Palo Alto leaders approve 183-apartment complex - San Jose Spotlight

Palo Alto city leaders approved an 85-foot-tall, 183-apartment building proposed by Vittoria Management for 3781 El Camino Real in the Ventura neighborhood. The project came through the builder’s remedy process, which can bypass local height and density limits, but it received unusually strong support and unanimous approval. The approval was influenced by the project’s alignment with standards established for the nearby El Camino Real Focus Area, a zoning district that permits greater height and density, including buildings over 80 feet. The city had already approved Vittoria’s related 321-apartment proposal at 3606 El Camino Real. The project also invoked Assembly Bill 130, which exempts qualifying housing projects from environmental review and imposes strict approval timelines.

"Palo Alto city leaders have enthusiastically backed a housing project that would have likely been dead on arrival just two years ago: an 85-foot-tall apartment building in the Ventura neighborhood. The proposal from Vittoria Management is one of about 10 projects that the city received through the "builder's remedy" process, which allows builders to circumvent local development standards such as height and density limits. But unlike most builder's remedy projects, which have generally been greeted with skepticism or disdain, the 183-apartment project at 3781 El Camino Real was greeted at the dais with lavish praise and a unanimous vote of approval."

"Partly, this was because the developer's proposal largely adhered to standards the city recently established for a nearby stretch of El Camino Real south of Page Mill Road. The city's newly created "El Camino Real Focus Area" allows more height and density, including buildings with heights exceeding 80 feet. After the City Council established the new zoning district, Vittoria lobbied to have two of its properties near the focus area eligible for inclusion."

"Councilmember Ed Lauing said he strongly supports the Ventura project. "This is why the El Camino Focus Area was created, and now it's being expanded. ... Delighted to see an enthusiastic partner design a nice structure within the general requirements and add to the housing vision along El Camino," Lauing said. Much like other recent developments, the proposal from Vittoria invoked Assembly Bill 130, a recent state law that exempts housing projects from environmental review and sets strict timelines for city approval."

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