Strange as it may sound, the city in the heart of U.S. software country had an ordinance that made such companies were illegal, even though such companies are common in the city.
"The council supported including language specifying that software firms are a legal land use in downtown Palo Alto in the city's guiding Comprehensive Plan," Gennady Sheyner, reported on an action by Palo Alto's city council for Palo Alto Weekly.
Three of the city’s nine council members wanted to go further and specify that running such a company out of a single family home would also be permissible, but that was beyond what Mayor Greg Scharff or the rest of the council was willing to support. Councilman Greg Tanaka pointed out that the practice of starting a company in a single-family home is very common in the city.
FULL STORY: In shifting land-use vision, city embraces its tech roots
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