CITY OF PALO ALTO, CA
Compatibility Review Standards
Project: Compatibility Design Standards
Scale: Citywide
Date: Fall 1996
Client: Nancy Lytle, Chief Planning Officer
Role: Principal, Kendall Planning + Design
The City of Palo Alto hired Alison Kendall AICP in association with Daniel Solomon, Architect, FAIA, to develop Compatibility Review Standards for Pre-1940 Buildings. The Standards were passed as part of an Interim Ordinance designed to slow the demolition and replacement of older buildings with much larger structures out of character with the scale and character of Palo Alto's historic neighborhoods. The Standards addressed both new construction and additions to older residences. Photographs were used throughout to document the range of architectural styles found in Palo Alto, birthplace of Silicon Valley and college town to Stanford University.
Standards and guidelines for new construction identified existing neighborhood, site planning and architectural patterns to be continued in new construction. Guidelines for additions interpreted the Secretary of Interior's standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings for typical building types and structures within the City.
The Interim Standards improved quality and design compatibility for new construction, and were ultimately replaced by Development Standards and a staff design review process for new single family residential development designed to continue neighborhood patterns and character