A plan to replace a former restaurant on El Camino Real in Palo Alto with a six-story, 120-unit apartment building has triggered pushback from about a dozen neighbors, who say the project would loom over their three- to four-story condo complex, block sunlight and add to traffic congestion in the area.
The proposal by developer Mircea Voskerician would replace the former Su Hong Chinese restaurant at 4256 El Camino Real and requires a zoning change from commercial to planned home. The property had previously been approved for a hotel, but Voskerician is in the pre-screening stage with the city to build housing instead.
Most opponents who spoke at this week’s City Council meeting live at the adjacent Palo Alto Redwoods condominium complex. Along with privacy and sunlight concerns, they cited the building’s 80-foot height, lack of setbacks from neighboring residences and shading of nearby redwood trees.
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Kevin Chung, speaking for the Redwoods Homeowners Association, said existing below-market-rate units in their complex would face directly onto the proposed building.
“We want housing done right,” he said.
According to city staff, the proposal initially fell short of the 20% affordable housing requirement. The developer later said the plan now meets that standard, with seven units for very low-income renters, eight for low income and three for moderate income.
In Santa Clara County, an individual earning $111,700 is considered low income, according to latest state data. In Palo Alto — home to major tech offices and Stanford University — the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $3,063 as of August, according to real estate site Zillow.
Palo Alto has long been criticized for slow housing production, contributing to the region’s affordability crisis, and new projects like this often spark familiar neighborhood opposition.
Since last year, the city has pushed for denser housing along El Camino Real between Page Mill Road and Matadero Avenue through rezoning, and is crafting an area plan for San Antonio, where several projects are underway but transportation, retail, parks, and other amenities remain limited.
Council members signaled support for development on the site, while emphasizing the need to address neighbors’ concerns.
George Lu said he wanted to see an end to “blight on the lot.”
First-term Councilmember Keith Reckdahl said the development would help Palo Alto meet its state-mandated target of approving at least 6,000 new units by 2031, but stressed the need to “balance both housing production with impact to the neighbors.” While not rejecting the proposal, he said the design “needs to be tweaked.”
Former mayor Greer Stone echoed concerns about the height, saying it would “tower over” surrounding communities.
Council members asked the developer to address height concerns, add more than one parking space for loading and deliveries, and to rework window placements to address privacy issues.
While a significant portion of Palo Alto’s stretch of El Camino Real has been rezoned for denser housing, this location is not included, and some neighbors and council members suggested other sites within the already-rezoned areas would be more appropriate.
The proposal is still far from final approval. After incorporating council feedback, the developer would need to take the project to the planning commission, then the architectural review board before it returns to the council for a final vote.