BY DANIEL SCHRAGER
Daily Post Staff Writer
A six-story mixed-use apartment building in downtown Palo Alto can move forward following years of delays, after council voted 4-1 tonight (Nov. 10) to approve the project.
The building will have 70 apartments, 20% of which will be designated as affordable units, and nearly 2,000 square feet of office space. It will be located at 660 University Ave., which is between Byron Street and Middlefield Road, replacing a pair of medical offices.
Councilman George Lu voted no, preferring an option that didn’t require the developer to come up with a way to monitor any impacts of parking spillover from the new apartments on the neighborhood. Mayor Ed Lauing said he agreed with Lu, but wants to see the project move forward without any further delays.
Council members Greer Stone and Vicki Veenker were absent, leaving Lauing and council members Julie Lythcott-Haims, Keith Reckdahl and Pat Burt to approve the project.
The building will be 70 feet tall, exceeding the limit of 30 feet under the current zoning ordinance, and hold six times as many apartments per acre as is currently allowed. Developer Boyd Smith of Smith Development first applied for approval in 2021, but the plans were sent back several times for revisions after getting pushback from neighbors of the project who were concerned about an old oak tree being killed by the development, traffic and the worry that people could drop beer bottles from balconies and hurt someone walking along University.
. In 2024, the company filed for a “builder’s remedy,” approval under a recent state law that lets developers get out of local zoning ordinances for housing projects with at least 20% of the apartments designated as affordable units.
The city opted to work with the developer to change the zoning ordinance and move forward with the project.
Public commenters expressed concern that the project would worsen traffic along Byron Street and potentially kill an old oak tree on the property.
The University Ave Middlefield crossroads and Middlefield from University to Willow already bumper to bumper during rush hour ….residents of that mega urban building will have long waits to even get out of their garage
A lot of bay area traffic congestion is people driving super-commutes from home to jobs and back. So building new Palo Alto homes near Palo Alto jobs is a good way to reduce traffic congestion.
Great news! 660 University Avenue is a great place for 70 new homes, including 15 affordable. I live nearby and look forward to meeting my new neighbors.
” the worry that people could drop beer bottles from balconies” That’s an oddly specific worry 🙂
>>>>residents of that mega urban building will have long waits to even get out of their garage
Which is exactly what Middlefield residents have been dealing with for years as traffic keeps growing, as drivers keep getting more frustrated by the bollards that prevent them from bypassing turning traffic, as the lane reductions prevent drivers from getting into their turn lanes so backups keep growing, as more drivers keep getting backed up INTO major intersections like Oregon and Embarcadero, as speeds increase and as drivers now consistently ignore those who’ve managed to back into the parking lane and won’t let them merge into traffic ….