Fairmeadow Houses

After the Palo Alto Planning Commission meeting, I walked around the proposed "Single Story Overlay" Zoning district and did a survey of these "wonderful" Eichlers and their conditions. The Single Story Overlay  limits new construction to 17 feet. It's the first step to the designation as a "Historic District" which would create another architectural review board comprised of neighborhood activists who would approve any remodels before they could be permitted by the Planning Department. It would also exempt all buildings in the "Historic District" from FEMA flood zone restrictions which would ptherwise force remodels to have the first floor start 5 feet from the ground. The entire neighborhood is somewhere between 5 to 15 feet above mean sea level and there is a major creek about 1/2 mile away.

Most of the neighborhood is reasonably maintained. But there appears to be a bicycle dump at one house. There is another with a small auto repair shop in the front yard. And yet another with extra toilets in the front which I guess were removed during a remodel.

I didn't include photos of my immediate neighbor who has a small tank in his driveway and a 20 foot geodesic structure with an office chair on top in the back. He's not in the proposed "Single Story Overlay" district.

Somebody is painting gang tags on my back fence while the city wants to declare the neighborhood a "Historic District." It's pretty clear that my priorities and my neighbors aren't the same.