After two years of revisions, lawsuits and squabbles with area business owners, Palo Alto officials are now putting the finishing touches on their ambitious plan to transform California Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare, with construction set to begin next fall.
The project has been steadily evolving since February 2011, when the council unanimously approved it despite opposition from dozens of area merchants. The city's Chief Transportation Official Jaime Rodriguez, who gave an update on the project at the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Business Advocacy and Public Policy Forum meeting Wednesday morning, said the streetscape design has just been finalized and is set to go to the Planning and Transportation Commission for approval in January before proceeding to the City Council in February.
If all goes according to plan, the reconstruction of the city's second-most prominent commercial strip would begin in the fall, he said.
The project has drawn heat from dozens of area merchants, many of whom criticized the proposed reduction of lanes from two to one in each direction. Some have disputed staff's preliminary traffic studies, which suggested that traffic impact would be negligible. While some remain opposed to the lane reduction, others now support the city's plan.
David Bennett, owner of Mollie Stone's Market, is in the latter camp. Bennett had originally opposed the road redesign but now says he believes the streetscape plan can benefit the business area. While he continues to have some concerns about the project's impact on access to the supermarket, he says the city has been receptive to his concerns and diligent in its outreach to his business and others in the area.
"I have to believe that this will be for the benefit of the city," Bennett told the Weekly.
Rodriguez said the city has continued to reach out to area businesses, hosting community meetings and workshops for merchants throughout the fall. The project has become more ambitious since its inception, with the council asking staff to widen sidewalks and create expansive new plazas at several locations on California Avenue. These would include a convertible plaza on the block between Ash and Birch Streets.
Rodriguez said that it would be up to the business community to come together and decide how they want to use this new plaza.
Other recent revisions are less dramatic. In the past few months, officials decided to add outdoor dining tables to area businesses, including Izzy's Bagels and Joanie's Café. They also decided to move a bus stop near the southeast corner of California Avenue and El Camino Real a bit further from the busy corner because of community concern about potential traffic disruptions. They have also reduced the number of proposed trees at certain locations to keep the area from becoming too cool.
Some questions still remain, Rodriguez said. Officials are still hashing out the design of the future street furniture and plan to bring their proposal to the Architectural Review Board early next year. They are also considering whether to replace the lighting structures along California Avenue, which would add $1.2 million to the project's cost.
The streetscape project, which now has a price tag of about $2.4 million, is expected to be funded largely through a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's vehicle-registration-fee program. The city is also contributing about $500,000 for the redesign of California Avenue, which they hope will soon resemble one-lane thoroughfares such as Mountain View's Castro Street and Menlo Park's Santa Cruz Avenue.
Comments
Ventura
on Dec 13, 2012 at 11:44 am
on Dec 13, 2012 at 11:44 am
I am looking forward to this upgrade. I don't know what the final configuration will be, but hope that bikes don't have to ride between moving cars and parked cars.
I would like to see moving cars in middle, parked cars right on the lane right next to them, a lane for moving bikes next with some sort of separation from pedestrians/restaurant tables, etc. that still allows bikes to easily get off the bike lane to park (and be walked when in the pedestrian area) but that somehow prevent pedestrians and bikes from possible collisions. A smooth small incline would accomplish this.
Some time ago, I saw a proposed design that had bikes riding between parked and moving cars, and while this isolates bikes and pedestrians, it could still create hazards when cars are backing up or trying to park. I can understand that pedestrians might be concerned with no physical separation from bikes; I just think this could be accomplished easily without creating hazards for drivers and bikers.
Palo Verde
on Dec 13, 2012 at 12:01 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 12:01 pm
On a recent trip to Washington DC I used the bike lanes that were in the middle of the street on similar busy traffic and pedestrian streets. Has that idea ever been thought of here?
Old Palo Alto
on Dec 13, 2012 at 1:55 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 1:55 pm
I prefers the Washington DC bike lane style, too. Drivers are forced to be more aware of bikes because of better visibility. Much safer.
Midtown
on Dec 13, 2012 at 1:56 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 1:56 pm
"They have also reduced the number of proposed trees at certain locations to keep the area from becoming too cool."
Too cool? This now denuded street is incredibly hot during the Summer months. Those big old oak trees used to help, but once they were clear cut you now can see heat waves.
College Terrace
on Dec 13, 2012 at 2:13 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 2:13 pm
I don't suppose there will be a chance for residents to speak at a city council meeting. This is just the craziest thing. I think it's a case of spend it or lose it. They are getting money from an outside source, so they'd better do it. There are ways they could make this street more attractive (it was charming before they chopped the trees down) without reducing the lanes. It's true that noone will ever drive down this street again as it will be HORRIBLE, so it will be safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. Why don't they close the street off entirely and make it strictly pedestrian and bicycle. It will certainly not be car friendly. Have you had to wait for someone to pull out of a parking place? Other cars can go around you now, but without the lanes, traffic will just back up onto El Camino. Oh, but what will actually happen is that the impatient drivers that zoom down Cal Ave now, will just go around them into oncoming traffic.
Downtown North
on Dec 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Alan - I think by "cool" they meant "hip" or perhaps "Euro" - maybe fearing violation of the tree risk/reward principle of public planning theory (TR/RP-PPPT). It goes something like: quantity of tree (qt) = quantifiable risk (qr) > qr increases proportionately with increases in qt. Not to fear, the Anti-Arboristas are here, right here, in PA.
Evergreen Park
on Dec 13, 2012 at 3:44 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 3:44 pm
What a miserable idea to emulate Castro or Santa Cruz Avenues. They are congested and dangerous, as is University Ave. Newspaper articles regarding the Cal Ave changes always say many merchants are against changing from 4 to 2 lanes. They never mention that plain old residents are against this change too, and have been from the get go. Someone put it correctly....the city chased a million dollar grant to update Cal Abe. It has paid no attention to the residents and the merchants who live, shop, commute through on bikes, and work here.
BTW the Weekly had an article on the "Mayfield" neighborhood a few months ago. How about including Mayfield in your list of neighborhoods? That's where I live--just three blocks from Cal Ave.
Old Palo Alto
on Dec 13, 2012 at 6:49 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Thank you, Dennis. You made me laugh like a schoolgirl!
Community Center
on Dec 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm
It this the same bunch of Planning Officials, etc. who gave us the Jewish Life Center, 800 High, and the big-hole at the corner of Alma and Lytton? Are these the same city employees who went ga-ga over 27 University. Heaven help Palo Alto.
Old Palo Alto
on Dec 13, 2012 at 9:58 pm
on Dec 13, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Bob, You forgot to mention that these are the same Planning officials that designed the dreadful "park" at University and Emerson, too. What a cold, ugly disaster that turned out to be. The Planning Department needs to be fired, along with a lot of other people at City Hall.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 14, 2012 at 12:30 am
on Dec 14, 2012 at 12:30 am
Looking forward to the improvements, 20 years long overdue. The cool thing is how easy it is to walk over to CA Avenue from Greenacres and Barron Park along the bike path. Or to bike. Looking forward to actually having a place to hang out and stroll when we take walks.
another community
on Dec 14, 2012 at 9:18 am
on Dec 14, 2012 at 9:18 am
Peter Cao's bizarre rantings yet AGAIN. He needs help, but not here.
PaloAltoOnline: PLEASE BLOCK HIM It is not hard to do.
Greenmeadow
on Dec 14, 2012 at 10:59 am
on Dec 14, 2012 at 10:59 am
Now that we have lots and lots of 1 lane each way of traffic- all we have is traffic. When my friend was late attending a meeting because of traffic, she started to explain but everyone said- yeah, that's Palo Alto.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 14, 2012 at 12:16 pm
on Dec 14, 2012 at 12:16 pm
AS THE BUDDHA SAYS:
"Everything changes"
Nothing was mentioned about 'for better or for worst' ....
The California Avenue neighborhood streets and parking lots are already on overload.
Castro Street, University Ave. and Santa Cruz Avenue are poor examples to justify your case. Removing trees to keep some areas 'cool' is typical bureaucratic jargon, like 'collateral damage.'
Cherryl Pape
Old Palo Alto
on Dec 14, 2012 at 5:13 pm
on Dec 14, 2012 at 5:13 pm
please dear friends, CA Ave is a #hole as it is; looking FW to improvements
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 16, 2012 at 1:53 pm
on Dec 16, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I look forward to improvements on California Ave as long as they approve the appearance and function. The recent improvements made a homely street uglier, made the glare and heat in the summer miserable. The improvements planned will make traffic and parking more miserable, and make the appearance worse still.
Many residents shop here and avoid downtown. The proposed improvements will make it unappealing for residents to shop here, too. Which means we will shop elsewhere, and that is where our tax money will go--elsewhere.
Mountain View makes a lot of money already off the tax dollars dropped there by PA residents shopping there rather than here, due to better prices, more parking, etc.
The proposed improvements (they should not really be called that, because they are actually detractions) are no way to control the bleeding.
another community
on Dec 16, 2012 at 2:32 pm
on Dec 16, 2012 at 2:32 pm
With amount of lawsuits and other hold up project delays. The Cal Street project would have been on the way to being done, the replacement trees would already growing or being planted by now.
Barron Park School
on Dec 16, 2012 at 5:50 pm
on Dec 16, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Looking forward to the changes on California. I hope they add lots of NEW parking as its already impossible to park there at lunch time (noon to 2pm).