A main point overlooked by many participants in this discussion is an underlying issue; the Hetch-Hetchy water pipes lie right under this land. With an 80 foot easement for the pipe, not much land is left for building; thus, the crammed and odd layout to proposals. Furthermore, the easement has an obvious and latent purpose; the pipe will be maintained. At some future date, the pipe will be dug up. That is why there is a permanent easement. How odd to build houses in such a condition! The only access road to the property and everyone's front porch will be dug up someday for huge maintaince project -- someday that large pipe will need earthquake retrofitting!

If this is truly the case then a park or some other sort of open space on the site that uses grass and dirt as cover instead of housing which uses concrete cover makes perfect sense.

I wish that we had a Regional Park District in the West Bay. I'm from Palo Alto, and this parcel sounds like something that might be a reasonable candidate for an urban park - if only we had a multiple-city fund for acquiring parcels that were essentially impractical under reasonable zoning laws.

It's a strange article. Whatever happened to the old Sierra Club? I won't renew our membership. Not David Brower's legacy, for sure.

We have these strange "environmentalists" in Palo Alto, too. They have crossed over to the line. Perhaps the remaining members now go from town council to town council, begging for more development, and less "greenery?"

I liked "old Sierra Club" better. They did good jobs to lower density in late 60's or early 70's in City of Mountain View. Former MV resident now living in slow growth Morgan Hill.