Palo Alto, a Silicon Valley city with a history of exclusionary zoning tactics, has produced a new Housing Element that calls for more than 6,000 housing units to be built in the city by 2031.
The city of Palo Alto, California will rely on accessory dwelling units, transit oriented development, and zones previously dedicated to industrial uses in a plan to add 6,000 additional housing units by 2031.
The Silicon Valley’s Housing Element will now be subject to review by state housing authorities as part of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process that has tripped up numerous municipalities around the state this year. Palo Alto’s Housing Element is one of a wave of similar plans expected around the Bay Area in the coming days and weeks. Southern California cities didn’t do so well with the process, as documented by Planetizen in October, exposing themselves to the new, so-called “Builder’s Remedy,” which forces local governments to forfeit land use control when Housing Elements fail to meet state standards for new housing.
Palo Alto has previously been one of the prime examples of cities in the state of California committed to preventing new density despite proximity to employment centers, making news earlier in 2022 for a strategy to sidestep a recently approved state law, SB 9, by declaring a large swath of the city as a new historic district. The political equation in the city has changed recently, however.
“Getting the state to approve the Housing Element will be a key priority in the coming months for the City Council, which will see three seats turn over to new members. All council candidates and sitting members have named housing as a top priority item, though there is some disagreement over how aggressively the city should strive to meet the state goals,” reports Gennady Sheyner for Palo Alto Online.
According to the article, the proposed Housing Element calls for a regionally mandated 6,038 new homes, in addition to “strategies for preserving existing housing, streamlining the development approval process and promoting affordable housing.” The “most aggressive” of the changes proposed by the Palo Alto’s Housing Element would rezone industrial and commercial areas around San Antonio Road and Fabian Way for residential use.
FULL STORY: Palo Alto releases plan to add more than 6,000 dwellings
Orange County Project Could Go Forward Under ‘Builder’s Remedy’
The nation’s largest home builder could receive approval for a 530-unit development under an obscure state law as the city of La Habra’s zoning laws hang in limbo after the state rejected its proposed housing plan.
San Francisco Plans for 82,000 New Housing Units
California housing regulators have granted preliminary approval for the city of San Francisco’s housing element as mandated by the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation process.
Redondo Beach’s Housing Element Failed. Now a Developer Is Planning 2,300 Residential Units.
Anti-housing development planning now has consequences in California.
The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.
America’s Best New Bike Lanes
PeopleForBikes highlights some of the most exciting new bike infrastructure projects completed in 2022.
Early Sharrow Booster: ‘I Was Wrong’
The lane marking was meant to raise awareness and instill shared respect among drivers and cyclists. But their inefficiency has led supporters to denounce sharrows, pushing instead for more robust bike infrastructure that truly protects riders.
L.A. County Towns Clash Over Homelessness Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective borders, but varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.
A Mixed-Use Vision for Houston Landfill Site
A local nonprofit is urging the city to consider adding mixed-use development to the site, which city officials plan to turn into a stormwater detention facility.
Milwaukee County Makes Substantial Progress on Homelessness
In 2022, the county’s point-in-time count of unhoused people reflected just 18 individuals, the lowest in the country.
Town of Palm Beach
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Fitchburg, WI
City of Culver City
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
