New permits have been filed seeking entitlement for a sixteen-townhouse project at 420 Acacia Avenue in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County. The plans split the housing between four structures, with drives covering a sizable portion of the 0.8-acre lot. Two units will be designated as affordable housing. Dividend Homes, a Morgan Hill-based homebuilder, is the project applicant.
420 Acacia Avenue site map, illustration by Dahlin Group
420 Acacia Avenue Building C elevations, image by Dahlin Group
4200 Acacia Avenue Building B elevations, image by Dahlin Group
420 Acacia Avenue Building A elevations, image by Dahlin Group
The four buildings will yield a combined 40,010 square feet, with 36,610 square feet for housing and 6,400 square feet for the private garages. Buildings A, B, and D will rise around 40 feet tall, while Building C extends just 24 feet high. Parking will be included for 32 cars. Two driveways will connect the property with Acacia Avenue. Each driveway will provide access to two buildings. The sixteen units will be offered as for-sale condominiums.
The Dahlin Group is responsible for the design. The contemporary design integrates cement wall panels, smooth stucco, cementitious siding, and cedar panels to add visual distinction across all buildings. Inner-block pathways and planters will encourage pedestrian activity for owners and visitors.
The varied heights step down for Building C, which buttresses the project with nearby single-family homes. The lower profile forms of visual transition from the residential infill and is an often-seen concession for new development in Palo Alto to not frighten the locals.
420 Acacia Avenue, image via Google Street View
The application uses the State Density Bonus program to integrate affordable housing and increase residential capacity. An SB 330 pre-application will also seek to expedite and protect the plans from undue disapproval throughout the ministerial process.
Future residents will be a 13-minute walk from the California Avenue train station serviced by Caltrain, running between San Jose and San Francisco. 4200 Acacia Avenue is found behind 3001 El Camino Real, a proposed five-story affordable housing complex developed by Charities Housing. The townhomes property is actually owned by Charities and is being sold to Dividend Homes for the mixed-income development.
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32 cars for 16 units. To be fair, Silicon Valley is nothing but a sprawled out suburb of itself. Transit improvements to areas designated for high density is preferred over randomly dispersed residential buildings that are less transit-oriented.