Sand Hill pitches 100-unit apartment complex in Palo Alto

Sand Hill Property wants to build a 100-unit apartment building in Palo Alto, not far from Google’s headquarters.

The locally based developer owned by Peter Pau has filed preliminary plans to build the seven story complex at 830 East Charleston Road and 4015 Fabian Way, SF Yimby and the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.

The U-shaped complex at Charleston and Fabian Way would replace two single-story buildings containing an auto repair shop and a flooring contractor.

An affiliate of Sand Hill bought the 0.65 acre site in 2016 for $3.5 million.

Plans call for a 139,800-square-foot apartment complex with 100 units, including 16 studios and 84 one-bedroom apartments. Of those, 15 units would be set aside as affordable housing for low-income households.

Sand Hill received a density bonus that would allow it to build a larger building than zoning rules allow in exchange for the affordable units. The 81-foot-tall building would be fast-tracked for approval through Senate Bill 330.

The brown and white complex, designed by Long Beach-based Studio T Square, would be clad in stucco, cement panels and concrete. The building would have large exterior balconies, wood-like trellises and a corner rooftop deck.

A two-story parking garage on the first two floors would serve 100 cars and 100 bicycles.

The third floor would include a courtyard plaza with outdoor seating, a barbecue, trellis shading, shrubs and trees astride a community clubroom and fitness center.

A cost and timeline for the project were not disclosed.

Palo Alto has a state-mandated housing goal of building 6,086 homes by 2031, of which 2,452 units must be for low- and very low-income residents.

Sand Hill Property, founded in 1988 by Peter Pau and his wife, Susanna, has developed and invested in more than 65 commercial and residential projects encompassing 20 million square feet across Silicon Valley, according to its website.

In February, the developer won approval to build nearly 2,700 homes on the site of the former Vallco Mall at 10123 North Wolfe Road in Cupertino.

The $4 billion project, called The Rise, will include 890 homes for low-income households, plus 2 million square feet of offices and and 226,400 square feet of shops and restaurants

— Dana Bartholomew