HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-16 Rail Committee Action MinutesRAIL COMMITTEE
ACTION MINUTES
Page 1 of 2
Regular Meeting
April 16, 2024
The Rail Committee of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Community Meeting Room
and by virtual teleconference at 2:30 P.M.
Present In Person: Burt (chair), Lauing, Lythcott-Haims
Present Remotely:
Absent:
Verbal Update on Interagency Activities
A. Caltrain
B. VTA
C. City Staff
NO ACTION
Items heard out of order. Item 2 heard before Item 1
Action Items
1. Review of the Grade Separa�on Alterna�ves for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including Considera�on of Caltrain's Staff Comments;
Provide Feedback and Direc�on to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (or
Eliminates) Specific Alterna�ve(s) for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental
Documenta�on Phase.
On March 19, 2024 the Commitee received Presenta�ons and Public Tes�mony; the
item was con�nued to April 16, 2024 for Commitee Delibera�on and Ac�on – No Public
Tes�mony Will be Heard on April 16, 2024.
MOTION: Council Member Lauing moved, seconded by Council Member Burt to advance the
underpass and hybrid alternatives at Charleston and East Meadow as preferred alternatives for
preliminary engineering.
MOTION PASSED 2-1, Lythcott-Haims no
ACTION MINUTES
Page 2 of 2
Rail Committee Meeting
Action Minutes: 4/16/24
MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Council Member Lauing to recommend
the following to the City Council:
1. Re-confirm Partial Underpass as the preferred alternative for Churchill.
2. Eliminate Trench alternative.
3. Advance Underpass and Hybrid as LPAs for FRA grants.
4. The following are refinements for proceeding to 15% Engineering with alternatives.
Regarding East Meadow/Charleston Underpass:
• Seek ways to reduce property impacts.
• Optimize bike/pedestrian crossings.
• Where feasible, improve connections to bike infrastructure beyond the study area to
improve the network.
o Improve connections to Park Blvd.
o Explore modifications/refinements to the Bike Blvd along Park to improve overall
bike network.
• Further refine whether traffic circle on Charleston can be reduced to one lane to reduce
property impacts.
• Refine construction impacts to better understand possible mitigations needed during
the lengthy construction process.
MOTION PASSED 3-0
2. Review addi�onal analysis to evaluate the merits of the Kellogg Avenue and Seale
Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings, and discuss next steps in providing a
recommenda�on from the Rail Commitee to the City Council for a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Crossing loca�on associated with the Churchill Avenue Underpass
Alterna�ve.
MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Council Member Lauing to recommend
that Seale Ave be the preferred alternative for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing location
associated with the Churchill Avenue Underpass Alternative.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:43 P.M.