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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0318195796 City Hall, Palo Alto, California March 18', 1957. • The Council of the City of Palo Alto met in special: ses- sion on this date at 7:30 P.M., pursuant to the following call: As Mayor of the City of Palo Alto, and in come pliance with Section 102 of,the Administrative Code, L. hereby call a special meeting of the. City Council to be held on Monday, March 18, 1957, at 7:30 P..M. in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, for the purpose of determining what action the`City'of'Palo Alto should take in relation to information which has come to our attention regarding the `development of two parcels of property located in the required westerly approach of the proposed South Palo Alto grade separation. The owners of these two parcels, located at 2750 Park Boulevard and 207 Sheridan Avenue, have been issued building .permits for the purpose of constructing warehouse facilities. The owner of the parcel at 207 Sheridan Ave- nue was issued a building permit on March 7, 1957. -This matter was discussed with members of Council Com- mittee No. 3, and it was agreed that the owner should be notified by ,letter that the Palo Alto City Council at itsnext.regularly scheduled- meeting of. March 25, 1957, would consider initiating the necessary legal ac- tion to guarantee acquisition of the property for grade separation purposes.. It was therefore requested that construction be delayed. We have since learned that the owner is presently in New York and that construc- tion has begun. On Friday, March 15; 1957, the owner of the property at 2750 Park Boulevard_ acquired a building per- mit to construct a similar warehouse on his property.. This owner applied for a permit even though he had been informed that the matter,would be on the Council agenda . for March 25th., We have contacted Mr. Jamart of De Leuw, Cath- er & Company, the consulting engineers, and he has as- sured us that both of these_ properties will be required for"the construction of a:grade separation. The City Clerk is directed to send a notice of this meeting to each member of the City Council and to enter this order on the minutes of said special meet- ing. Mayor Porter presided and roll call was as follows: Present: Bishop, Byxbee, Corcoran, Cresap, Cummings, Drysdale, Giffin -Marshall, Mitchell, Nevis, Porter; Rodgers:, Ruppenthal, Simpson. Absent: David. South Palo Alto Grade Separation The Mayor reviewed the background of this question and the purpose of this special meeting, and supplied.further information on the immediate problem involving the properties at 207 Sheridan Ave- nue and :2?50 Park Boulevard which are required. for the underpass ap- proach If the grade separation plan connecting Oregon Avenue and Page Mill Road, as recommended by De Leuw, Cather & Company, is adopted. The Mayor advised that the owners of these properties, Mr.. Joseph C. Beck who owns 207 Sheridan Avenue,`and Mr._ T. V. Dates who owns the parcel at 2750 Park Boulevard, have been very cooperative, 1 r ` t r P: rA 1Y and'in view or.the fact that they.have.taken -out permits for con- struction of. buildings on. their -•properties-, it was felt that the Council should consider thematter.immediately-and endeavor to come to adecision-on-the plan -and location for the grade separation and the acquisition of the property. -- In answer to questions as to the legal procedure involved, the City, Attorney advised that_the.Council can adopt the necessary ' resolution to.acquire-the_two parcels of -property -in question even • if:the specific plan for the.grade separation is not approved at this time. During discussion, the--general-feeling was expressed by council members that action on the project should be :determined be- fore the.acquisition of specific properties is considered. • .It -was -moved by Bishop, seconded by Simpson, that Plate 11, entitled General Plan, in the report of De Leuw, Cather & Com- pany on the South Palo Alto -Grade Separation be -Approved as the of- ficial plan for:the grade separation project. • It was pointed-out'b the Mayor and City Attorney :that there is still the possibility of ' modifications in the .details of - the plan but - if this motion 18 adopt ed, the project would be established in -principle:. The City Manage advised that-De_Leuw, Cather--& Company are making a further study. with regard to'the western approach of the underpass in the vicinity' of Park Boulevard; that their report'on this item will be ready in- - about four weeks,- and as a result of the study there may - be some modification in the.plan at' that point. Questions were raised by some council members in regard t the financing of -the project, and it was generally agreed that this - is a matter for determination after the report of the Capital Im- provement,Committee has-been received® A number of interested property owners on.:Oregon Avenue were present and were given an' -opportunity to speak on the matter. Fennimore Bradley, 940 Oregon Avenue, Richard -Baylor, 956 Oregon,. Otis Linn, 827 Oregon, and Clyde Lowden, 943 Oregon, addressed the Council, all opposing the project because they felt it would -in- crease traffic In the area and makea throughway of Oregon Avenue. Two of the speakers stated ":that - they felt the people had not had a - fair chance to express - their opinions and should be allowed to vote on the matter.: , It was explained that a grade separation for the South Palo Alto area has been under consideration for many years, and is part of an overall pattern to improve traffic circulation in Palo Alto. The'nation to approve Plate 11 of the De Leuw, Cather re- port as the official plan for the grade separation project was car- ried by the following vote on roll call: Ayes: Bishop, Byxbee, Cresap, Cummings; Drysdale, Giffin, Mitchell, Nevis, Porter, Simpson. Noes: Corcoran, Marshall, Rodgers, Ruppenthal. Resolution No. 2821 determining that the public interest. and necessity. require,'for public use for public street and grade separation purposes, certain parcels of property known as 2750 Park Boulevard and 207 Sheridan.Avenue, being portions of Lot k, Block 7, Hawxhurst Subdivision,'~was introduced, end on motion of Drysdale and Mitchell, was adopted by unanimous vote on roll call. The owners of the properties in question, Mr. Oates and Mr. Beck, wore present and told the Council they would like to coop- erate with the City and were ready to negotiate for the sale of ' these parcels to the City. On motion of Drysdale and Sitchell, the City Manager was ; authorized and directed to°hire an appraiser to appraise'the proper- ties to be acquired for the grade separation project. O 98 It was coved.by Dryadaie seconded and carried by unanimous vote on roll call that, the mina of 420; 000.00 be transferred from the Special Projecta.Fund to a: South Palo Alto Grade Separation Fund to be used for the acquisition of parcels on the southerly corner of the intersection of Park Boulevard and Sheridan Avenue (2750 Park Boule vard and 207 Sheridan Avenue), The meeting was declared adjourned at 8:4+5 P.M. ATTEST: A2' {