There may be a buyer for the site of the proposed 39-story skyscraper

BY NORAH SHEPPARD-HUTCHINS
Daily Post Staff Writer

There may be a potential buyer of the 80 Willow Road property in Men1o Park where a Russian billionaire wants to build a 39-story skyscraper, Councilman Drew Combs said Wednesday.

Over the last several weeks, Combs and Mayor Betsy Nash have been involved in discussions with the potential buyer, Combs said in an interview with the Post.

“They have presented themselves in their interactions with the city that it’s not an effort that looks to redevelop the property in the near term,” Combs said.

Combs did not say who the potential buyer is, except that they have local connections, but he wouldn’t describe them as a local residents.

Combs described the potential buyer as knowledgeable of the historical significance of the site, and about current property owner Vitaly Yusufov and N17 Development, who wants to build a 39-story building on the property.

The property is the former Sunset Magazine campus, which was deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service in June 2025.

“They have indicated that their intended use of the campus could be accommodated with only minimal interior modifications,” Combs said.

Nash did not respond to the Post in time for publication.

The potential buyer would have to make a proposal to the current property owner, Vitaly Yusufov. Yusufov is a Russian billionaire and son of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former energy minister, Igor Yusufov.

Vitaly Yusufov purchased the property from Deutsche Bank for $72 million in 2018.

This comes a day after council announced they will not be approving the controversial 80 Willow Road skyscraper under a timeline set by the project’s developer and the Attorney General’s office.

Bonta’s letter and a follow up letter from developer Oisin Heneghan asserted the council must approve the project without further review by Oct. 27. Heneghan is threatening to sue the city if it misses the deadline.

The Post reached out to Heneghan, but did not get a response.

Since council said it won’t be approving the project, the city has been flooded with thank-you emails.

“It is refreshing to see a City Council that has the courage to push back against bad laws, bad development proposals, under-informed (hence, bad) decisions by the AG, and the threat of a lawsuit,” Annette Ross said in an email to council.

“Thank you for taking the courageous decision to decline approval of the troubled 80 Willow project, formerly the Sunset Magazine property. Your well-supported action is applauded by those who stand up for what is right and just,” wrote Palo Alto resident Ann Balin.