While Palo Alto wrestles with a massive proposal by John Arrillaga to build an office complex and theater at 27 University Ave. -- and to redesign the adjacent downtown transit center -- city planners are pursuing another way to pay for the dramatic transit improvements.
The City Council plans to consider on Monday night a list of projects that could qualify for the One Bay Area Grant, a program that distributes funds from the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission to local jurisdictions for projects promoting transportation, bike and pedestrian improvements. In Santa Clara County, the funds will be administered by the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which has a total of $71.3 million available for distribution.
According to a new report, Palo Alto plans to submit 10 projects for possible consideration, including two having to do with the University Avenue Caltrain station. The first involves extending the existing Urban Lane Transit Mall south and building a parking structure to support Caltrain -- a project estimated to cost up to $15 million. The city is requesting $10 million for the project, with the city footing the rest of the bill.
The second project would reconstruct the transit station to achieve a similar design offered by Arrillaga, which would raise the number of transit stops and layover stations from 21 to 32. This ambitious proposal would cost about $34 million, about $24 million of which the city hopes to get in grant funds. If the city receives this grant -- a bit of a long shot given the amount of the request and the total pool of funds available -- the city would then have to find a way to raise its matching share of $10.2 million.
Even though the changes are slim that the city will receive all the funding it seeks, staff hopes the regional importance of the University Avenue Caltrain station will sway the VTA to get behind the redesign project.
"The project, if funded, presents an opportunity to transform the multi-modal transit center to lead the region in accommodating rail, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian interlinks for the coming century," a new report from the Planning and Community Environment Department states.
The city has been looking for ways to bring some order to the labyrinthine transportation center for at least two decades, an effort that included a commissioned study in the 1990s by a "Dream Team" of designers and architects from Stanford University and the city. But the drive to fix the center has always been marred by a lack of funding.
Arrillaga's ambitious proposal, which includes four office towers and the shell of a theater that would be used by the nonprofit TheatreWorks, would take care of that. But Arrillaga's plan, which includes major renovations to the transportation center, comes with its own drawbacks. The council last fall nixed a planned election on the project after legions of residents complained about the size and density of the new development (two of the four towers would exceed 100 feet in height) and the behind-the-scenes nature of negotiations between the city and Arrillaga.
The plan is now undergoing revisions and is set to return to the council for consideration in the spring. At that time, the council will also look at least two other alternatives to the Arrillaga proposal for the centrally located site on the Stanford University border.
Transit-center improvements aren't the only projects that the city hopes will bring in grant funds. The city is also hoping to receive $4 million for the proposed bike-and-pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 101 at Adobe Creek -- a project that is expected to cost $9.5 million; $3 million for improvements to the Arastradero Road corridor; $2.5 million for improvements along Charleston Road; $1 million for street improvements at Birch Street, in the California Avenue Business District; $1.75 million for El Camino Real corridor improvements, between Stanford Avenue and Embarcadero Road; $550,000 for the proposed Magical Bridge playground at Mitchell Park; $350,000 for shelters and route extensions for Palo Alto's community shuttles; and $1.75 million for traffic-signal upgrades, which includes adaptive traffic signals along SandHill Road and other arterial corridors; fiber-optic transceivers and video detection and traffic-monitoring cameras.
Comments
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 10, 2013 at 8:41 am
on Feb 10, 2013 at 8:41 am
I really wish they would start by revamping transit in the City first.
Getting the shuttle expanded so that it benefits the whole of the city and charging a small fare to do so. Getting the shuttle to serve Caltrain by using the station(s) as the terminus where buses get passengers to the station before the train arrives and waits until the train has emptied of passengers who can get on the shuttle makes a lot of sense.
Transit has to be intelligent. What we've got now is not intelligent or user friendly.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 10, 2013 at 9:45 am
on Feb 10, 2013 at 9:45 am
Another good move to get people using transit would be to make Caltrain and BART parking lots free after 3.00 pm to encourage public transit for Sharks/Giants games, theater, concerts, etc. Promoting transit for evening events would actually make it safer for those using the systems as there would be more people about.
College Terrace
on Feb 10, 2013 at 10:54 am
on Feb 10, 2013 at 10:54 am
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:13 am
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:13 am
Look at the SIZE of the PARKING in this "transit center." Web Link
It's designed to be part of the mammouth Arillaga project which hasn't even gotten past preliminary discussions.
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:20 am
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:20 am
Use that money to fix the mess around Town & Country,
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:22 am
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:22 am
I hope the transit center isn't getting the cart before the horse....The extremely over sized proposed project at 27 University must be down sized and coordinated with the transit area. Let's get that issue right first!
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:45 am
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:45 am
Grant dollars - the large parking lot shown already exists, its the Stanford Mall lot. The two smaller ones on either side of University are new.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:52 am
on Feb 11, 2013 at 11:52 am
See Figure 6, page 12. Web Link
Crescent Park
on Feb 11, 2013 at 12:14 pm
on Feb 11, 2013 at 12:14 pm
On behalf of the Magical Bridge and its many community supporters, we THANK the City for including this project as a possible recipient.
With no fully ADA-compliant parks in our town, an enthusiastic volunteer board has been working on designing an innovative park for families of all abilities to enjoy. Parents who use wheelchairs, children with autism, grandparents with walkers are just some of the many who have been overlooked in our parks over the years. We have a magical design, almost $1 million raised and could really use this additional amount from the City to make our park a reality. Please join our vision!
www.magicalbridge.org
Barron Park
on Feb 11, 2013 at 12:56 pm
on Feb 11, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Many people ask for Palo Alto - us taxpayers - to fund their pet projects. No one seems aware that Palo Alto has a limited General Fund and more than $400M in its backlog to repair and upgrade existing facilities. When grant money is mentioned, people get starry-eyed as though this is free money. It is not because it comes from taxes we citizens pay.
After new projects are built, they require maintenance which adds to the backlog and costs more of our limited funds. To solve this, the City will fall back on a tried and true solution - tax the residents to make up the shortfall. Have you looked at your utility bill lately?
Community Center
on Feb 11, 2013 at 9:01 pm
on Feb 11, 2013 at 9:01 pm
"A project estimated to cost up to $15 million. The city is requesting $10 million for the project, with the city footing the rest of the bill"
I'll bet the final project will cost over 20 millions, and the residents footing the rest of the bill.. It's not unusual!
Crescent Park
on Feb 11, 2013 at 10:55 pm
on Feb 11, 2013 at 10:55 pm
While the opportunity to apply for and receive funding from other sources, I hope the city staff have learned an important lesson about constraints that often go with "free money".
Right now, the city is planning a full EIR and cost benefit analysis in order to better understand the implications of replacing a new bridge over the creek at Newell Road. If the city accepts a Caltrans grant, the size and scope of the bridge may be part of the package. In other words, "hello city. You have applied for and received this grant for replacing a 100 year old bridge. You may think you have the control over how the bridge is designed or whether it fits into your neighborhood, but you are wrong. If you take our money, you have to follow our rules and build a bridge out of scale for the community."
There is no free lunch. Please review all constraints and share them with the public BEFORE accepting ANY grant money so the citizens of Palo Alto can weigh in on the trade offs.
South of Midtown
on Feb 12, 2013 at 4:34 pm
on Feb 12, 2013 at 4:34 pm
This was a PROPOSAL. Visit the video taped meeting to see what they DECIDED.