"In January 2023, the town council of Los Altos Hills, a mansion-studded bedroom community perched above Silicon Valley, reluctantly voted to legalize some apartment buildings. It was a historic vote. Incorporated in 1956 by well-to-do hill dwellers trying to keep out the encroaching urbanity of nearby cities, the town's country residence zoning rules only permit the construction of one type of building: Single-family homes, and no more than one per acre."
"Now, with a project proposed at Twin Oaks that would include the town's first-ever affordable housing units, Los Altos Hills is having second thoughts. Earlier this summer, the town council voted to amend its state-mandated development plan, cutting the number of new homes that could be legally crammed onto the site by nearly two-thirds. Town officials and many local residents say the proposed changes to the municipal land-use blueprint, known as a housing element, still meet the letter of the state's"
Los Altos Hills voted in January 2023 to allow some apartment buildings after decades of single-family-only zoning and state pressure to plan for more homes. Officials identified three potential sites, with Twin Oaks Court the most promising; state housing regulators approved the plan. A proposed project at Twin Oaks would include the town's first affordable units. The town council later amended the state-mandated development plan, cutting allowable new homes at Twin Oaks by nearly two-thirds. Local officials and many residents say the revision still complies with state requirements while better preserving rural character.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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