Palo Alto just took a step toward meeting its housing goals with a rezoning plan along El Camino Real that could enable up to 500 new homes. SV@Home spoke in support of the changes, which help pave the way for more inclusive, sustainable growth.

On May 27th, SV@Home spoke in support of Palo Alto’s proposed rezoning of the El Camino Real Focus Area—an important step toward meeting the city’s housing goals. The updates are designed to do exactly what the Housing Element calls for: create space for more homes by allowing greater height, density, and clearer development standards along one of the city’s most connected corridors. With these changes, staff estimate that up to 500 new homes could be built—an urgently needed boost in a region facing a deep housing shortage. We also highlighted how the ordinance builds on the City’s new Housing Incentive Program by offering impact fee waivers for affordable homes and encouraging lot consolidation to make projects more viable.

In our comments, we urged the Council to adopt the full package of changes and keep the city’s housing momentum going. Several sites in the expanded Focus Area have already drawn interest from developers. With clearer rules and a streamlined process, Palo Alto can turn that interest into real homes—helping to reduce commutes, support local businesses and schools, and welcome new residents into the community. This proposal is about more than just housing production; it’s about planning for a future that’s inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to today’s needs.

Council ultimately approved the ordinance with a few amendments, including expanded site eligibility, modified setbacks, and new flexibility for hotel development in mixed-use areas. We are grateful to City staff and Council for all the work that went into this thoughtful policy, and we look forward to continued progress as Palo Alto makes room for more neighbors.