Withme Palo Alto Airport Welcomes Residents to ‘Open House’ PAGE 22
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Palo 6°Ê888]Ê ÕLiÀÊx£ÊUÊ-i«ÌiLiÀÊÓ£]ÊÓä£Ó N xäZ A local resource guide published by the Palo Alto Weekly INSIDE THIS ISSUE Alto 2012-13 2012 Info Palo Alto arts & entertainment | outdoors & recreation | kids | education | community public officials | getting around | www.paloaltoonline.com www.PaloAltoOnline.com Come FLY withme Palo Alto Airport welcomes residents to ‘open house’ PAGE 22 Still time to pre-register online SPECIAL SECTION PAGE 29 Spectrum 12 Title Pages 13 Movies 20 Real Estate 38 Puzzles 62 NNews New theater complex, high-rise offi ces proposed Page 3 NSports Stanford volleyball wins Pac-12 opener Page 14 NArts Film festival: Technology, innovation, emotion Page 17 Locally Grown Produce U Fresh from The Farm Opening Soon in October!– Coming to Palo Alto! Organic Grass Fed Organic Artisan Beef & Natural Farmstead Pork Cheeses Free Artisan Range Bakery/Deli Organic Chicken Hand Crafted Beer/Wine Natural Pizzas Specialty Groceries Huge Selection Huge Selection From Farmers Floral Throughout of Asian The State Products Selections Î{{xÊ>Ê-ÌÀiiÌ]Ê*>ÊÌÊÊUÊÊÃv>ÀvÀià >ÀiÌ°V ÕÀÃÊvÊ"«iÀ>Ì\ÊÊ>°°ÊqÊÊ«°°Ê >Þ Page 2ÊUÊ-i«ÌiLiÀÊÓ£]ÊÓä£ÓÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Four office buildings, theater planned for downtown Palo Alto City partners with developer John Arrillaga on new plan sity Ave. since early 2011, but details planning staff, who describe it in a ager Amy French wrote in a report, didn’t emerge until late Wednesday, new report as “an unprecedented op- which was approved by Planning to transform site near downtown Caltrain station when the city released a report out- portunity to transform the centrally Director Curtis Williams and City by Gennady Sheyner lining some of the details. The site located, transitional area between Manager James Keene. currently houses the MacArthur Downtown Palo Alto and Stanford These goals include improvements he City of Palo Alto and bil- The project, which would trans- Park restaurant, which would have University, a prominent part of town to the busy Intermodal Transit Cen- lionaire philanthropist John form the area around the downtown to be relocated to accommodate the where decades of plans have engen- ter, better links between downtown, T Arrillaga are pushing forward Caltrain station, is so ambitious in new plan. dered little change.” Stanford Shopping Center, Stanford a sweeping development plan that scope that the city is now consider- The City Council is scheduled to “The Project is propelled by an University and Stanford Hospital, would add a complex of four of- ing bringing it to the voters in spring consider the plan and the proposal extraordinary public-private part- and a new performing-arts theater, fice towers, including one 10 sto- of 2013, according to a report the city to send it to the voters at its meeting nership involving several parties, which would likely serve as a new ries in height, and a new theater released late Wednesday, Sept. 19. Monday night, Sept. 24. But Arril- which would allow goals that have home for TheatreWorks. to one of the most central areas of The city and Arrillaga have been laga’s development proposal already been pursued for many years to be downtown. discussing the project at 27 Univer- seems to have won over the city’s realized,” Current Planning Man- (continued on page 5) LAND USE Historic Eichler demolished Object of 2009 Edgewood Plaza lawsuit appears to have been hauled away by Sue Dremann ne of two historic Eichler By Wednesday morning, all that commercial structures was left was one masonry wall. O scheduled for renovation at “We were not notified about the Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center demolition and were surprised, in Palo Alto appears to have been shocked and dismayed,” Diane Se- largely splintered and hauled away, kimura, an Architectural Control angering the residents who fought in Committee member, stated in an court to have the buildings saved. email to the Weekly. Perhaps the only extant exam- “Along with the city, we also be- ples of developer Joseph Eichler’s lieved that the building was to be vision for a commercial retail cen- dismantled and moved. We were ter, the buildings were part of a told by Mr. Tze that some compo- 2009 lawsuit by members of the nents would have to be replaced Veronica Weber Veronica Duveneck-St. Francis neighbor- due to new building codes. He hood against developer Sand Hill mentioned doors, which must be Property. Residents sought to pre- widened for disabled access and serve the 56-year-old structures af- windows, which today must be ter Sand Hill planned to redevelop double paned and use safety glass. Leo Swada, center, adds a piece to a tower he is building, while Remina Fujita, right, and Luke the site into retail and about 25 He also said he needed to comply Lew, far right, play with more blocks in their Young Fives and Transitional Kindergarten class at single-family homes. with regulations for heating and Greendell School. But Sand Hill settled the lawsuit, cooling equipment on the roof. We known as the Architectural Control expected other materials such as Committee for Tract No. 1641, after beams, siding, panels, etc., would EDUCATION it was discovered that any develop- be recycled and reassembled at the ment required authorization from new location. residents through the property’s “What remained after the demoli- Declaration of Restrictions, Con- tion was a pile of shards and pieces Few sign up for new ‘transitional’ program ditions, Covenants, Charges and of these components. They were Agreements, or CC&Rs. hauled away Tuesday. It did not ap- Law means fewer kids with late birthdays are in kindergarten this fall Sand Hill then won the goodwill pear anything was salvaged except by Chris Kenrick of residents when it held informa- the single masonry wall still stand- tional meetings and reduced the ing,” Sekimura said. espite its origins in Palo State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Statewide enrollment figures number of homes to 10. It agreed to Reached while on vacation in Eu- Alto, a new law compelling Alto, sponsored the legislation — for the new T-K program will not preserve the two Eichler structures. rope, Tze apologized in an email to D California school districts moving the fifth-birthday cutoff be available until next summer, One building, which is closest to Sekimura on Tuesday for any sur- to offer “transitional kindergar- for kindergarten from Dec. 2 to said Tina Jung, spokeswoman Embarcadero Road and St. Fran- prise. He did not dispute the resi- ten” has attracted few students Sept. 1 — after he was petitioned for the California Department of cis Drive, was to be deconstructed dents’ account of the demolition. here. by a group of Palo Alto teachers Education. Jung said the depart- and moved further back toward the “We have been working closely Just 16 children signed up for who said too many late-birthday ment collects enrollment data in neighborhood. The move would with the city and (historic-architec- Palo Alto’s new transitional kin- children were entering school un- October but that updates are not have shifted parking along the resi- ture consultants) Page & Turnbull and dergarten program — a number prepared for the increasingly aca- completed until the following dential side into the center. have consulted with Page & Turnbull so small that the enrollment has demic demands of kindergarten. summer. But while residents expected the continuously throughout this design been combined into the school Simitian estimates 40,000 Cal- Local school officials specu- building to come down, they were and construction process. district’s pre-existing Young Fives ifornia 4-year-olds — kids with lated that demand for transitional shocked on Monday and Tuesday to “I do not take this lightly but ba- program. November birthdays — are eligi- kindergarten could be low here discover that many of its most rec- sically, what we found through the But Superintendent Kevin ble for the new T-K program this because Palo Alto, unlike most ognizable features had been splin- design process was that much of the Skelly said some teachers have fall. Once the law is fully phased school districts, already offers a tered, they said. Worse, they did not old material could not be re-used. commented that the new law may in, 125,000 children — those “Young Fives” program and is rich receive any communication from The glass does not meet current be working because this year’s turning 5 between Sept. 1 and in high-quality private programs. developer John Tze about changes safety and energy codes — it is sin- kindergarten crop seems more Dec. 2 — each year will qualify to the building’s renovation plans, mature than before. for the pre-kindergarten year. (continued on page 8) they said. (continued on page 5) ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ-i«ÌiLiÀÊÓ£]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 3 3UPPORTTHE&RIENDSOF3TEVENS#REEK4RAIL Upfront jwxw{hwy{ 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK izwBi{{x{IFBHFGH (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor ‘‘ Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor What remained after the demolition Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor was a pile of shards ... Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady ‘‘ — Diane Sekimura, an Architectural Control Sheyner, Staff Writers Eric Van Susteren, Editorial Assistant, Internship Committee member, on the razing of the historic Coordinator Eichler retail building at the Edgewood Plaza Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Shopping Center. See story on page 3. Colin Becht, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, D{{y{{wD } Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K.