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Woodside council rezones High Road and adopts design standards despite neighborhood concerns
Summary
After hours of public comment, the Woodside Town Council voted 4—1 (one recusal) July 30 to change the High Road parcel from open space to residential, introduce multifamily zoning tied to site-specific objective design standards, and include a statement directing future town-owned units to be owner-occupied. Residents raised safety, pipeline and traffic concerns.
The Woodside Town Council on July 30 voted to change the general plan designation for the town-owned High Road parcel from open space to residential and to advance associated zoning and objective design standards that would allow multifamily housing on the site. The council also added a nonregulatory statement of owner intent that future housing developed on the town parcel should be owner-occupied.
Council members said the votes were driven in part by a late-day letter from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) noting that the town's adopted housing element "meets the statutory requirements" but that substantial compliance depends on completing the rezonings called for by the element. Kevin, the town manager, told the council the HCD letter arrived the afternoon of July 30 and underscored the need to complete the regulatory steps to avoid enforcement actions.
Neighbors and dozens of residents urged caution during a lengthy public-comment period. Speakers repeatedly cited concerns about traffic on Woodside Road and High Road, the ability of the local fire department to reach three-story buildings, and the presence of a nearby high-pressure gas transmission line. Toni Donaldson, a High Road resident, said she feared changes to the neighborhood's character and to property values. Others asked for soils, traffic and gas-safety studies before any upzoning.
Council members said the town retains control as the landowner and will set any subsequent selection process for a housing partner; staff emphasized that specific construction plans and required safety studies come later with any development proposal. After deliberations the council approved the general-plan redesignation (4 yes, 1 no, 1 recusal), introduced a zoning ordinance that references the newly adopted objective design standards (4 yes, 1 no, 1 recusal), and adopted the High Road objective design standards (4 yes, 1 no, 1 recusal).
The council did not adopt a specific development plan or select a developer; those steps will occur later and will be subject to the design and permitting requirements the council has now set in place. The council billed the action as a way to preserve maximum local control over future proposals while meeting state housing requirements. The town manager said the staff would continue to coordinate required analyses and public process as development proposals advance.
