco
California 94108
KSH Architects | 349 Sutter Street San Francisco California 94108 | 415.954.1960 Jobs/Housing Ratio
The existing combined office area (to be removed) o n the subject parcels is 9,216 SF, of which 1,984 SF (7,232 SF decrease) is proposed to be replaced within the current project. In addition, the project seeks to provide 66 new housing units (combination of studios, 1-BRs & 2-BRs) to the community.
Parking
With the proposed project being less than a mile from the University Ave. Caltrain station, the project has proposed a TDM plan to allow for a parking reduction of 8% overall. In addition, the residential parking is composed primarily of independent mechanical stackers with pits (2 vehicles per stall) to limit the below grade scope to two levels and minimize the amount of below grade excavation and potential dewatering that may be req uired.
Affordability
The project sponsor is also including the housing affordability component for this project and was planning to distribute the 20% inclusionary requirement across three income levels. Here would be the breakdown of the
13 affordable units (20% of total rentable units):
Income Level A
(STU)
C
(1BR)
D1
(1BR)
D2
(1BR)
E
(2BR)
G1
(STU)
G2
(STU)
H2
(1BR)
K1
(1BR)
Total
BMR
Units
(13 total)
Very low income 1 1 2
Low Income 1 1 1 1 1 5
Moderate Income 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Total 13
Unit
Type
Studio : Unit Type
A, B, G1/G2 , J (412 – 698 SF)
1 Bedroom : Unit Type C, D1/D2 , F1, H1/H2, K1/K2 (568 – 805 SF) 2 Bedroom : Unit Type E, F2 ( 819 – 880 SF)
349 Sutter Street
San Francisco
California 94108
KSH Architects | 349 Sutter Street San Francisco California 94108 | 415.954.1960 Unit Design
A large variety of different unit plans will be provided, ranging from 412 SF to 880 SF. All units will be provided with at least one private balcony of minimum 60 SF. Two units at the fourth floor (1 1BR unit and 1 2BR unit) provided with larger private terraces of at least ~375 SF each. Each unit will include a full-size ADA compliant bathroom & kitchen with a full-size stacking or side-by-side washer/dryer. Approximately 71% of the units will be 1BR & 2BR, with the remainder provided as studios.
Floor
Unit
A
STU
Unit
B
STU
Unit
C
1BR
Unit
D1
1BR
Unit
D2
1BR
Unit
E
2BR
Unit
F1
1BR
Unit
F2
2BR
Unit
G1
STU
Unit
G2
STU
Unit
H1
1BR
Unit
H2
1BR
Unit
J
STU
Unit
K1
STU
Unit
K2
STU
Total
per
Floor
Second 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 15
Third 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 15
Fourth 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 12
Fifth 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 12
Sixth 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 12
Total per Unit 4 2 5 5 2 5 3 3 5 7 5 10 1 5 9 66
RM-20 Zoning compliance
The proposed project requests City Council consider ation of the following adjustments under a PC application, to approve
66 new units to the RM-20 district:
1. Increased height: The max building height allowe d for RM-20 is 30’. The proposed project seeks to provide a 6-story building with max. 54’-11” height to the top of the occupied sixth floor (56’-8 ½” from grade), or 67’-11” height to top of the roof slab (69’-8 ½” from grade).
2. Increased FAR: 0.5 to 3.051 as noted above, including increased density of 66 units from 10/0.5 acre allowed.
3. Reduced parking: 84 stalls are required (8 office + 76 residential, which includes assigned + 2 unassigned ADA). The proposed project seeks to provide a minimum of 78 stalls utilizing a 8% TDM reduction.
4. Open Space: 9,900 SF of private and common residential open space is required. The proposed project seeks to provide less open space than required for the residential tenants (5,690 SF).
5. Daylight Plane: Allowance to not comply with the daylight plane condition adjacent to the single family residence at 534 Middlefield Rd.