September 17, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Palo Alto Hills

by Steven Shih

estled in the hills above Highway 280, surrounded by open space preserves, is a neighborhood filled with people seeking their own personal Walden Pond -- or maybe a private hill.

Palo Alto Hills started off as a far-flung rock quarry on the side of the hill with undeveloped lots, a nine-hole golf course, and lots of turkey and deer. These days Alexis Drive, the major road in the neighborhood, is dotted with homes, an 18-hole golf course and lots of turkey and deer.

Surrounded by two open space preserves, Arastradero Open Space Preserve and Foothills Park, this secluded part of Palo Alto has grown at a much slower rate than the rest of the Silicon Valley, meaning the residents of this small community still have to vote by absentee.

But while new development has been at a minimum there has been an influx of new residents and many of them are building new homes, tearing down the 1960s ranch-style houses in favor of a more modern or lavish look.

Martha Schwarz moved to Palo Alto with her husband in 1964, when they paid $17,000 for an empty lot and built their house themselves. Forty years later she still lives in the same house but now her house is worth well over $1 million and she has more neighbors than ever before.

"Both my husband and I had lived outside of cities so we wanted to settle in the country," Schwarz said. "Now it's the neighbors that I really enjoy. But one thing I don't like is people constantly renovating and building their own homes."

Just across from Schwarz's home are two houses that were re-built five years ago and now a third house on the same block will likely be torn down as well.

Joy Allegretti moved to the neighborhood four years ago for the quiet and "sense of open space." But when the late Phil Goldman was building his 13,400-square-foot mansion at the top of the hill Allegretti found her quiet retreat interrupted.

"It gets a little noisy when the construction trucks would roll by on their way up the hill," she said.

But despite any noise inconveniences all the residents agree that they love living here and enjoy a tight-knit community.

"It's a really involved neighborhood, people take the time to get to know you," Allegretti said.

Many here still keep up old traditions like bringing house warming gifts to new residents.

Diane Bottoms remembers when she first moved into the area 22 years ago and her neighbors brought her chocolate cake and fruit preserves.

"It has that flavor of people who aren't nosey, but will be there if you need them," Bottoms said.

The Palo Alto Hills Neighborhood Association, PHNA, has about 90 households now on their e-mail list and every year the residents get together for a dinner at the Palo Alto Hills Country Club.

Besides the country club the only other business in the area is the Page Mill Road Winery leaving many residents without a local grocery store or pharmacy. Other concerns include traffic from club members and fire prevention.

According to the Los Altos Hills Fire Department the last real fire to threaten the area was in 1989.

Residents in the area have also had to deal with the occasional burglary.

Earlier in the spring PHNA president Vicki Dempsey's home was burglarized while they were away and even Schwarz can remember back 15 years ago when her own home was broken into.

Yet despite all the threats from the modern world the residents of Palo Alto Hills seem to have been able to maintain their little Walden Pond because every year the deer and turkey come back.
factsPalo Alto Hills Fire station: Fire Station 8, Foothills Park, 3300 Page Mill Road (during summer); 329-2515 Debby Prior lm 9/14 Library: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road Neighborhood association: Vicki Dempsey, (650) 949-2884, vldempsey@yahoo.com Park: Foothills Park, 3300 Page Mill Road Post office: Cambridge station, 265 Cambridge Ave. Public schools: Nixon Elementary School, Terman Middle School, Gunn High School

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