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Palo Alto planners weigh big change on San Antonio Road: up to 7,400 new homes, parks and worries about traffic
Summary
City staff outlined alternatives for a 275‑acre San Antonio Road area plan that could add 3,800–7,400 housing units and new parks, while commissioners and public commenters pressed for limits on office growth, clearer park funding and stronger Caltrain access.
City planning staff presented a draft San Antonio Road area plan on March 25, kicking off a months‑long debate over building heights, transportation and how much office space the corridor should keep.
Principal Planner Robert Kaine told the Planning & Transportation Commission the study area covers roughly 275 acres from Alma to the Bay, including the San Antonio Caltrain station and four subareas staff identified as the likeliest places for change. Staff laid out three height/density scenarios — roughly 60 feet, 90 feet and a high‑rise option — that would create a planwide theoretical capacity ranging from about 3,800 units on the low end to roughly 7,400 on the high end, though Kaine emphasized that not all capacity would be built quickly.
Why it matters: The plan aims to add housing near transit while improving mobility, parks and economic vitality, but residents and commissioners warned the scale of change will require large investments…
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