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Inside the wacky ways Peninsula communities are trying to skirt new housing

Here are five of the most unique approaches that residents and politicians in Peninsula communities have taken to push back against adding new homes within city limits.

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  • Fresh off a Grammy win, Palo Alto native Molly Tuttle talks about her ‘bluegrass roots’ and how the Bay Area influences her music March 23, 2023
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Popular Posts

Zoppe Circus next generation
How the Zoppé family built a Redwood City circus legacy
October 14, 2021
The sweet-scented legacy of Ah Sam: 88 years of fame, family and flowers
September 9, 2021
Live it up this Labor Day: 20 local events for the long holiday weekend on the Peninsula
September 2, 2021

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Joseph Eichler’s work in Palo Alto’s Greenmead Joseph Eichler’s work in Palo Alto’s Greenmeadow neighborhood was unlike most other subdivisions in the city at the time: He developed the south Palo Alto neighborhood with 270 similarly styled midcentury modern homes (now known as Eichlers) built around a centrally located community center that would serve as the core of neighborly activity. Situated between Alma Street, East Charleston, Middlefield and San Antonio roads, the 22-block neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its prevalence of pristine Eichlers, providing visitors a good look at the suburban utopia the builder envisioned when he developed the area nearly seven decades ago. The Eichler style is immediately recognizable: clerestory windows (often triangular) at the front, vertical exterior redwood siding, concrete fireplaces, post and beam interior construction, open living spaces with high ceilings, and full plate-glass rear walls. All of his homes from this era were single-story to provide privacy to back-to-back homes while keeping flat or slightly sloped roofs. Click the link in bio to read more about this neighborhood of Eichlers. Photo courtesy Bo Crane.
After this winter’s onslaught of wind, rain and After this winter’s onslaught of wind, rain and even snow in parts of the Peninsula, even those of us who had welcomed the storms in our parched state earlier in the season are anxious for some calm, cloudless days and opportunities to get out and explore the green hills and wildflowers of spring. While the rain may not be done with us yet, spring’s arrival Monday ushers in the return of more outdoor festivals and seasonal events and brings us that much closer to the long, warm days of summer. Click the link in bio for 15 events this spring we have circled on the calendar. Photos courtesy Kevin Henney, Veronica Weber and Miramar Events/123EventPhotography.com.
@ponyofoods, which opened in Millbrae at the end o @ponyofoods, which opened in Millbrae at the end of January, is an Asian snack shop that also has an assortment of pastries, cakes and cookies from Bay Area businesses like Neighbor’s Bakehouse, MackBox and batch 22 bakery, as well as coconut jellies from Southern California-based MeloMelo. We tried 10 snacks from Ponyo: Click the link in bio to find out which ones we liked — and which we didn’t. Photo by @k8bradsh.
@devoroberts grew up watching professional wrestli @devoroberts grew up watching professional wrestling, from @wwe’s Hulk Hogan to The Rock. Eventually, pro wrestling fell off his radar for years until the debut of @aew in 2019. Now the second-largest pro wrestling promotion next to WWE, All Elite Wrestling debuted at the Cow Palace in Daly City earlier this month, lead by East Palo Alto native Powerhouse Hobbs. Devin was on hand to capture the frenzied fans, luchador-style moves and the gimmicks. Click the link in bio for his photo essay.
Calling all Peninsula photographers! Last chance t Calling all Peninsula photographers! Last chance to enter the 2023 Peninsula Photo Contest by Sunday, March 19, for a chance to have your artwork displayed in the Palo Alto Weekly, The Six Fifty and at the Palo Alto Art Center. Win up to $500. Click the link in bio to enter or get more info.
St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday this year, g St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday this year, giving revelers the perfect excuse to clock out of work early for happy hour with a full evening of festivities ahead of them. Some bars are even kicking the celebration off before typical business hours March 17, opening as early as 6 a.m. Whether you’re looking to take advantage of food and drink specials or just want to listen to some live music, our running guide to Peninsula St. Patrick’s Day happenings has you covered. Click the link in bio to check it out. Photo courtesy @originaljoeswestlake.
The Mountain House has stood atop Skyline Boulevar The Mountain House has stood atop Skyline Boulevard for the past century, serving as a gathering place for adventurers, loggers and locals in the redwood forests of Kings Mountain near Woodside. Since the early 1900s it has served a range of community functions, first as the Red Pump, a water pump station for homesteaders, then as Kings Mountain Rendezvous, a frontier saloon and likely a brothel, according to chef Will Roberts. It later became Alex’s Mountain House before Alex’s was dropped and the site became a restaurant in the 1980s. (It also served as the setting of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” music video in the 1990s). Following a two and a half year hiatus after owners Jerry and Lorraine Olson closed the restaurant in August 2020 amid shifting pandemic regulations and economic impacts, three new chefs have teamed up to bring a new concept to the space, offering “country coastal cuisine” and cocktails with forest views. During the Olsons’ ownership, the restaurant’s menu featured steak, seafood and pasta dishes and game meat like elk and venison. Chefs Roberts, Dmitry Elperin and George Paleologos, who have worked together in different capacities as chefs at The Village Pub in Woodside and Dio Deka in Los Gatos, have teamed up to bring the restaurant back, says Roberts. The former owners planned to retire and wanted to pass the location to someone who would continue to operate it as a restaurant, he says. “We’re really grateful to be able to slip into a space that has such a history,” Roberts says, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. “I’m honored and grateful we’re able to do this.” Click the link in bio to read @k8bradsh’s story. Photos by @itsmagalig and Max Davenport.
Peek inside Graduate Palo Alto, the new hotel at t Peek inside Graduate Palo Alto, the new hotel at the former President Hotel that’s home to the city’s first rooftop bar and a Stanford-themed decor. Check out @k8bradsh’s story at the link in bio. Photos by @itsmagalig.
“I am drawn to abstracts because I am fascinated “I am drawn to abstracts because I am fascinated by the intangible elements of beautiful form and composition. Images like ‘Cylinder #1’ arise from the interplay between serendipity and deliberate acts taken by the photographer. So, what makes this particular image pleasing? I leave that up to the viewer to decide.” —Brandon Stauffer, “Cylinder #1” 2021, downtown Palo Alto. Peninsula Photo Contest first place abstracts category winner (adult), 2021. Enter the Peninsula Photo Contest now through March 19. Details at the link in bio. (And check out Brandon’s portraits and abstracts exhibition at the Wheelhouse of Willow Glen in San Jose March 15-May 15.)
Residents in cities and towns across the Peninsula Residents in cities and towns across the Peninsula have been, depending on who you ask, either embarrassing themselves with exclusionary tactics against the threat of new neighbors, or fighting the good fight against state overreach. One big reason why discussions about the region’s housing shortage have been so fierce of late is because the state has assigned each community across California a certain number of homes to plan for between now and 2031, and each Bay Area community was required to have those plans approved by the end of January – but so far, Redwood City is the only one on the Peninsula to have met that deadline. While the state’s mandates and enforcement related to these eight-year cycles of home-planning assignments (called “RHNA,” short for “Regional Housing Needs Allocation”) have been more lax in previous rounds, the state is warning cities to be compliant amid increasing pressure to address the widespread housing shortage. Based on those assignments, cities have had to review their codes to see where they should change zoning to accommodate the new homes and submit those proposals to the state for approval. Those new zoning changes don’t necessarily mean that the new homes each city is planning for will get built, just that it is possible for developers to build them. That process has been playing out for much of the past year, and Peninsula communities – home to some of the most wealthy zip codes in the U.S. – have been some of the most creative when it comes to looking for loopholes to avoid making changes. Otherwise quiet enclaves have been going on the defensive and drawing record crowds to public meetings. Click the link in bio to read @k8bradsh’s roundup of five of the most unique approaches that residents and politicians in Peninsula communities have taken to push back against adding new homes within city limits. Photo by @itsmagalig.
Join us for this exclusive Zoom interview with Mal Join us for this exclusive Zoom interview with Malcom Harris, the author of “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism and the World.” Malcom Harris’ expansive, engaging and explosive new book covers the history of Silicon Valley with a focus on Palo Alto. On March 16 at 7 p.m., @paloaltoonline reporter Gennady Sheyner will host this free event and Malcom Harris will take questions from the audience. Registration now open at the link in bio. Photo courtesy Julia Burke.
About 120 billion paper, plastic and foam disposab About 120 billion paper, plastic and foam disposable cups are thrown away each year in the U.S., according to Clean Water Action and the Clean Water Fund. But when was the last time you thought to bring a travel mug to your favorite cafe? “There are cafes that are frustrated with the problem, but they don’t have great alternatives,” says Emily Chueh, co-founder of Okapi Reusables, a reusable cup startup that’s working with the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability to help restaurants cut their reliance on single-use plastics for takeout beverages. Okapi Reusables began last year in Portland, where about 20 cafes are now participating in the reusable cup program. Some cafes do offer bring-your-own cup programs, but even then it’s a small proportion of people who actually remember to bring their own cups, Chueh says. Through Okapi Reusables, customers pay a $10 one-time fee and download an app. They scan a QR code at the counter of participating cafes and are then able to check out one of the Okapi reusable cups behind the counter to take home for two weeks. Some cafes give discounts to people who borrow the reusable cups; Urban Ritual, for example, offers 20% off. Okapi has received a $16,000 grant from the county’s Office of Sustainability to build out its program at local cafes and boba shops. Click the link in bio to read more about the program. Photo courtesy @okapi_reusables.
With snow being reported around parts of the Penin With snow being reported around parts of the Peninsula today (and the chance for more into Friday) we dug into the archives for pics of snowy scenes from the Peninsula’s past. Click the link in bio to see more photos (and share your present-day shots with us via email, jbrown@embarcaderopublishing.com). ❄️ Images courtesy Palo Alto Historical Association, Stanford Photo Archive and San Jose State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Stanford University faced an unusual quandary in 1 Stanford University faced an unusual quandary in 1930, when students started complaining that their beds were too small to accommodate their growing frames. According to a letter that students wrote to the editor of The Stanford Daily that year, at least 50 male students were over 6-feet, 2-inches tall and needed longer mattresses. The paper’s staff followed suit with an editorial titled, “Give them Room.” Then, two decades later, it happened again, sparking the 1950 headline, “Towering freshmen overlap Encina beds,” in the student publication. Stanford administrators examined students’ height records and put in an emergency order for 7-foot beds. In Malcolm Harris’ expansive, engaging and explosive new book, “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” the image of Stanford racing to accommodate its influx of big, friendly giants serves as an apt metaphor for — and a direct symptom of — what he calls the Palo Alto System. Pioneered by Leland Stanford and refined over the years by the likes of Lewis Terman, Herbert Hoover, William Shockley, Jr., Steve Jobs and Peter Thiel, the system breeds ruthless efficiency, economic inequality, white supremacy, labor abuse and unspeakable wealth for those at the top. His book, which was released Feb. 14, describes Palo Alto as “the belly of the capitalist beast.” Harris, a critic of the capitalist order who was active in the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in 2011, is himself a product of the Palo Alto System, having spent the second half of his childhood in the city. He recalls in the book’s introduction an episode at Ohlone Elementary when a substitute teacher told the class, “You live in a bubble,” prompting wide-eye stares from the class (after parents complained, the substitute never returned). He sees the Palo Alto System as a leading engine of Silicon Valley’s prosperity (for some) and despair (for many others), as well as a key cause behind the waves of student suicides on the train tracks that the community grappled with over the past two decades. Read more about the new book at the link in bio. Photos courtesy Julia Burke and Little, Brown and Company.
The 2023 Peninsula Photo Contest is now open for s The 2023 Peninsula Photo Contest is now open for submissions! Winners will be featured in the Palo Alto Weekly, The Six Fifty and displayed at the Palo Alto Art Center. Win up to $500. Submit your best photos today! Click the link in bio to enter or get more info.
Five new restaurants have joined San Mateo County’s dining scene, offering up a variety of cuisines and dishes ranging from congee and tea to Japanese pastries. In Burlingame, El Quetzal dishes up Guatemalan comfort food, Sunright Tea Studio serves sunny SoCal-inspired boba and fruit teas, and Society Bar and Restaurant offers Mediterranean fare at a hookah lounge. Meanwhile, San Mateo has a new Cantonese restaurant with an extensive menu and Belmont has a new Japanese bakery and cafe. Click the link in bio to read @k8bradsh’s roundup. Photo courtesy @sunrightteastudio.norcal.
Menlo Park resident Liz Becker is deathly afraid o Menlo Park resident Liz Becker is deathly afraid of dying. Ever since she lost her little sister Maggie nearly 35 years ago, death has been a subject she’s side-stepped around, skipping funeral services to avoid bouts of anxiety and panic. But when the Great Recession hits and Liz and her friend and business partner Gabbi Rossi find themselves without clients for their event-planning business, the two go from planning lavish birthday parties and weddings to managing funerals and end-of-life services. The move forces Liz, the protagonist of Atherton resident Kimberly Young’s debut fiction novel, “In the Event of Death,” to confront her fear, but it doesn’t come without hesitation. After telling Gabbi, “We don’t do funerals,” Gabbi quips, “If you really think about it, Liz, arranging a memorial service is just like planning a wedding…only the bride is dead.” The humorous exchange is part of Young’s strategy to balance a serious topic with pockets of levity. As the recession unfolds, Liz, a married mother of two twin boys in high school, has to navigate tension with her husband as he faces unemployment due to the economic slowdown and the trials of raising teenagers. The book is set in the Silicon Valley suburbs; Liz’s parents live near the Caltrain station in Menlo Park, and she and Gabbi frequent Cafe Borrone and buy wine for events at Beltramo’s Wines & Spirits. Young, an Atherton native with a background in tech advertising, received her MFA from Stanford University, where she was a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellow. She talked with The Six Fifty in advance of the book’s publication Feb. 14 and her appearance at Books Inc. Palo Alto Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. about how overcoming a health scare inspired her to write a book and why she chose to include characters who don’t work in tech. Click the link in bio to read the Q&A. Photos courtesy Annie Barnett and Post Hill Press.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and while there’s no shortage of chocolates from name-brand companies dotting the aisles of local grocery store chains, the Peninsula is home to a number of small businesses focused on the craft of making chocolate. Click the link in bio for 10 chocolatiers around the region where you can find Valentine’s Day gifts for a special someone or satisfy your sweet tooth anytime of year. Photos by @itsmagalig and Michelle Le.
The annual SF Beer Week celebration returns to the The annual SF Beer Week celebration returns to the Bay Area Feb. 10-19 with a scattering of events aimed at suds-lovers of all kinds taking place at venues across the 650. Click the link in bio for @zachareats’ Peninsula guide to @sfbeerweek. Photo by Michelle Le.
From newcomers tentatively trying their hand at ju From newcomers tentatively trying their hand at juggling for the first time to professionals managing to keep seven balls in the air at once, Gunn High School’s juggling festival Jan. 20-22 drew people of all ages and skill levels. The Game of Throws (a play on the hit TV show “Game of Thrones”) brought hundreds of people from the region and around the world to Gunn’s gymnasium in Palo Alto for circus arts workshops, demonstrations and friendly competitions. Professionals on hand showcased for attendees of all ages everything from cigar box juggling and lassoing techniques to 20 tricks with a baseball cap. Led by Gunn Japanese teacher Matt Hall, who has been juggling internationally for two decades, this was Game of Throws’ fourth iteration and the first one since the pandemic hit. It was hosted from 2018 through 2020 at Palo Alto High School, where Hall previously worked as the student activities director. Click the link in bio to read about the festivities and see behind the scenes photos by @devoroberts.
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