Things are heating up in Los Altos, where a group of neighbors has gone to court to stop what would be the city’s tallest building on El Camino Real. The lawsuit targets an eight-story, 85-unit project that neighbors say the city approved without doing the environmental homework. Their complaint asks a Santa Clara County judge to pause the city’s sign-off and order Los Altos to cover the plaintiff’s attorney's fees, setting up a fight between residents worried about parking, traffic, and student routes and planners who say state housing law is firmly on the project’s side.
Neighbor Sues, Cites CEQA
According to the Palo Alto Daily Post, neighbor Anatol Shmelev, who lives at 897 Jordan Ave, filed the complaint, arguing the city skipped a thorough review of traffic and parking impacts and leaned too heavily on a California Environmental Quality Act exemption. Attorney Shona Armstrong wrote that Shmelev’s “interest in the continuing quality of the local environment will be harmed” by extra congestion and reduced parking, the filing states. About a dozen neighbors have already shown up at Planning Commission hearings with similar worries.
Public Records Show Size And Affordable Units
A Notice of Exemption on the state’s CEQAnet describes a project topping out at roughly 109 feet at the elevator tower and including 85 homes, 10 of them reserved as very-low-income units. The documents also outline a fully underground automated parking garage with 95 spaces, bicycle parking, and a rooftop deck. The application relies on the State Density Bonus Law to request several waivers and concessions from local rules, as outlined in the Notice of Exemption available on CEQAnet.
Developer Response And Local Context
Developer Navneet Aron has maintained that the plan complies with state law and said sidewalks along Jordan Avenue will be added before the design is finalized, the Palo Alto Daily Post reported. The proposal’s unit mix comes in at nine studios, 47 one-bedrooms, and 29 two-bedrooms, paired with the automated 95-space garage discussed at recent hearings. Earlier coverage noted that the eight-story layout is the tallest residential project approved in Los Altos and marks a departure from prior, smaller concepts on the site, as SF YIMBY reported.
What Happens Next
Next Tuesday, the City Council is slated to hear an appeal of the project’s approvals, with the agenda and staff reports posted on the City of Los Altos website. If the court grants a stay, the city’s prior approvals and any permits would be put on hold while the lawsuit moves through Santa Clara County Superior Court, leaving the project in limbo while lawyers and planners argue over the details.
Legal Angle: CEQA, Density Bonus And The Courts
At the heart of the case is a legal puzzle: whether Los Altos correctly used a Class 32 categorical exemption for infill development when the project also relies on California’s density bonus law for multiple waivers. Government Code Section 65915 allows cities to grant concessions and waivers when a project includes affordable housing, but that statute does not automatically answer whether environmental review is required. The project’s CEQA filing on CEQAnet and the court complaint will test how those rules are applied in Los Altos. For background on the legal framework, see the CEQAnet record and the density bonus statute as published by Justia.
