Planning Division
City Office Hours:
The Planning Division office at 1960 Tate Street is open to the public on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9 am to 3:45 pm (closed 11:45 am -1 pm) and available via email, phone, and virtually Wednesdays and Fridays . City hours can also be found here. You can also book a virtual appointment by visiting: Speak-to-an- east-palo-alto-planner.
The East Palo Alto Planning Division is responsible for current and long range planning within the city. The division maintains and updates the city’s General Plan and interprets and enforces the city’s Zoning Regulations. The division provides support to the Planning Commission.
The Planning Department's principal activities are:
- Development and maintenance of the General Plan
- The development of specific plans based on the General Plan, to provide more specific guidance for the development of the various city areas
- Implement RBD/4 Corners Specific Plan and Gateway/101 Corridor Specific Plan.
- Reviewing of private development projects and proposed capital improvements projects and other physical projects involving city property for consistency and conformity with the General Plan and zoning regulations.Includes preparing reports and presenting to Planning Commission and City Council as needed
- The formulation of planning policies and standards that will ensure a quality living and working environment for East Palo Alto neighborhoods and districts
- Providing assistance to residents on a variety of issues regarding their property
- Anticipating and acting on the need for new plans, policies, and Zoning Ordinance changes
- Participates in the management and oversight of the Successor Agency low and moderate income housing stock. Please note that the loss of Redevelopment Agencies has severely impacted the availability of funding for affordable housing programs and projects.
The City of East Palo Alto and its Planning Division completed the process of updating the City’s General Plan, which establishes policies, goals, and programs for the long-term physical development of the community. It’s a guideline for implementing the community’s vision for what residents and other stakeholders want the City to be for future generations. To learn more and see the results of the process, please click here.
Contact Information
1960 Tate Street
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Ph: 650-853-3189
Email: planning@cityofepa.org
Counter Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9:00am - 3:45pm (Closed 12:00pm - 1:00pm) Wednesday and Friday virtually and by appointment only
Counter staff will be available virtually and by appointment only on Wednesday and Fridays. Staff can be reached at any time and appointments can be made by emailing staff at planning@cityofepa.org or via this link. Planning staff will continue to respond to emails by the following day or the following Monday for inquiries received on Friday.
In the case of more urgent issues or questions tied directly to an existing project, please contact the project planner or call the mainline (650-853-3189) to be routed to the project planner. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
Note: Please drop off all payments/checks attached with relevant application forms in addition to emailing us a copy. Application forms must be attached. Checks without forms attached will not be processed.
All payment for projects will be required to be paid by a check made out to "City of East Palo Alto"
This check will be attached to the planning permit application form and dropped off at a no-contact Drop Box at the address listed above.