From 60 Affordable Senior Apartments to 16 $5 Million Homes

A long development saga has finally concluded in the South Bay Area city of Palo Alto, following a common narrative in the development resistant city.

2 minute read

June 28, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"When a nonprofit housing developer won approval several years ago to build 60 apartments for low-income seniors in Palo Alto, neighbors revolted," writes Louis Hansen to introduce a development saga that included a citywide referendum and recently ended in a much different final form. 

"Now, the long-awaited aftermath of that referendum has emerged: the first batch of 16 new single family homes are on sale, starting at around $5 million, each with about 4,000 square feet of space for home gyms, theaters, offices, pergola-covered patios and multi-car garages with electric vehicle charging ports," reports Hansen.

The development, previously known as Barron Park, was killed by the referendum. The new development, known as Orchard Park, also had to be cut in half to make it past city staff and local residents. 

According to the article, this isn't the first time Palo Alto has rejected a proposal for affordable housing units to be developed in the city. "Silicon Valley cities have widely and prodigiously failed to meet state goals for affordable housing," writes Hanson. "Palo Alto is near the bottom of the pack, providing just 6 percent of its target for very low income housing, and 13 percent of its low income housing in the most recent development period."

State legislators have passed laws in recent years designed to prevent local opponents from blocking projects. Previous Planetizen reporting on the legal battles that have tested the legal limits of the new laws can be found in the links below:

Thursday, June 25, 2020 in The Mercury News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine