City Council - May 27, 2025

El Camino zoning revisions advance to second reading

The City Council voted 5-0-2, with two members recused, to advance revisions to the El Camino Real Focus Area ordinance for a second reading. Council directed staff to strike proposed below-grade setback language and return with provisions that could allow hotels up to 85 feet with higher floor-area ratios in the housing focus area, including RM-zoned land where appropriate.

The focus-area program is intended to support housing along El Camino Real. The draft would expand its geography and revise lot tiers, building massing and setback rules, with proposed maximums of a 4.0 floor-area ratio and 85 feet for qualifying housing. Staff said future focus-area projects would remain subject to a 20% on-site lower-income housing requirement, while existing builder's remedy applications could use affordability options available under state law.

Council direction also called for adding three North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan parcels at 2905, 2951 and 2999 El Camino Real to the revised map. Staff is also to pursue a separate zoning-map process to reduce the Hansen Way special setback to 20 feet, return later with a transitional zoning proposal for property behind 2999 El Camino, and prepare language allowing a naturalized creek area to satisfy up to half of a project's open-space requirement.

Members debated how 85-foot buildings should transition toward R1 and R2 neighborhoods, whether to retain a 45-degree daylight plane and upper-story stepbacks, and how to preserve future transportation use at Hansen Way. Staff said the revisions under consideration would not create a new environmental-review issue under CEQA, while inclusion of all Tier 2 properties would require additional review. Revised language is to return as the city works toward a June Housing Element program deadline.

City will join San Francisco v. Trump lawsuit

The council voted 7-0 to direct the City Attorney to take the necessary steps to join City and County of San Francisco v. Trump in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The case challenges federal actions concerning funding and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The legal step was described as compliance with the California Values Act.

Council weighs smaller Palo Alto Commons expansion

Council members weighed the proposed 16-unit assisted-living expansion at 4075 El Camino Way against a seven-unit alternative recommended by the Planning and Transportation Commission and a proposed 11-to-13-unit redesign. The applicant said it would not pursue the seven-unit version and that moving all 16 units toward the El Camino side of the property was not realistic.

Concerns centered on daylight-plane impacts, privacy and parking for Wilky Way neighbors. Staff said all proposed Wilky-facing units would intrude into a more restrictive 30-degree daylight plane, while the seven-unit alternative would not. Council members also sought stronger annual monitoring, self-certification and penalties for a transportation demand management plan targeting at least a 20% reduction in weekday peak-hour vehicle trips.

Some members favored referring a revised design to the Planning and Transportation Commission, while others preferred deciding the seven-unit proposal without further delay. Staff estimated that referral of completed revised plans through the commission and back to the council would take four to six months. The council discussion did not establish a final position on the expansion.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda