• Modified a rezoning of 23 Oakwood Blvd. to a multifamily zoning overlay to permit for extra flexibility in what’s constructed on the positioning (which permits for it to stay as single-family housing even when it was offered, for instance)
• Eliminated 17 heaps slated to be upzoned alongside El Camino Actual
The council held the roughly four-hour lengthy assembly Tuesday afternoon because the city rushed to fulfill the Jan. 31 deadline to file up to date housing ingredient plans to the state’s Division of Housing and Neighborhood Growth (HCD).

Mayor Invoice Widmer speaks in regards to the city’s housing plan at a Metropolis Council assembly in Atherton on Jan. 31, 2023. Picture by Magali Gauthier.
The city should plan for the event of 348 new housing items, per its 2023-31 Regional Housing Wants Allocation, which is a big soar from its allocation of 93 items through the earlier eight-year cycle. City officers concern lawsuits, fines and lack of native management of planning if the city would not create a compliant housing ingredient.
“Any individual has to make the choice: Are we going to guard the city or open the city to lawsuits?” Mayor Invoice Widmer mentioned.
Employees had really helpful the council undertake the next plan on Tuesday:

The plan employees proposed going into the Jan. 31, 2023 Atherton Metropolis Council assembly. Courtesy city of Atherton.
Metropolis Supervisor George Rodericks mentioned two builders have already contacted him inquiring in regards to the so-called builder’s treatment, which permits for residential initiatives to maneuver ahead even when they don’t adjust to native improvement requirements. These builders had been the proprietor of 23 Oakwood Blvd. (David Arata) and Los Angeles-based actual property agency Mulholland Drive Firm.

Pam Silvaroli speaks in regards to the multifamily housing alongside El Camino Actual throughout public remark at a Metropolis Council assembly in Atherton on Jan. 31, 2023. Picture by Magali Gauthier.
Vital pushback on new multifamily overlay on El Camino and Valparaiso
A plan to create a multifamily zoning overlay alongside El Camino Actual and Valparaiso Avenue confronted vocal opposition, with an hour of public feedback consisting primarily of residents talking in opposition to the thought. One Menlo Park resident who lives subsequent to one of many proposed overlays mentioned it might flip his quiet road into the site visitors equal of exiting a stadium after a Golden State Warriors recreation.
The Atherton Planning Fee got here up with the overlay as an alternative choice to upzoning 19 heaps alongside El Camino Actual. The fee really helpful everything of El Camino, 88 properties, be a part of an overlay zone on a wider vary of properties that may allow improvement of as much as 20 items per acre. Council member Stacy Miles Holland recused herself from the dialogue on the El Camino Actual zoning overlay as a result of she lives inside 500 ft of the positioning.
The Planning Fee additionally really helpful a multifamily overlay zone on Valparaiso Avenue, which incorporates 22 properties, most of that are bigger than a half acre, permitting as much as 10 items per acre.
With the multifamily overlay zone, the present single-family laws can stay in place, however property homeowners would have the choice to develop their property as both a single-family house or extra intensely below the multifamily improvement laws.
23 Oakwood Blvd. web site

The sideyard at 23 Oakwood Blvd. in Atherton on Jan. 18, 2023. Picture by Magali Gauthier.
Council members mentioned they’re involved in regards to the impacts of improvement at 23 Oakwood Blvd. on neighbors, however concern what may very well be constructed below the builder’s treatment if they do not put in some requirements themselves. The council beforehand opted to zone the property at 10 items per acre, however determined to create an overlay for the positioning. That manner, if the proprietor offered the positioning it may very well be developed on a smaller scale if desired.
Warriors star Stephen Curry and his entrepreneur spouse Ayesha Curry expressed their opposition to the plans in a letter to the city on Jan. 18.
Stephanie Sargent of Redwood Metropolis grew to become emotional discussing the upzoning of the positioning, saying the city needed to “destroy” her house.
“That is over my fence and sure, I am NIMBY (not in my yard), no matter everyone desires to name me, as a result of it’s over my fence. I’ll have individuals staring into my yard, into my bed room window.”

Attendees hearken to council members converse in regards to the housing plan at a Metropolis Council assembly in Atherton on Jan. 31, 2023. These against multifamily housing coming to 23 Oakwood Blvd. wore inexperienced shirts that learn: “Like neighbor, 23 Oakwood stays there.” Picture by Magali Gauthier.
Diane Howard, a Redwood Metropolis council member, mentioned she is worried in regards to the influence of the builder’s treatment at 23 Oakwood and mentioned it might have an adversarial results on the neighborhood.
“Please try and get the proposed housing ingredient to HCD earlier than the deadline at the moment,” she mentioned.
The city had opted to upzone a 1.5-acre lot at 23 Oakwood Blvd. earlier this month, the place there’s presently a single-family house. The property proprietor plans to develop as much as 16 townhouses with the city’s pointers.
The proprietor, Arata, desires to upzone his land and is occupied with shifting the challenge ahead. Though he would not wish to pursue a builder’s treatment, he is effectively conscious of state necessities of the city if the treatment is enacted, city employees mentioned.
Council member Rick DeGolia mentioned that if the city would not have a compliant housing ingredient, the proprietor will construct greater than 10 items per acre. DeGolia mentioned he wouldn’t assist something greater than two-story buildings on this property and work to create requirements for minimizing adversarial impacts on neighbors, akin to together with screening.
Widmer mentioned individuals have been sending him letters accusing him of realizing Arata and being in his pocket.
“I’ve no enterprise curiosity with him,” Widmer mentioned, noting that he wouldn’t recuse himself from the vote as a result of he was once neighbors with Arata.

Council member Rick DeGolia speaks in regards to the city’s housing plan at a Metropolis Council assembly in Atherton on Jan. 31, 2023. Picture by Magali Gauthier.
Doubts about viability of upzoning El Camino properties
The council opted to take away a plan to upzone 19 heaps alongside El Camino Actual for as much as 20 items per acre after damaging suggestions from homeowners. This plan was unpopular, partially, as a result of the city has stipulated that residents wouldn’t have the ability to rebuild their houses as single-family houses.
“Y’all got here in your pink shirts and mentioned you are not going wherever,” Widmer mentioned of the upzoning. “Should you’re not shifting, then there’s nothing that we will do about that and you recognize it is mindless to do an upzone.”
Resident Pam Silvaroli has voiced her opposition to the upzoning of the heaps.
Who knew I might have something in widespread with Steph and Ayesha Curry? I’m confronted, as he and his household are, and lots of others, with the horrific notion of shedding our privateness and our area.
-Resident, Pam Silvaroli
“Who knew I might have something in widespread with Steph and Ayesha Curry?” she advised the council. “I’m confronted, as he and his household are, and lots of others, with the horrific notion of shedding our privateness and our area.”
Employees contacted HCD to see if opposition from the property homeowners can be thought-about by HCD within the web site analysis, in accordance with the employees report. HCD employees famous that letters stating that particular websites wouldn’t be viable due to property proprietor disinterest was “one thing they took very critically.” HCD advised Atherton employees that some property homeowners could be trying to discourage the method.
“Nonetheless, they might not have the ability to present any particular suggestions about websites or viability till they obtained the city’s draft housing ingredient as adopted by the city,” employees famous.

Attendees hearken to council members converse in regards to the housing plan at a Metropolis Council assembly in Atherton on Jan. 31, 2023. Picture by Magali Gauthier.
The state has 60 days to evaluate the city’s housing ingredient and certify it as considerably compliant with state regulation. If the state deems the ingredient shouldn’t be compliant with state regulation, the city should revise it additional.
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