Contentious Woodside concept map for 773 Kenyatta Road forwarded to subdivision review committee

The Town of Woodside Architectural and Site Review Board on Monday reviewed a concept subdivision map for 773 Kenyatta Road that would divide roughly 9 acres into 11 lots, including a proposed rezoning of a sloped portion for multifamily housing and an extension of Woodside Way. After hours of questions and lengthy public comment, the ASRB voted to forward its recommendations to the Subdivision Review Committee for integrated technical review.

Associate planner Melanie Olsen summarized the concept: the applicant proposes dividing two legal lots (three APNs) into 11 parcels and rezoning one area from SR to multifamily to support the town’s housing element, while rezoning ten other parcels from SR to R1. Olsen told the board the multifamily concept area could show approximately 20 units in conceptual drawings and that areas exceeding 35% slope are identified on the plan. She outlined the two‑stage process (concept map followed by tentative map) and explained that detailed items — utility will‑serve letters, grading quantities, fire‑district access and CEQA review — would be addressed during the tentative map and subdivision review committee process.

Owner representative Wallace Murfitt said the team initially proposed a cul‑de‑sac but modified the design after the town and the Woodside Fire Protection District encouraged through‑connection for additional egress. Murfitt said the grading plan would balance soil on site and estimated about 15,000 cubic yards of earthwork with “no import and no export,” and that the proposed road width was 28 feet to accommodate fire access (the applicant said it would be open to narrowing if town/fire officials preferred). “Much has been made of the grading on the site… there’s not an inconsequential amount of grading, 15,000 cubic yards. However, no import and no export,” Murfitt said.

Residents turned out in force and raised a long list of concerns: the scale and visibility of multifamily buildings from Highway 280, the visual and environmental impact of wide straight roadway alignments, drainage and erosion risks on steep slopes, the loss of open space, possible changes to sewer hookup rules, and a perception that a rezoning in exchange for multifamily density constituted an unfair trade. David Disher, an Emerald Hills resident, told the board he found the proposal "insulting" and said he suspected financial motivation behind the subdivision plan. Other commenters, including Steve Lubin and Thalia Lubin, urged the board to require more neighborhood outreach and to consider alternative lot configurations that would reduce grading and preserve upper hillside open space.

Board members said the plan raised significant technical and design questions that ought to be addressed by the Subdivision Review Committee and associated technical staff. The ASRB’s recommendations included asking the applicant to (1) pursue additional neighborhood outreach and explain prior outreach; (2) study narrower or reconfigured roadway alignments to reduce grading and change the road profile; (3) consider keeping some upper lots in SR zoning or placing them under a conservation easement; (4) provide clear fire district justification showing public safety benefits of a through connection versus emergency‑only access; and (5) consider providing shared open space/common play areas for future residents. The motion to forward the concept map and the ASRB recommendations to the Subdivision Review Committee passed by a board majority.