Home briefs: Atherton hosts 'ADU mixer' to connect potential tenants with landlords - Palo Alto Online

Whether you’re looking to tour historic gardens, get some gardening tips or learn about ADUs, you’ll find plenty of opportunities on the Peninsula this month. Check out our November home & garden events calendar.

6-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, Atherton Town Council chambers, 80 Fair Oaks Lane, Atherton | Free. Event is focused specifically on Atherton, but anyone is welcome to attend | More information

Are you a San Mateo County resident, worker or student seeking affordable housing on the Peninsula? Or perhaps you’re an Atherton property owner interested in adding an Accessory Dwelling Unit to your property and renting it out – or already have one but are hoping to find a good tenant match. The town of Atherton, in partnership with HIP Housing, is holding a free “ADU mixer” event that aims to bring together locals in need of a new place to live with those who may have spaces to offer, and provide information on ADUs as housing solutions.

ADUs, also known as in-law units or granny flats, are small homes or apartments that share single-family lots with a primary residence. These small residences allow for more square footage on a single plot of land.

The mixer is a chance for “local home seekers and providers to have an opportunity to meet face to face,” Anthony Suber, Atherton deputy city manager and city clerk, said.

Attendees will learn about ADU benefits and requirements from housing experts and urban planners, hear from community members with ADU housing experience, and be able to access resources on ADU construction, financing and legal requirements, he said.

HIP Housing is a San Mateo County nonprofit with a mission to maximize affordable housing opportunities. Atherton’s free ADU Match program connects Atherton homeowners with ADUs to renters who already live, work or go to school in San Mateo County, according to the organization’s website. The town’s website also offers a link to a sample list of people seeking housing in Atherton, as of September 2024.

The upcoming ADU event is part of Atherton’s ongoing efforts to harness the potential of ADUs as housing stock. The town hopes to fulfill approximately 80% of its state-mandated housing requirements through construction and rental of ADUs, which town officials say are often used for housing for senior family members, employees of the homeowner and students who otherwise would be unable to find similar accommodations locally.

“We have a goal in our housing element to have a certain number of units in the next eight-year cycle,” Suber said of the motivation behind the mixer. “This is an initiative to help us make that goal. We need our residents to not only build ADUs but also be open to considering renting them to potential renters.”

When you make a one time donation you ensure our dedicated reporters can deliver critical election coverage when you need it most.

When you become a member you ensure our dedicated reporters can deliver critical election coverage when you need it most.

As reported by the Almanac, the town had to adopt a revised housing element by its Oct. 16 meeting last month or face consequences from the state, which mandates that each California city develop a housing plan that adequately addresses the housing needs of everyone in their community. The California Department of Housing and Community Development rejected two previously submitted versions of the town’s housing element in 2022 and 2023.

According to the town’s ADU brochure, Atherton estimates that about 35 new ADU and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units – smaller ADUs that are 500 square feet or smaller and can share a bathroom with the main house – will be developed each year during the next housing element cycle, with a goal of 280 new units by 2031, 124 of which are projected to be affordable at the low and very-low income levels.

Noon – 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto| Free | Registration required

Learn the critical role rain gardens can play in urban stream restoration while also adding beautiful landscaping to your yard. The class will cover how to site, plan and build your own rain garden.

11 a.m. – noon, Saturday, Nov. 9 | Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St. | Registration required

Now is the time to buy bare root roses. Learn how to care for all types of roses from new, easy-care introductions to old favorites during this one-hour class. Master Gardener Martha Carpenter will tell you how to choose and plant bare root roses. She also will discuss rose diseases and give a pruning demonstration.

9 a.m. – noon, Wednesdays & Saturdays, Nov. 9, 13, 16, 20 | Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills | Registration required.

Help Hidden Villa’s farm team care for food grown in the fields for the local community. Volunteers are needed to help remove weeds from the farm fields as well as assistance with other tasks. Participants should come ready to get dirty. The farm recommends wearing clothes that you’re okay with getting dirty, sturdy boots and a sun hat. Bring a water bottle and snacks, if you like.

Volunteers meet at the front of the property at 9 a.m. and then head out to the fields from there.

Hidden Villa grows on about 7 acres of land, producing food for the community and donating 25% of the harvest to the food bank at the Community Services Agency of Mountain View. Anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a guardian.

2-5 p.m., Saturday, Saturday, Nov. 16 | Lone Ridge Preserve, La Honda | Free | More information

Look for seeds, berries and other fruits on this 4.5-mile loop hike with docent naturalists Susan Bernhard, Ann Reisenauer, Noa Doitel and Maureen Draper. You’ll see native plants poised for new growth at the start of the cool wet season and potentially find fungi, acorns and seeds— if the wildlife hasn’t already harvested this year’s crop. You’ll hike along the Peters Creek Trail, pass Jikoji pond and absorb views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the ocean if the afternoon is clear.

Meet at Peters Creek Roadside Parking (off Skyline Boulevard, near Portola Heights Road).

Native Gardens celebrates 20th anniversary

1 -5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 17, Mayer Theatre, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara | $50 | Conference agenda and tickets

The Golden Gate Bird Alliance and the California Native Plant Society’s Santa Clara Valley Chapter are holding a conference in Santa Clara on Nov. 17 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bringing back the Natives Garden Tour, which is held annually in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to encourage residents to be better stewards of the environment.

Doug Tallamy, the New York Times bestselling author of “Nature’s Best Hope” will be the keynote speaker. Tallamy advocates for using home gardens and landscaping to bridge the gaps between parks and preserves in providing habitat for native species. As a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, Tallamy will share photographs and stories of individual caterpillars, the native plants they evolved to eat, and how important insect populations are to the survival of our birds. In addition, various regional habitat changemakers will speak throughout the conference. (The first day of the event in Oakland on Saturday, Oct. 16, is sold out.)

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.., Nov. 16 – Jan. 12, Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | Tickets and information.

Celebrate the holiday season Filoli. From Nov. 16 through Jan. 12, the historic home and its surrounding gardens will be decked in holiday cheer. During the day, enjoy warm drinks by a fire pit or stop for lunch at the Quail Café. In the evening, enter a dazzling world of holiday cheer as immersive displays and historic, natural beauty bring magic to returning favorites and new experiences.

9:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 23 | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Tickets and information

Learn how to design a low, horizontal arrangement for your Thanksgiving dinner table. Participants will incorporate seasonal elements such as pods, grasses and cones to create a textural visual feast. Gamble Garden floral arranger Katherine Glazier will share ideas on how to add botanical elements to your holiday table decor, as well as tips on how to best care for your arrangement. Glazier co-led the floral design program at Filoli for eight years and has exhibited at Bouquets to Art at the deYoung Museum.

Bring floral clippers; all other materials are included. Registration for the event ends on Monday, Nov. 18.

2-4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 25 & 10 a.m.- noon and 2-4 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 26 | Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | $150 | Tickets and information.

Create a stunning centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table during Filoli’s “Flora party.” Expert instructors will guide participants on crafting an elegant focal point using materials sourced from Filoli and local vendors. Admission to Filoli, sparkling wine and snacks and all materials needed to create one wreath will be provided.

Not sure what to plant as you prepare your garden for next spring? Head to your local library. Several public libraries on the Midpeninsula include seed libraries stocked with vegetable, fruit, herb and native flower seeds that residents can bring home and plant for free. You can find the seeds stored in old library card catalogs at most libraries that offer this service – and you don’t need a library card. Available seed varieties are rotated seasonally according to optimal planting times for our area.

Rinconada, Menlo Park, Belle Haven, Mountain View and Redwood City public libraries are among those that operate seed libraries in the area. Contact your local library for more information.

Linda Taaffe is the Real Estate editor for Embarcadero Media. More by Linda Taaffe