Steph, Ayesha Curry oppose plan to add multi-family housing near Atherton home
The affluent town must submit a plan to increase the supply of affordable dwellings by month’s end.
ATHERTON – Bay Area power couple Stephen and Ayesha Curry are calling on Atherton town leaders to keep dense housing from being built near their residence.
The Currys cited privacy and safety concerns in a Jan. 18 email to Mayor Bill Widmer and City Manager George Rodericks.
“We hesitate to add to the ‘not in our backyard’ (literally) rhetoric, but we wanted to send a note before today’s meeting,” the couple wrote just hours before the Atherton City Council convened to discuss revisions to its 2023-2031 housing element. Due Jan. 31, the plan lays out how the affluent burg will meet a state mandate to increase its supply of affordable, multi-family housing over the next eight years.
“Safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home,” the Currys continued. “With the density being proposed for 23 Oakwood (Blvd.), there are major concerns in terms of both privacy and safety with three‐story townhomes looming directly behind us.”
Earlier this month, the council reluctantly agreed to rezone parts of the town to make way for more affordable housing. If the state rejects the plan, the town will be subject to the “builder’s remedy,” which would allow landowners to build dense housing without the oversight or approval of local officials. A public hearing on a resolution to adopt the 2023-2031 housing element is scheduled for Jan. 31.
One landowner on Oakwood Boulevard, near the border with Redwood City, has said he is interested in constructing multiple units there. However, some council members are wary that it will cause too much traffic in a part of town that is dominated by houses. By zoning it as multi-family, council members believe the city will have more control over what ultimately gets built there.
The council also agreed to allow multi-family housing and single-family residences on smaller lots along El Camino Real, from Stockbridge Avenue to the Redwood City border. The area, which is littered with acre lots and some of the Bay Area’s largest mansions, is jokingly referred to as the “poverty pocket” of Atherton by locals.
If the council submits a plan that includes multi-family housing at 23 Oakwood Blvd., the Currys want the town to take measures to protect their privacy and safety.
“We kindly ask that the town adopts the new housing element without the inclusion of 23 Oakwood (Blvd.),” the couple wrote in the email. “Should that not be sufficient for the state, we ask that the town commits to investing in considerably taller fencing and landscaping to block sight lines onto our family’s property.”
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