Google planning return to Palo Alto, purchases nearly 15 acres of land

Google’s Bay View campus render

Mercury News reports that Google is planning to soon make a return to Palo Alto, which is where the search engine company opened its first office in 1999. The now Mountain View based company has purchased a section of land on the 1000 block of East Meadow Circle, as well as an area of land on Fabian Way. Together, this comes out to nearly 15 acres of land.

Palo Alto’s Planning and Community Environment Department already has plans for what it wants Google to do in the area. Aaron Aknin, director of the department, says that area in which Google purchased the land calls for research and development and office uses.

Google, however, would not reveal what it plans to do with the land, but either way, city officials appear to be happy to have Google back in the area.

“We’re delighted to have Google come back to Palo Alto and we look forward to working with them on whatever their project ends up being,” said Thomas Fehrenbach, the city’s economic development manager.

Palo Alto mayor Greg Scharff, however, said that he believes the city should be focused on bringing start-ups into the area….

“I want us to be the breeding ground for the world’s technology,” Scharff said. “Google is a great company. But I think that startups and innovation is what Palo Alto is all about. We need to try and preserve that as much as we possibly can — at least provide opportunities for those companies to exist in Palo Alto.”

Scharff also hopes that Google will set up a start-up incubator, similar to what AOL did.

This news comes on the heels of renders of Google’s new 1.1 million square foot “Bay View” campus and a new 2.4 acre UK headquarter.