Los Altos Hills recently held community workshops on Sept. 25 and Oct. 9 to discuss the 6th Cycle Housing Element — a plan to create new housing units, including multi-family homes at Twin Oaks Court, Foothill College, and St. Nicholas School, to comply by 2031 with California’s State Housing Element Law. Town officials also presented this initiative to the Los Altos Hills Youth Commission on Oct. 15, where three Gunn student commissioners attended the presentation.
According to Los Altos Hills Interim Community Development Director Jay Bradford, the families moving into Twin Oaks Court will be zoned to attend PAUSD. Due to the site’s proximity to Palo Alto, students will likely attend Gunn High School, Fletcher Middle School, and Nixon Elementary. The site’s housing units may increase traffic congestion on Arastradero Road, raising concerns about the impact on students commuting through the area. Resident Michael Grady, whose children attended PAUSD schools, expressed concern, stating, “The additional trip from Arastradero to Gunn or Fletcher, or even out to Page Mill Road towards Nixon, would really be a mess.”
Los Altos Hills Youth Commissioner and senior Janus Tsen offered a different perspective, suggesting that the district could adjust to the change despite a potential surge in enrollment.
“When I was there, Fletcher was a pretty small school, so if you get a couple hundred more people going there, they’ll be short on resources,” he said. “But they can always expand or hire more teachers, so it’s not a massive problem.”
In response to growing housing demands and the State Housing Element Law, Los Altos Hills has proposed converting single-family residence land areas to multifamily housing zones, Bradford explained. The town’s certified Housing Element states that Twin Oaks Court has a project minimum capacity of 92 units. However, a conceptual proposal from outside consultants suggested that development at Twin Oaks Court could reach up to 332 units, and, if a density bonus law applies, the total could exceed 400 units. Under California’s density bonus law, developers can build more units on sites if a certain percentage qualifies as affordable housing, offered below market rates.
The Town’s Housing Element plan includes rezoning the 15-acre Twin Oaks Court area from single-family residence zoning to multifamily zoning, allowing for development of 20 or more units per acre and formally changing the land’s designated purpose to accommodate diverse housing types. “The Twin Oaks Court site area is part of a broader effort to accommodate multifamily housing in Los Altos Hills, (allocating) 377 dwelling units across (Twin Oaks Court, Foothill College, and St. Nicholas School) sites,” Bradford wrote in an email. He added that the town must facilitate development to meet state housing obligations, which is essential for maintaining Los Altos Hills’ autonomy and unique character.
Grady voiced concerns about whether developers would pursue further changes in the future. He stated that residents have created a petition to express their concerns, saying, “We are close to (having) 300 signatures on the petition. Our concern is that (if the town) rezones all 15 acres for 20 or more units per acre, (we’ll) have essentially no ability to prevent a developer from building potentially up to 500 units on that site, and it’s a big difference in terms of the traffic, safety, and environmental impact to go from 92 units (to) hundreds of units.”
Residents in Los Altos Hills originally criticized the development plan last year, with many attributing the division between town leadership and residents to communication issues, especially when the original building plan application was submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Town residents felt their input was not adequately heard and feared that the new developments would harm the town’s 70-year history of nature preserves.
Acknowledging their inadequate communication, Los Altos Hills officials increased outreach efforts to involve residents in the planning process. The town is now working to ensure the public has ample opportunities to provide feedback on potential developments at Twin Oaks Court. With plans to expand Twin Oaks Court from 92 units to over 400 units, the steep increase may affect PAUSD student enrollment. Los Altos Hills is continuing to solicit resident feedback to shape the Housing Element in response to environmental impacts at Twin Oaks Court.
With Twin Oaks Court potentially increasing from 92 units to more than 400 units, the steep increase may affect PAUSD student enrollment. When asked about the prospect of a several hundred unit housing development being built at the Twin Oaks Court side, a PAUSD representative said they were unaware of the project. Los Altos Hills is continuing to solicit resident feedback and educate the Housing Element and the environmental impact at Twin Oaks Court.
As announced at the City Council Meeting on Oct. 22, town officials will hold another housing meeting on Nov. 14.
