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Marriott hotels approved in south Palo Alto

by paloaltomattersJune 13, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / June 13, 2017

Plan to bring 294 hotel rooms to San Antonio Road scores a victory

Palo Alto rolled out the welcome mat on Monday night to two new Marriott hotels, which won the City Council’s approval despite heated opposition from the surrounding neighborhood.

By an 8-1 vote, with Councilwoman Lydia Kou dissenting, the council approved a proposal by T2 development for two hotels — a sleek and urban AC Hotels by Marriott and the more traditional Courtyard by Marriott — for a site at 744 and 748 San Antonio Road, near the Mountain View city border.

Five-story hotels approved on San Antonio Road over neighbors’ objections

by paloaltomattersJune 13, 2017September 15, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Daily Post – by Jen Nowell / June 13, 2017

Palo Alto City Council approved a proposal last night (June 12) to build two new five-story hotels, despite stringent opposition from neighbors over fears that they would aggravate traffic problems.

Residents told council last night that the traffic on San Antonio Road is already a nightmare. Warren Storkman said his 90th birthday is next month, and he pleaded with council to give him a present by not approving the hotels planned for 744-748 San Antonio Road.

But council voted 8-1, with Councilwoman Lydia Kou dissenting, to approve the project.

Board approves two Marriott hotels for San Antonio Road

by paloaltomattersJune 2, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / June 2, 2017

Architectural Review Board supports new designs for Courtyard and AC hotels in south Palo Alto

Despite a swell of neighborhood opposition, a proposal to build two five-story Marriott hotels on San Antonio Road scored a big victory Thursday morning when Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Board voted to endorse the project.

Palo Alto mulls ways to strengthen code enforcement

by paloaltomattersMay 19, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / May 19, 2017

City auditor to review program as survey shows increasing citizen concern

The most recent National Citizens Survey, which came out in January, shows only 52 percent of the city’s residents rating code enforcement as “good or excellent” — though most respondents also noted that they had not personally observed any code violation.

At Castilleja meeting, a call to ‘reset’ the project

by paloaltomattersMay 9, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Sue Dremann / May 9, 2017

But school officials, residents who oppose expansion, disagree on the definition of ‘reset’

Residents who oppose Castilleja School’s proposed expansion and even some who support the school told Castilleja officials during a Tuesday night neighborhood meeting to hit the reset button on their plans. But in an email to the Weekly on Wednesday, school officials said they won’t go back to the drawing board.

Palo Alto backs away from business tax

by paloaltomattersMay 9, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner/ May 9, 2017

City Council agrees to revisit proposal in the fall

From expanded shuttles and transit subsidies to new garages and improved grade crossings at the rail tracks, Palo Alto has no shortage of projects on its transportation wish list.

But on Monday night, the City Council abruptly backed away from one proposal that would have paid for some of these projects: a business license tax that the council has been contemplating for well over a year.

Council backs shift to downtown parking meters

by paloaltomattersApril 12, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / April 12, 2017

Palo Alto council members to explore different technologies, policies for paid parking

Seeking to bring some order to downtown’s chaotic parking scene, Palo Alto officials signaled on Tuesday night their intent to abolish the existing system of color zones and to bring back paid parking.

The details of downtown’s new parking program are yet to be hashed out, but members of the City Council indicated Tuesday that they generally support the recommendations of a newly released study, which surveyed downtown’s parking landscape and urged a switch to paid parking.

Housing, traffic woes stoke urge to flee Bay Area, new poll shows

by paloaltomattersMarch 30, 2017August 29, 2017Leave a comment

The Mercury News – by George Avalos, Bay Area News Group / March 30, 2017

“It turns out that we were wrong about millennial preferences, the stories were wrong that millennials wanted to live in a hyper-urban environment and that it would be OK to raise families in a condo,” said Micah Weinberg, president of the Bay Area Council’s Economic Institute. “Millennials are putting off family formation, but when they have a family, they want what their parents had: a house on a nice lot pretty close to work.”

City Council changes course on housing fees

by paloaltomattersMarch 28, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / March 28, 2017

Council members spar over best way to fund affordable housing

In an unusual move that reflected Palo Alto’s shifting political dynamics, the City Council reversed on Monday night its December decision to significantly raise the fees that office developers must contribute to support affordable housing.

Complaint prompts state probe of Tanaka’s campaign

by paloaltomattersMarch 17, 2017December 19, 2017Leave a comment

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / March 17, 2017

Fair Political Practices Commission launches investigation into whether Palo Alto council member inaccurately reported contributions

The agency that oversees California’s campaign-finance laws has launched an investigation into the campaign finances of Palo Alto City Councilman Greg Tanaka, who reported an influx of cash from developers after winning the election last November and who accepted and later returned $5,000 from a property owner whose project he was set to review.