The owner of a boarded-up hotel in Palo Alto that was converted to an illegal dorm for Stanford students has applied to put 22 modular homes on the property. Attorney Brian O'Neill filed the application on Aug. 27 on owner Sophia Huang's behalf. He invoked state housing laws that give the project an easier path to approval. "Despite prior challenges, the applicant has continued to engage in good-faith discussions with city personnel in recent years in an effort to develop a plan responsive to the city's goals and housing obligations," O'Neill said in a letter to Planning Director Jonathan Lait.