Local Voices: 'Don't Pave Paradise,' Residents Say

Renovation projects for Palo Alto's and Art Center, expected to be completed next year, will include additional meeting and study rooms, more efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems, and larger parking lots. 

But one aspect of the project's parking lot design has drawn sharp criticism from residents. 

City staff have proposed constructing a "connector road" to link the Main Library and Art Center parking lots. At the Lucie Stern Community Center on Oct 24, the consultant team hired by the city to deisgn the road pitched the idea to a skeptical public. The road would replace part of the community garden located behind the Main Library, and its design would require visitors to cross it to get to the community garden.

The consultants said the road is needed to allow motorists to quickly and conveniently access parking in either lot, and its special design with inlaid bricks would "make this a pedestrian-first space" and "increase the pedestrian experience".

The space between the library and the community garden, where the new road would be built, is now a quiet pedestrian-only environment. Visitors access the community garden and the park-like area that surrounds it by walking from the Main Library across a landscaped lawn. Children now play in this space, especially during the summer when educational programs are in full swing.

The road plan has infuriated residents who live nearby. It would put children at risk who play in and around the community gardens, and create noise and pollution in the gardens where organic food is grown, they say. The road would be constructed on land that is "very much alive and appreciated by families with children, gardeners, and anyone who walks through the gardens. Don't pave over paradise.", said Rita Morgin, who has led the effort opposing construction of the road.  

In addition, residents question the city's claim that the road linking the Main Library and Art Center parking lots is needed to "improve traffic circulation". They point to the consultant's latest design of the parking lots, which will include between 22 and 26 more parking spaces than are currently available. With more spaces, motorists will rarely find one of the parking lots full - so there's no need to be able to drive between the parking lots. 

The road may even be inconsistent with the city new Bicycle + Pedestrian Transportation Plan, which is expected to be approved by City Council on Nov 7. One the plan's key stategies is to "encourage and support the development of neighborhood greenways, linear park features, and Safe Routes to Parks projects."

The consulting team responded to these criticisms by proposing an alternative design, one that connect the parking lots not with a road, but with a pedestrian/bicycle path instead.

Four city advisory bodies will review the two competing design options, called the Connector Road Option and the Pedestrian/Bicycle Path Option, before City Council decides which option to approve in December.

The options will be reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission on Oct 25, the Library Advisory Commission on Oct 27, the Historic Resources Board on Nov 16, and the Architectural Review Board on Nov 17.

Which option do you prefer?