League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Karen Holman Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Palo Alto

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you balance neighborhood and city-wide concerns?

The question is an interesting one. We are at a point in time when neighborhood concerns especially seem to be city-wide, especially after Measure D. In that vote, voters sent the message that they are not happy with either the current level of development or the kinds of development that effect not only the neighborhoods specifically but also the enjoyment of Palo Alto as a whole. Those sentiments are supported by the City's annual survey that measures the satisfaction of residents in a variety of areas of City activities. When it comes to land use and planning, parking and traffic only 30+% of residents rate the City at excellent or good; in the quality of new development the score was in the low 40's. This is down significantly from prior years and compared to ratings in the 80s and 90s in other categories. Development projects

Recent development approvals seem to indicate that the maximum allowable floor area ratio (FAR) is considered the new minimum. Zoning exists to do a number of things, among them defining development so that the public is protected from negative impacts and has some assurance of what the built environment will look like. As a Council member, I brought forward a Council initiative to address issues such as sidewalk width, setbacks, how buildings address the street consistent with the vision presented in the South El Camino Design Guidelines and Grand Boulevard Initiative. Those visionary documents express many of the same visions expressed in the Comprehensive Plan. I have also consistently argued against over use of exceptions that permit larger than otherwise allowed buildings.

Retail protections

In 2009 ground floor retail protections downtown were reduced and as a result we have been seeing those now-unprotected locations replaced by offices. As a Council member, I brought forward a Council initiative to expand ground floor retail protections, so far only partially adopted.

Local businesses and services

In my 13 years on the Planning Commission and Council I have consistently supported and argued for local independent businesses both as an element of community and also because it makes good economic sense. We have heard from the California Avenue businesses as well as the community that there is growing concern about and strong interest in preserving the local businesses there. What happens in our commercial areas effects the livability of our neighborhoods. I support protecting California Avenue from chain store proliferation.

2. Palo Alto and surrounding communities are under economic pressure to grow and environmental pressures to live and work closer together. How do you envision Palo Alto responding to these pressures?

Palo Alto has and surely will continue to work for better outcomes to housing demands, both those imposed by state mandates and those to support a more diverse local population.

As a Council member and member of the Regional Housing Mandate Committee I often point out the flawed basis for the state mandates which are stated as focusing on protecting open areas and reducing green house gases created by vehicles traveling to and from work. Thus the premise is to locate housing near jobs.
The significant flaw in the assumptions is that someone who lives in one town is not necessarily closer to work than someone who actually lives in an adjacent town. Other flaws and frustrations in the state methodology are that 1) there is no consideration or credit for protecting existing housing units and 2) counting preservation of at-risk affordable housing units toward the mandated allotment includes a very high hurdle for inclusion. There are also conflicting data on how allotments are calculated.
What I draw from these factors is that the state mandates are not really about providing housing but rather about building new units. Indeed, according to the state density bonus law, development concessions can actually offset the creation of new housing units built as part of a project with more office square footage that exacerbates the housing imbalance.
My commitment is to continue to work with State Legislators to get a rational methodology and consideration for creation as well as conservation of housing. Additionally, my understanding from affordable housing developers is that buying and converting existing units to affordable is more cost effective than buying property and building new housing.
This response would not be complete without reference to Buena Vista. While we are advised not to comment specifically on the future of that site, it is a grand example of the issues laid out above as to existing housing.
Palo Alto is a wealthy community in many regards. We are so very fortunate. But we can do better in providing for housing without causing considerable impacts on schools.
We need to consider adjusting our development standards to allow smaller housing units rather than expanding general office space that does not particularly benefit the City, its residents, or its coffers. We are richer for our diversity which in part relies on a diverse housing stock.

3. What proposals do you have to alleviate the traffic and parking situation in Palo Alto?

Traffic and parking issues have become even more front and center in the current economic climate. There are two parts to the issue: providing solutions to the existing conditions as well as not exacerbating the situation with new development that does not adequately account for and address its impacts.

As a Council member, I have voted to support creation of a Residential Permit Parking Program, move forward a Transportation Demand Management Program and support expanded and coordinated shuttle programs. I have also voted to eliminate a number of parking exceptions. These are some of the actions that are needed to get people out of cars and choose other forms of transit to get to work rather than clogging streets and impacting residential neighborhoods with overflow parking.
At Council I was also part of a collaborative initiative to establish a Business Registry. The City needs accurate data to analyze traffic, parking, and commercial occupant density, both in regards to individual projects and cumulative potential impacts. The Registry will collect data to be used in identifying, deterring and eliminating impacts from commercial developments.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 29, 2014 10:26
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