The Barron Park Association

Jan 082013
 

Date:  Wednesday, January 16

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location:  Arastradero Park Apartments Community Room, 574 Arastradero (same location as September meeting)

Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC), a nonprofit affordable housing developer, proposes to build a rental apartment building with approximately 60 apartments affordable to extremely-low to low income senior households and 15 for sale, market rate single family homes.  The project site is comprised of two parcels at the corner of Maybell and Clemo Avenues totaling 2.46 acres.  The larger parcel (93,654 sq. ft.) is zoned RM-15 and the smaller parcel (13,768 sq. ft.) is zoned R2.

The following drawing shows the current Maybell-Clemo Site Plan. The senior building with affordable-rent apartments is in the interior of the property, and single family market-rate houses are along Maybell and Clemo Avenues. Please keep in mind this is a draft and is subject to change.  We (PAHC) are still looking for public feedback.

Maybell-Clemo Site Plan: January 2013

PAHC plans to subdivide the property and apply for the rezoning of the 2.46-acre property to Planned Community.   The affordable rental apartments will include 59 1-bedroom apartments and one 2-bedroom apartment for the onsite manager, common areas such as a community room with computer lab, laundry room, manager’s office, a resident services office, as well as outdoor common area space to enjoy.  The affordable apartments will have an average size of 600 square feet and be affordable to households earning 30-60% of the Area Median Income in Santa Clara County.

 


PAHC has been developing and managing affordable housing in Palo Alto since 1970.  PAHC’s mission has always been to foster, develop, acquire and manage affordable housing in Palo Alto.  PAHC manages over 600 units of affordable housing in Palo Alto.  In addition to PAHC’s in-house property management staff, PAHC has Resident Services Program staff to meet the needs of our tenants as well.

PAHC CONTACT PERSON:

Jessica de Wit

PALO ALTO HOUSING CORPORATION

725 Alma Street

Palo Alto, CA 94301-2403

650.321.9709 Phone

650.321.4341 Fax

jdewit@paloaltohousingcorp.org

Dec 192012
 

Major gas main and services replacement work next year will impact Barron Park, but not before late February. Construction on this project, which would replace existing gas mains using the “Aldyl-A” material that is no longer considered acceptable for prolonged service underground, had been scheduled for 2012, but has been delayed until early 2013.
According to Utilities Communication Manager Debra Katz, “That project has just finished the contractor selection phase (the contractor will be Daleo, Inc. and they have worked with us before and done a very good job). The next step will be a pre-construction meeting later in January and that is where it will be determined when the contractor will work where. What I can say for almost 100% certain is that no work will start anywhere before late February.

More information about this project can be found here. We will post information on our website when the details become available.

Dec 132012
 
Barron Park neighbors – The City Council is going to act next Monday (Dec 17th) on a recommendation by Public Works Staff  to eliminate pickups of black garbage carts. Not yet for everybody, just for folks in some as-yet-unidentified area. It’s to be a one year, pilot study in which all wastes would be placed in either the green or blue carts, eliminating entirely the collection from black garbage carts.

The idea is that kitchen wastes now disposed of in the black garbage carts would instead be deposited by those residents in the pilot study area into the green ‘compostable’ carts . These materials would be recovered by the workers after collection, and instead of ending up in landfills, they will be sent to some composting facility. Some of the other the smelly stuff – including dirty diapers and bags of doggy poop – along with other ‘garbage’ materials would go into the blue ‘recycling’ carts, and be separated by workers at another site. The one year pilot would start in March 2013, and data collected would determine feasibility of applying this change to residential collections citywide.

 You can read the staff report here:

What do you think about this ?   A discussion has started on BPA-issues email list.
Dec 102012
 

2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Brian Kobilka received today the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, an award he shared with Robert Lefkowitz. They won for their work on G-protein coupled receptors, which are sensors that sit on the surface of cells that allow cells to sense light, flavour, odour and receive signals from hormones and neurotransmitters. Their research has already allowed drug makers to develop medication with fewer side effects.  Kobilka’s work, in particular, determined the complicated molecular structure of the receptors.

The 2012 Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry Professor Brian K. Kobilka, left, of US, receives his Nobel Prize from Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf during the Nobel Prize award ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday Dec. 10, 2012. Photo: Scanpix Sweden/Henrik Montgomery, Pool / AP

 

Dec 082012
 

Chief Donkey Handler Bob Frost reports some good news :

“It took a while, but Perry is well on the way to recovery, enjoying grazing at Bol Park Sundays, and other midweek walks. Our plea is for dog owners to keep dogs leashed when within view of the donkey pasture/corral.”   

Doug Moran had posted this summary of the incidents in which Perry was injured. Bob says the owner of the dog that bit Perry will cover all medical expenses resulting from the incidents. In addition, Palo Alto Animal Control has assurances that the dog who bit the donkeys was removed to a place far from Palo Alto.

Bob reports that Perry’s recovery was helped by about 10 donations (through Acterra: see the bottom of this post to see how you can donate to the donkey care and upkeep)  that ranged from $15 to $135, along with notes of good wishes. The following note is an example of the community’s feelings about Perry’s injury and hopes for his swift recovery:

Jazz Pharma Walking Group members expressed their wishes for Perry’s recovery

 


How to Contribute to Donkey Care and Upkeep:

The Donkey’s official owner is ACTERRA (the Palo Alto Donkey Project), who graciously provides insurance and tax deductibility of donations collected to cover the cost of food and farrier and vet bills.

If you would like to help provide food, shelter and vet care for the donkeys, your tax deductible donation must be made out to

ACTERRA — Palo Alto Donkey Fund – (ACTERRA must be included), and sent to:
The Palo Alto Donkey Project
ACTERRA
3931 E. Bayshore Rd.,
Palo Alto, CA 94303.

Phone: (650) 962-9876
www.Acterra.org