EAST PALO ALTO, CA
East Palo Alto Ravenswood Business Park
Zoning and General Plan Update

Project: Zoning, General Plan
Scale: Mixed Use Industrial District
Date: Fall 2001 - 2004
Client: Maria Banico, Planning Manager, City of East Palo Alto
Role: Principal-in-Charge, FTB Urban Design

The City of East Palo Alto hired Alison Kendall to develop Zoning and General Plan Amendments to implement the land use and urban design concepts from the East Palo Alto Urban Design Plan completed by FTB Urban Design in 2000. The plan called for transformation of a heavy industrial area with limited street infrastructure into a vibrant mixed use business district.

In translating the Urban Design Plan into Zoning and General Plan amendments, a number of issues needed to be addressed to encourage this dramatic transformation. These included provisions for amortization of undesirable existing uses, limiting expansion and improving the compatibility of other uses, and providing incentives for redevelopment. In addition, a number of new streets and public spaces needed to be dedicated without having unacceptable impacts on the use of existing parcels. Ms. Kendall developed innovative zoning language and tools to address these issues and refined the plan zone boundaries to reduce potential obstacles to redevelopment. Design guidelines and development standards were provided to improve the appearance of the area and facilitate its continuing development with higher quality and more intensive, pedestrian oriented development over time.

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