
Write a Letter to the Los Altos City Council

The long-awaited Density Bonus Ordinance draft was presented to the Planning and Transportation Commission June 1, 2017. This draft proposes incentives for developers and is a critical piece of decisionmaking about changes to the CT zone and to downtown visioning. The proposed menu of incentives for developers includes:
a. Yard/Setback. Up to 20 percent decrease in the required width or depth of any individual yard or setback except along any property line that abuts an R1 or more restrictively zoned property. b. Lot Coverage. Up to 20 percent increase in lot coverage limits. c. Lot Width. Up to 20 percent decrease from a lot width requirement. d. Floor Area Ratio. A percentage increase in the allowable Floor Area Ratio equal to the percentage of Density Bonus for which the Housing Development Project is eligible, not to exceed 35 percent. e. Height. In any zone in which the height or number of stories is limited, a maximum of 11 additional feet or one additional story may be added to the underlying base height. f. Yard/Setback. Up to 20 percent decrease in the required width or depth of any individual yard or setback except along any property line that abuts a single-family R1 zoned property. g. Open Space. Up to 20 percent decrease from an open space requirement, provided that the landscaping for the Housing Development Project is sufficient to qualify for the number of landscape points equivalent to 10 percent more than otherwise required by Chapter 12.40 (Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings) and Landscape Ordinance Guidelines "O."
How do you feel about this? Los Altos residents do have a say. Contact your City Council at: council@losaltosca.gov. You can make a difference.
Loyola Corners History In the early twentieth century, the Southern Pacific Railroad decided to build a new rail line down the right-of-way that is now Foothill Expressway, to connect the Peninsula with San Francisco. Los Altos had a main station on First (now the home of Voyageur du Temps restaurant) and another stop near the present Rancho Shopping Center. SP also built a small depot at Loyola Corners–so named because the Jesuits (founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola) originally planned to build a college nearby. Though the plan was scrapped, the “Loyola” name stuck.
City Council approves large outsized buildings on El Camino.
* Voiced strong reservations and verbal commitment to bring the housing reform package back to council in a staged approach later.
A small ray of hope
Highlights from the past few months:
The resident initiated petition below is circulating to facilitate voices being heard in this process. If you wish to support this, please sign the petition here, and we’ll add your name to the list of resident supporters.
Want to share your views with the Council? Attend the city meetings as we communicate then, and contact the City Council with an email at council@losaltosca.gov that says you support preserving the neighborhood character in and around the El Camino neighborhood and having transparent processes for determining zone regulation maximum limits in the CT Zone.
More Background on the CT Zone zoning and the Density Bonus Ordinance:
Following the surprises associated with the 4880 El Camino Real project which exposed the failure of the city to have an ordinance addressing the California Affordable Housing Density Bonus law, the council imposed a building moratorium on the CT zone (which expires in Nov), the neighborhood adjacent to El Camino from Los Altos Avenue to Rengstorff. The City Council directed staff and the Planning and Transportation Commission to review all related zoning requirements for possible updating. During the moratorium, the Council expects to amend parts of the CT zoning code and to approve a new ordinance implementing state law on density bonus requirements and incentives, which will apply city-wide. This ordinance, in addition to getting residents voices heard, is a critical piece of decision making about changes to the CT zone.
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Text of the Petition to Preserve the Neighborhood Character of El Camino in Los Altos: