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 asked to weigh in on design details that affect pedestrian scale, transit access and neighborhood compatibility.

What candidates told the council

Martin Jodrick, a local design-build practitioner, said he would push the ARB to document what “good architecture” looks like in Palo Alto and to publicize past award-winning projects so outside architects understand locally-admired precedents.

“Those projects already contain many of the elements that make Palo Alto a special place,” Jodrick said. “If an architect who is not from Palo Alto is trying to submit a project and wants to know what kinds of projects the ARB or the city will like, they’re going to have a really hard time finding them.”

Architect Ashutosh Gupta, joining by video, recommended design approaches to reduce perceived massing on multi‑story buildings and emphasized layered indoor‑outdoor connections and shade in the Bay Area climate.

Kalen Putt, a resident applicant who said he has a technology and business background, described using data and augmented-reality tools to help residents and officials visualize proposals and scale impacts.

Naveen Govind, who holds degrees in architecture and urban design and serves as a senior project manager in Mountain View Public Works, cited his experience on Fremont’s historical review board and stressed balancing character preservation with city housing goals.

Bai Shu, a licensed California architect who said she led entitlement work on large mixed‑use buildings in San Francisco, said Palo Alto’s standards are stricter than many Bay Area cities and that adaptive reuse and public engagement often lead to better design outcomes.

Grace Lee, a longtime Palo Alto resident and former ARB member, emphasized landscape and street‑level experience — the “human scale” — and urged ARB members to consider block‑level and area‑plan context, not only building details.

Council focus and next steps

Council members asked candidates how they would steer technical conversations on the ARB and how they would weigh street‑level impacts and privacy in dense projects. Several council members asked candidates to explain how they would use objective design standards versus contextual, discretionary criteria.

City Clerk Veronica (staff) told the council that the ARB recruitment drew eight applicants; two were not interviewed at this meeting (one withdrew, one did not appear). Appointments are scheduled for the June 2 council meeting, when council will vote on three seats.

Speakers and evidence

The statements above come from candidate presentations and council questioning recorded during the May 27 council special meeting (candidate opening statements and Q&A). The city clerk confirmed at the end of the session that eight candidates had been invited and six were interviewed; Matthew Kelly had formally withdrawn and staff was following up with an absent applicant.

Ending

Council members said they will review the candidate statements and staff materials before formal votes on June 2. The ARB openings have full terms through March 31, 2028.