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Among Woodside’s redwood trees, open space and horse stables, a 16-story housing complex would be an unusual sight in a town that prizes its rural lifestyle. A development proposal from a Southern California developer could change all that.
Documents obtained through a Public Records Act request reveal Woodside Community Housing in 2024 submitted paperwork for a 105-unit residential development, located on a vacant lot at 4224 Jefferson Ave. In a town where even a modest multifamily project can provoke a swift outcry, the reasons why this multistory apartment project has gone largely under the radar is worth unpacking.
Owned by Ben Eilenberg, a Fullerton-based former attorney turned affordable housing developer, Woodside Community Housing’s application invokes California’s so-called builder’s remedy, a loophole that allows developers to bypass local zoning restrictions if they submit applications while a city doesn’t have a state-certified housing element in effect.
Woodside’s existing height restrictions for residential developments typically are limited to about 30-feet. The Jefferson project would exceed the town’s standards by nearly 7 times the average building height.
The preliminary application to build the 16-story project in Woodside was submitted before the town’s housing element was certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development in January 2025, said Acting Town Manager Melissa Cardinale.
Eilenberg is also involved in multiple multifamily housing proposals in Los Gatos, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and near Yosemite National Park. Woodside Community Housing declined a request for comment, saying it is currently discussing potential modifications to the project with the town of Woodside.
A towering design
The proposed apartment building’s site on Jefferson Avenue is a 0.36-acre lot that is currently occupied by yellowed grass, shrubbery and a shed, located on a slope near Cañada Road and Highway 280. Blueprints show an existing home on 668 Woodside Way, less than 30 feet away from the proposed Jefferson project.
Within its 16 floors, the development would hold 105 housing units: 18 three-bedrooms, 25 two-bedrooms, 47 one-bedrooms and 15 studios. The complex would include a basement, above-ground parking garages, a community room, fitness center and roof deck. Twenty percent of the units will be designated for low-income housing, which triggers California’s density bonus for new housing projects.
Ledbetter sought updates on project
Public records obtained by The Almanac show former Town Manager Jason Ledbetter sharing information about the Jefferson project to select town residents after the release of his 14-page whistleblower report in February, in which he alleged that council members delayed housing projects, made racist statements and created a hostile work environment.
“They are also attempting to hide a builder’s remedy project at 4224 Jefferson,” he wrote in an email to a community member.
Records indicate that Ledbetter and his predecessor, former Town Manager Kevin Bryant, members of the Town Council, Planning Director Sage Schaan, Town Attorney Jean Savaree, Deputy Town Clerk Julie Paping and former Public Works Director Yazdan Emrani were aware of Eilenberg’s project.
Emails also show Ledbetter seeking updates from Schaan about the status of the builder’s remedy project the day before he publicly released his report on Feb. 19. Lebetter was immediately placed on paid leave after the report came out and was fired on April 30 after the town’s independent investigation found the majority of his allegations were not substantiated.
Cardinale said because the town has not received a completed application, it does not necessitate the town to hold a public meeting or disclose the project to the public.
Dispute over application process
Under state law, a builder’s remedy project must submit a subsequent application within 180 days of the preliminary application. However, multiple email exchanges between Eilenberg and the town show over a yearlong dispute on whether the developer’s application is truly deemed “incomplete.”
On June 22, Cardinale said the town has not received a complete development application and a formal proposal has not been submitted.
Eilenberg’s initial applications were submitted in October and again in December 2024. Under SB 330, this allowed him until late June 2025 to submit a complete development application including various permits and approvals from local fire and county health departments.
However, the town deemed the application incomplete in July 2025. Even after resubmitting, the town continued to issue incomplete notices in November and December of last year. Cardinale said the applicant was notified in April that their application remained incomplete.
“The problem is that it seems like the town continues imposing things into the process that both make no sense practically and are unsupported legally,” wrote Eilenberg in a Dec. 26 email after another incomplete application.
Due to issues with lack of a response from the town and continued difficulties determining the application as incomplete, Eilenberg has warned town staff of the risk they could face with legal fees, if action is not taken promptly.
As of now, Woodside’s town staff are unsure of the challenges that the project may pose to the area or the likelihood that the project will move forward. However, Cardinale shared that staff have identified the lack of available sewer services is a potential concern and has discussed the issue with the developer.
Town staff have continued to meet with the applicant “over the last several months to discuss the lack of available sewer service and the size of the proposed project,” said Cardinale.
