Upfront
We invite you to experience our
beautiful residential community Take a stroll down our walking paths and lovely landscaped gardens. As you tour our spacious apartments enjoy the view from the balcony or patio. Take advantage of our many amenities and concierge services. We offer independent and assisted living options with six levels of care available.
Palo Alto Commons is a privately owned and managed senior residence in Palo Alto. Here you'll find a warm and vibrant environment with a loyal and committed long-term staff and management. Please call for a personal tour and be our guest for lunch. We look forward to seeing you. 4075 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-494-0760 www.paloaltocommons.com License #435200706
Short term stays are available.
24 Hour On-site Licensed Nurse Services
Varsity
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the office area that would preserve views of the building’s historic features. A group of theater proponents, however, have been lobbying for the building to be reverted to a concert venue. City officials have been open to the possibility of a restored Varsity Theatre and have reached out to various experts in the concert industry, according to a recent report from Thomas Fehrenbach, the city’s economic-development manager. But because the city doesn’t own the building and Keenan’s proposed use of the building conforms to existing zoning, officials have only a limited influence. Keenan, a prominent local developer whose other downtown buildings include the Aquarius Theatre and Miyake Restaurant, said Wednesday that he has not yet lined up any tenants for either the retail or the office component of 456 University Ave. “We don’t know who the next tenant is going to be as we sit here today,” Keenan told the board. “We’re trying to anticipate a dual use.” The goal of Wednesday’s meeting wasn’t to propose a concrete design but to “establish rules” for what would and wouldn’t be acceptable at the prominent site, Hayes said. He and project consultant Bruce Judd, a historic architect, also emphasized
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that the changes on the table could be undone should the space revert to being used as a theater. “The thrust of everything being done as part of this project is to maintain the sense and feeling of what the space is like and to not do damage where you can’t turn the theater in 10 years if you wanted to,” Judd said. Judd quickly added that turning the building into a theater “may be farfetched in today’s economy” but said everything proposed in the plan “can easily be removed.” The building’s future became a hot topic in the community as soon as Borders announced its liquidation in July (the Palo Alto store closed its doors last month). Mark Weiss, a concert promoter who is leading the grassroots effort to bring back the Varsity Theatre, addressed the board Wednesday and accused Keenan of “fast-tracking an adverse agenda.” He urged the board and the council to have a “thorough community-wide discussion” about community values. “What are our values beyond just cash flow?” Weiss asked. Historic Resources Board member David Bower responded to Weiss’ entreaty by advising him to rent the space. “That’s the way we do it here in America — we own property and we rent and buy it,” Bower said. “What our job is is to preserve the building and the architectural features of the building.” City officials have expressed