Home & Real Estate
Monroe Park (continued from page 49)
He recalled an event that, in his mind, typifies the character of the neighborhood — the day his children teamed up with kids next door to sell lemonade by the road, stopping bikers, drivers and pedestrians alike, who indulged their entrepreneurial urges. “It’s a kind of old Americana. It’s been very nice for me,� he said. Considering the proximity of Monroe Park to the hectic climate of El Camino Real, that kind of fullbodied neighborhood milieu comes as a pleasant surprise to outsiders. But residents who live nearest to El Camino receive frequent reminders of its influence.
Last December, the city council approved a plan to redevelop the corner of El Camino and Monroe Drive, replacing the Palo Alto Bowl and Motel 6 with a Hilton Homewood Suites and 26 units of three-story, condominium-style housing. Residents were concerned with increased traffic and parking overflow, and a series of negotiations ensued. Wickstrom said that while neighbors generally opposed zoning for regional retail, they were more amenable to developing the area for a hotel service. “We acknowledged right up front we live 100 yards from a major commercial artery,� Wickstrom said. “Everybody compromised a little bit.� As it turned out, Palo Alto Bowl
Veronica Weber
Veronica Weber
This home on Cesano Court is one of the newer ones in the Monroe Park neighborhood.
Homes in the Monroe Park neighborhood, such as this one on Miller Court, range from original tract houses — often remodeled — to tear-downs.
and the Thai Garden restaurant got a reprieve, with a new lease signed through 2014. But change is something neighborhood old-timers are all too familiar with. Knud Jensen, who moved to Monroe Park in 1959 with his wife Ellen, remembered when Monroe Park was lined with a few small homes and empty lots. He has watched neighbors come and go, and houses grow into gargantuan, impressive structures. “The whole neighborhood has changed,� he said, adding, “it has improved.� N Editorial Intern Aimee Miles can be e-mailed at amiles@paweekly. com. READ MORE ONLINE For more Home and Real Estate news, visit www.paloaltoonline.com/real_estate.
FACTS CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS (NEARBY): Children’s Corner, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos; Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, 450 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto; Growing Tree Montessori Preschool, 450 W. Charleston Road, Palo Alto FIRE STATION: No. 5, 600 Arastradero Road LIBRARY: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road LOCATION: bounded by Adobe Creek, El Camino Real and Mountain View borders (near Silva Avenue) NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Monroe Park Neighborhood Association, Linnea Wickstrom, president, flrpowr@sbcglobal.net PARKS: Monroe Mini Park, Monroe Drive and Miller Avenue POST OFFICE: Cambridge, 265 Cambridge Ave. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Los Altos School District — Santa Rita School, Egan Junior High School; Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District — Los Altos High School SHOPPING: San Antonio Shopping Center
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