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Mountain View Council won’t insist on new neighborhood school

by paloaltomattersJanuary 18, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

LASD to decide whether to put Bullis charter at San Antonio site

Mountain View Voice – by Kevin Forestieri / January 18, 2018

Despite concerns about traffic and a desire to bring a local neighborhood school to families living in the San Antonio area, a majority of Mountain View City Council members agreed Tuesday night to let the Los Altos School District decide whether to relocate Bullis Charter School to Mountain View.

The council was split on a 5-2 vote, with members Margaret Abe-Koga and Pat Showalter opposed. The council majority said district officials should decide what kind of school would occupy a future campus in the San Antonio area, despite the major financial support from Mountain View to ensure that the densely populated neighborhood gets a local school and acres of park space.

Combo parking structure and theater likely to move up on Menlo Park’s priority list

by paloaltomattersJanuary 18, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Palo Alto Daily Post – by Emily Mibach / January 18, 2018

A parking garage with an entertainment center — such as a movie theater — may be catapulted up the Menlo Park City Council’s to do list.

Polling released to the city on Tuesday revealed that 74% of polled residents would support seeing a three-story “multi-use parking structure” downtown. City Councilman Ray Mueller, has been calling for a structure like this since 2014 and said he was excited to see the poll results.

Meeting set for Tuesday on Stanford expansion

by paloaltomattersJanuary 18, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Public comment period winding down for university’s large-scale expansion plan

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / January 18, 2018

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian will host a public meeting on Tuesday regarding Stanford University’s 2018 General Use Permit (GUP) application. As the public comment period is ending Feb. 2, the meeting will be one of the last opportunities for residents to make verbal public comments regarding the GUP.

If the permit is approved, the permit will allow Stanford University to build up to 2.275 million square feet in academic space, 3,150 housing units and 40,000 square feet of child care space and other supporting facilities between 2018 and 2035.

Palo Alto prepares for massive downtown ‘upgrade’

by paloaltomattersJanuary 18, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

City’s plan to replace utility and water mains, add street improvements to launch this spring

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / January 18, 2018

The streets of downtown Palo Alto will transform into a hive of construction activity this spring, when the city launches an ambitious, yearslong plan to replace utility pipes, upgrade traffic equipment, widen sidewalks and expand its fiber-optics network.

The construction frenzy is set to launch in April and May and crawl block-by-block along University Avenue and surrounding streets, where roads will be torn up to accommodate new pipes, cables and equipment relating to traffic signals and utilities.

Should there be any limit on Stanford’s growth? How dense should campus become?

by paloaltomattersJanuary 17, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Palo Alto Daily Post – by Allison Levitsky / January 17, 2018

As Stanford seeks Santa Clara County leaders’ approval to build nearly 2.3 million square feet of new academic facilities, one question lingers. How much should the university be allowed to build on its campus? How high? How dense? How wide?

Because Stanford occupies an unincorporated part of the county, the Board of Supervisors signs off on all major expansions.

But the land isn’t subject to zoning limitations on density per parcel, so the county has been approving the university’s growth in increments. The county issued Stanford’s last General Use Permit, or GUP, in 2000, allowing for more than 2 million square feet of academic facilities and 3,018 housing units.

Board members supportive of term limits, but some wary of cost

by paloaltomattersJanuary 17, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Change would cost $70K, plus $30K in legal fees

Palo Alto Weekly – by Elena Kadvany / January 17, 2018

A proposal to impose a two-term limit on Palo Alto school board members received near unanimous support on Tuesday — save from the sitting member who is currently serving her third term.

New accessory-dwelling units law brings hope, confusion

by paloaltomattersJanuary 15, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

City’s 2017 ordinance sparks big questions about little dwellings

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / January 15, 2018

The city has seen some modest successes with the new law since its passage in April. Traditionally, the city has seen only about four accessory-dwelling units constructed per year, according to staff. Last year, planners had issued permits for nine new ADUs. Another 14 applications are currently under review, according to a report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment.

But as the commission learned on Wednesday, the new law is also riddled with kinks and ambiguities, which at times lead to confusion and unintended consequences.

New mayor signals heavy push on housing

by paloaltomattersJanuary 12, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Liz Kniss proposes new housing committee, senior-housing complex

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / January 12, 2018

In a rare departure during an annual meeting typically devoted to pomp and plaudits, Kniss proposed on Monday establishing a special council committee to focus exclusively on housing. She also called out housing for seniors as a particularly urgent need and pointed to long waiting lists at all of the city’s senior-housing complexes. A new development for this population, she said, is a “serious project we can do this year.”

City finds new way to dig basements

by paloaltomattersJanuary 12, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Palo Alto sees uptick in cutoff walls to curb groundwater pumping

Palo Alto Weekly – by Gennady Sheyner / January 12, 2018

On a single block of Webster Street in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, a tale of two basements is unfolding — one that illustrates the city’s evolving debate over groundwater.

The use of cutoff walls in Palo Alto can be attributed in large part to a citizens group called Save Palo Alto’s Groundwater, formed in 2015 to protest the growing number of dewatering projects and to promote new restrictions. Their advocacy prompted the city to gradually add requirements for projects that require groundwater pumping.

Kniss new mayor, Filseth vice mayor in an event that had controversy and cake

by paloaltomattersJanuary 9, 2018February 1, 2018Leave a comment

Palo Alto Daily Post – by Allison Levitsky / January 9, 2018

Palo Alto’s mayoral and vice mayoral election — normally a straightforward coronation ceremony — was accented with controversy last night after Councilman Tom DuBois raised concerns about the active state investigation into Mayor Liz Kniss’ alleged nondisclosure of campaign donations during the 2016 election.

“On completion of the investigation, if violations were found, we as a body should reconsider tonight’s vote,” DuBois said. “In the absence of a ruling, I am willing to give Liz the benefit of the doubt. I will support her for mayor tonight.”

“While supporters of a candidate often suggest that fair practices complaints arise from mere sour grapes, these rules are fundamental to ensuring a fair process for all,” DuBois said.

Despite DuBois’ comments, Kniss was elected unanimously, as was Vice Mayor Eric Filseth.