HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-14 Planning & Transportation Commission Agenda PacketPLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Council Chambers & Hybrid
6:00 PM
Planning and Transportation Commission meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the
option to attend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety
while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to
participate from home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and
participate in the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if
attending in person. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 26, live on
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media
Center https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas and
minutes are available at http://bit.ly/PaloAltoPTC.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/91641559499)
Meeting ID: 916 4155 9499 Phone: 1(669)900-6833
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or an
amount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes
after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to
Planning.Commission@PaloAlto.gov and will be provided to the Commission and available for
inspection on the City’s website three days before the meeting. Please clearly indicate which
agenda item you are referencing in your subject line.
Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified as
present at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to ten
(10) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non-speaking members agree not
to speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for all
combined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak for Study Sessions and
Action Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers.
PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only
by email to Planning.Commission@PaloAlto.gov at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once
received, the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold
strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices
are not accepted.
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CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL
AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS
The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Three (3) minutes per speaker.
CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS
1.Director's Report, Meeting Schedule and Assignments
ACTION ITEMS
Public Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Fifteen (15) minutes, plus three (3) minutes rebuttal. All others:
Three (3) minutes per speaker.
2.Recommendation to the City Council on an Ordinance Adding a New Section 18.70.105
(Noncomplying facility - De minimis exceptions) to Chapter 18.70 (Nonconforming Uses
and Noncomplying Facilities) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code; CEQA
Status: Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense
Exemption).
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker.
3.Approval of Planning & Transportation Commission Draft Summary & Verbatim Minutes
of October 29, 2025
COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND
AGENDAS
Members of the public may not speak to the item(s).
ADJOURNMENT
OTHER INFORMATION
The materials below are provided for informational purposes, not for action or discussion during this meeting’s agenda. Written
public comments may be submitted in advance and will be provided to the Commission and availible for public inspection on the
City’s website three days before the meeting.
A.Public Comment
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1.Written public comments may be submitted by email to
Planning.Commission@PaloAlto.gov.
2.Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Commission, click on the link below to access a Zoom-based
meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully.
◦You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in- browser. If using
your browser, make sure you are using a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30,
Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in
older browsers including Internet Explorer.
◦You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you
identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you
that it is your turn to speak.
◦When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will
activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they
are called to speak.
◦When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be
shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
3.Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the
teleconference meeting. To address the Commission, download the Zoom application
onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID
below. Please follow the instructions above.
4.Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When
you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to
speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the
Commission. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit
your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 916 4155 9499 Phone:1-669-900-6833
Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public
programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with
disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary
aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at
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service.
Item No. 1. Page 1 of 2
Planning & Transportation Commission
Staff Report
From: Planning and Development Services Director
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: January 14, 2026
Report #: 2601-5801
TITLE
Director's Report, Meeting Schedule and Assignments
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC) review and
comment as appropriate.
BACKGROUND
This document includes the following items:
Upcoming PTC Agenda Items
PTC Meeting Schedule
PTC Representative to City Council (Rotational Assignments)
Commissioners are encouraged to contact Samuel Tavera (Samuel.Tavera@PaloAlto.gov) to
notify staff of any planned absences one month in advance, if possible, to ensure the
availability of a PTC quorum.
PTC Representative to City Council is a rotational assignment where the designated
commissioner represents the PTC’s affirmative and dissenting perspectives to Council
for quasijudicial and legislative matters. Representatives are encouraged to review the City
Council agendas (https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/City-Hall/City-Council/Council-Agendas-
Minutes) for the months of their respective assignments to verify if attendance is needed or
contact staff.
Prior PTC meetings are available online at https://midpenmedia.org/category/government/city-
of-palo-alto/boards-and-commissions/planning-and-transportation-commission.
UPCOMING PTC ITEMS
January 28, 2026
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 5
Item No. 1. Page 2 of 2
929 Laurel Glen Drive – Site & Design Application
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: 2026 PTC Schedule & Assignments
AUTHOR/TITLE:
Jennifer Armer, Assistant Director
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 6
Planning & Transportation Commission
2026 Meeting Schedule
9
0
2
6
2026 Schedule
Meeting Dates Time Location Status Planned Absences
1/14/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
1/28/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
2/11/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
2/25/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular Chang
3/11/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
3/25/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
4/8/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
4/29/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
5/13/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
5/27/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
6/10/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
6/24/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
7/8/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
7/29/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular Hechtman
8/12/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
8/26/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
9/9/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
9/30/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
10/14/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
10/28/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
11/11/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Cancelled
11/18/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Special
11/25/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Cancelled
12/9/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Regular
12/30/2026 6:00 PM Hybrid Cancelled
2026 Assignments - Council Representation (primary/backup)
January February March April May June
Bryna Chang Allen Akin Bart Hechtman Kevin Ji Todd James Forest Peterson
Todd James Forest Peterson Cari Templeton Bryna Chang Allen Akin Bart Hechtman
July August September October November December
Council Cari Templeton Bryna Chang Allen Akin Bart Hechtman Kevin Ji
Summer Break Kevin Ji Todd James Forest Peterson Cari Templeton Bryna Chang
Item 1
Attachment A - 2026 PTC
Schedule & Assignments
Packet Pg. 7
Item No. 2. Page 1 of 4
Planning & Transportation Commission
Staff Report
From: Planning and Development Services Director
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: January 14, 2026
Report #: 2512-5741
TITLE
Recommendation to the City Council on an Ordinance Adding a New Section 18.70.105
(Noncomplying facility - De minimis exceptions) to Chapter 18.70 (Nonconforming Uses and
Noncomplying Facilities) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code; CEQA Status:
Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC) take the following
actions:
1. Recommend that City Council adopt the draft Ordinance (Attachment A) amending Palo
Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Title 18 (Zoning) regulations to add a new section regarding
noncomplying facilities de minimis exceptions.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On September 15, 2025, Council directed staff to prepare a text amendment within six months
authorizing the Director of Planning and Development Services to approve de minimis
exceptions from noncomplying facility regulations and similar minor adjustments that are not
impactful to adjacent properties or public realm for residential properties. The proposed
ordinance amending PAMC Chapter 18.70 to add a new code section for a de minimis exception
for modifications to noncomplying facilities responds to Council’s direction. The proposed
ordinance limits this exception to allow minor relocations of non-complying floor area for
single-family homes as detailed further in this report.
Following this hearing, the PTC’s recommendation would be forwarded to Council for a final
decision. Staff anticipates bringing the proposed ordinance to Council in the first quarter of
2026 in response to Council’s direction on timeline.
BACKGROUND
Item 2
Item 2 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 8
Item No. 2. Page 2 of 4
On May 8, 2025, the Director of Planning and Development Services issued a formal
interpretation of PAMC Chapter 18.70, concluding that noncomplying gross floor area (GFA)
may not be removed and replaced elsewhere on a site, even where total GFA is not increased.
This interpretation was prompted by a minor remodel of a single-family home that remains
over the district’s GFA limit.
1) reflects the most reasonable
and consistent application of the Municipal Code and that it supports the broader policy goal of
reducing noncomplying conditions over time. While the proposal in the appellant’s case was
minor, permitting it would have rendered portions of the code meaningless and could have
created a precedent for larger changes inconsistent with the Code’s purpose.
de minimis exceptions from
noncomplying facility regulations and similar minor adjustments that are not impactful
to adjacent properties or public realm for residential properties.
2 are available online.
DISCUSSION
18.70.105 Noncomplying facility - De minimis exception
1 September 15, 2025, Council Staff Report:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=16246&compileOutputType
=1
2 September 15, 2025, Council Summary Minutes:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=16251&compileOutputType
=1
Item 2
Item 2 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 9
Item No. 2. Page 3 of 4
Notwithstanding the requirements of Sections 18.70.080, 18.70.090, and
18.70.100, up to 250 square feet of non-complying floor area may be relocated
as follows:
(a) The non-complying facility houses a single-family residential use in a low-
density residential zone district.
(b) The non-complying floor area may be relocated to be at the same or lower
elevation. Any proposal to relocate non-complying floor area to a location
above the ground floor shall be subject to Section 18.10.040, subd. (i), or
18.12.110, as applicable.
(c) Projects that include modification of less than 150 sf above the ground floor
and that are therefore not subject to Individual Review, shall comply with the
objective standards for single-family development as applicable to the
proposed modification.
This proposal would allow minor relocations of non-complying floor area by right for single-
family homes. While staff initially explored allowances for a broader range of exceptions, this
would likely require a discretionary review process with flexible findings related to impacts on
neighboring properties. Rather than creating more processes, which would require staff
resources and add expense for applicants, staff is proposing the narrow and simple exception
stated above.
Staff recommends 250 square feet as the proposed threshold of what constitutes de minimis
for alignment with square foot thresholds used in other areas of the Zoning Code as it relates to
allowances within low-density residential zone districts. Through the application of the
Individual Review process, if applicable, or the two-story objective design standards (if
Individual Review is not applicable) for any modifications to the second floor, the proposed
language is intended to ensure that minor adjustments are not impactful to adjacent properties
or public realm for residential properties as the Individual Review guidelines and the objective
standards address massing, neighborhood context, and privacy.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Implementation of the draft ordinance is not anticipated to have significant fiscal or budgetary
impact. The new de minimis exception is intended to be a ministerial process that would occur
within an existing building permit review process and would therefore be absorbed within the
department budget and resources.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of this public hearing be published in a local paper
at least ten days in advance. Notice of a public hearing for this project was published in the
Daily Post on December 19, 2026, which is 26 days in advance of the meeting. This
recommendation is the culmination of stakeholder engagement through the meetings with City
Council and stakeholders described earlier in this report.
Item 2
Item 2 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 10
Item No. 2. Page 4 of 4
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under
CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption, because it can be seen
with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant
effect on the environment.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Draft Ordinance Amending PAMC Chapter 18.70
PTC5 Liaison & Report Author Contact
Information
Jennifer Armer, AICP, Assistant Director
(650) 329-2191
Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov
5 Emails may be sent directly to the PTC using the following address: planning.commission@paloalto.gov
Item 2
Item 2 Staff Report
Packet Pg. 11
*** NOT YET APPROVED ***
0160181_20260107_ay16 1
Ordinance No. ____
Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Title 18
(Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to Amend Requirements Relating
to Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units
The Council of the City of Palo Alto ORDAINS as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 18.70.105 (Noncomplying facility – de minimis exception) of
Chapter 18.70 (Nonconforming Uses and Noncomplying Facilities) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the
Palo Alto Municipal Code is added to read as follows:
18.70.105 Noncomplying facility - De minimis exception
Notwithstanding the requirements of Sections 18.70.080, 18.70.090, and 18.70.100, up to 250
square feet of non-complying floor area may be relocated as follows:
(a) The non-complying facility houses a single-family residential use in a low-density
residential zone district.
(b) The non-complying floor area may be relocated to be at the same or lower elevation.
Any proposal to relocate non-complying floor area to a location above the ground floor
shall be subject to Section 18.10.040, subd. (i), or 18.12.110, as applicable.
(c) Projects that include modification of less than 150 sf above the ground floor and that
are therefore not subject to Individual Review, shall comply with the objective standards
for single-family development as applicable to the proposed modification.
SECTION 2. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance
is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this
Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and
each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared invalid or
unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would be
subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 3. The Council finds that the adoption of this Ordinance is exempt from the
provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources
Code Section 21080.17 and CEQA Guidelines sections 15061(b)(3), 15301, 15302 and 15305
because it constitutes minor adjustments to the City’s zoning ordinance to implement State
law requirements related to accessory dwelling units as established in Government Code
Section 65852.2, and these changes are also likely to result in few additional dwelling units
dispersed throughout the City. As such, it can be seen with certainty that the proposed action
will not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
//
//
Item 2
Attachment A - Draft
Ordinance Amending PAMC
Chapter 18.70
Packet Pg. 12
*** NOT YET APPROVED ***
0160181_20260107_ay16 2
SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be effective on the thirty-first date after the date of
its adoption.
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
NOT PARTICIPATING:
ATTEST:
__________________________________ __________________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
__________________________________ __________________________________
Assistant City Attorney City Manager
__________________________________
Director of Planning & Community
Environment
Item 2
Attachment A - Draft
Ordinance Amending PAMC
Chapter 18.70
Packet Pg. 13
Item No. 3. Page 1 of 1
Planning & Transportation Commission
Staff Report
From: Planning and Development Services Director
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: January 14, 2026
Report #: 2601-5802
TITLE
Approval of Planning & Transportation Commission Draft Summary & Verbatim Minutes of
October 29, 2025
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning & Transportation Commission (PTC) adopt the meeting
minutes.
BACKGROUND
Draft summary and verbatim minutes for the October 29, 2025, Planning & Transportation
Commission (PTC) meeting were made available to the Commissioners prior to the January 14,
2026, meeting date. The draft PTC minutes can be viewed on the City's website at
https://bit.ly/PaloAltoPTC
ATTACHMENTS
None
AUTHOR/TITLE:
Samuel Tavera, Administrative Associate III
Item 3
Item 3 Staff Report
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