Upfront
Growth (continued from page 8)
units. A major goal would be to protect single-family neighborhoods and adopt policies “to encourage the preservation of neighborhood-serving retail and services where they currently exist throughout the city.” A third scenario also calls for “slow growth,” though it would adjust land-use designations to encourage housing near transit centers, primarily in downtown and along certain sections of El Camino Real. This could mean increasing the height limit for new downtown buildings from 50 feet to 55 or 60 feet as long as additional height is used for residential units, according to the draft plan. Downtown’s surface parking lots could be redeveloped and the site at 27 University Ave., near the downtown Caltrain station, would be devel-
Council race (continued from page 8)
concerns with Filseth and DuBois about development impacts, the three candidates are not running as a slate. “We are supporting each other in terms of being bound by our common values and goals, mostly around development transparency,” she said. Also declaring his candidacy this week was Wayne Douglass, a Ventura resident who told the Weekly that his main concern is the city’s policies toward the homeless. Douglass said he had opposed the council’s ban on vehicle habitation, an ordinance that is now in legal limbo after the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected a similar law in Los Angeles. Douglass, a retired technical writer, said he would like to provide a “different point of view” from the crowd of residentialist candidates who will be on the November ballot. “I think a lot of people think the issue of homelessness is over in Palo Alto, but it’s only going to come back because the City Council will have to make a decision about what to do about the current law,” Douglass said. While Douglass decided this week to jump into the council race, Claude Ezran opted to drop out. Ezran, a former member of the city’s Human Relations Commission, wrote that with three incumbents running and three candidates linked by their opposition to Measure D (a group that in addition to DuBois and Filseth also includes Barron Park neighborhood organizer Lydia Kou), winning a seat would be “a close-to-impossible task for an independent candidate like myself.” Holman is one of three incumbents, along with Mayor Nancy
oped to include some housing. California Avenue would retain its “eclectic” feel, though the city would try to add housing to the sprawling Fry’s site and discourage “formula retail and restaurant uses” in favor of independently owned establishments. The fourth and most radical scenario would be the “NetZero” concept, which would include the most job and residential growth of the various alternatives. This growth, however, would have to satisfy “netzero” performance standards such as “net zero energy for new non-residential construction, net zero greenhouse gas emissions, net zero new automobile trips or vehicle miles traveled, net zero potable water use, and/or no new natural gas hookups,” according to the draft report. Under this scenario, the plan notes, Palo Alto would “lead the State and the country in pioneering ‘net zero’ concepts,” with
some policies applying citywide and others focusing on specific areas. The four scenarios have already been vetted by the Planning and Transportation Commission, which offered on July 9 an array of opinions about what should be included in the environmental study. Several commissioners, including Michael Alcheck, Eric Rosenblum and Chair Mark Michael, made a pitch for more aggressive growth policies, including a relaxing of the city’s height limit. Others, including Vice Chair Arthur Keller and Carl King, were more cautious and advocated protecting the city from the impacts on new developments. At the July 9 meeting, Rosenblum suggested that the city can accommodate more growth, noting that “no growth” or “slow growth” scenarios make it virtually impossible for young people to move to Palo Alto. This makes
Shepherd and Councilman Greg Scharff, who will seek a second term. Councilman Larry Klein will be termed out, and Councilwoman Gail Price said she will not be seeking re-election. Other non-incumbents who have pulled candidacy papers and plan to vie for the five contested
seats are retired Gunn High teacher John Fredrich, panhandler Victor Frost, retired engineer Seelam Reddy, concert producer Mark Weiss and downtown resident Richard Wendorf. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.
it more difficult to support local retailers, he said. “We’re getting older and wealthier, and a lot of people can’t afford to live here anymore,” Rosenblum said. Michael also made a pitch for accommodating, rather than resisting, change. “I may be a residentialist, but I sincerely disagree with the implications of the militant anti-growth rhetoric,” Michael said. He added that he believes it’s a mistake for the city to “not touch” single-family neighborhoods during its discussion of zoning poli-
cies. Others commissioners, including King and Greg Tanaka, reiterated their support for preserving the residential neighborhoods. Several residents made a similar plea in recent letters to the City Council. Richard Placone, a resident of Chimalus Drive, asked the city not to change R-1 zoning in the city. “This is rapidly becoming the last refuge of those of us residents who seek a little peace and quiet in our lives,” Placone wrote. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.
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WWW.MUSICATMENLO.ORG • 650-331-0202 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 1, 2014 • Page 15