City Council - April 13, 2026

Council approves 321 rental homes on El Camino Real

The Palo Alto City Council approved a seven-story, 321-unit rental development at 3606 El Camino Real on a 6-0-1 vote, with one council member absent. The action approved the project’s Major Architectural Review and Vesting Tentative Map, found it exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Assembly Bill 130 and imposed revised conditions addressing transportation, construction safety, drainage and public access.

The 83-foot building will include 37 below-market-rate units at 80% of area median income, 391 parking spaces and 280 long-term bicycle spaces. The project will merge seven parcels into a 113,907-square-foot site while demolishing 38 existing homes and approximately 12,500 square feet of commercial space. Before demolition or deconstruction permits are issued, the applicant must meet tenant-protection requirements that include relocation payments ranging from $7,000 for a studio to $17,000 for a home with at least three bedrooms.

Staff characterized the application as a builder’s-remedy proposal and said it could not be denied for zoning or comprehensive-plan inconsistency without a specific, unmitigable adverse public-health-and-safety impact. Staff said it had not identified such an impact.

Supporters emphasized the addition of housing, while other speakers raised concerns about garage access, congestion, sight lines, refuse collection and safe routes to school on Matadero and Kendall avenues. Some sought garage access from El Camino Real, while others argued that side-street access would be safer. The revised conditions require a transportation analysis and identification of feasible safety measures. A construction logistics plan must expressly address bicycle safety and safe routes to school, with review authority for the city’s Chief Transportation Official. Other conditions cover drainage improvements and an extension of the public-access easement along Matadero Avenue.

Ghost-home and construction review moves to 2027 planning

Rather than enact new property-aggregation rules, the council voted 7-0 to refer a broader set of issues for staff review. The referral covers vacant “ghost homes,” construction regulations and enforcement, applicant education, the legality of requiring identification hang tags for private-security vehicles, and code-enforcement training and policies. Work on ghost homes and construction impacts is not scheduled for 2026 and will be considered during 2027 work-plan prioritization.

Ideas discussed but not adopted included an aggregation threshold covering owners of at least three homes within 500 feet, construction parking and circulation plans for projects lasting more than six months, a 24-month construction target and a three-year cooldown after more than 12 months of construction. A substitute motion to return the proposal to its authors for revision by the end of 2026 failed 5-2 before the council approved the broader referral.

Residents described prolonged construction, vacant homes, private security and alleged nonresidential use associated with aggregated properties around the 1400 block of Hamilton Avenue. Another speaker opposed proposed security-identification and litigation provisions as overly intrusive. Staff said Palo Alto lacks a readily available database of aggregated properties and that substantial policy work would have to compete with other priorities. Staff also said applicant-education changes could be made administratively and that the code-enforcement program is already being revised, although existing resources cannot support proactive responses to every complaint.

Council increases water-project and SAP contracts

As part of a consent calendar approved 6-0-1, the council increased its contract with Black & Veatch Inc. for the Local Advanced Water Purification System project by $963,160. Amendment No. 3 raises the contract’s not-to-exceed amount to $4,146,109 and extends its term through Dec. 31, 2028. The increase consists of $875,600 for basic services and $87,560 for additional services on the project, which is under construction.

The council also authorized amendments to eight SAP on-call professional-services contracts, increasing their combined authorization by $2 million to a maximum of $4 million. The contracts are subject to a $2 million combined annual spending limit, and the city manager or a designee may execute the amendments.

Council updates Cubberley, rail and climate assignments

The council approved revised ad hoc committee purpose statements on a 6-0-1 vote. The updated Cubberley assignment covers the master-plan process, potential acquisition financing and ballot-measure language, public-private funding partnerships, transitional and long-term space allocation, and a future operating model.

The council also kept the rail committee focused on rail safety, removing youth mental health from its title and indicating that the issue should be addressed separately. The Climate Action and Sustainability Committee’s responsibilities now include recommending revisions to the 2026-27 work plan and future sustainability and climate action plans.

The council separately approved the 2026 work plans for the Policy and Services Committee and Finance Committee by a 7-0 vote. Staff said committee workloads were already full and that grade-crossing safety work was affecting available capacity. Bicycle and pedestrian plan implementation and funding are expected to return to the full council in June 2026, with capital spending also considered through the Finance Committee budget process.

Special meeting will consider Churchill crossing proposal

A special City Council meeting was announced for Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to consider the potential temporary closure of the Churchill rail crossing.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet