Politics & Government

From the Mayor: State of the City Review, Upcoming City Projects

The following message was posted Thursday by Palo Alto Mayor Nancy Shepherd: 


It was good to see so many of you at the State of the City Address on February 11.  I had fun preparing the message, and have heard from a number of community members who remain interested in the 1969 video clip of Dr. Fred Terman that was included in the presentation.  I discovered it on YouTube where it had been posted by the Palo Alto Historical Association – an irony in itself – when he was interviewed for Palo Alto’s 75th anniversary.  The question posed in the video by interviewer Jane Morgan to Professor Terman 45 years ago is still relevant today.  “In retrospect, do you think this industrialization of Palo Alto that has taken place is a good thing?  We hear sometimes that we are being overcome, that the charm of the City is being lost...what would you say about this?" she asked.   His answer is also similar to what you might hear today,  "...the people who came to Palo Alto, irrespective of when they came, always like the town the way it was when they arrived….and that can't be all bad."  Considered the father of Silicon Valley, Terman’s words from the past help to inform and move us into the future.  Today’s Palo Alto is not too different from the past when innovation might have been called industrialization and where many of us came to experience the opportunities created over the decades.  This makes me proud.

It also makes me proud to see the work City Council has taken up this year during our own current period of "industrialization".  We have moved forward with the draft of a Residential Parking Permit program, expanded downtown parking options, removed parking exemptions from new projects, and most recently, took up a comprehensive action plan to consider Transportation Demand Management options.  Over the next year, City staff will be working thoughtfully to issue requests for proposals for services that include expanding the City’s shuttle service, carsharing and other commute options, as well as the formation of an umbrella organization to set up all of these programs.  The overall goal is to reduce solo driving that contributes to our traffic and parking challenges.  While many households today have more than one car and often multiple individuals commuting to work, we know that an effective TDM program in Palo Alto could reduce solo driving by 30% to 40%. That would make a huge difference and help to get Palo Alto moving again.

In the next few weeks, the City will break ground on the California Avenue streetscape and utilities improvements between El Camino Real and the Caltrain station at Park Avenue.  City staff have been working with the local merchants to create a walkable, bikeable and friendly shopping experience with new street lights, wider sidewalks, and improved benches, landscaping and crosswalks.  Construction activity is expected to be done both during the day and at night to expedite the project, and there will be lots of signage to help navigate the area.  It made more sense to replace the main water line now as part of this project, even though it wasn’t scheduled for a few years.    A free noontime shuttle service to the Stanford Research Park starts on March 3, and there will be 32 additional on-street parking spaces along Birch Street, south of California Avenue.  Construction is expected to last through December, and we are working hard to keep businesses accessible and parking available during this period.  When construction is complete, we will have a grand opening, which will include the new fountain and multimodal transit hub design.  You can find more information on the project here.

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Finally, the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park closure application has been deemed complete after several rounds of review by City staff to ensure that all information required by the City's ordinance has been provided.  A City-appointed hearing officer is now required to hold a hearing on the relocation mitigation measures.  Council has received many emails supporting our residents who live in this park.  The City maintains a webpage on Buena Vista, with useful information on the closure process and copies of key documents. I have also asked City staff to look for other opportunities to inform the public about this important matter. Watch the website for more information as the process moves forward.

Please tune into our City Council meeting on March 3 where we will be talking about the role Palo Alto will play in reducing water use during the ongoing drought.    

Take care,

Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nancy Shepherd
Mayor


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