1960 Tate Street
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
650-853-3186

Major Successes

In the last 10 years, the City of East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency has succeeded in developing and attracting 700,000 square feet of retail space; 435,000 square feet of Class A office space; 281 market rate housing units; 174 affordable housing units; a luxury, five-star, 200-room, hotel; 2 acres of parks; 940 permanent retail jobs; and 1,500 permanent office jobs. In addition, the successful projects generate revenue that the City of East Palo Alto uses to provide quality services to its residents.

Major Successes/First Source Hiring and Local Business Enterprise Programs (FSH/LBE)

• The FSH/LBE are designed to increase the employment and business opportunities of the residents and businesses of East Palo Alto.

On average, about 36% of the retail/hospitality jobs are held by East Palo Alto residents. As of the 4th Quarter of 2006, there were 1,190 retail and hospitality jobs at the G101 Retail Center, University Circle, and 4 Seasons, and 425 were held by East Palo Alto residents.

Contact information: For more information about participating and finding a job, contact the First Source Hiring Hotline at (650) 853-5912. For information about the policy, contact Marie McKenzie, Project Manager, at (650) 853-3147.

Link to policy: The FSH/LBE policy is accessible at : http://www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/economicdev/firstsource.html

First Source Hiring Employment Reports

FSH Report - 2007
FSH Report - 2008

Major Successes/RDA Areas

The East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency has established three (3) redevelopment project areas in the City. A more detailed description of the specific redevelopment project areas follows.

Map 1 – University Circle and Gateway 101 Project Areas

1. University Circle Project Area

University Circle was formed in 1998. There are a total of twenty-two (22.8) acres of land in this area. This area, formerly referred to as "Whiskey Gulch," consisted primarily of 2-3 story mixed-use retail/residential buildings. The area, while serving as the City's primary commercial hub, suffered from physically dilapidated buildings, high crime and drug activity, and the proliferation of liquor stores and bars. However, the area included 100-plus affordable residential units, twelve local-serving non-profit agencies and was home to the City's only full service supermarket. Beginning in the fall of 1999, University Circle, Inc. (U.C.I.), a developer, began the acquisition, relocation, demolition, and construction of three office towers and a full service hotel. More than 150 families, 40-plus businesses and twelve non-profit agencies were relocated or acquired in order to commence the development of the new project. Approximately 15-20 percent of the households relocated purchased homes elsewhere in the Bay Area. All non-profit agencies were successfully relocated throughout the City. Due to limited commercial space elsewhere, few businesses were able to secure retail space in the City.

The new University Circle development consists of three Class A office towers totaling 450,000 square feet of office space, 15,000 square feet of retail space, with underground and surface parking in a landscaped master planned development. The Class A Office Development is home to several prestigious law firms, including: Bingham McCutchen LLP, Gray Cary, Dewey Ballantine, and Greenberg Traurig. Other tenants include McGraw Hill Standard & Poor's, Wachovia Securities, Greater Bay Bank headquarters, California Ear Institute, Joseph B. Robertson, Jr. MD, Kasey Li, DDS, and the Let Them Hear Foundation. The San Francisco Soup Company and Lulu's Petite, Inc. provide on-site food services. The site is also home to a 200 room Four Seasons Hotel that opened in January 2006. The Hotel has a luxurious full service restaurant and bar named Quattro.

This development is easily accessible via Highway 101 and offers commuters an excellent work environment with access to the Dumbarton Bridge as well. The City of EPA is working collaboratively with U.C.I.'s Property Manager to maximize opportunities for local employment and contracting. The assessed valuation of U.C.I. was $7.3 million in 1988 when the Redevelopment Area was formed. The 2006 Assessed valuation was $373 million.

For more information on this project area, please call:
Marie McKenzie, RDA Manager (650/853-3147)
Carlos Martinez, Redevelopment Director (650/853-3195)

2. Gateway/101 Project Area

This project area was formed in 1993. The Gateway/101 Corridor Redevelopment Project Area (G101) consists of 146 acres north of Highway 101. The boundaries are Highway 101 and East Bayshore road on the south, Pulgas Avenue on the east, Donohoe and Bell streets on the north, and University and Capitol avenues on the west. Land uses in G101 consist of regional-serving retail, local-serving retail, and residential uses. The assessed valuation of G101 was $17.0 million in 1993 when the Redevelopment Area was formed. The 2006 assessed valuation was $307.4 million. G101 is the EPA's largest revenue generator with more than $2.2 million in annual sales tax. Plus, more than 800 workers are employed in the Center, with approximately 40 percent representing EPA residents. Major owners/tenants include IKEA (297,000 sqft), Home Depot (245,000 sqft), Best Buy (50,000 sqft), Office Depot (31,000 sqft), and Circuit City (31,000 sqft). Another 23,000 square feet is occupied by Starbucks Coffee, Togo’s/Baskin Robbins, McDonalds, California Bank and Trust, and Taco Bell.

There has been substantial residential development, including the University Square community and the Peninsula Park Apartments. The University Square housing community has 217 new single family homes built on 36 acres. It was developed by Signature Properties and Ponderosa Homes. The community also includes the new 2 acre “Joel Davis Memorial Park.” The second development "Peninsula Park Apartments" was co-developed by BRIDGE Housing and EPACANDO; a local non-profit housing developer. The Agency contributed $10 million toward the development of 129 apartment units with sixty-five (65) reserved for very low and low-income households.

For further information, please call:
Carlos Martínez Redevelopment Director, City of East Palo Alto (650/853-3195)
Marie McKenzie, RDA Manager, City of East Palo Alto (650/853-3147)

Map 2: Ravenswood Project Area

3. Ravenswood Project Area

This Project Area was formed in 1990. It encompasses approximately 200 acres including both the Four Corners (Bay/University Avenue) and the Ravenswood Business District (RBD). The Four Corners area is primarily characterized by a mixture of retail and residential uses. Future plans call for the addition of a mixed use, retail and residential development at the northeastern corner of Bay Road and University Avenue. Current uses in the RBD include a combination of light and heavy industrial companies, wrecking and storage yards, non-conforming residential uses, and undeveloped parcels. The assessed valuation of the Four Corners/Ravenswood project areas was $36.7 million in 1990 when the Redevelopment Area was formed. In 2006, the assessed valuation was $75.4 million.

For more information, please call:
Russell Averhart, Redevelopment Manager (650/853-3126)
Carlos Martinez, Redevelopment Director (650/853-3195)