More traffic on the way? More traffic on the way? (July 28, 2004)

High-density housing proposed at old Mayfield Mall site

by Jocelyn Dong and David Hebert

Plans to transform a former Hewlett-Packard Company site at San Antonio Road and Alma Street into hundreds of new homes could bring more cars and congestion to local streets, a Palo Alto neighborhood representative said this week.

"I think traffic's going to be the issue," predicted Penny Ellson, a member of the civic affairs committee of the Greenmeadow Community Association, located across San Antonio Road from the site.

The 27 acres that straddle the Palo Alto and Mountain View border was home to Mayfield Mall for decades before Hewlett Packard moved in. Now, a Pennsylvania residential developer, Toll Brothers, is looking to create upward of 800 homes on the land, or 20 to 30 units per acre.

The Palo Alto neighbors will want to scrutinize where traffic from the new housing would go and where the homes' driveways would be, she said.

Nonetheless, Ellson said, the group will take a wait-and-see approach before critiquing the development.

"We like to wait to get to the point where there's firm information on the table," she said.

The project is unique in that 4.5 of the 27 acres are located in Palo Alto. Palo Alto's director of Planning and Community Environment, Steve Emslie, said that development spanning two jurisdictions is not unheard of -- Stanford University has been involved in a number of such projects. However, it does mean the land developer will have to receive approvals from both cities.

In Palo Alto, the project will be reviewed by the Architectural Review Board, the Planning and Transportation Commission, and the City Council.

A possibility, proposed by Mountain View City Councilman Greg Perry, that Mountain View simply annex the 4.5 acres from Palo Alto is not going to happen, Emslie added.

The Palo Alto acreage is currently zoned as "LM," or limited industrial/research park district, which does allow for housing.

As with any proposed development, a report assessing the project's environmental impact must be prepared. Both Mountain View and Palo Alto city governments will have the opportunity to weigh in on the report. By law, the developer must ensure the project does not have a significant effect on the area, or ask that the impact be allowed.

Unlike the Palo Alto neighbors, residents in Mountain View have already voiced considerable opposition to the proposed project, which could be headed down a rocky path if a recent meeting is any indication.

More than 300 area residents, city officials and other interested parties turned out for a passionate and, at times, chaotic meeting at a Mountain View elementary school two weeks ago.

Most in the crowd, if they favored development at all, wanted it on a similar scale as Monta Loma, which currently has about six homes per acre. Residents made it clear they worried high-density housing would drive down property values, increase area traffic and burden local schools.

Project architect John Ellis, however, rejected the argument that high-density housing would lower housing prices in the area.

"There is no correlation between high- and low-density housing and property value. If it is quality housing, prices will continue to rise," he said.

Near the close of the Mountain View meeting, Monta Loma resident John Canata issued a stern warning to Mountain View city officials and the developers, stating calmly but firmly, "If we're not happy with the outcome, it's not the last they're going to hear from us."

A public meeting in Palo Alto is planned for the later part of August, Emslie said, although the exact date is yet to be determined. Senior staff writer Jocelyn Dong can be e-mailed at jdong@paweekly.com. David Herbert writes for the Voice, the Weekly's sister paper in Mountain View.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.