Palo Alto council interviews six candidates for Architectural Review Board, seeks clearer design guidance for downtown housing

Palo Alto — The City Council on May 27 interviewed six finalists for three open seats on the Architectural Review Board, hearing consistent calls for clearer, locally specific guidance for architecture in Palo Alto and for better public access to past award-winning projects.

Candidates said the ARB should do more to document the city’s design standards and to help developers interpret subjective criteria so projects meet community expectations faster.

“I find that the contextual design criteria and objective design standards written in the municipal code help projects clear a certain minimum bar,” said candidate Martin Jodrick, “yet we end up with some projects that stay at that minimum bar. One reason is developers struggle to interpret some of the wording, especially contextual design criteria: what does ‘craftsmanship’ mean?”

Why it matters: City staff and several candidates said a downtown housing plan is nearing decisions that could add housing near Caltrain. Council members and the ARB will be…