Downtown Housing Plan

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The Downtown Housing Plan is an area plan focused on housing production in Palo Alto’s downtown and implementing the policies and programs of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The objective of the area plan is to establish policies, development standards, and design standards, and to plan for public infrastructure necessary to accelerate housing production and further fair housing while ensuring that the downtown area continues to be an attractive local and regional destination.

The Downtown Housing Plan development process includes extensive outreach to engage the community, businesses, and regional and local stakeholders. A community advisory group has been formed to provide feedback to the project team at key project milestones.

Downtown Housing Plan Area Diagram

 

Project Timeline

  • Project Kick-off

    31/03/2024

    03/2024

  • Community Advisory Group and Technical Advisory Group Formation

    07/2024 - 11/2024

    Complete
    A Community Advisory Group has been formed to assist the project team by providing input and feedback on the plan development process. A Technical Advisory Group comprised of staff members from different City departments and other public agencies was also formed. The advisory groups will meet on an as-needed basis over the course of the project.

     

  • Existing Conditions and Analysis

    04/2024 - 02/2025

    In Progress

    The project team is conducting an analysis of existing land use, mobility, housing, economy, services, utilities and infrastructure, and equity. A report on existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints is anticipated to be available for review in early 2025.

  • Policy Development

    04/2024 - 02/2025

Engagement Opportunities

Upcoming Events

Additional pop-up events in the community are anticipated to begin in Spring and Summer of 2025. Please subscribe for updates here: Sign Up

 

Past Events

  • Community Advisory Group Meeting - The Palo Alto Downtown Housing Plan - Community Advisory Group convened for the first time on January 14, 2025. The meeting was structured with a brief presentation, introduction to the project and the project team, and discussion on the vision and community engagement strategy. 

  • Survey - A survey to gather community feedback on the vision for the downtown area was open until December 20, 2024. The survey centered on different approaches that could be used to facilitate housing production collected over 400 individual responses. 

  • Pop up events - Staff and consultants hosted tables at several events in the winter to increase the community’s awareness of the project, advertise the survey, and to receive broader community feedback. Pop up events included the Lytton Plaza Tree Lighting (December 6, 2024), Cal Avenue Farmer’s Market (December 15, 2024), and 3rdThursday on Cal Ave (December 19,2024).

  • October 10, 2024, Community Open House - The Palo Alto Downtown Housing Plan Community Open House was a drop-in event at the Palo Alto City Hall. The City Hall Community Meeting Room and lobby, a central and familiar landmark located in the plan area, was chosen to encourage broad participation from community members. Workshop materials were designed to distill key information and be interactive for attendees to engage with and provide. 
    The workshop drew approximately 30 attendees, ranging from seniors to working professionals, downtown residents and non-residents, property and business owners, housing developers, renters, owners, and organizations representing the needs of seniors, families, and early childhood education. The community members interacted directly with the project team, offering feedback through one-on-one discussions and written comments on cards and sticky notes. This open and interactive format fostered an environment that allowed for informal discussions and a range of feedback from the community. 

 

Previous Council, Commissions and Boards Meetings

Date Agenda and Staff Report 
September 23, 2024 Council Meeting 

Agenda (Item #5 - Revised Project Boundary)

Staff Report(PDF, 500KB)
June 17, 2024 Council Meeting  Agenda (Item #34 - Info Report establishing Community Advisory Group (CAG)
February 26, 2024 Council Meeting  Agenda (Item #9 - Downtown Housing Plan consultant contracts)
April 18, 2022 Council Meeting

Agenda(PDF, 8MB) (Item #7 - Priority Development Area Project Grant)

Staff Report(PDF, 2MB)

Other Resources

Housing       Planning      Housing Policies

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Contact Us

Email: downtownhousingplan@paltoalto.gov

Project Manager

Vishnu Krishnan, Senior Planner
vishnu.krishnan@paltoalto.gov

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