Cover Story
Meadow Wing & Focused Care
File photo/Veronica Weber
a tradition of caring PALO ALTO COMMONS offers a comprehensive program for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in our Meadow Wing. Here, residents enjoy daily
A man walks past Echelon, a residential complex on East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto, in December 2009. The number of households in Palo Alto grew from 25,216 in 2000 to 28,216 in 2010 — an increase of 3,000. Many units, such as Echelon, were constructed in south Palo Alto.
walks on beautiful garden paths and a full program of activities to engage mind, body and spirit.
Census (continued from previous page)
For residents in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, our Focused Care Program provides for all of the resident’s unique needs. Here, families are assured that their loved one will get the best care in the most appropriate environment now and in the future as needs may change.
Call today... 650-494-0760
4075 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-494-0760 www.paloaltocommons.com
24 Hour On-site Licensed Nurse Services
License #435200706
talking about active involvement in neighborhood associations, serving on the board of nonprofit organizations, taking on business leadership in the Chamber of Commerce and having a greater representation on boards and commissions. “I think it behooves us as a city to really have an open dialogue about the changing demographics of our community and how we can make sure that everyone is made welcome in our community.” Both trends have been particularly visible in south Palo Alto, where several large housing developments opened their doors over the past decade. In the census tract that includes Palo Verde and the area around East Meadow Circle, the overall population went up by 17.5 percent (787 people) over the past decade. That area accommodated four new developments: Altaire, BRIDGE Housing, Vantage and Echelon. At the same time, the proportion of white residents in this tract fell from two-thirds in 2000 to half in 2010 while the Asian population nearly doubled, going from 1,069 to 2,045.
Over the past decade, Palo Alto has become more populous, adding nearly 6,000 residents citywide but particularly impacting the south. When you shop locally, good things happen to make our community stronger:
t Sales tax dollars, which fund schools and local services, stay in the community.
t You help to sustain the unique and diverse businesses that make our shopping areas vibrant.
t You show how much you value the expertise of these businesses and the quality service they offer their customers.
t You reduce your carbon footprint by not driving outside the area to shop.
t And when you shop at locally owned businesses, you also support our friends and neighbors who are running these businesses, donating to community events and causes, and hiring our kids.
For more information call 650.223.6509
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A nearby tract that includes Ventura and Charleston Meadows neighborhoods experienced a similar shift. The long and narrow tract, which is bounded by El Camino Real and Alma Street and which stretches from Oregon Expressway to Adobe Creek, saw its Asian population spike by 92 percent, from 928 to 1,785, while the overall population grew by 13.5 percent. The area, much like the neighborhood around East Meadow, has been a magnet for new housing and
Palo Alto’s housing shifts since 2000 Census tract
Homes in 2000
Homes in 2010
5093.02*
1,093
1,250
5094.01
1,622
1,704
5106
2,405
2,467
5107
1,832
2,098
5108.01
1,706
2,223
888
726
5108.03
1,070
1,063
5109
2,087
2,101
5110
2,418
2,489
5111
1,964
1,962
5112
1,869
1,866
5113***
4,380
4,434
5114
1,483
1,456
5115
3,107
3,179
5117.01****
1,443
1,522
5108.02**
* includes portions of Mountain View ** boundary appears to have been redrawn in 2 010 *** combined numbers from 2010, when the tract was split in two **** includes portions of Los Altos
the new anxieties that accompany this housing. Recent projects include 181-home Arbor Real development, which went up on the site of the former Hyatt Rickey’s hotel, unleashing a wave of criticism from area residents and land-use watchdogs about emerging parking and traffic woes. The demographic changes in south Palo Alto could, in some ways, be epitomized by an October 2008 public hearing on a then-proposed (now approved) development for low-income residents on West Charleston Road. At that hearing, Arbor Real resident Jenny Zhang brought in a petition signed by 75 neighbors who expressed concern about the new project’s potential traffic impacts. “We really have to consider our children’s safety,” Zhang said at the public hearing — the same concern other area residents shared several years prior, when Arbor Real was receiving its own approval. (continued on page 28)