Four major construction projects in East Palo Alto could transform the cityscape in the next couple of years, with two of them pushing skyward in the mode of nearby cities Mountain View and Redwood City.
Towers reaching eight stories tall have been proposed as office buildings, which would add thousands of high-tech workers — and traffic — to the city. In addition, a primary school for 500 or more students and a youth performance and arts center are planned that would offer amenities for residents.
The projects, proposed last year but none of them yet approved, could mark a significant transition for the 34-year-old city, a reality that was not lost on City Council members during an April 4 meeting.
"We as a city council ... have a major stake in understanding the impacts of that project," Councilman Carlos Romero said of the largest proposal, which would build 1.4 million square feet of offices and bring as many as 6,000 jobs.
In January, the council approved hiring a planning firm for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the four projects. On April 4, the council unanimously voted to approve a contract for engineering-plan review services on the projects. On April 18, the council discussed hiring a community development director to manage the four projects and directed the city manager to return with a recommendation.
While the city is proceeding with planning reviews, it is still operating under a June 2016 building moratorium, which it instituted after the city ran out of water. Only one of the four projects, the youth arts center, has vested water rights and could potentially proceed. A fifth development, 120 units of affordable housing at 965 Weeks St. on city-owned land, is also on hold because of the water shortage.
City officials are hopeful that they can successfully bargain with the cities of Mountain View and Palo Alto for some of their unused shares of Hetch Hetchy water through the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. East Palo Alto also has two other groundwater sources it is hoping to tap into, though neither source is considered reliable.
Here's a look at the projects that could usher in real change to East Palo Alto, not only to its skyline but also its evolution into a business hub, bringing with it greater traffic and increased housing demands.
(Take a closer look at the four planned projects with this map.)
Sobrato Phase II (University Plaza)
In recent years, development in East Palo Alto has focused on the south side of University Avenue and east of U.S. Highway 101: The Ravenswood 101 retail shopping center and Ikea replaced the closed Ravenswood High School and apartment complexes.
Most recently, two four-story office buildings at 2100 University Ave. were completed on the southwest corner of University and an agreement signed with Amazon to lease the 200,000 square feet, which could add 1,300 high-tech employees. Amazon and developer The Sobrato Organization will fund a jobs center for residents in and agreement that allows the company to avoid the city's 30-percent local hiring ordinance.
Now, The Sobrato Organization is looking to build on the north side of University Avenue and East Bayshore Road: A 233,840-square-foot, eight-story office structure and a 279,995-square foot, five-story garage have been proposed on 2.46 acres. The brick-industrial design would match the Amazon building, and the offices are expected to generate 650 new jobs, according to city documents.
The project would replace a vacant lot, the former Drew Medical Center and adjacent buildings. It would wrap around the back of the Chevron gas station (the only parcel that owners would not sell to developers) and would abut the Ravenswood Elementary School District property to the north. The office building would overlook a neighborhood of single-story residences, the YMCA and senior center and the Bell Street Park.
2020 Bay Road
The other three developments are located closer to the San Francisco Bay. One of them, 2020 Bay Road, represents more development than the city has ever seen completed since its inception in 1983, according to an April 18 city staff report.
Proposed by a group of investors listed as Three Cities Research, Inc., according to the project data index, the development would add 1.4 million square feet of office space in five, eight-story office towers and a nine-story parking structure to a site better known for its hazardous materials. The parking structure includes two levels of underground parking and a 2.1-acre rooftop garden that could include a basketball or bocce ball court, according to the developer's application. The development would also include ground-floor retail and a plaza.
The 2.58-acre site is situated on the former Romic chemical plant location in an area between Bay Road, Tara Street and the Bay Trail. The area has been under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency oversight, which has been accelerating a remediation program there.
The proposed business park would add an estimate 4,500 to 5,600 jobs in technology, biotechnology, research and development and health care, according to the developer's proposal.
The project would have to resolve multiple issues, including receiving a zoning variance. As proposed, it would exceed the 1.2 million square feet of office space identified in the city's Ravenswood/Four Corners Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan, an area that East Palo Alto has designated as its business hub.
The site could also face some building limitations due to its proximity to the bay and hazardous materials that are still in areas underground.
A traffic study is in the works; the draft Environmental Impact Report is expected in December.
The Primary School
A new, private pre- and primary school funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, is planned on a 3.5-acre campus located at 1500 Weeks St. between Weeks and Runnymede streets. The school would offer free tuition to 511 East Palo Alto and Belle Haven (Menlo Park) students and health services and other services.
The main, three-level, 79,660-square-foot building would include classrooms, health services, administration and community programs. A 10,800-square-foot gymnasium and exterior recreation center would be accessible to the community. The project would include more than 42,000 square feet of play yards and recreation areas. The project would have 82 parking spaces, including 56 for the gym. The school has a signed water-reimbursement agreement with the city and is looking for an independent water service, according to documents filed with the planning department.
Because it is located near 1990 Bay Road, a designated State Water Resources Control Board contaminated cleanup site (formerly Rhone-Poulenc and contaminated with arsenic, herbicides and pesticides), and is part of the South of Weeks Street Subarea of the Bay Road site, the school parcel is subject to environmental review.
East Palo Alto Youth Arts and Music Center
Conceived in 2010 by East Palo Alto Youth Arts and Music Center LLC., a 25,000-square-foot theater and performing arts center for youth at 1950 Bay Road at Pulgas Avenue would bring educational and entertainment programs to East Palo Alto in two buildings.
The 35-foot-tall main building would have a community café, studios for visual arts and classrooms and a performance theater; a second structure, a 35-foot-tall single-story theater, would also have an adjacent exterior amphitheater. The site would have a 62-space parking lot, courtyards and walkways.
The site is the only one of the four proposed developments with a vested right to water. A previous entitled project for a 50,000-square-foot industrial space was sold to the music and art center. The city has not yet approved a water budget for the site, but staff anticipates the art center's use won't exceed the maximum water demand for the previous project, according to a staff report.
The 3-acre site has soil and underground water contamination from the Rhone-Poulenc facility and will be subject to remediation. The site will require an environmental review.
NOTE: A previous version of this story misstated that The Sobrato Organization is developing the 2020 Bay Road site.
Comments
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Apr 28, 2017 at 10:30 pm
on Apr 28, 2017 at 10:30 pm
Projects that could potentially lift East Palo Alto in becoming a more vibrant, productive, and safer community. These developments and hopefully others like it would undoubtedly benefit its residents and the region as a whole. As the community becomes home to more jobs and overall civic development, it would attract more young professionals and families. How could it not with its close proximity to Palo Alto, Mountain View, Silicon Valley, the Mid-Peninsula, and San Francisco. The bay front locale is just icing on the cake. What follows would be better schools, engaged, safer neighborhoods, and a major improvement in the overall quality of life. Homeowners would also benefit from the anticipated increase in property values. I fully applaud these continued efforts to finally bring about the positive change this community deserves.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Apr 28, 2017 at 11:12 pm
on Apr 28, 2017 at 11:12 pm
Will this appease all those who were protesting at Amazon saying jobs for EPA? Will they be happy with all these new construction jobs and various support jobs for these new buildings?
Or will they protest these buildings and ask for jobs for EPA?
East Palo Alto
on Apr 29, 2017 at 9:50 am
on Apr 29, 2017 at 9:50 am
I appreciate the benefits of economic development of the area, but Sobrato's 'Amazon' 'brick-industrial' building and parking garage is a huge eyesore, and shoved right up against the road, too. Is it too much to ask for development that has at least some curb appeal? And by the way, the 'job center' is shunted off into the garage. Something about security concerns, as if EPA residents might loot the main building if they're allowed in. So, I'm a realist, this is how it's going to be, but let's not whitewash Sobrato into some kind of EPA savior. This is development for the benefit of Sobrato and Sobrato alone, and if EPA manages to scrape something beneficial out of it, than we'll count ourselves lucky.
As far as young professionals coming into the area, I don't think it will have much an impact on schools. Non-white professionals use the Tinsley program to send their children to PA schools. And if that fails, choose charters, or private, or move out altogether. It's going to be a long time before the public schools are up to a standard that most professionals consider acceptable. And it's not that the schools themselves are bad, but when you have a predominantly low-income, English language learning population, it's hard to achieve those treasured test scores and have the extracurriculars funded by parents in other districts.
East Palo Alto
on Apr 29, 2017 at 9:58 am
on Apr 29, 2017 at 9:58 am
These projects will add 6000 jobs but only 120 homes? What is wrong with that equation? How many current city residents will be re-accommodated out of town due to gentrification?
Midtown
on Apr 29, 2017 at 12:48 pm
on Apr 29, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Will there be a corresponding increase in infrastructure to accommodate those 6,000 jobs and the 1,500 ancillary jobs they create? Or will we just end up with another 7,500 vehicles in the daily mix? Given that they're only building 120 homes it's obvious they're ignoring the infrastructure and traffic issues.
East Palo Alto
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:41 am
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:41 am
Seems obvious to me that 6000 new jobs - 120 new homes = 5880 current EPA residents will need to move. These new 5880 residents will be richer and I guess that's the only metric of value we care about in Silicon Valley.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Apr 30, 2017 at 9:05 am
on Apr 30, 2017 at 9:05 am
Sounds like another 5000 cars per day on Highway 101 and/or Dumbarton Bridge. Basically no new housing, so prices will keep climbing.
another community
on Apr 30, 2017 at 11:16 am
on Apr 30, 2017 at 11:16 am
East Palo Alto certain deserves to benefit from the economic explosion in the region. However, whether in East Palo Alto, Palo Alto or the elsewhere, it is important to understand that new high tech jobs have a very strong job multiplier effect, Web Link Some of the multiplier jobs pay as well as the high tech jobs, but most are for lower income workers. That is good news for providing more local opportunities for some EPA longtime residents, but the net impact of proposals like this one is likely that modest income residents will experience more negative impacts than positive ones.
While it is tempting for cities to try to capture every available high paying tech job, policy makers and local residents need to recognize that the interests of tech companies, developers and tech workers are not necessarily well aligned with the interests of their residents and their communities in the long run. Local officials need to think about what pace of local tech job growth will support a balanced, sustainable local economy and society.
East Palo Alto
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:10 pm
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Towers reaching eight stories tall have been proposed as office buildings, which would add thousands of high-tech workers — and traffic — to the city. Yes and no jobs for E.Palo Alto residents . Just like Amazon no jobs for residents..but alot of traffic and driving through residential neighborhood to get to or from Dumbarton and a good amount of car fumes , red light runners, blocking intersections ,endangering our children walking to and from school, emergency vehicles well get through the best way you can, so its a delayed response to an emergency .Bemused and traffic I agree with you both 100%..hiring a planning firm for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review..give me a break because it probably will go as no impact on city,traffic or fumes..(CEOA)No projects which would cause significant environmental effects should be approved as proposed if there are feasible alternatives or mitigation measures that would lessen those effects.Why was it not approved for a overpass to be over the bay-lands to Dumbarton that would reduce traffic and fumes for E.P.A and Menlo Park ? not disturbing the natural habitat? I love the baylands but an over pass would have not disturb the baylands, Because a city objected to it..It's like disturb E.P.A give them the car fumes the traffic, b but not the bayland keep the fumes, traffic, red light runners, intersection blockers , endanger their children..but not the ducks..This is like 45 getting paid for $$$$$$
Charleston Meadows
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:36 pm
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:36 pm
I am so happy for EPA - this is a great boost for schools and the city in general. I have had the opportunity to be on Bay Road to sell my old car back to the state so am now familiar with the layout in general. And please build those high buildings. I am laughing because those buildings will retrace the airline paths for the PAO hopefully out over the bay.
Growth in this area will help justify fixing the railroad bridge so that trains can come over the bay. That is a big leap but an important link to the east bay which needs development to justify the cost. That would be so perfect if we could get a train over the bay to hook up with Redwood City Caltrain station.
I have a friend who bought a house in EPA to fix up and live in and is renting out the bigger home in the Belmont Hills so everyone is cueing in on this as a good deal. Congratulations
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:37 pm
on Apr 30, 2017 at 6:37 pm
Over time the landscape and demographics of East Palo Alto will undoubtedly evolve. These progressive steps are precisely what it will take to being the transformation from a legacy of poverty, crime, and dis-function. The demand for new housing developments and infrastructure will predictably follow. Progress and gentrification comes with a price. The end result will certainly provide the city and surrounding region with the greater good.
Fairmeadow
on May 1, 2017 at 4:31 pm
on May 1, 2017 at 4:31 pm
I have been waiting for decades for this progress to take place. The residents and powers to be of EPA since the fifties have destroyed that city and now the process of supply and demand has finally caught up with that area. I hope this is just the start to truly make this an area in which all people can live and prosper without the fear that they have to make their homes into fortresses with iron bars on all windows and doorways. Maybe even a high school, grocery store, and bank! Finally the time has come, and the faster the better.
Downtown North
on May 1, 2017 at 4:56 pm
on May 1, 2017 at 4:56 pm
This is totally lose, lose, lose! First - low income people are already being driven out by more building and gentrification. This will speed up the process. Second - This area already has too many people. Massive overpopulation is destroying the bay area and the world. We need to stop all expansion and work on population control and quality of life for those who are here now. Third - EPA will be under water in less than 50 years. Not a great place to build more stuff. Unless you are a developer who plans to have the taxpayers pay to build a wall around your massive building to keep it from floating away.
another community
on May 1, 2017 at 5:06 pm
on May 1, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Thousands of jobs and no housing in connection? Haven't we figured this out by now? These commercial sites are HUGE - require housing next to the jobs. Please!
East Palo Alto
on May 2, 2017 at 8:29 am
on May 2, 2017 at 8:29 am
What about parks? Park-in-leiu funds over the years have not resulted in hardly any improvements to the parks.20 years ago, a study was done showing EPA is way deficient on park space compared to the population. Nothing has changed.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 2, 2017 at 7:16 pm
on May 2, 2017 at 7:16 pm
The jumpstart to gentrification has begun. Add a half dozen high rise offices to create an instant housing imbalance. Sprinkle a few Starbucks, Equinox gyms and Trader Joes stores around town.
Then watch the rents skyrocket while the disadvantaged get pushed into the swampland. With a little luck, an art district will spring up and then even the dual income no kids (DINKs) crowd won't be able to get in either.
They will have to settle for farmers markets and art & wine festivals while the jet set fly back and forth between Manhattan, Santa Monica and the newly desirable EPA - Elite Palo Alto
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 2, 2017 at 10:56 pm
on May 2, 2017 at 10:56 pm
And to the comment above, all a much better alternative to the crime, poverty, and dis-function that has existed in that community for decades. Time for a truly positive change.
Registered user
East Palo Alto
on May 3, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Registered user
on May 3, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Very welcome news to see business development begin to take off in EPA. Would be awesome if regional transit authorities looked at extending BART to EPA via the currently unused rail bridge which crosses the Bay.
East Palo Alto
on May 26, 2017 at 12:19 pm
on May 26, 2017 at 12:19 pm
I really hope we start building welcoming spaces that include the community with mixed use (and even housing) with the office buildings. The University Square and 4 Seasons complex are big, closed boxes. Office above retail - and including housing. We should never expect less now!