Wanting to help with the town's growing housing needs, one of the owners of 97 Santiago Ave. in Atherton wrote a letter of interest to City Manager George Rodericks to develop the property for multifamily housing.

Managing member Aron Fukuhara told Rodericks that the owners would be interested in developing homes at a density of 20 units per acre, with 20% available at below market rate, to help address the town's current shortfall in planned housing against the state's mandated allotment.

The town must plan for the development of 348 new housing units, per its 2023-31 Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

"Our site is well suited to support a higher density of development based on: corner lot with two points of egress minimizing neighbor impact; located on outlying, main artery as requested by council; large 1.4-acre site; and site has been vacant for three plus years," they said in a Feb. 28 letter.

The property, a block away from Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, sold for $9.3 million in February 2022, according to Zillow.

Fukuhara joins the owner of 23 Oakwood Ave., a neighbor of Warriors star Stephen Curry, who has also sought to develop his site into multifamily housing. The council has suggested zoning 23 Oakwood for 10 units per acre.

At a March 15 meeting, the City Council reviewed a presentation from the Housing Element Ad Hoc Subcommittee — made up of council member Elizabeth Lewis and Mayor Bill Widmer — with updates on sites under consideration, including 97 Santiago.

Updates on town's housing element sites

Fire district site: 28 Almendral Ave.

The council has floated the idea of using a Menlo Park Fire Protection District property at 28 Almendral Ave., a single family home on a 0.9 acre lot located next to Fire Station 3.

The district is considering plans for use of the property, which the agency purchased in 2017 for $4.6 million, according to a March 15 presentation by the Ad Hoc Subcommittee. Ideas include workforce housing, expansion of the existing/adjacent fire station or sale of property. The site has the potential for four to six units of housing, according to the presentation.

The district board has not yet discussed uses for property, according to the presentation. Any use requires board approval.

For now, the town plans to leave the site out of its plan while it continues to talk to the fire district.

Gilmore House in Holbrook-Palmer Park

The town could split the Gilmore House from Holbrook-Palmer Park, at 150 Watkins Ave., to rezone it for two- to three-story senior or workforce housing, according to the presentation. Council members have brought up concerns that the park deed dictates that Stanford University would take over the park if it's developed for anything other than recreational use.

There is potential for six to 10 units at the site, and doing so would require a separate entrance and exit from the rest of the park.

The home has been used in the park for the last 60 years. Past town managers lived in the Gilmore House, and police officers used the home as sleeping quarters until Police Chief Steve McCulley moved in.

DeGolia said the deed does allow for an exception for incidental housing, which the town has deemed the Gilmore house to be since just one family has lived there at a time. He said someone will likely sue the town if it tries to split the Gilmore House land from the park.

"One of those townhomes that gets built should be made available to a person that we would identify as a manager for the park," he said. "But it could be another county employee, I think, but I just think we need to think that through."

El Camino Real corridor

A strong coalition of residents who live in the El Camino Real corridor have come out against upzoning their properties.

Lewis said she's been approached by a couple residents who live along El Camino Real who were excited when the El Camino overlay was talked about because they would like to develop their property that faces El Camino.

Other options presented

The ad hoc subcommittee also proposed including an initial overlay:

• Bay Road — Included within the town's initial overlay proposal; could be zoned for up to 6 units per acre with 20% deed-restricted affordable units (two to three).

• Northeast Middlefield Road — Consider an overlay of properties along the east side of Middlefield from Marsh to Town northern border at six to 10 units per acre with 20% deed-restricted units (two to three).

• Evaluation of Neighborhood Overlays — Redwood Way Neighborhood

• Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton — If supported by Sacred Heart, include potential renovation of the Oakwood units as workforce housing, which could have four to six years.

• Strengthen second accessory dwelling unit (ADU) provisions — Allow a square foot exemption for a second ADU on lots 2 acres or larger; but require one of the two units to be affordable under a deed restriction.

• Consider a town/developer partnership opportunities to purchase property along El Camino Real for potential multifamily development.

The council has yet to discuss these sites in detail, but is expected to at an upcoming study session.