BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
State housing officials have weighed in on a ballot measure to preserve downtown parking lots in Los Altos.
Los Altos City Council would need to consider new places for housing if voters approve Measure D on Nov. 3, according to a letter from state housing official Brian Heaton.
That’s because council listed 10 downtown lots as a place where 124 homes could get built in its 2023-2031 Housing Element, Heaton said.
“If voters adopt the ordinance, the city will be required to amend its Housing Element to analyze the ordinance as a potential governmental constraint on housing development, including, but not limited to, whether the parking plazas are still appropriate to include in the site inventory,” Heaton said in an Aug. 28 letter to Development Services Director Stephanie Williams.
Housing mandate
The Housing Element is a state-mandated plan for where more than 1,958 homes could be developed throughout the city by 2031.
Cities are also required to list programs that make housing easier to build. For example, Los Altos committed to incentivizing downtown lot consolidation.
Heaton said the city could get fined or lose local control if the plan isn’t followed or certified by the state.
Council members have warned that new housing could go in residential neighborhoods if downtown lots are no longer an option.
“In my conversations with residents, there’s very little enthusiasm for that solution,” Vice Mayor Larry Lang said at a meeting on July 24.
Lang said the city will also consider commercial areas like the Lucky supermarket at 2175 Grant Road or Andronico’s Community Markets at 690 Fremont Ave.
Residents want a say
Residents gathered over 2,600 signatures from registered voters in April to qualify Measure D for the November ballot.
Measure D would require council to get voter approval before developing the parking lots, except for two lots set aside for affordable housing. City Council’s plan to put a performing arts center on the parking lots fueled much of the momentum behind the petition drive.
“Residents and business owners are not opposed to thoughtful change. But we’re asking that the public have a meaningful say before public land is permanently altered,” resident Cindy Andrews said in a statement for the campaign.
Measure D is a terrible proposal. It opens the door to Builder’s Remedy (allowing developers to build almost anything anywhere regardless of current zoning requirements) and will lead to costly lawsuits, all paid for by Los Altos taxpayers. Worse, the measure gives its proponents the unlimited ability to file lawsuits and appeals, regardless of the City’s position. Measure D is Deceptive and Dangerous. Vote NO!
My understanding is that Los Altos did a good job of identifying 640 surplus housing units of various income levels in our 8-year 6th cycle certified plan. The result is that the downtown parking plazas are not required for housing beyond 16 units of above-moderate income on either Plaza 7 or 8. This is why the city council has moved forward with non-housing projects on Plazas 1, 2 and 3. Stephanie Reyes at HCD has confirmed that builder’s remedy is not a threat during an amendment. This fight has turned into a debate about housing, but Measure D is really an effort to save our parking plazas, a key ingredient in what makes downtown Los Altos special. All who feel the same way should urge our city council to reconsider their plan to replace the plazas with a parking garage, a theater, and a park.