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Palo Alto adopts bird-friendly building standards with exemptions and alternative compliance
Summary
After wide public comment and several amendments, the council adopted a bird-friendly design ordinance that requires bird-safe treatments for new construction and major remodels in defined areas, allows alternative compliance (decals/films approved by standards), and includes specified exemptions (residential under 35 ft in parts of the city, airport operations, ground-floor retail in overlay areas).
The Palo Alto City Council adopted a bird-friendly building design ordinance March 16 with modifications to staff'recommended language and exemptions after extended public testimony and commission review.
Planner Kelly Cha described the ordinance'scope: it applies to new construction, major remodels (defined as replacement of 50% or more of certain exterior elements over a three-year period) and "bird-hazard" installations such as glass railings. The ordinance defines a bird-sensitive area (roughly East of Highway 101…
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