Sep 4, 2008

New plan for Spago site

Redevelopment would partially demolish historic Tinney building

By Will Oremus / Daily News Staff Writer

More than a year after Spago served its last steak tartare in Palo Alto, the owner of the historic Tinney building on Lytton Avenue is coming forward with plans to redevelop the property.

Local developer Michael King wants to revamp the entire block of Lytton between Bryant and Ramona streets, demolishing three of the five buildings to make way for a three-story, mixed-use structure. The upper floors would include offices and four small condominiums, and the ground floor would host a major retail business.

Left standing would be the office building at 251 Lytton Ave. and the front of the Tinney building at 265 Lytton Ave., constructed in the 1920s as a mortuary. The new structure would extend the Spanish architectural style of the office building to the rest of the property.

What will replace Spago, a restaurant that was considered one of the Peninsula's finest in its heyday, is a mystery unlikely to be resolved when King presents preliminary plans to the Palo Alto Architectural Review Board today.

"Whether it's a restaurant or something else, we're not sure yet," King said Wednesday. "We're going to design it so it's flexible enough to accommodate different types of retail tenants."

Asked about other possibilities, King mentioned a financial institution or a clothing store but reiterated that it's all speculation at this point.

The redevelopment, he said, is designed to maximize the potential of a valuable downtown site.

"It's a real unique location, it has a really unique feel, but it's an older building," King said of the Tinney building. He cited "some functionality issues" with the Spago site, such as low ceilings, little natural light and a lack of street frontage.

The redevelopment will correct those problems by extending the retail area out to the street. The building would be served by 26 underground parking spots.

"It's a great corner," King said. "It's really an opportunity for the city and for us to do something nice for the city."


E-mail Will Oremus at woremus@dailynewsgroup.com.


IF YOU GO
WHAT: Palo Alto Architectural Review Board meeting

WHEN: Today, 8:30 a.m.

WHERE: City Hall, Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Ave.

WHY: The review board will take its first look at plans for a three-story, mixed-use building at 265 Lytton Ave. Also on the agenda are a study session on the city's proposed public safety building on Park Avenue and a proposal for 101 units of low-income housing in the 800 block of Alma Street.