Housing planned near University Avenue train station Housing planned near University Avenue train station (October 05, 2005)

High-density project to be tucked behind Westin Hotel

by Jocelyn Dong

Concerns about an overabundance of housing planned for Palo Alto may be a hot topic among residents, but it's not stopping developers from proposing more homes.

The latest firm to approach the city -- Sand Hill Property Co. of San Mateo -- is putting forth plans to build 30 condominiums on Wells Avenue.

The .39-acre parcel is located behind the Westin Hotel, next to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and adjacent to the Caltrain parking lot for the University Avenue station. An abandoned warehouse currently sits there.

Surrounded by commercial development, the location might seem an unlikely place to build homes.

But it's exactly the type of project that professional land-use planners predict is the wave of the future: high-density, infill housing located near mass transportation hubs.

As plans stand, the building would be four stories tall, with ground-level parking. It would include 15 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom condos, and a garden patio. One unique feature would be a telecommuting center, according to Jeff Warmoth, the development partner of Sand Hill Property Co.

"It's Starbucks without the coffee --- bring your own coffee," he said of the gathering spot for telecommuting residents. "They don't have to work out of their house. They have a chance to be around other people."

The condos will be "affordable" but not below market rate, Warmoth said.

The project is being designed by Steinberg Architects of San Jose.

The building's proposed height -- 51.5 feet -- is a hurdle the company will have to clear. Palo Alto has a height limit of 50 feet, except when the city grants exceptions.

To get the project approved as planned, the developers would have to apply to be zoned a "planned-community district," according to city documents. One of the city's most controversial zones, the PC would allow greater development flexibility.

The current zoning is "service commercial," which would allow for fewer residential units on the land.

The idea of putting housing on the parcel is not new. The property was listed in the city's most recent housing plan as a site for potential residential development. However, the city projected it could host 12-15 homes, not 30.

The location -- away from residential neighborhoods -- may help the company gain swifter approvals. Some housing developments situated next to residential neighbors have prompted protests over density, potential increases in traffic and other possible negative effects.

Still, other projects located nearby -- but not next to -- neighborhoods have raised residents' concerns anyway, such as a proposed housing and research development on Park Boulevard.

Aware of that climate, Warmoth said that little about the proposal is set in stone. The company hopes to show its preliminary plans to the city's Architectural Review Board in mid-November to get the members' input first.

"We don't go into the project saying what would fit here," said Warmoth, who himself has chaired the Los Altos Planning Commission in the past. Instead, he said, the company's attitude is: " 'Guys, we think this is a great project. What do you think?'"

Sand Hill is a large Bay Area developer whose projects include the Bridgepointe Shopping Center (formerly Fashion Island) in San Mateo, the Rambus headquarters and Courtyard by Marriott along El Camino Real in Los Altos, and the planned Whole Foods store, also in Los Altos.

The Wells Avenue project is unfolding amid a beehive of construction activity in the blocks immediately surrounding it. Directly across the road, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation has set up the frame for its new Clark Building, a three-story, 41,000-square-foot facility that will house health-education services, dermatology, MRI/general radiation services, physical therapy, and sports medicine, according to foundation spokesperson Shannon Rolf.

It is scheduled for completion next August.

A block away, the clinic's new 4.5-level, 260-space parking garage is also underway, which could be ready by next March.

On the other side of the medical campus from Wells Avenue, adjacent to Town and Country Village, the Opportunity Center is taking shape. Underway since May 2004, the five-story building on Encina Avenue will include two drop-in centers for the homeless, plus 89 units of permanent and transitional housing for the very poor.

It's expected to open early next year.

Town and Country itself is planning upgrades to its aging facilities, and could add more buildings in the coming years.

Finally, the Palo Alto Intermodal Transit Center is a long-term project scheduled to overhaul the train station, bus station, underpass and bicycle and pedestrian access at University Avenue and Alma Street.

Senior Staff Writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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