Posted by Ken Horowitz
a resident of University South
on Oct 12, 2023 at 9:22 am
Ken Horowitz is a registered user.

The City needs to go it alone in re-developing the Cubberley Community Center. It owns eight acres and you can do a lot with eight acres as recently done with both the new Mountain View Community Center and the upcoming Menlo Park Community Center. Put up a fence around the eight acres the City owns and immediately demolish all the buildings on its eight acres which are in disrepair and are hazardous to all those currently using these facilities. Lease space from PAUSD who own the remaining 27 acres of Cubberley for the the current tenants who will be displaced while the demolition and new construction of a modern, well thought out community center happens. PAUSD will not need all their 27 acres for now, but probably as more housing occurs in south Palo Alto, a future elementary school(possibly a high school)will be needed at the Cubberley site. Thus any discussion of a 55 year ground lease with PAUSD at Monday’s Council meeting is a non-starter.
PAUSD can plan for a future school bond and then demolish the buildings on its own acres. The City/PAUSD plan for a joint project at Cubberley has not worked out and it’s time to stop “kicking the can down the road”. The City Council finally needs to take a pro-active approach. The residents of Palo Alto deserve to have a community center to be proud of!

Posted by Mondoman
a resident of Green Acres
on Oct 13, 2023 at 4:57 pm
Mondoman is a registered user.

A long-term lease is a much better idea than swapping Terman Park for development by PAUSD. Glad to see this rethinking by the City!