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The Crossings townhouse development adjacent to the San Antonio Caltrain station in Mountain View was built with access to public transit in mind. (continued from previous page)
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cause it’s close to the Caltrain station. Some said they would rely on Caltrain more if express trains stopped there. “I like living in a transit-oriented environment, but the problem with this one is that the Caltrain station isn’t an express stop,” resident Jamie Beckett said. “You can’t even pick up a local train, stop in downtown Palo Alto and take an express because the times don’t match up.”
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‘I think if we are serious about transit-oriented developments, we ought to be able to look at the height limit near stations. It shouldn’t be a sacred cow.’
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If Caltrain cuts its services, concerns like Beckett’s would become more prevalent around California Avenue, and the area will inevitably become less transit-oriented despite the best efforts of city officials. But even with Caltrian’s recent troubles, officials say, transit-oriented development continues to be the city’s best hope for reducing residents’ reliance on cars. Census data indicates that Palo Altans who live near the two Caltrain stations own fewer cars than their counterparts in other parts of the city. The 2000 U. S. Census showed that an average owner-occupied household in Palo Alto owns about 2.03 vehicles, while an average renter-occupied household owns about 1.3. Around Palo Alto’s two main transit areas, the averages drop to just under 1.5 vehicles for homeowner and less than one vehicle from renters. Williams said in an e-mail the main benefit of putting housing near transit is that it allows many of the non-commute trips to be made with much less reliance on the automobile. Though some people would inevitably continue to drive, the per-
centage of transit users will likely increase over time as gas prices rise and congestion increases. The only “sustainable” development scenario, Williams said, is “to focus jobs and housing in areas that are proximate to transit. “Otherwise we can continue ‘business as usual’ — more automobile trips and traffic, increased costs of infrastructure, less walkable and bicycle-friendly areas, increased vehicle miles traveled, dependence on oil,” Williams wrote. “These are choices for the city, the region and higher levels of government to come to grips with to accommodate future growth. Discussion and debate will no doubt follow about how much land should be allotted for commercial versus residential uses and how much funding should be spent on transit, he said.
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his discussion is taking shape during Palo Alto’s ongoing revision to its official land-use bible, the Comprehensive Plan. The broad document, which lays out the city’s vision, goals and policies on housing, transportation and the environment, will soon reflect the city’s renewed emphasis on transitoriented development. In a May 2010 meeting between the City Council and the planning commission — a meeting that focused on the Comprehensive Plan and that could shape the city’ landuse future for at least the next decade — the council declared, through a series of votes, its desire to focus dense developments near the city’s two Caltrain stations, even if these developments would exceed existing zoning regulations. The city’s 50-foot height limit for new buildings — for four decades an ironclad protection for neighborhood preservationists — could soon be breached if the proposed development is next to a Caltrain station, the council decided by a 5-2 vote. Though the council didn’t outright eliminate the restriction, members directed staff to “evaluate” the potential for rising above the 50-foot height limit within a quarter mile of