Human Relations Commission - August 13, 2026

Commission explores city land and fee waivers for senior housing

The Human Relations Commission explored using city-owned land, additional density, streamlined approvals and fee waivers to expand affordable senior housing, but it adopted no formal recommendation or direction to staff. Commissioners expressed interest in continuing a dialogue with the City Council and sought more data on Palo Alto’s low-income senior population and the share of local housing reserved for seniors.

A 2022 Mid-Peninsula survey presented to the commission found that 41% of older adults identified housing as a major concern, ahead of mobility at 22% and finances at 16%. Among respondents earning less than $75,000 a year, 66% identified housing as their principal concern. Alta Housing reported that its Palo Alto residents age 62 and older have an average age of 74 and average annual income of $13,000; its 57-unit Sheridan Apartments drew more than 600 applications during a two-week waitlist opening in the middle of the prior year.

Presenters said high costs and limited subsidies constrain development. Eden Housing estimated construction at $700,000 to $1 million per unit, while a panelist said fee waivers for a fully affordable project could total $3 million to $7 million, depending on the property and jurisdiction. MidPen Housing said only 30 senior projects had received funding through the state’s 9% tax-credit senior pool during the prior three years, including three in the region.

Discussion included Alta Housing’s work with the city on plans for affordable housing on the Linton Street and Kipling parking lot, along with a concept for at least 50 one-bedroom senior units near Avenidas that would retain about 21 parking stalls. The latter proposal’s status remained unclear: a commissioner described it as stalled by litigation, while MidPen confirmed only that it had reviewed downtown parking-lot opportunities and saw potential.

Rising HOA costs squeeze older below-market-rate owners

Commissioners also heard that rising homeowners-association costs, limited resale equity and scarce affordable senior housing can leave older below-market-rate homeowners with few options when their accessibility or care needs change. The discussion was exploratory, and the commission did not make a recommendation or direct staff.

Alta Housing said Palo Alto’s BMR program includes about 250 homes and that a study conducted one to two years earlier found average HOA fees of $500 to $700 a month. A longtime BMR owner said a home purchased for $91,000 in 1992 had an estimated resale value of about $221,000, compared with an average of $1.6 million for comparable market-rate condominiums. The example highlighted the tension between preserving a unit’s affordability for the next buyer and generating enough equity for an owner to move to accessible or assisted living.

Avenidas reported that older adults make up about 22% of Palo Alto’s population and projected the share to reach 40% by 2030. It said roughly 20 of its approximately 60 monthly information-and-referral calls concern housing, with limited options for very-low-income callers. A commissioner cited estimates that Palo Alto has about 13,000 seniors, that 34% are renters and that 54% of senior renters are rent-burdened.

Property-tax exemption delays add costs for nonprofits

The commission heard that nonprofit affordable-housing organizations may face years-long waits for California’s welfare property-tax exemption and must pay property taxes while applications remain pending. A State Board of Equalization presenter said some counties take three to four years to process applications and that the board would continue pursuing ways to address the delays.

Commissioners then discussed whether Palo Alto could create a locally supported fund, potentially with philanthropic participation, to help income-qualified BMR homeowners cover monthly costs or major building-repair assessments. The idea did not become a formal recommendation. One commissioner cited census data showing that Palo Alto residents age 75 and older have a poverty rate about twice that of residents ages 65 to 75.

Staff distributes surveys to set HISRAP grant priorities

Staff reported that constituent and service-provider surveys had been distributed to help establish priorities for the HISRAP grant cycle, and commissioners were asked to share them. Staff also proposed a joint meeting with the Policy and Services Committee on HISRAP Plus for September 8 at 6 p.m. and planned to seek attendance confirmations; the record does not establish that the meeting was formally scheduled.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet