Palo Alto’s City Council has signed off on one of the taller housing projects along El Camino Real, voting 6-0 yesterday to approve a seven-story, 321-unit apartment building at 3606 El Camino Real. The roughly 83-foot structure, which will feature a rooftop terrace and replace several existing uses on the block, is being hailed by city leaders as a badly needed housing boost. Neighbors in Barron Park, however, warned that the building’s size will overwhelm nearby side streets and put cyclists at risk, arguing it is out of step with the surrounding neighborhood.
Developer Jeff Smith of Sares Regis Group is using the builder’s remedy to advance the project. Plans call for 163 studios and one-bedroom units and 158 two- and three-bedroom units, for a total of 321 homes, along with 391 parking spaces and a rooftop terrace. The development would replace 38 existing apartments, a smog-check station and a vacant lot. Smith’s proposal includes 37 apartments reserved for households earning less than 80% of Santa Clara County’s median income; the California Department of Housing and Community Development lists that threshold at roughly $3,191 per month for a single person. The council approved the project in a 6-0 vote, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post.
Residents and the Barron Park Association told the council they are bracing for more traffic on Matadero Avenue and Kendall Avenue, which they described as already clogged “safe routes to school.” They said the narrow streets back up during the morning and afternoon rush, with kids on bikes trying to thread through the mess. At certain times of day, it’s complete chaos, and bikes are innovating in all sorts of ways, wrong lane, in the gutters, resident Dan Adams said. Teacher Kerri Jung called the complex “vastly out of scale with the street it’s being built on.” The Planning and Transportation Commission had also opposed the project, even as Councilwoman Julie Lythcott-Haims publicly thanked the developer. “Tonight feels like such a triumph for all of us,” she said, per the Palo Alto Daily Post.
Builder’s remedy and state law
The builder’s remedy is a state legal pathway that allows developers to propose higher-density housing in cities that lack a state-compliant housing element. It has become a flashpoint in California housing policy, with lawmakers proposing clarifying bills and courts weighing disputes over how far the tool can go, as explained by SFGATE.
Traffic and what’s next
Planning Director Jonathan Lait told the council that the developer will complete a traffic analysis and then work with the city to identify safety improvements for nearby streets. With construction still years away, the immediate question is whether any promised fixes will be enough to calm Matadero and Kendall, or whether opponents will demand stronger, enforceable traffic and bike-safety measures…