HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-28 Parks & Recreation Agenda PacketAGENDA IS POSTED IN ACCORDANCE
WITH GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION
54954.2(a) OR SECTION 54956 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting February 28, 2017 AGENDA City Hall Chambers
250 Hamilton 7pm *In accordance with SB 343 materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the Commission after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the Open Space and Parks Office at 3201 East Bayshore Road during normal business hours. Please call 650-496-6962.
Attention Speakers: If you wish to address the Commission during oral communications or on an item on the agenda,
please complete a speaker’s card and give it to City staff. By submitting the speaker’s card, the Chair will recognize you at
the appropriate time.
I. ROLL CALL II. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS
III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Members of the public may address the Commission on any subject not on the agenda. A reasonable time restriction may be imposed at the discretion of the Chair. The Commission
reserves the right to limit oral communications period to 3 minutes.
IV. BUSINESS
1. Approval of Draft Minutes from the December 14, 2016 Parks and Recreation Commission
meeting – Kristen O’Kane – Action – (5 min) ATTACHMENT
2. Election of Chair and Vice Chair –Kristen O’Kane - Action – (10 min)
3. New Commissioner orientation – Kristen O’Kane – Presentation/discussion – (60 min)
• Community Services Department
• 2017 Workplan ATTACHMENT
• Role of the Commission
4. Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan – Kristen O’Kane –
Discussion – (20 min) ATTACHMENT
• Provide overview of Master Plan and status update 5. Other Ad Hoc Committee and Liaison Updates – Chair - Discussion (10 min)
V. DEPARTMENT REPORT
1. Dog Park update and selection of new ad hoc committee – Daren Anderson (15 min)
VI. COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
VII. TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR MARCH 28, 2017 MEETING
VII. ADJOURNMENT
ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations, auxiliary aids or services to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn about the City's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, may contact 650-329-2550 (voice), or e-mail ada@cityofpaloalto.org This agenda is posted in accordance with government code section 54954.2(a) or section 54956. Members of the public are welcome to attend this public meeting.
DRAFT
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MINUTES 5
PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 6
SPECIAL MEETING 7
December 14, 2016 8
DOWNTOWN LIBRARY 9 270 Forest Avenue 10 Palo Alto, California 11 12 Commissioners Present: Jim Cowie, Anne Cribbs, Jennifer Hetterly, Abbie Knopper, Ed 13
Lauing, David Moss, Keith Reckdahl 14
Commissioners Absent: 15
Others Present: Eric Filseth 16
Staff Present: Daren Anderson, Catherine Bourquin, Rob de Geus, Peter Jensen, Kristen 17
O'Kane 18
I. ROLL CALL CONDUCTED BY: Catherine Bourquin 19
20
II. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, and DELETIONS: 21
22
Chair Lauing: Is there any agenda changes, requests or deletions? Nope. 23
24
III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: 25 26 Chair Lauing: This is the time for oral communications, but I don't see anybody from the 27 public. We won't spend much time on that. The person coming in is not part of the 28
public. He's a Council Member. 29
30
IV. BUSINESS: 31 32
1. Approval of Draft Minutes from November 16, 2016 Parks and Recreation 33 Commission Meeting. 34 35
Approval of the draft November 16, 2016 Minutes was moved by Commissioner Hetterly 36
and seconded by Vice Chair Knopper. Passed 6-0 Cowie absent 37
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2. Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan. 1
2
Chair Lauing: Second item on the agenda is Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and 3
Recreation Master Plan. We'll turn that over to Kristen for presentation. 4
5
Kristen O'Kane: Good evening. I'm Kristen O'Kane, Community Services. There's a 6 couple of things I want to talk about, but I think it will be brief. Before we get into the 7
actions that are on the agenda, I wanted to just give a brief summary of the public review 8
comments that we received on the draft Master Plan. Peter, if you could go to the next 9
slide please. We had an online community review period that began November 16th, and 10
it officially ran through December 9th, but I believe it's still open. If people want to still 11
submit comments, they can still do so. To date, we've received 82 responses. 12
Attachment B that was in your packet may have been confusing because it was included 13
in the bound Master Plan document, but it's at the end of this. It is a summary document 14
of the comments we've received. We have received 82 responses to the online form and 15
40 written responses, which have open-ended questions. 96 percent of the respondents 16
were residents of Palo Alto. What we did is start out by asking some overall questions, 17
sort of to circle back to where we started from. Just a check-in to see now that we have 18
the draft Master Plan in place, how should we apply what we started out with, the 19
principles and the goals, to move into implementation? The first question had to do with 20
which of the principles is most important to you, and they were asked to just choose their 21
top three. The results were that about half of the respondents said that healthy and 22
sustainable were in their top three choices. Nature was also one of the top three. You 23
can see how it ranks from there. Do you want to go to the next slide, Peter? We did the 24
same for goals. I think this one is a little bit more interesting. I've summarized the goals 25 here. Goal 3, which is supporting health, wellness and social connections through active 26 and passive opportunities, 60 percent of the respondents ranked that as one of their top 27 three, followed by Goal 4, which was the goal related to preserving and integrating nature 28
and natural systems and then enhancing what we have and then accessibility, 29
inclusiveness and equitably distributed was also fairly high. The one that I found the 30
most interesting was Goal 5, which only 20 percent of the respondents ranked as one of 31
their top three, is the goal related to developing strategies to expand the system. I just 32
thought it was an interesting outcome of the survey. Granted there were only 80 33
respondents to the survey, but out of those enhancing and improving what we already 34
have seemed like a higher priority for those respondents than expanding the system. We 35
then had some questions where we asked people to rank, when we implement the Master 36
Plan, how they think the City should focus our efforts. Programs, classes or activities 37
versus physical improvements or new facilities. In the Attachment B that you had, it had 38
an average of 3.69. I actually think that median was a better measurement. I went back 39
to my high school and college algebra and felt that median was a better measurement of 40
this. The median here was 4; it was on the higher end. Physical improvements or new 41
facilities seemed to be the priority versus programs, classes or activities. The next one 42
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was rating major upgrades or new facilities to smaller improvements throughout the 1
system. Again, it was a median of 4. It seemed like it was more heavily ranked towards 2
the smaller improvements throughout the system. That was all I had for the community 3
survey. Like I said, we did receive 80 responses. Not a lot, but I think it confirms what 4
we've heard throughout the process, that people do want to see our facilities and our 5
programs enhanced and improved and upgraded, maybe not as much of the large, big 6 infrastructure changes. Are there any comments on the survey? No. I just wanted to 7
then focus on the two handouts that you received. The first one is a letter that we 8
received from Stanford University. They have some comments related to the Master 9
Plan, specifically where we specifically call out Stanford and the partnership 10
opportunities we potentially have with them. I wanted to see if there were any comments 11
on their comment letter. I think from a staff perspective, with their comments and their 12
changes we will, unless there is disagreement from the Commission, go ahead and make 13
those changes for the next draft. I did want to hear from the Commission if there were 14
any concerns about any of their proposed changes. 15
16
Commissioner Hetterly: I think it's exactly what we expected them to say. I'm fine with 17
the changes. 18
19
Chair Lauing: I would agree with that. 20
21
Commissioner Cribbs: I would agree with it too. I think the good thing is that it's in the 22
document and at least we're talking some (inaudible). 23
24
Chair Lauing: That we're talking about … 25 26 Commissioner Cribbs: That we're going to talk about it, some possibilities. That's a 27 good thing. 28
29
Chair Lauing: Of ongoing partnerships? 30
31
Commissioner Cribbs: Yes. 32
33
Ms. O'Kane: I'll talk about next steps, and then the letter from the Commission and then 34
the action. The next steps are we intended to go to Council in January of 2017. We had 35
planned to go January 9th, and that's no longer on the agenda partly because we, Rob and 36
I, needed to check in with our City Manager, Jim Keene, and just do a check-in before we 37
move to Council that this is where we are, this is where we're headed and this is the 38
status. We haven't had the opportunity to do that. The Council meeting is undetermined 39
right now what date we will go, but we still anticipate going in early 2017. 40
41
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Rob de Geus: Definitely. We did finally get a date actually for next week now, which is 1
good for Jim. Jim Keene, the City Manager, and Ed Shikada, the Assistant City 2
Manager, both have a copy of the full draft Plan, and they're reviewing it. We will have a 3
chance to meet with them next week, but we still won't make the 9th on the meeting. 4
5
Commissioner Moss: I was wondering why we haven't had checkpoints with City 6 Council or the Manager until now. I would have thought that we would be checking in a 7
couple of times … 8
9
Mr. de Geus: We have. 10
11
Commissioner Moss: … more formally. 12
13
Mr. de Geus: We've had several study sessions with the Council. We will return to 14
Council in January again. There's a question of whether it will be another study session, 15
maybe not. Maybe it's a discussion or even an action item so they can give some 16
direction, which they can't do formally at a study session, before we bring it back for a 17
final action. We'll talk with the City Manager about that next week. 18
19
Ms. O'Kane: We will be starting our CEQA process soon. We just received approval 20
from Council to amend MIG's contract to begin the CEQA documentation process. We 21
anticipate that there will be a public hearing for the CEQA review at a PRC meeting. 22
We're anticipating that would happen at the February meeting. We'll update that and 23
keep you up-to-date on the status of that as we get closer. That's our anticipated date 24
right now. Hopefully go to Council in March or April with the final Master Plan and 25 CEQA document for adoption at that time. 26 27 Commissioner Moss: We won't hear anything about CEQA in the January meeting. Is 28
that right? We won't have an update or anything like that? 29
30
Ms. O'Kane: We could provide an update on the status. I think it depends where they are 31
in the schedule. February will be where we will invite the community to come, the public 32
to come and comment on the CEQA document and the Master Plan at that time. The next 33
thing I wanted to mention is there is a letter in front of you that's called a Message from 34
the Parks and Rec Commission. This was drafted initially by the Parks and Rec 35
Commission ad hoc meeting, and we went back and forth a little bit and refined it. The 36
intent is to have this be really the first page of the Master Plan document. This is a 37
message from all of you. It will also be a message from the three new Commissioners 38
that come in, because they'll be ultimately the ones who are making the final 39
recommendation to Council to adopt the Plan. It'll be a message from the Commissioners 40
to the community, a call to action, just sort of an inspiring message to say this was a big 41
effort to get here, and thank you all for your participation in that effort, now let's all 42
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commit to implementing this Plan. I know it wasn't in the packet, so you all didn't get a 1
chance to review this in advance. 2
3
Chair Lauing: We should take the time now, even if we want to pause here and make 4
sure you all read that. Her summary is exactly correct. The ad hoc went through huge 5
rounds on that. The ad hoc being Keith, Jennifer and myself. We circulated it back and 6 forth to staff, and the typical enhancements happened. However long this takes, it can be 7
2 minutes or 2 hours. I just want to make sure everybody gets their oar in on this of 8
where they would like to … Maybe we should add that if it needs rework, we can bring it 9
back next month. Any comments from those who have finished reading it? 10
11
Commissioner Cribbs: I had just a question on that. The ad hoc committee is 12
comfortable and happy with this, the letter, since you wrote it? Staff is happy with it? I 13
think it's really good. As the new kid here at least for the next year, I'm wondering if 14
there's a way—maybe it's not appropriate as part of this. We've done all this great work. 15
What happens now? We're not very specific in the end about what's going to happen, 16
how we're going to reach out to people, how people can get engaged. What's the call to 17
action or does the call to action not belong in a document like this? There's all this 18
enthusiasm that has been generated. We've said that and we've thanked everybody. 19
Now, I'm like what are we going to do now. It may not … 20
21
Chair Lauing: That is part of the debate that we've had over the last couple of weeks. I 22
can assure you of that. 23
24
Commissioner Cribbs: (inaudible) 25 26 Chair Lauing: No, no. It's on the table. Somebody from the ad hoc want to address that? 27 28
Commissioner Moss: It says that this Plan outlines the roadmap and process to do both. 29
That's what we're supposed to—we're supposed to follow with this road map and process. 30
As far as which program we do first, which goal we address first, I'm not sure that we 31
have to go into that here. We have all of these programs that we need to address. They 32
have all kinds of things in them. How else can we say it? 33
34
Commissioner Cribbs: If I'm a person reading this and I'm excited about parks in the 35
future and the vision based on Palo Alto's parks in the past and what we have, what do I 36
do next? Who do I call? 37
38
Chair Lauing: Abbie. 39
40
Vice Chair Knopper: I kind of looked at this slightly differently. I looked at this as a 41
welcome letter, because this is the first page of a—I forget how many pages, like 150. 42
Draft Minutes 5
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This is just that this vision can only be realized with the community's enthusiasm and 1
commitment. 2
3
Ms. O'Kane: Could you repeat that, Commissioner? 4
5
Vice Chair Knopper: I just said I like the way this letter ends, where it says this vision 6 can only be realized with the community's enthusiasm and commitment. I felt like that is 7
a call to action, that we will need you. 8
9
Mr. de Geus: Chair Lauing, Council Member Filseth had a good suggestion. Instead of 10
saying "will be calling," just say "calls on all Palo Alto residents." 11
12
Commissioner Hetterly: I think that's much better. I was toying with the success of this 13
Plan depends on participation by all Palo Altans, but we call on all (crosstalk). 14
15
Chair Lauing: A direct call to action. I like the edit a lot. 16
17
Commissioner Reckdahl: Do you want to say anything about it? 18
19
Commissioner Hetterly: No, I like it. I think that's good. 20
21
Commissioner Reckdahl: I mean the document as a whole. 22
23
Chair Lauing: A lot of collective effort went into drafting the letter. 24
25 Ms. O'Kane: Are we ready? 26 27 Chair Lauing: I don't think we need to—you've got our comments? 28
29
Ms. O'Kane: Yeah. Moving on then. Do you want to go to the next slide? I included 30
the action on here. They're a little lengthy, so this will require some explanation. Our 31
intent initially was to come here tonight and ask the Commission to make their 32
recommendation to Council to adopt the Plan. Unfortunately, we were advised by the 33
City Attorney that we could not do that because we don't have the CEQA document 34
completed yet. It would be inappropriate for the Commission to recommend a Plan 35
without knowing what the environmental impacts of that Plan are. We did feel like it was 36
important for there to be an action tonight, especially for the three Commissioners who 37
this is their last meeting and who worked a lot to get us to this point. There's two 38
recommendations here. The first is to accept the Master Plan as the embodiment of the 39
programs and policies that are tentatively recommended by the Commission. The second 40
action is to direct staff to perform CEQA review based on the programs and policies 41
described in the Master Plan. Those are the two actions on the table. 42
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1
Chair Lauing: Was there any discussion about approaching this in a way that you could 2
address the first one, take out the words "tentatively recommended." "Contingent on 3
approval of CEQA"? 4
5
Ms. O'Kane: That was my original language that I proposed. That was not allowable. 6 7
Chair Lauing: According to the City Attorney? 8
9
Ms. O'Kane: According to the Attorney, yeah. 10
11
Chair Lauing: Attorneys always want to slow things down. There's a lot of attorneys that 12
(inaudible). 13
14
Commissioner Moss: Can you … 15
16
Chair Lauing: The unfortunately thing about that is that three of the seven are leaving, 17
and three brand new ones will be approving. It's a bit ironic after the years. The 18
Council's going to understand that. It's our agreement in the minutes, Jen and I, we need 19
to do something tonight to be on record that the old Commission is supportive of the 20
document that we have before us. 21
22
Ms. O'Kane: I think we'll have the same—I don’t think issue is the right word. When we 23
go to Council, there will be new Council Members who haven't been involved in our 24
study sessions and this whole process. There will be a little bit of a recap to do there as 25 well. 26 27 Commissioner Moss: Tell me again what the CEQA review is supposed to do. 28
29
Ms. O'Kane: The CEQA review is assessing whether the proposed project, which is the 30
Master Plan, is likely to have significant effects on the environment. The way a CEQA 31
document is done for a Master Plan is a little different than building something that has a 32
finite start and end. Because this is a program, it will be a more programmatic CEQA 33
document, meaning it will have some assessment of impacts based on what we know 34
today. As we move forward with, say, a dog park, it may or may not have enough detail 35
in that CEQA document to say whether that dog park will have significant effects on the 36
environment. There may be additional CEQA that needs to be done depending on the 37
project and how much is covered in this. 38
39
Commissioner Moss: That's my point exactly. It seems like it's not necessary to do it 40
now because you're going to have to do a CEQA review on almost every action that we 41
take. Therefore, it seems like you could accept the Plan knowing that you're going to 42
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have to do CEQA reviews on every thing and part of the process. Of course, this is going 1
to have an impact on the environment. Hopefully, a positive one. Why do we need to do 2
it now and with every program? 3
4
Mr. de Geus: It's really advice from a legal ... It's a question of how specific the Plan is. 5
If it's really unspecific, then we don't need to do any CEQA. Their evaluation was it has 6 enough specificity that we need to do at least a—what do you call it? An initial study of 7
some sort. 8
9
Commissioner Hetterly: You do not necessarily have to do CEQA for every project as 10
you move forward. Just like when we renovate a park, we don't have to do a CEQA 11
analysis (crosstalk). 12
13
Commissioner Moss: And restroom … 14
15
Commissioner Hetterly: I think, restroom we don't. 16
17
Commissioner Moss: This is the blanket CEQA that in addition to the blanket CEQA … 18
19
Commissioner Hetterly: There may be some (crosstalk). 20
21
Commissioner Moss: … there may be some additional ones for the some of the programs 22
required. 23
24
Mr. de Geus: Right. 25 26 Ms. O'Kane: We may be able to include enough analysis in the programmatic CEQA 27 document for some projects so we don't have to do it later. Larger things definitely are 28
not going to be in here. Some of the smaller projects, for example dog parks again, we 29
may have enough detail in this document that we avoid that stuff later, and we can get to 30
the implementation of that project sooner. 31
32
Peter Jensen: I think the overall idea of doing it is to clarify that the document itself does 33
not have the impacts. It's that study that, hopefully when it gets through the initial study, 34
declares what is recommended in here does not have negative environmental impact. 35
When people ask—they do, because this is the standard operation that you have. The 36
backup material says we did the study and looked at it, and it is either this or this. 37
38
Commissioner Moss: If we direct you to perform that CEQA review, it will only take a 39
month to do? 40
41
Mr. de Geus: A little longer than a month. 42
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1
Ms. O'Kane: Right, because the public hearing would be in February, and that's the 2
opportunity for us to hear the public's comments. 3
4
Commissioner Moss: I go back to do we need an update in January so that we know 5
what the CEQA says before you go to the public. The Commission. 6 7
Mr. Jensen: I think we should have enough information by then to give you an update of 8
what the initial studies are showing. 9
10
Commissioner Moss: I'd like that. 11
12
Commissioner Cowie: Just a technical question for Rob and Kristen. Do we really have 13
the power to direct you as opposed to requesting you? 14
15
Mr. de Geus: It's more of a request to get direction from Council, the City Manager. The 16
Commission advises the Council. 17
18
Ms. O'Kane: That's a good point. That's language from the City Attorney. I think the 19
spirit of it is that you as a Commission accept these and now let's move onto the next 20
step. I think that was the spirit of that language. 21
22
Chair Lauing: Is there other discussion from Commissioners about this? You need this 23
(inaudible)? I would suggest that one of the Commissioners on my left and right should 24
make the motion, and the other one should second it. 25 26 Commissioner Cowie: I'll make the motion to approve it subject to that tiny modification 27 we made in Bullet Number 2. 28
29
Chair Lauing: I was trying to get the retiring Commissioners to make and second the 30
motion. 31
32
Commissioner Cowie: I'm sorry. I did not (crosstalk). Sorry I didn't let you. Forget that 33
motion. I withdraw it. 34
35
Vice Chair Knopper: Jennifer, why don't you make the motion? 36
37
Commissioner Hetterly: I move what that says. 38
39
Vice Chair Knopper: What? Seriously, make the motion. You can do better than that. 40
41
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MOTION: 1
2
Commissioner Hetterly: I move that we accept (crosstalk) as the embodiment of the 3
programs and policies that are tentatively recommended by the Parks and Rec 4
Commission and request that staff perform a CEQA review based on the programs and 5
policies described in the Master Plan and return to the Commission for a final 6 recommendation. 7
8
Vice Chair Knopper: I second that motion. 9
10
Chair Lauing: You like that motion, huh? Does anyone have any further discussion now 11
that it's a formal motion or questions? I think we're ready for a vote. This is as close as 12
we're going to get with this Commission. All in favor. Any opposed? 13
14
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY 15
16
Chair Lauing: Progress after almost 2 years. Onto Council to do their job. A lot of 17
effort all around right up to the end in a collaborative way with the staff, all the staff, 18
Peter and Daren and Kristen and Rob and beyond. One of those things that years from 19
now when you're thinking back on what you did on this Commission, that's going to be 20
one of the big ones and hopefully will be real as opposed to the gorgeous document that 21
went through a lot of drafts. 22
23
Commissioner Cribbs: Could I just say as a latecomer to this party I thought it was 24
amazing. The whole catching up when I started and the whole process through this last 25 year, seeing the ad hoc committee work together with the staff, seeing the staff so excited 26 about getting it done, the changes that you all were able to make so quickly, this is an 27 amazing document and one that, I think, everybody—I'm sure proud to have my name on 28
it, just a little piece of it. I think it's remarkable. I think it's going to stand Palo Alto in 29
good stead for the future. Now, we have to figure out how to fund it, but my hat's really 30
off to you all. Congratulations. 31
32
Chair Lauing: Thank you. Now, you're the veteran. That item concluded. 33
34
3. Other Ad Hoc Committee and Liaison Updates. 35
36
Chair Lauing: Do we have any ad hoc committee or liaison updates, which can be 37
informal or formal from staff or the ad hocs? We have some dog park ad hoc, right? 38
39
Vice Chair Knopper: No. 40
41
Chair Lauing: (inaudible) 42
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1
Mr. Anderson: I've got two. Daren Anderson, Open Space, Parks and Golf. I've got two 2
updates. One on the Buckeye Creek hydrology study. We had Commissioners there as 3
well. If they'd like to interject, please do so. Also on the dog parks. We had the public 4
meeting on the Buckeye Creek hydrology study on December 6th up at Foothills Park. 5
Pretty decent showing of participants; we had about 15. Met for about 2 hours or so. At 6 the meeting, ENGEO, the contractor who's done the study, explained that they've done 7
the analysis. That is, they've studied the hydrology of the creek, and now they've got 8
some recommended concepts, meaning what are we going to do to address these erosion 9
problems. We have two, and they're not fully developed. They're really rudimentary in 10
terms of how much effort they put into them, because they didn't want to go too far down 11
the line before checking in with the public, our stakeholders and eventually the 12
Commission, to make sure we're on the right track. The great part of the meeting is we 13
walked away with almost unanimous belief that these two concepts are on the right track, 14
that they are going to be the appropriate way for solutions in that creek. A lot of the 15
questions that came up, though, were things that require further study on those concepts 16
before we can really start answering some of the questions. It's difficult for me to explain 17
without visuals exactly what those concepts are, so I'll just do them in very broad terms. 18
Essentially it would be widening the creek in a few sections, allowing it to meander, in 19
particular in front of the Interpretive Center up at Foothills Park. In the other part of the 20
part called Wildhorse Valley, the creek there, one of the concepts is to do something a 21
little different. It would actually have two channels in that portion. You would have the 22
existing channel that is deeply channelized and eroded and not functioning well, and then 23
a bypass channel to cut through Wildhorse Valley and meander and connect up again. 24
One would accommodate a higher flow, and the other one the lower flows. Again, it's 25 not fully fleshed out. That'll be the next step that we'll start working on. Shortly 26 thereafter, they'll meet with the regulatory agencies. There's another key thing before you 27 invest a lot of time developing concepts, is it permittable. Will these agencies approve of 28
this before you've spent thousands of dollars developing them? I think we're on the right 29
track. I think we should be able to come back to you soon, January or February, with 30
those concepts and some more information from ENGEO. Any comment from the 31
Commissioners who were at that meeting? 32
33
Commissioner Moss: When the creeks meander, they're also going to be widened, and 34
it's going to be a gentler slope. Those are key pieces to that study, to slow things down, 35
to try to absorb some of the flow so it's not so cutting, so eroding. I thought that was 36
really important. 37
38
Mr. Anderson: A key piece of it. 39
40
Commissioner Reckdahl: The other thing that I did not appreciate was these streams both 41
are not in their native locations. They've been moved by man. If we want to move them 42
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back to their natural location, we're not allowed to do that. The current route of the—I 1
should say we're not necessarily allowed to do that. The current path of the creek does 2
have a preference. It's very difficult to move that. For example, Buckeye Creek along 3
that grassy area has been pushed in the center of that grassy up to the side. It's causing a 4
lot of erosion on that hillside. If you wanted to move that over and have it go down the 5
center again, it'd be a tough fight to get that through the government. 6 7
Chair Lauing: Which government? 8
9
Commissioner Reckdahl: The State or Federal? 10
11
Mr. Anderson: It'd be a variety of regulatory agencies that we'd deal with. 12
13
Commissioner Reckdahl: Even though it's not where it used to be 100 years ago, it's in 14
its preferred location right now. Vegetation around it has grown up and become 15
dependent on it. There's issues with that. That does complicate our lives. We can't just 16
decide what we think is the best route; we have to go through the permitting agencies. 17
18
Commissioner Moss: I guess one last comment is that the part in front of the Interpretive 19
Center is a big, open, grassy field. This would be not in the middle of it, but close to the 20
middle of it. Therefore, you wouldn't have this wide-open space of grass. There are 21
good things and bad things. The good thing about it is it costs a tremendous amount of 22
money and Hetch Hetchy water to keep that grassy lawn watered and maintained. The 23
bad thing is—the good thing is that you won't be able to use it for playing fields like a 24
soccer field, but there's still plenty of room for people to have natural play. I think it's a 25 good compromise. 26 27 Mr. Anderson: There's impacts to recreation. Some of them positive, and some of them 28
taking away how we might have traditionally used that turf. We analyze that, and bring 29
that to you for further discussion when we come back. Any other comments on Buckeye 30
Creek? 31
32
Chair Lauing: Do you have a relative timeline yet as to when something could be done 33
up there? Whatever the choice may be. 34
35
Mr. Anderson: This project will give us the roadmap and the plan for what to do. We 36
have to submit a new capital project to actually do it, build it, change the creek. I think 37
that'll come out of this process, and we'll figure that out. 38
39
Mr. Jensen: This is going to be like one of the processes of the Master Plan, doing an 40
initial study on something and then coming back. It is not going to be a small-scale 41
project. It's basically recreating a stream bed up there that was destroyed, because we 42
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decided to pave a road through it. This project connects to the 7.7 acres, because it is just 1
part of the natural system that's up there. Eventually the recommendation will be, 2
whatever happens to the creek itself and the 7.7 acres is going to have a price tag to do 3
such things but will need to be done. Again, just something else now to consider, 4
constant funding to do. 5
6 Mr. Anderson: The other update I had for you is the dog park topic. We had a public 7
meeting yesterday to look at adding a dog park at Eleanor Pardee Park. Thank you to 8
Commissioners who came; really appreciate that. Well attended, about 70 participants. 9
Successful in terms of getting lots of feedback. That's always good. Successful also in 10
letting us learn a lesson in terms of—it's a mea culpa. I probably should have known 11
better, but we had started with an option in the center of that park. There were factors 12
that were unknown at the time that forced us to move it from that preferred location to 13
another. It ended up being very, very close, right on the fence line to some neighbors. It 14
just is unpalatable to a significant number of them. There were a lot of messages, and it's 15
tough to convey it in a concise way right now. The takeaway for me—I'm interested in 16
hearing the Commissioners' thoughts on this too—was putting it right on that border of 17
someone's backyard is really not the way to go. We have to consider other places at least 18
for this park. Maybe if you lucked out and found a dog owner that couldn't wait to get 19
into that dog park, it might work. But not here, not at Eleanor Pardee. There was enough 20
responses that said this is not the right place. There still are options in my opinion from 21
what I heard from everyone still within Pardee to put one, but it's going to take a little 22
more creativity and maybe compromises on the size a little bit to make this work. We'll 23
also have to have more negotiations with our environmental stakeholders, because it's 24
likely that we'd have to put this somewhere near the oak trees. That was feedback that 25 we heard from Canopy and Audubon Society, that impacts from dogs would be harmful 26 to both the oak trees and to the wildlife associated with those trees. I think more 27 negotiation and more meetings; it's possible. Tomorrow we've got a meeting for Peers 28
Park about adding a dog park there. It's got fewer of those problems. We're 75 feet from 29
the nearest resident backyard fence. It's significantly larger. We've got more room to 30
play with if we have to make that a bigger buffer. We've got a little more option there. 31
I'm interested in seeing what comes of that meeting and looking forward to it. I'll be back 32
soon to update you on that as well. Any comments from our Commissioners? 33
34
Commissioner Reckdahl: One thing I want to say is we want to take into account the 35
neighbors' opinions, but we can't give them a veto of what we do in the parks. They 36
bought that house; the park was across the back fence, and they knew we were going to 37
use it. The purpose of a park is to be used. If it's not a picnic table or recreation, any use 38
of the park is going to make noise. I think we need to have an appropriate buffer between 39
it. I don't think we want to go right up to the fence. We also can't kowtow to their every 40
desire. We have to balance that, and it's a very difficult problem. 41
42
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Vice Chair Knopper: The one thing I would say, in addition to what I said last night, is 1
that it would be helpful moving forward if we actually had specific scientific facts on tree 2
impact and bird wildlife impact instead of opinion. As we know, the trees at the Hoover 3
Park site haven't been impacted at all because they're deep-rooted trees. Having the 4
blanket statement "dog urine hurts trees," factually let's find out so we have a specific 5
counter-discussion point. If indeed we find out it really hasn't hurt the trees and we have 6 this evidence in front of us, I think that's helpful. People were following me to my car, 7
quite literally. I think the people feel like—one of the last public speakers said, and this 8
resonated with me, "I have two little dogs. They're my children. I don't have children." 9
10
Commissioner Cribbs: He was almost in tears actually. 11
12
Vice Chair Knopper: He was. He said, "I walk past that park, and I feel like I'm not 13
welcome there with them." That resonated with me, because I thought, "Here we are 14
trying to be completely inclusive, and dog owners don't feel that way. They feel like they 15
have so many restrictions on them with regard to it has to be on a leash or you can't be in 16
a park. People are judging." Several people said that to me last night, that that 17
gentleman really was in tears in about that. Lastly, I know we can build a dog park. I 18
might not be on the Commission, but I'm going to help you build a dog park. I just want 19
to publicly, on camera say I will help you, because so many residents want it there. Even 20
my friend who lives on the fence line came over, and he's like, "I don't mind a dog park 21
in Eleanor Pardee. I just don't want it on my fence. Just a little bit over." I think most 22
people can be reasoned with, and we can get one. To staff, I just want to commend them, 23
because the things said to them were sometimes terrible. They just take it so politely and 24
professionally. I admire that. 25 26 Commissioner Cribbs: I'm glad you said that. I've been (inaudible) the staff are really 27 terrific responding to everybody. I actually came away—because I didn't make the 28
statement nobody followed me to my car—being very encouraged about the fact that 29
there will be a dog park at this particular park, that there were enough people who were 30
really enthusiastic, understood the reason that there needed to be one there, wanted 31
something in north Palo Alto. I really loved the gentleman—I should have followed him 32
to his car—who said how can we pay for this, how can we help to pay for this, what are 33
the details and how can we get started doing that. That was very encouraging. There 34
were some really good, thoughtful people there who, I think, understood this has been 35
going on for a long time and we should get it done. 36
37
Commissioner Reckdahl: That brings up another topic. The Magical Bridge and these 38
dog parks, people really like them. I think it'd be appropriate to put a sign up saying the 39
Friends of Palo Alto Park helped pay for this. If you want more things like this, please 40
support the Friends of Palo Alto Parks. You can send your check in and earmark it for 41
whatever you want. That's how people speak and that's how they move. Speaking to 42
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your point earlier, that's how you can get through. If you really want to fund a project, 1
it's going to be much more likely to happen than if you don't fund it. What would we 2
have to do to put signs up, like Magical Bridge? 3
4
Mr. de Geus: Magical Bridge, it wasn't just the Friends of Palo Alto Parks. They created 5
their own foundation, the Magical Bridge Foundation. 6 7
Commissioner Moss: It's on there. 8
9
Mr. de Geus: And it's on there. (crosstalk) 10
11
Commissioner Reckdahl: Does it say that? 12
13
Mr. de Geus: … who the governing board was. I don't know if there's any … 14
15
Commissioner Reckdahl: Does it encourage people to contribute or just say this money 16
was given to them? 17
18
Mr. de Geus: I don't think it encourages them. It recognizes the people who did 19
contribute. 20
21
Commissioner Moss: And that you would be giving to other Magical Bridges around the 22
country rather than Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, the Magical Bridge Foundation, to 23
build other ones in Redwood City, for instance. 24
25 Mr. de Geus: That's a good point. If you're at a park and having a good time, to see 26 somewhere that there is a local group of residents that love our parks and are trying to 27 help the City improve them, that you see that or read about that. If you're so compelled, 28
you might want to give. We'll think about that a little more, because I think it's a good 29
idea. 30
31
Vice Chair Knopper: A woman spoke last night—I didn't get her name because she was 32
like speaker number 60. She said that she was one of the founders of Palo Alto Park, the 33
Friends of, and that she would be willing to orchestrate, organize. I think people are 34
motivated. I think there's enough people motivated that it could be a private-public 35
partnership that would be very successful. People didn’t love the idea that it would just 36
be barebones, like fence and call it a day. They always referred to the one … 37
38
Mr. Jensen: In Mountain View. 39
40
Vice Chair Knopper: They want statutes. They want the thing down at San Antonio 41
Village with giant hydrants, artificial turf. 42
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1
Mr. Jensen: I do think that brings up an important point. In the Master Plan, the hard 2
part is funding everything that's in there. There is a Friends of the Parks group that is 3
established. It would be nice to promote and build that group to be the mechanism of 4
funding, because it's going to take that to achieve what we have to do. 5
6 Commissioner Moss: There's also a dog owners association, 400 members strong. 7
They're behind all this as well. 8
9
Vice Chair Knopper: We know who heads it too. 10
11
Commissioner Moss: My feeling is that there will be a park there and at Peers Park. 12
Whether they get done at the same time or right after one another, I think they're going to 13
happen very soon. The only problem is really the exact location. There was room a little 14
bit to the west. They did talk about the garden behind it, towards the north, as being 15
totally useless as a garden, so you could push a little bit in that direction and come in 16
from the fence a little bit. The third suggestion was along Center. You don't want little 17
children playing right next to the busy street, so put a long dog park that's fenced in right 18
next to Center, which is what I was hoping would happen at Bowden right next to Alma. 19
You can't have little kids playing soccer right next to Alma. If you put a dog park along 20
that strip, away from the fence lines, it protects the rest of the park. It's a buffer for the 21
rest of the park from that busy street. That was it. 22
23
Chair Lauing: Thanks, Daren. 24
25 Mr. Anderson: Thank you. 26 27 Chair Lauing: (inaudible) as always. Other ad hocs or liaisons before we move onto 28
Department Report? No. 29
30
V. DEPARTMENT REPORT 31 32 Chair Lauing: Department Report from Kristen or Rob. 33
34
Mr. de Geus: I had a few things to report. One, the Lucie Stern Community Center is 35
closing for some construction activity, new heating, new air conditioning and a variety of 36
other things. It's closed at the end of December 19th through March 31st. We're 37
scattered, the staff that work there, all over the place. I'll be at City Hall. Kristen will be 38
at Mitchell Park for a month, and then Cubberley for a month, and then with Daren at the 39
MSC. I wanted to let you know about that. We are bringing forward a contract for the 40
swim lesson program with Tim Sheeper to expand the lessons in such a way that doesn't 41
have an impact on the lap swimmers or masters, because we need to do additional public 42
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outreach there. We're doing that. I met with, I think, eight lap swimmers for an hour and 1
a half a week or so ago. We had a great discussion, and I better understand where they're 2
coming from. We're also doing coffees at the pool. That's been good mostly. I noticed 3
Kristen got yelled at today, which wasn't very nice. That was unusual. Most were very 4
… 5
6 Commissioner Moss: Not fair. 7
8
Mr. de Geus: It's just part of the process, to make sure that people really do feel heard 9
and that we do understand where they're coming from. That will take just a little more 10
time before we consider additional things for Tim Sheeper to do. Do you have a 11
question? 12
13
Commissioner Hetterly: I do have a question on the pools. I think having the 14
organized—the masters obviously is an organized group, and the lap swimmers are more 15
or less organized. That makes it easy to communicate with them. What about the rec 16
swimmers who are maybe not lap swimmers, who are maybe the summer users, the open 17
swim people? How are you reaching out to them? It seems like it all overflows 18
somewhere when you add a use. I think you should figure out a way to get in touch with 19
those swimmers. 20
21
Mr. de Geus: We've talked about that. It is more difficult, that group. They have a real 22
interest too. They want to see more recreation swim time. We want to do that too. Even 23
to do that, that does mean there may be a little more sharing for some of the other groups 24
if we want to do later evening recreation swim and other good stuff. You may have more 25 information on this than I do. One thing I believe we're doing is reaching out to the 26 parents that had kids in swim lessons, because they are from the same families that are 27 taking advantage of the recreation open swim, with surveys. Beyond that, are we doing 28
anything else, Kristen? 29
30
Ms. O'Kane: We're exploring that. We've asked some of the lap swimmers to offer 31
suggestions on how we might reach some of the other pool users. Someone 32
recommended putting a notification on Nextdoor, some of those other social media sites. 33
It's not just the rec swimmers; another group that we aren't hearing from are those people 34
who may want to use the pool for lap swim, but the current times don't work for them. 35
That's a group that we really don't know who they are or if they exist even. It's how do 36
we reach that group that isn't in one of those organized groups or quasi-organized groups, 37
like you said. 38
39
Commissioner Hetterly: It might be helpful to talk to the pool coordinators at Eichler or 40
at Green Meadow, because they every summer have a similar conflict with their swim 41
teams. Everybody wants all the lanes. During the competitive season, there's a lot 42
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greater demand on the pool, but that's of course when all their members want to have rec 1
swim. They struggle with that every year, and they may well be able to share some 2
insights about what really mattered to them more was not hours, not having two lanes 3
open for 8 hours a day. It was having five lanes open for 2 hours a day. That kind of 4
thing might be informative. I think both of those pools have longtime managers at this 5
point. 6 7
Mr. de Geus: That's' a good idea. We'll reach out to them. We're just taking more time 8
with this. If and when we do something more, there will be small, incremental changes 9
for the good hopefully and evaluation before we start making drastic changes. 10
11
Commissioner Moss: When did you want to be done with the—you wanted to be able to 12
have swim lessons starting in May? 13
14
Mr. de Geus: April. 15
16
Commissioner Moss: You want to be done April 1st or something like that? 17
18
Mr. de Geus: We would meet with Council in January, probably their first action 19
meeting on the 9th, which will be just for the swim lessons. We'll be utilizing the pool 20
when it's currently not utilized at all. It's just closed. Any other questions on that? The 21
golf course is going well. I was out there again a couple of times. I took the City 22
Manager out there and Lalo Perez, our Chief Financial Officer. Still on schedule and 23
under budget. I wanted to let you know about that. Also the Council—maybe Council 24
Member Filseth wants to talk about this—had two Colleagues' Memos this past Monday. 25 One was to reaffirm Palo Alto's commitment to diversity and supportive, inclusive and 26 protective community in light of some of the national things that have been happening. 27 Did you want to say something? 28
29
Council Member Filseth: I thought it was pretty straightforward and noncontroversial. 30
31
Mr. de Geus: It was just reaffirming the values that the City has. There was also a 32
Colleagues' Memo to support the donkeys at Barron Park. The City is putting in, I think, 33
$15,000, and then there's a fundraising campaign for the next 5 years to make sure that 34
the donkeys are cared for and protected. Great news there. 35
36
Commissioner Moss: Is the donkey paddock part of parks? Is it considered (crosstalk). 37
38
Mr. de Geus: It's actually private property. 39
40
Commissioner Moss: It's private property. 41
42
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Council Member Filseth: Acterra is the official operator. 1
2
Mr. de Geus: Does the maintenance. They can't afford to be doing that. 3
4
Commissioner Moss: Are we intending to annex that or anything like that? 5
6 Mr. de Geus: The property? 7
8
Commissioner Moss: Yeah. 9
10
Mr. de Geus: I think it's private property, and they have the donkeys on that property. I 11
don't think there's any discussion about it becoming City land. 12
13
VI. COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 14
15
Mr. de Geus: We have a New Year's Eve event which actually happens during the day 16
for seniors, which we do every year. We do a countdown to midday. Always fun. 17
There's live music and good food. If you want to volunteer, that's one that's … 18
19
Ms. O'Kane: Just a note on that. This year it will be at Avenidas. 20
21
Mr. de Geus: Yeah, a great partnership. Also we have a Commission recognition event 22
tomorrow evening. I wanted to just check to see who was going to attend. 23
24
Commissioner Reckdahl: I can't. 25 26 Mr. de Geus: Two Commissioners will be there. I remember going to one of these and 27 there was no Commissioner. It was pretty embarrassing. I had to go out there and get a 28
picture (crosstalk). 29
30
Commissioner Cribbs: (crosstalk) the Commission or the dog park committee. 31
32
Mr. de Geus: I know not good timing. There's so much happening this week. 33
34
Commissioner Reckdahl: The holidays is a bad time to have it. We have so many 35
conflicts. 36
37
Mr. de Geus: I'll pass that onto the Clerk's Office. The last thing I wanted to mention is 38
that we're starting to prepare the budget for fiscal year '18. There does look to be a gap in 39
the budget as we look ahead, as much as $6 million that we need to figure out. It's not a 40
1-year budget gap; it's a structural gap. There needs to be an ongoing reduction or 41
increased revenues or some combination of both. Every department in the City needs to 42
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take a good look at some different scenarios that will help close that gap. We're just 1
starting … 2
3
Commissioner Reckdahl: Is it due to a revenue down turn or they were spending more 4
money or both? 5
6 Mr. de Geus: I think it's more on the spending more money side and the cost of 7
healthcare and pensions and those types of things. Revenues are still on a trend up in 8
most categories. 9
10
Council Member Filseth: I think the expenses are increasing and revenues increasing. 11
The good news is revenues are increasing. The bad news is expenses are increasing. The 12
question is how fast are they growing relative to each other. The City has had a number 13
of one-off windfalls in the last years. One year there was a huge real estate transaction, 14
so we took several million dollars in documentary transfer taxes, but that was only that 15
year. There was one year where Tesla—we got sales tax on every Tesla sold. We had a 16
big sales tax year that year, several million dollars. That was just that year. We're more 17
like the norm (inaudible). 18
19
Mr. de Geus: We'll be working through that process. 20
21
Commissioner Moss: Public-private partnerships are far more important now. 22
23
Mr. de Geus: They are, and they will continue to be. One of the areas we do need to 24
look at is just how we deliver services, can we do it a little differently that still gets us to 25 the quality that the public expects and they're still accessible and affordable, but maybe 26 done a little differently. We'll be working on all of those things. 27 28
Commissioner Moss: I'm thinking of the AT&T property and how we would get enough 29
money. I was reading from some other environmental group how they built up a fund 30
ahead of time for private donations to be able to jump on critical pieces of property. We 31
need to do that because the odds of us being able to jump on something—considering that 32
we have this shortfall on top of everything else, we have to do something like that. 33
34
Mr. de Geus: That's all I have to report. Anything, Daren? 35
36
Mr. de Geus: The only one I wanted to mention is I'm losing two amazing 37
Commissioners that were on my ad hoc for dog parks. Gaining stakeholders I hope. 38
We'll need replacement ad hoc Commissioners to help me with this process as we go 39
forward. I just want to put it out there. 40
41
Vice Chair Knopper: Do you have new Commissioners? 42
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1
Mr. de Geus: I had the same question, because they did the interviews on the 30th. 2
They're postponing the decision into January. I'm not quite sure why that's happening. 3
Just because there's three new Council Members as well, but they didn't participate in the 4
interviews, so that just seems a little bit … 5
6 Council Member Filseth: I wasn't sure why it took so long either. There was a lot of 7
stuff on the calendar. We did get out before midnight every time. 8
9
Mr. de Geus: It was probably just too full on the agenda; although, it usually goes pretty 10
quick in terms of that vote. In any case, it hasn't been (crosstalk). 11
12
Chair Lauing: Are they going to be seated before the January Commission meeting? 13
14
Mr. de Geus: That's the question I had. I was assured yes. They're keeping the 15
applicants updated. Early January, the first couple of weeks, they'll make a decision. 16
17
Council Member Filseth: There's four of them, right? 18
19
Commissioner Reckdahl: Four total. 20
21
Mr. de Geus: Yeah. Those next (inaudible) on Council. 22
23
Council Member Filseth: No, no. On the Parks and Rec Commission. 24
25 Mr. de Geus: Anything else? 26 27 Chair Lauing: There has been precedent if a new member is not seated, other members 28
can (inaudible), but it sounds like that's not a problem. 29
30
Mr. de Geus: I wanted to know that, so I could share that with you this evening, if that 31
might happen. They said (inaudible). 32
33
VII. TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR JANUARY 24, 2017 MEETING 34 35
Chair Lauing: The tentative agenda for the January 24th meeting. The list was in the 36
packet. I thought we decided that we didn't need to do the Junior Museum and Zoo, 37
because it's already gone to Council. I don't think that needs to be on there. I'm not sure 38
there's any more on the hydrology study. 39
40
Mr. de Geus: I'll check in with the consultant. I do want to come to you soon. If not 41
January, it'll be February. I need to make sure that you guys are on board. 42
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1
Commissioner Reckdahl: During the meeting, there were a lot of questions where you 2
said, "I'll look into that." You may have some updates for us. 3
4
Chair Lauing: You'll need to elect officers. That goes on there. You might want to 5
consider at that meeting determining, or even tonight, a retreat date. 6 7
Ms. O'Kane: What are we going to do without you keeping us in check? 8
9
Chair Lauing: I think it's too early for any of us to be guest speakers for the retreat. 10
You've got this one on your (inaudible). 11
12
Mr. de Geus: I think we skipped comments and announcements. You might want to do 13
that. 14
15
Chair Lauing: I'm sorry. I thought we got into that after the staff (crosstalk). 16
17
Mr. de Geus: We did a little it. 18
19
Chair Lauing: There was so much back and forth. Go ahead. 20
21
Ms. O'Kane: We have a token of appreciation for the three Commissioners who will not 22
be coming back next month. On behalf of all of us, your involvement and your insight 23
has just been priceless. We thank you for everything that you've done and all the hours 24
you've spent outside of these meetings to help us out and review draft after draft. Just 25 your enthusiasm and commitment is very much appreciated. We thank you, and we are 26 going to miss you very much. 27 28
Council Member Filseth: Since most of you folks are not going to be able to make the 29
party tomorrow evening, thank you very much. It's just (inaudible) work with people 30
volunteering your time. You look at stuff like this. This is just so important, and it takes 31
so much time to do. You don't do it very often. Thank you once again. I very much 32
appreciate it. 33
34
Chair Lauing: We were at the last recognition that Council did for us, the plaque for our 35
service. We got them again. 36
37
Commissioner Hetterly: I'd just like to say it has been an absolute privilege to work with 38
this staff in particular and Community Services and Public Works. You all have been 39
really phenomenal, your commitments, your smarts, your dedication, everything you 40
know about what's going on. I couldn't imagine working with a better group of people 41
for stuff that's really important to the whole community. I want to thank you. 42
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1
Chair Lauing: I wanted to say from my perspective and not to speak for everybody else, 2
it's sincerely mixed feelings. It's a tremendous amount of work. I think you and the first-3
year Commissioners are getting a glimpse of it. You're not going to get a lot of applause 4
from the public. I think that's okay, because we're doing it on behalf of the public, but the 5
public is lots of little splinter groups that have their own interests like any political group. 6 That's okay. We listen to them, and they help make decisions better. We try to plod on. 7
To reflect back on, in our case 7 years and 3 years … 8
9
Vice Chair Knopper: Almost four. 10
11
Chair Lauing: Four, that's right. There were lots of good things that got done. We take 12
that with us with a lot of contentment, I think. To directly overlap with what you just 13
said, from the get-go I've been so impressed with the—wrong word and not glorious 14
enough, but the work ethic of all of our City staff. The dedication that they have to these 15
issues and the accomplishments not necessarily because you're Palo Alto residents but 16
because you're committed to that job and to the work of parks, the wellbeing and the 17
health, that we know we're helping people in that way. That camaraderie and partnership 18
has just been terrific across the board. Council Members also are these highly paid folks 19
that do the same thing that we do here basically, just put in a lot of effort. 20
21
Council Member Filseth: We make infinitely more than you do. 22
23
Chair Lauing: It's the same dedication. It's for the people and the place. It's just been a 24
great experience. I thank all of you for being as active and involved and dedicated as you 25 are. 26 27 Vice Chair Knopper: I would like to say thank you to everyone. This has just been such 28
an eye-opening experience for me. I certainly was guilty of this; you just take for granted 29
that your City just runs. You turn on the faucet; clean water is going to come out. You 30
walk to your park; there's going to be a lovely rosemary bush that your dog can pee on. 31
You just take certain things for granted, especially living in Palo Alto. The last 4 years, it 32
just every week, every month, every meeting that I went to, I just see the dedication and 33
the hard work and the commitment and the thankless hours sometimes when people are 34
not so nice, like what happened today to Kristen. Oftentimes, you get many nice people 35
come and say thank you. The fact that you get up every day and you do it for the 36
betterment of my family—this benefits my family, my community. I just want to say 37
thank you so much. It's been a tremendous educational experience for me. It really has. 38
I just appreciate it so much. I hate to say that I love this orchid, it's so beautiful, but it'll 39
be dead in (crosstalk). I have like a black thumb. I'm going to try, really because it's so 40
lovely. Just thank you. Jennifer pretty much said everything I wanted to say. It's just 41
been wonderful, and I can't thank you enough. 42
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1
Commissioner Moss: I want to make one more comment. Daren said that two of you 2
were integral to the dog park committee. You're also integral to the community gardens 3
committee. I spent an hour, more than an hour today, talking to one person about the 4
community gardens. I took everything for granted. The fact that there is no issue about 5
the community gardens, no big issues, is a testament to the fact that things are running 6 okay. No news is good news. 7
8
Commissioner Hetterly: I do my best. 9
10
Commissioner Moss: Thank you very much for all the work you did on that committee 11
as well. 12
13
Mr. de Geus: I'll just say something as well. It is one of the most interesting parts about 14
the work, I find at least. What's different than the private sector is that it's a real 15
partnership between citizens and City Hall. Almost always we make a better decision 16
when we're at the table together, really honestly thinking about how to improve a service 17
or a program or a park. It's really rewarding in that sense. You three are going to leave a 18
big hole in particular. For Jen, you challenged us and our thinking about a lot of things. 19
It's almost always come out better because of it. I really appreciate that. I hope you stay 20
involved. I still have your number, so I'll call you. Ed, you've been a great leader, just 21
steady, keeping things moving, just the right kind of poise and then a great sense of 22
humor. We're going to lose a lot here, I think, actually. Big shoes to fill. 23
24
Commissioner Reckdahl: No matter what the subject, they always were intelligent and 25 (inaudible). 26 27 Mr. de Geus: I think Keith's coming back, so that's good. 28
29
Commissioner Reckdahl: If I don't, I get an orchid. 30
31
Mr. de Geus: Thank you. 32
33
VIII. ADJOURNMENT 34 35
Chair Lauing: I think that's it in terms of action items for tonight. Motion for 36
adjournment? 37
38
Meeting adjourned on motion by Commissioner Hetterly and second by Vice Chair 39
Knopper at 8:02 p.m. 40
Draft Minutes 24
TO: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
FROM: KRISTEN O’KANE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
SUBJECT: ORIENTATION OF NEW COMMISSIONERS
RECOMMENDATION
This is a discussion item only and no action will be taken.
DISCUSSION
Beginning in 2017 the seven-member Parks and Recreation Commission will be composed of four new Commissioners,
two Commissioners who have served for one year, and one Commissioner who has served since December 15, 2012.
Recognizing that the Parks and Recreation Commission consists of new or relatively new Commissioners, the City of
Palo Alto Community Services Department will present an overview of the Department with focus on Recreation, Parks,
Open Space and Golf, including projects, programs and policy-issues that are anticipated to come before the PRC in
2017. Staff will also give a brief summary of the role of commissions in the public process.
TO: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
FROM: KRISTEN O’KANE, COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
DATE: February 28, 2017
SUBJECT: DRAFT PARKS, TRAILS, NATURAL OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN
RECOMMENDATION
Staff will present the Draft Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan to the
Commission. No action will be taken.
BACKGROUND
The City of Palo Alto has 32 parks and four open space preserves covering approximately 4,165 acres of
land, including Foothills Park, Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, Esther Clark Park, and the Baylands Nature
Preserve. A Capital Improvement Project for a Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master
Plan (Master Plan) was adopted by Council for the 2013 fiscal year to provide the necessary analysis and
review of Palo Alto’s parks and recreation system for the preparation of a long-range (20-year) Master
Plan.
When adopted, the Master Plan will provide the City with clear guidance regarding future capital
improvement projects and program enhancements aimed at meeting current and future demands on
the three main elements of the system: 1) parks, trails and open space; 2) recreation facilities; and 3)
recreation programs. Though the Master Plan addresses trails and natural open space, the intent is not
to provide specific guidance on how to manage and maintain the City’s trails and open space preserves.
Existing plans, such as the Pearson Arastradero Preserve Trail Management Plan (2001) and the Foothills
Park Trail Maintenance Plan (2002), provide trail management guidance. Future open space
conservation plans will provide guidance on vegetation and habitat management, wildlife management,
and wildlife-appropriate public access. This Master Plan will focus on the developed areas within the
City’s natural open space areas, such as parking lots, picnic areas and facilities, and provide
recommendations on how they can best be enhanced. The Master Plan includes an implementation
guide for the near, mid, and long-term as well as potential funding strategies.
To develop the Master Plan, a three-phased process was implemented. These phases are:
Phase One: Specific Site and Program Analysis and Community Engagement
The “project team” comprised of City staff and the consultant firm MIG, along with significant review
and input from the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC), gathered and analyzed data collected from
Palo Alto’s current parks and recreation system (parks, trails, developed natural open space areas and
recreational facilities and programs) and the community. The Phase One analysis included a physical
inventory of parks and recreation assets, extensive community outreach to identify community and
stakeholder needs, interests and preferences for system enhancements, and a review of projected
community demographics and recreation trends. This culminated in a list of potential needs and
opportunities for the overall parks and recreation system and is compiled in a “Data and Needs
Summary Matrix”, which can be found on the project website at www.paloaltoparksplan.org.
To develop a vision for the City’s parks, trails, open space and recreation system, the following eight
principles were developed and provide the foundation for the Master Plan. The Principles reflect the
outcome of the analysis and feedback received during the community engagement process. The
principles, which are defined in Chapter 4 of the Draft Master Plan, are: Playful, Healthy, Sustainable,
Inclusive, Accessible, Flexible, Balanced and Nature.
Phase Two: Developing and Prioritizing Project and Program Opportunities
At the beginning of Phase Two, the results of the data analysis and community input were compiled into
12 areas of focus that identify the major themes and key components that will guide policy and program
recommendations. These areas of focus were developed as part of the on-line community survey as a
means of allowing the community to provide input on the types of projects and programs that should be
prioritized. The areas of focus, presented as “key findings” in the Draft Master Plan are:
• Distributing park and recreation activities and experiences across the city
• Improving the accessibility of the full range of park and recreation opportunities
• Exploring new types of programs, classes, events and activities for all ages and abilities
• Improving and enhancing community center and recreation spaces across the community
• Enhancing capacity and quality of sports fields
• Increasing the variety of things to do in existing parks
• Enhancing comfort and making parks more welcoming
• Increasing health and wellness opportunities in parks and Programs
• Integrating nature into Palo Alto parks
• Improving spaces and increased options for off-leash dogs
• Expanding the system
• Offering more of the existing programs, classes and events
The project team, working with the PRC, consolidated these areas of focus into five master plan goals.
One additional goal was added to represent the standards for operating existing and future parks,
recreation, and open space systems. The goals will provide overall direction for long term improvements
to the parks and recreation system, while balancing the broad range of interests of Palo Alto’s diverse
community with the natural environment. The goals provide an organizational structure for the policies
and programs of the Master Plan. The Goals are introduced in Chapter 4 of the Draft Master Plan.
Following the goals are policies and programs. The policies, like the goals, were developed from the
analysis work done in phase one and draw on community input, park and program analysis, staff input
and PRC feedback. The programs provide specific actions toward achieving the goals and policies and
represent potential enhancements and expansions for the parks and recreation system including
recreation programming. Programs include specific capital improvements, programs and services, as
well as studies that would inform direction on capital improvements, programs and services where there
is insufficient data.
Phase two concluded with development of a prioritization process that involves applying a set of criteria
that will guide future implementation. The set of criteria are: fill existing gaps; respond to growth;
address community preferences; maximize public resources; and realize multiple benefits. A list of high
priority projects and programs was also developed and is presented in Chapter 5 of the Draft Master
Plan. This list was developed with feedback from the PRC, community, stakeholders and City staff and
represents what we know today are high priority needs and/or opportunities. The programs and
projects have been arranged from high to low urgency with the projects divided into two groups: 1)
large scale projects that will require more study and a long-term planning and funding strategy and 2)
those projects that can be initiated immediately, usually of smaller scale and lower funding
requirements. Some of the projects and programs on this list can be completed with minimal
investment and in the near term while others, like large scale capital projects will require efforts over
the life of the plan as well as a funding source.
Phase Three: Drafting of the Master Plan, Review and Adoption
Stakeholder review of the Master Plan has occurred throughout the process. Most recently, the draft
Master Plan was made available for public review on the project web site from November 10, 2016
through December 9, 2016. The website included specific questions related to which of the Master Plan
principles and goals are most important to the respondent and should guide the City’s implementation
of the Master Plan. Respondents were asked to select three principles and three goals. The next set of
questions asked the reader to rate what aspect of the Master Plan should the City focus its efforts
toward implementation. The choices included “programs, classes or activities” versus “physical
improvements or new facilities”, and “major upgrades and new facilities” versus “smaller improvements
throughout the system.” The intent of the specific questions was to reaffirm what we had learned in the
community engagement phase of the master planning effort and guide staff into the implementation
phase. An additional open-ended question allowed respondents to provide additional comments or
feedback on the Draft Master Plan. A total of 75 respondents answered the specific questions with 96%
of respondents being Palo Alto residents. A memo summarizing responses received on the specific
questions and comments from the open-ended question is included as Attachment B.
On December 14, 2016 the PRC voted unanimously to “accept the Draft Parks, Trails, Natural Open
Space and Recreation Master Plan as the embodiment of the programs and policies that are tentatively
recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission.” The PRC could not accept the Draft Master
Plan in its entirety without a completed environmental review.
A CEQA review of the Master Plan is underway to confirm the recommended policies and programs
identified in the plan will not have a signficant impact on the environment or community. The public
comment period for the CEQA document will begin in March 2017. Staff will be presenting the Draft
Master Plan to City Council on April 3, 2017 and requesting feedback. Staff will return to City Council in
spring to request adoption of the finalized master plan report and CEQA document.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The proposed CIP recommendations are consistent with Policy C-26 of the Community Services element
of the Comprehensive Plan that encourages maintaining park facilities as safe and healthy community
assets; and Policy C-22 that encourages new community facilities to have flexible functions to ensure
adaptability to the changing needs of the community.
Attachments
A. DRAFT Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan
B. Summary of public review comments
PB
PALOALTO
MASTER PLAN
DECEMBER 2016 DRAFT
PARKS TRAILS NATURAL OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION
2
i2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation MASTER PLAN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CITY OF PALO ALTO
This project was a joint effort of the Community Services and Public
Works Departments of the City of Palo Alto.
The core team included the following staff members:
Rob de Geus, Director of Community Services
Kristen O’Kane, Assistant Director of Community Services
Brad Eggleston, Assistant Director of Public Works
Daren Anderson, Open Space, Parks & Golf Division Manager
Peter Jensen, Landscape Architect
Elizabeth Ames, Senior Engineer
The Parks and Recreation Commission advised staff throughout
the planning process:
Jim Cowie
Anne Warner Cribbs
Jennifer Hetterly
Abbie Knopper
Ed Lauing
David Moss
Keith Reckdahl
Past Members:
Stacy Ashlund
Dierdre Crommie
Pat Markevitch
CONSULTANT TEAM
MIG, INC.
PALO ALTO COMMUNITY
Special thanks to the dedicated Palo Alto residents and community
members who contributed their time, energy and ideas to this
effort, particularly the members of the Stakeholder Advisory Group.
ii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation MASTER PLAN
iiiii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation MASTER PLAN
CONTENTS
MASTER PLAN
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................................................v
Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................1
Chapter 2. Elements of Palo Alto’s Parks, Trails, Natural Open Spaces & Recreation System ......11
Chapter 3. Analysis and Assessment ....... ......................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 4. Our Future: Principles, Goals, Policies, Programs & Projects ................................................49
Chapter 5. Implementation .....................................................................................................................................79
Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................................116
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................... 119
Photo Credits ............................................................................................................................................................. 123
APPENDICES
A. Parks, Trails, Natural Open Spaces and Recreation Inventory ............................................................A-1
B. Geographic Analysis Maps................................................................................................................................B-1
C. Community Engagement...................................................................................................................................C-1
D. Existing Funding Sources ..................................................................................................................................D-1
FIGURES
Figure 1: Planning Process .........................................................................................................................................4
Figure 2: Existing Public Parks and Natural Open Spaces Map .................................................................14
Figure 3: Program Areas by Number of Participants .....................................................................................20
Figure 4: Projected Growth in Palo Alto’s Senior Population ......................................................................28
Figure 5: Palo Alto Race and Ethnicity..................................................................................................................29
Figure 6: Park Walksheds Map ...............................................................................................................................32
Figure 7: Prioritization Challenge Results ..........................................................................................................39
Figure 8: Park Search Areas Map ..........................................................................................................................42
Figure 9: Bikeways and Pedestrian Routes Map .............................................................................................44
Figure 10: Natural Systems Map ...........................................................................................................................46
iv
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation MASTER PLAN
TABLES
Table 1: Parks and Natural Open Spaces Inventory .......................................................................................13
Table 2: Palo Alto Facilities ......................................................................................................................................16
Table 3: City of Palo Alto Projected Population.................................................................................................26
Table 4: City of Palo Alto Key Age Groups...........................................................................................................27
Table 5: Funding Applicability ................................................................................................................................105
Table 6: Existing Indicators ....................................................................................................................................113
Table 7: Recommended Indicators .....................................................................................................................115
v
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To build on and continue the legacy of its strong parks system, the
City developed the Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation
Master Plan (Master Plan) to guide ongoing investment in one of
the community’s most treasured assets.
The Master Plan presents the vision for the future of Palo Alto’s
parks, trails, natural open space and recreation system, based
on guiding principles, goals and concepts developed through a
rigorous analysis of the existing system and a robust community
engagement process. It builds on this framework with a set of
policies, projects and programs and recommendations for future
renovations and capital improvements. It also includes guidance on
how to prioritize future recreation, programming, environmental
and maintenance investments to meet our community’s changing
needs and evolving demands for the next 20 years.
Planning Process
The Master Plan process consisted of three phases:
• Phase 1: Specific Site and Program Analysis and
Community Engagement. This phase included
development of a comprehensive inventory and analysis
of all Palo Alto parks, trails, developed natural open
space areas (picnic areas, parking lots) and recreational
facilities and programs; analysis of current and
forecasted demographic and recreation trends, and
analysis of community recreation needs. It also included
identification of community and stakeholder needs,
interests and preferences for system enhancements
using a proactive community engagement process with
a broad range of activities.
• Phase 2: Developing and Prioritizing Project and
Program Opportunities. During this phase, Palo Alto
developed goals, policies, and programs; identified
capital projects, needed renovations and other
improvements; and prioritized actions into short,
medium and long term implementation timelines using
what was learned in Phase 1. The Palo Alto community
provided feedback on priorities and programs through
several activities.
• Phase 3: Drafting of the Master Plan, Review and
Adoption. In Phase 3, the Parks and Recreation
Commission (PRC), City Council and Palo Alto community
reviewed and refined the draft Master Plan; and Council
adopted it.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
viv
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Community engagement opportunities were infused throughout
the planning process. Engagement methods included a wide
variety of tools and activities, offered within a range of formats,
time frames and levels of interaction, to engage with Palo Alto’s
diverse community members in ways that were comfortable and
convenient for them.
Opportunities
The input from the community, combined with analysis of the
many aspects of the park system generated a wide range of
opportunities. In the overall context of limited land, three properties
in Palo Alto represent unique opportunities, as they are already
owned by the City and are not yet designated for a specific use :
• Cubberley Community Center: The City owns 8 of the 35 acres
of this former high school campus and has managed leases
within the buildings with a number of community organizations
and businesses while also scheduling the gym and field space.
The City and the Palo Alto Unified School District have agreed
to jointly master plan the redevelopment of the site by 2020.
• Foothills Park Expansion: The City acquired 7.7 acres of land
adjacent to Foothills Park and has dedicated it as an expansion
of the park. The expansion is cut off from the developed
portion of the park by the existing maintenance facility.
Discussion of the future of this site is pending the results of
the Buckeye Creek hydrology study, which will be completed in
summer 2017.
• Baylands Athletic Center Expansion: As a result of the
redesign of the Palo Alto Golf Course, 10.5 acres of land was
added to the adjacent Baylands Athletic Center site for future
recreation opportunities.
In addition, three concept maps illustrate high value opportunities
to further create a multi-layered system of park lands and
connections that serves both people and natural systems. The
maps can also serve as tools for supporting decisions on individual
policies, programs and projects .
MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT METHODS
INCLUDED:
• A project webpage
• Public information updates
through a variety of online
and print communication
channels
• A series of face-to-face
“intercept surveys” at
popular locations and
community events
• A variety of interactive
community workshops
• A series of online surveys
• Interviews with City staff
and community experts to
better inform topics that
emerged from community
engagement
• Consultations with the
Parks and Recreation
Commision (PRC) and other
appointed commissions
• City Council updates and
study sessions
vii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Park Search Areas
Expand the System
This map identifies areas of Palo Alto where residents lack access
to parks and natural open spaces within ¼ mile of their homes.
These “park search areas,” labeled A through E for planning
purposes, will help Palo Alto focus future park additions in
neighborhoods with the greatest need, for example those with the
highest density and/or largest population. Meanwhile, this map
shows the importance of public access to school grounds that fall
within park search areas (noted in purple), which have the potential
to be maintained, and expanded.
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JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
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MonroePark
RinconadaPark
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Cogswell Plaza
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Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
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Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
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Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
Park Search Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
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Master Plan
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BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
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RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
Park Search Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
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Water Bodies
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MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
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Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
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El PaloAlto Park
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CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
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Scott Park
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PearsonArastraderoPreserve
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails, Natural Open Spaceand Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
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MountainView
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PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
Park Search Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
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Park Search Areas
Priority School Sites
A
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AddisonElementary School
AddisonElementary School
DuveneckElementary School
DuveneckElementary School
El Carmelo Elementary School
El Carmelo Elementary School
Ohlone Elementary Ohlone Elementary
Jordan Middle School
Jordan Middle School
Palo Verde Elementary School
Palo Verde Elementary School
viiivii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Connect the System
A selection of Palo Alto’s existing and planned bikeways and
pedestrian routes can be leveraged to improve park and recreation
access. This map illustrates this potential network of trails and
enhanced roadways that connect neighborhoods to local and
regional parks, recreation facilities and natural open spaces.
These routes are part of the City’s adopted Bicycle Pedestrian
Transportation Plan and related work on Safe Routes to School.
Recommended enhanced routes, labeled 1 through 3 for planning
purposes, provide main north to south travel corridors between
Palo Alto’s parks and into neighboring communities. Regional trails
like the Bay to Ridge and San Francisco Bay trails provide similar
travel corridors from Foothills Park and Arastradero Preserve in
the southwest to the Baylands Preserve and other shoreline parks
and natural open spaces to the northeast. Recommended park
connectors complete the network by linking the remaining park
sites.
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails,
San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
Private Recreation
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Spaceand Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails, San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
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Matadero Creek
Barron
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails, Natural Open Spaceand Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails, San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
?»E
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°0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
2
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San Francisquito Creek
Matadero Creek
Barron
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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ix
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Connect Natural Systems
This map illustrates how the same corridors recommended for
bike and pedestrian enhancements can also provide connectivity
for natural systems. Landscape design features such as increased
urban forest canopy, native species plantings, and stormwater
bioswales can create safe paths of travel and provide habitat value
for local wildlife. Creek and riparian enhancements, supported
by these “pollinator pathways,” would improve water quality and
habitat connections between regionally significant habitats in the
hills and in the bay. New street and park trees would benefit areas
that currently have low tree canopy coverage, highlighted in tan.
Pollinator Pathways
Community Gardens
Wetland Habitat
Riparian Connected Parks
Creeks/ Riparian Enhancements
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Mean Projected High Water -3 ft Sea Level Rise (NOAA)
Creeks and Channels
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
Natural System Features
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
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°0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Water Bodies
Urban Canopy Target Areas
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Williams ParkWilliams Park
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in the Bayland Preserve:Western burrowing owlCalifornia seabliteNorthern coastal salt marsh
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in San Francisquito Creek:SteelheadCalifornia red legged frogWestern pond turtleShowy rancheria cloverValley oak woodland
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Pearson-Arastradero Preserve:Western pond turtleSerpentine bunchgrassIndian Valley bush-mallow
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Foothills Park:Western LeatherwoodValley oak woodland
Regional Habitat
Connection Concept
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San Francisquito Creek
Matadero C ree k
Barron
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Community Gardens
Wetland Habitat
Riparian Connected Parks
Creeks/ Riparian Enhancements
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Mean Projected High Water -3 ft Sea Level Rise (NOAA)
Creeks and Channels
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
Natural System Features
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
?»E
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°0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Water Bodies
Urban Canopy Target Areas
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Williams ParkWilliams Park
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in the Bayland Preserve:Western burrowing owlCalifornia seabliteNorthern coastal salt marsh
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in San Francisquito Creek:SteelheadCalifornia red legged frogWestern pond turtleShowy rancheria cloverValley oak woodland
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Pearson-Arastradero Preserve:Western pond turtleSerpentine bunchgrassIndian Valley bush-mallow
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Foothills Park:Western LeatherwoodValley oak woodland
Regional Habitat Connection Concept
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San Francisquito Creek
Matadero Cree k
Barron
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Community Gardens
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Creeks/ Riparian Enhancements
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Mean Projected High Water -3 ft Sea Level Rise (NOAA)
Creeks and Channels
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
Natural System Features
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
?»E
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°0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Water Bodies
Urban Canopy Target Areas
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo AltoParks, Trails, Natural Open Spaceand Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Williams ParkWilliams Park
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in the Bayland Preserve:Western burrowing owlCalifornia seabliteNorthern coastal salt marsh
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in San Francisquito Creek:SteelheadCalifornia red legged frogWestern pond turtleShowy rancheria cloverValley oak woodland
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Pearson-Arastradero Preserve:Western pond turtleSerpentine bunchgrassIndian Valley bush-mallow
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Foothills Park:Western LeatherwoodValley oak woodland
Regional Habitat
Connection Concept
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S an Francisquito Creek
Matadero Creek
Barron
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Adob
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C
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Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo AltoAtherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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xix
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Principles, Goals and Policies
Through the Master Plan process, the Palo Alto community defined
a future for parks, trails, natural open spaces and recreation. Distilled
community input and themes from the analysis process led to the
principles, goals and system-wide concepts that describe the community’s
long-term vision for the future system.
Principles
The eight principles represent the collective direction provided by hundreds
of participants from across the city as well as many local stakeholder
groups. Building on our assets, our vision for the continuing evolution of
the park system is encapsulated in the following eight principles:
• Playful: Inspires imagination and joy.
• Healthy: Supports the physical and mental health and well-
being of individuals as well as the connectedness and cohesion
of the community.
• Sustainable: Stewards natural, economic and social resources
for a system that endures for the long-term.
• Inclusive: Responsive to the entire Palo Alto community, all
ages, abilities, languages, cultures and levels of income.
• Accessible: Easy for people of all abilities to use year-round and
access by all modes of travel.
• Flexible: Supports multiple uses across time with adaptable
spaces that can accommodate traditional, emerging and future
uses.
• Balanced: Is not dominated by any one type of experience or
place, and includes both historic elements and cutting edge
features, highly manicured and more organic spaces, and self-
directed and programmed activities.
• Nature: Incorporates native species and habitat corridors, and
creates opportunities to learn about and interact with nature.
PLAYFUL
HEALTHY
SUSTAINABLE
INCLUSIVE
ACCESSIBLE
FLEXIBLE
BALANCED
NATURE
xi
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Goals
Six goals state the community’s desired outcomes and provide an
organizational structure for the policies, programs and projects that
form the recommendations of the Master Plan.
• Provide high-quality facilities and services that are
accessible, inclusive, and distributed equitably across
Palo Alto.
• Enhance the capacity, quality and variety of uses of the
existing system of parks, recreation, and open space
facilities and services.
• Create environments that encourage regular active and
passive activities to support health, wellness and social
connections.
• Preserve and integrate nature, natural systems and
ecological principles throughout Palo Alto.
• Develop innovative programs, services and strategies for
expanding the system
• Manage Palo Alto’s land and services effectively,
efficiently and sustainably utilizing quantitative and
qualitative measures.
Policies
The principles and goals will be realized through the policies
described in Chapter 4 of the Master Plan. These policies and
programs are organized within the framework of the six goals, with
implementing policies and programs following each goal.
Implementation
Over the next twenty years, the implementation of the projects and
programs recommended in the Master Plan will include an annual
process initiated by City staff with guidance and leadership from
the Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council. Palo Alto’s
dedicated community advocates and partner organizations will
also play an important role in ensuring the proposed programs and
projects align with the needs of the community.
Projects and programs were prioritized and will continue to be
evaluated by five criteria:
• Fill existing gaps: Bring recreation opportunities
(parkland, facilities, programs) to areas of the city and to
users where gaps were identified.
The goals reflect the community’s desired outcomes, examples of these outcomes are shown above.
xiixi
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Respond to growth: Add features or programs and/or
modify or expand components of the system to prepare
for and address increasing demand.
• Address community preferences: Target the highest
priority types of projects and programs identified
through citywide outreach.
• Maximize public resources: Create the most benefit for
each dollar of capital and operating expenditure possible.
• Realize multiple benefits: Advance the principles of this
Master Plan as well as the goals, projects and directions
of other adopted City efforts.
High Priority Projects and Programs
There are 34 projects and programs that we know today are
high priorities, based on feedback from the Parks and Recreation
Commission, City Council, stakeholders, the broader community
and City staff. These priorities are organized by projects and
programs in order of urgency of the project or program. Urgency
was determined by the availability compared to the need, the time
sensitivity or potential for missed opportunities and is discussed in
detail in Chapter five of this plan.
Major projects needing further study and strategic funding:
• Enhance existing sports fields
• Plan, design and construct 10.5 acre site in Baylands for
park uses
• Plan, design and redevelop Cubberley Community Center
• Plan, design and construct a new public gymnasium
• Improve the Rinconada Pool Facility
• Incorporate 7.7 acre site into Foothills Park
• Acquire new parkland in high need areas
• Golf course facility improvements
Examples of the types of programs and projects that can be implemented by the dedicated community of Palo Alto.
xiii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Projects ready in the short-term:
• Develop conservation plans for open space preserves
• Develop new dog parks in underrepresented areas
• Construct new restrooms in parks
• Incorporate sustainable practices in the maintenance
and management of parks, open space and recreation
facilities
• Exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in
parks
• Improve trail connections and access
• Develop adult fitness areas in parks
• Integrate nature into urban parks
• Develop new community gardens in underserved areas
• Enhance seating areas in parks
• Create wayfinding signage of safe routes to parks
Programs:
• Establish and grow partnerships and identify and
cultivate potenial park and recreation donors
• Collaborate with school district to increase access to
playgrounds, gyms, and other school facilities
• Expand recruitment and training of coaches and
instructors
• Expand aquatics programs
• Expand programs for seniors
• Expand non-academic programs for teens Examples of projects needing further study and funding, and projects that are ready in the short-term based on feedback from the community.
xivxiii
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Provide intramural sports program for middle and high
school students
• Invest in staff training to enhance therapeutic and
inclusive program development
• Increase the variety of activities available in parks
• Encourage unstructured play at parks and community
centers
• Connect youth, teens and families with nature
• Expand programs related to health and wellness
• Pilot temporary/pop-up programming in parks
• Expand community-focused special events
• Offer cultural enrichment programs
Master Plan Progress Tracking:
Existing measures, from the Citizen Centric Report and the annual
citizen satisfaction survey provide a large selection of indicators
for any part of the parks, trails, natural open space and recreation
system. Additional, recommended indicators include new measures
of satisfactions, performance and funding.
Further progress tracking will include reports on specific actions
or projects that have been initiated or completed that contribute
to achievement of the programs, policies and goals. This annual
progress report will also update funding status.
Examples of desired programs based on feedback from the community.
CHAPTER1
PURPOSE AND INTENT
It has been fifty years since Palo Alto has taken a comprehensive look at the community’s needs for park lands, natural open spaces, trails and recreation. Past planning shaped our community’s present day parks and recreation offerings, and led to the creation of the Baylands Athletic Center, expansion of athletic fields throughout the city, and an expansion of Greer Park. Our predecessors established standards for parks within one-half mile of every residential development, and for the amount of neighborhood and district park acreage to be added as the community grew.
Today Palo Alto residents, employees and visitors value and enjoy the City’s high-quality system of parks, recreation programs, trails and natural open
INTRODUCTION
2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
EVOLVE THE SYSTEM TO SERVE A LARGER AND MORE DIVERSE SET OF COMMUNITY NEEDS
32
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
spaces. To build on and continue the legacy of a strong parks
system, the City developed this Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space
and Recreation Master Plan (Master Plan) to guide ongoing
investment in one of the community’s most treasured assets.
Over the last five decades, the City has completed a series of
planning efforts that affect parks and recreation; implemented
capital improvement projects to maintain and renovate City
facilities; and applied development impact fees for parks,
community centers and libraries. In recent years, several major
projects have been completed, including the all-new Mitchell Park
Library and Community Center and the Magical Bridge Playground,
both of which opened in 2015 to community acclaim. Today, Palo
Alto has the opportunity to evolve the system to serve a larger
and more diverse set of community needs and tackle challenges
to maintain the high standard of living enjoyed by residents. A
particular focus will be finding and creating additional spaces for
parks and recreation to achieve the goals of the Comprehensive
Plan and bring parks and recreation activities within walking
distance of all residents.
The park system of the 21st century calls for holistic guidance for
managing, improving and expanding park and recreation facilities
to keep programs, services and facilities relevant to present and
future populations; appropriately balance recreation and natural
open space conservation; and identify funding to meet these
challenges. For this reason, Palo Alto prioritized the development of
this Master Plan.
The Master Plan presents the vision for the future of Palo Alto’s
parks, trails, natural open space and recreation system, based
on guiding principles, goals and concepts developed through a
rigorous analysis of the existing system and a robust community
engagement process. It builds on this foundation with a set of
policies, projects, programs. It also includes guidance on how to
prioritize future recreation, programming, environmental and
maintenance investment to meet our community’s changing needs
and evolving demands for the next 20 years.
4
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
Planning Process Overview
The planning process to develop the Master Plan consisted of three
phases, as shown in Figure 1.
• Phase I: Community Engagement, Specific Site Analysis
and Program Analysis: This phase included two parallel
tracks that informed one another: the Community
Engagement and Stakeholder Engagement track and
the Technical Assessment and Analysis track. While
community engagement continued through all three
phases, the bulk of the proactive engagement process
occurred in this phase, drawing input from the public and a
broad range of stakeholders to identify community needs,
interests and preferences for system enhancements.
The Technical Assessment and Analysis track included
a comprehensive inventory and analysis of all Palo Alto
parks, trails, natural open spaces and recreational facilities
and programs; an analysis of current and forecasted
demographic and recreation trends; and an analysis of
community recreation needs.
• Phase II: Developing and Prioritizing Projects: The two
tracks of Phase 1 merged in Phase 2 with the preparation
of principles, goals and areas of focus, and the evaluation
of project and program opportunities with prioritization
into implementation timelines of short (5-year), medium
(10-year) and long-term (20-year) ranges.
FIGURE 1: PLANNING PROCESS
54
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
• Phase III: Plan Review and Adoption: The Master Plan
document was designed and prepared for review by the
public, the Park and Recreation Commission (PRC) and City
Council. A concurrent environmental review led to adoption
of the plan.
The process was led by the project team, consisting of city and
consultant staff. The PRC was involved throughout the process,
serving as strategic advisors and participating in-depth in reviewing
the assessment and analysis tasks.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
The Master Plan was designed to be community and data driven,
to ensure that Palo Alto’s parks and recreation system reflects
the vision and supports the needs of our residents and visitors
over the next twenty years. A robust, layered outreach strategy
was implemented through each step of the planning process.
Engagement methods included a wide variety of tools and
activities, offered within a range of formats, time frames and
levels of interaction, to engage with Palo Alto’s diverse community
members in ways that were comfortable and convenient for them.
Master Plan community engagement methods, described in
Chapter 3 and Appendix B, included:
• A project webpage
• Public information updates through a variety of online and
print communication channels
• A community stakeholder advisory group
• A series of face-to-face “intercept surveys” at popular
locations and community events
• A variety of interactive community workshops
• A series of online surveys
• Interviews with City staff and community experts to better
inform topics that emerged from community engagement
• Consultations with the Parks and Recreation Commission
(PRC) and other appointed commissions
• City Council updates and study sessions
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
GOALS
• Increase community
awareness of the project;
• Inform the community
about the challenges and
opportunities of the project;
• Provide easy access
to project information
and opportunities for
participation;
• Offer a range of
communication and
engagement tools to match
interests and preferences;
• Ensure the final Master
Plan reflects community
priorities, preferences and
values; and
• Get community buy-in to
support plan adoption and
its short-, mid- and long-
term implementation.
6
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
The process and findings for each of the community engagement
activities are detailed in summary reports on the City website. The
summary of the key findings from the community engagement are
included in Chapter 3 and Appendix B of this plan.
Specific Site and Program Analysis
The project team completed a detailed analysis of all aspects of the
system to inform the Master Plan. The multi-layered approach to
analysis, the interconnection between the community engagement
and the analysis tasks (each feeding into the other) and the
coordination with related concurrent planning efforts ensured
that this Master Plan is based on sound information and the best
available data.
LAYERS OF ANALYSIS
The layers of assessment and analysis included:
• Physical inventory of parks, preserves and facilities;
• Recreation program inventory and analysis;
• Geographic analysis;
• Demographics and recreation trends analysis;
• Planning environment summary; and
• Sustainability review.
TECHNICAL SUPPLEMENT
To assist in referencing and using the large amount of data
developed during the process, tabbed binders were created
for each member of the PRC and project team with all of the
completed documents, numbered for quick reference. An outline
of the deliverables for the Master Plan process became the table
of contents for the binder. To facilitate broader distribution of the
data binders (and reduce paper use), the project team developed
a “digital binder,” available on the City website, which consists of
a table of contents with hotlinks to each section. This working
reference is the Technical Supplement, carrying forward the detail
of these working documents.
76
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation INTRODUCTION
Developing and Prioritizing Project and Program Opportunities
As major elements of the the Community and Stakeholder
Engagement processes and the Technical Assessment and Analysis
were completed, the PRC and the project team began a detailed
review of the accumulated data as it related to each element
of the Master Plan, tying these two tracks of the Master Plan
process together in preparation for the critical step of developing
and prioritizing projects. The process for review, designed by the
project team with the input of the PRC, resulted in a detailed
reference matrix (with supporting documentation) identifying needs
and opportunities. This matrix served as the basis for developing,
evaluating and refining the projects and programs contained in this
Master Plan.
The matrix process allowed the PRC to review the large number of
possibilities against the extensive data available in a streamlined,
more accessible way. The matrix served as a key reference point
to assess and validate elements of the Master Plan as they were
developed. The complete matrix can be downloaded from the City
website. http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/
Through this process, the principles and goals were derived.
Master Plan Drafting, Review and Adoption
The final phase in the Master Plan process involved the drafting
of this plan document and formal review by the staff, PRC,
stakeholders, the public and City Council. The project team worked
to draft the policy and program and project recommendations.
These were refined with the input of the staff who manage
construction, operations and maintenance in the system, as well
as the input of the PRC and Council. This work formed the basis
for the final chapters of this plan and set a recommended path
forward. The draft plan was presented for review at the PRC as
well as a community workshop with an online comment tool to
collect specific feedback. To pave the way for implementation,
the project team initiated an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative
Declaration (IS/MND) process to advance the necessary California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation. Following the
public comment period the plan was presented for adoption by Palo
Alto’s City Council.
CHAPTER2
ELEMENTS OF PALO ALTO’S PARKS, TRAILS, NATURAL OPEN SPACES AND RECREATION SYSTEM
FROM ITS EARLIEST YEARS, THE COMMUNITY OF PALO ALTO
HAS INVESTED IN THE SYSTEM OF PARKS, TRAILS, NATURAL
OPEN SPACES AND RECREATION, LEAVING A LEGACY OF UNIQUE
AND HIGHLY VALUED LANDS AND FACILITIES. Philanthropic donations, unique partnerships and forward-thinking acquisitions have positioned the system at the forefront of community identity. The level of investment has created a complex system that provides many different recreation opportunities, as well as important natural functions and habitat for wildlife.
To facilitate the analysis and understanding of Palo Alto’s resources, the project team defined three elements that comprise the citywide system of parks, natural open spaces, trails and recreation facilities and programs. These three elements were
10
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
THE LANDSCAPE OF PARKS, OPEN SPACES AND TRAIL CONNECTIONS PROVIDE THE SPACE WHERE RECREATION FACILITIES, NATURAL HABITAT AND PROGRAMS TAKE PLACE.
1110
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
broken down further into constituent “components” to provide a
reference framework for system analysis, community engagement,
and development of Master Plan recommendations. Each of the
elements is described below, providing a view of the system today
and highlighting key features.
Parks, Trails and Natural Open Spaces
The landscape of parks, open spaces and trail connections provide
the space where recreation facilities, natural habitat and programs
take place. Most of Palo Alto’s park sites are set in an urban
context, within neighborhoods connected by city streets. However,
the largest portion of the land in the system is held in natural open
space preserves. An expanding network of trails and bikeways
supplements the sidewalks and streets that connect these
assets together. The analysis related to this element includes the
proximity of park lands and recreation activities; opportunities to
experience and protect natural habitats; trail connections and the
comfort and accessibility of the sites.
The System Today
Palo Alto maintains 174 acres of urban park land distributed
throughout the city as well as over 4,000 acres in natural open
space preserves. Table 1 lists the Palo Alto parks and natural open
spaces. The majority of the parks in Palo Alto are neighborhood
parks, primarily designed to support the everyday activities of
local residents. Several parks also feature unique facilities such
as community gardens and dog parks. There are several parks
that draw visitors from across the city and from neighboring
communities. These parks typically have a higher concentration
of facilities, including high quality sports fields. Some of these
parks are designed for a specific use and do not serve immediate
neighbors (e.g., Baylands Athletic Center, El Camino Park and
Stanford Palo Alto Playing Fields), while others, like Greer, Mitchell,
and Rinconada Parks, also function as neighborhood parks. City
parks are diverse in size and amenities, but many are older and/
or have aging facilities. Palo Alto parks are highly developed with
maintained landscapes across their entire acreage. Native species
ELEMENTS OF THE PALO ALTO SYSTEM
• Parks, Trails and Open Space
• Recreation Facilities
• Recreation Programs
12
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
and less manicured landscapes are generally not present. Due to
the era when they were built, many parks are not flexible enough
to allow different uses to be layered in. Rather, they provide a
collection of spaces designed for a single activity. With design
interventions, many existing parks have the potential to support
more use and activity.
There are four natural open space preserves: Baylands Nature
Preserve (which includes Byxbee Park), Esther Clark Preserve,
Foothills Park and Pearson-Arastradero Preserve. These sites are
large, rich in native species of plants and animal habitat and have
extensive internal trail systems. With the exception of Esther Clark
Preserve, the preserves also have recreational and interpretive
facilities.
Palo Alto Open Space has 43.2 miles of trail. The Baylands Nature
Preserve trail system is approximately 15 miles long, and Pearson-
Arastradero Preserve trail system is approximately 10.3 miles long.
The existing trail system is largely within park lands but several
segments of designated or off-street trails connect parks and other
community destinations. Most significant among these are the
Bay to Ridge and San Francisco Bay regional trails. The public trail
system is further enhanced by privately owned trails with public
access such as the recently completed Stanford Perimeter Trail.
Palo Alto’s parks, trails and natural open spaces are also home to
much of the urban forest. The lands and connections that make up
this element of the system are important to the goals of the Urban
Forest Master Plan.
The Existing Public Parks and Natural Open Space map (Figure
2) depicts all City-owned (or controlled) park sites and natural
open spaces. Palo Alto Unified School District sites are also
acknowledged on this map due to the long-standing partnership
and their importance as park-like places. A detailed inventory of
these sites can be found in Appendix A, and a complete set of site
maps can be found in the Technical Supplement.
PALO ALTO PARK ACREAGE
Urban Parks: 174
Natural Open Space Preserves: 4,030
NATURAL OPEN SPACE PRESERVES
Baylands Nature Preserve (including Byx-
bee Park)
Esther Clark Preserve
Foothills Park
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
1312
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Park or Natural Open Space Ownership Acres
Baylands Athletic Center City of Palo Alto 6
Bol Park City of Palo Alto 13.8
Boulware Park City of Palo Alto 1.5
Bowden Park City of Palo Alto 2
Bowling Green Park City of Palo Alto 1.9
(Juana) Briones Park City of Palo Alto 4.1
Cameron Park City of Palo Alto 1.1
Cogswell Plaza City of Palo Alto 0.5
El Camino Park Stanford*12.2
Eleanor Pardee Park City of Palo Alto 9.6
El Palo Alto Park City of Palo Alto 0.5
Greer Park City of Palo Alto 22
Heritage Park City of Palo Alto 2.0
Hoover Park City of Palo Alto 4.2
Hopkins Creekside City of Palo Alto 12.4
Johnson Park City of Palo Alto 2.5
Kellogg Park City of Palo Alto 0.2
Lytton Plaza City of Palo Alto 0.2
Mayfield Park City of Palo Alto 1.1
Mitchell Park City of Palo Alto 21.4
Monroe Park City of Palo Alto 0.6
Peers Park City of Palo Alto 4.7
Ramos Park City of Palo Alto 4.4
Rinconada Park City of Palo Alto 19
Robles Park City of Palo Alto 4.7
Scott Park City of Palo Alto 0.4
Seale Park City of Palo Alto 4.3
Stanford - Palo Alto Playing Fields Stanford*5.9
Terman Park City of Palo Alto/ PAUSD 7.7
Wallis Park City of Palo Alto 0.3
Weisshaar Park City of Palo Alto 1.1
Werry Park City of Palo Alto 1.1
SUBTOTAL CITY PARKS 174
Baylands Nature Preserve (including Byxbee)City of Palo Alto 1,986
Esther Clark Preserve City of Palo Alto 22
Foothills Park City of Palo Alto 1,400
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve City of Palo Alto 622
SUBTOTAL NATURAL OPEN SPACES 4,030
* The two parks owned by Stanford are leased by the City. The El Camino lease expires in 2042 and the Stanford - Palo Alto Playing Fields lease expires in 2056.
TABLE 1: PALO ALTO PARKS AND NATURAL OPEN SPACES INVENTORY
14
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
San F r a ncisquito Creek
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Palo Alto
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San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
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BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
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Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
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Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
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CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
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City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
FIGURE 2: EXISTING PUBLIC PARKS AND NATURAL OPEN SPACES MAP
1514
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
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Atherton
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PortolaValley
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Stanford
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BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
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City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
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Menlo Park
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RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
16
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Recreation Facilities
From community centers to sports fields to community gardens,
Palo Alto’s recreation facilities add variety to the experiences pos-
sible at each of Palo Alto’s parks and natural open spaces. Twelve
types of recreation facilities are found throughout the system, in
addition, other specialized recreation facilities such as the skate
park at Greer Park, the lawn bowling green at Bowling Green Park,
and El Camino Park serve specific recreation needs.
The number and type of facilities at each park and preserve are
summarized as part of the detailed inventory of the system found
in Appendix A.
Play Areas
The most common, and expected, feature in a Palo Alto park is a
play area. Typically play areas include a manufactured playground
structure and may or may not include swings or other features.
Mitchell Park has particularly unique play experiences that include
both a historic Royston-designed “gopher holes” play area and the
Magical Bridge Playground, a destination play area designed to be
universally accessible for children of all abilities.
Basketball and Tennis Courts
Courts, primarily for basketball and tennis, are incorporated into
many of Palo Alto’s parks. Most of the courts are provided singly or
in pairs with the exception of Mitchell and Rinconada Parks. with
7 and 9 tennis courts, respectively. These concentrations of tennis
courts provide a higher capacity for play and the potential to host
tournaments.
Rectangular and Diamond Sports Fields
The city owns, manages and maintains dozens of rectangular and
diamond sports fields located throughout the city. Rectangular
fields accommodate a variety of sports including soccer and foot-
ball. Diamond fields are designed for particular levels of baseball or
softball play. Most of the higher level sports fields are concentrated
adjacent to Cubberley Community Center or in field complexes such
as the Stanford-Palo Alto Playing Fields and the El Camino Park
sports fields. The City also maintains sports fields on several School
PALO ALTO RECREATION
FACILITIES
• Play areas
• Basketball Courts
• Tennis Courts
• Rectangular Sports Fields
• Diamond Sports Fields
• Picnic Areas
• Off-Leash Dog Areas
• Community Gardens
• Swimming Pools
• Community Centers
• Special Purpose Buildings in
Parks
• Other Indoor Facilities
• Golf Course
Number of Facilities in Palo Alto
Play Areas 29
Basketball Courts 14
Tennis Courts 24
Rectangular Sports Fields 22
Diamond Sports Fields 10
Picnic Areas 39
Pools*2
Dog Parks 3
Community Centers 3
Community Gardens 4
Interpretive Centers 3
*Two pools at the Rinconada Aquatic Center
TABLE 2: PALO ALTO FACILITIES
1716
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
District sites. Some of the sports fields have lighting that allows for
extended play in the evening, a feature that increases the playable
time on a field but is not appropriate for all locations. In addition to
the formally developed sports fields, many parks feature a large
multi-purpose turf area that functions as a sports field for league
and casual sports activities. Reserved use of fields and tennis
courts is governed by the City’s Field Use Policy, which specifies the
preference for local youth play and limits private use.
Picnic Areas
Most of Palo Alto’s parks also include at least one picnic area. Most
of these are small clusters of tables intended for first-come-first-
served use. Foothills Park, Rinconada Park, and Mitchell Park have
designated picnic areas that are available for reservation to accom-
modate larger gatherings.
Off-Leash Dog Areas
Three off-leash areas are provided for park users to exercise and
socialize dogs. All three sites, Mitchell Park, Hoover Park and Greer
Park are separated and fenced (per City policy) to keep off-leash
dogs away from other users and areas of the parks.
Community Gardens
The City also provides four community gardens, two in parks
(at Johnson Park and Eleanor Pardee Park), one adjacent to the
Rinconada Library, and one adjacent to the Ventura Community
Center. These facilities are separated into plots and assigned
(based on an application and permitting process) to individuals for
gardening edible and decorative plants.
Swimming Pool
The Rinconada Pool, located in the park of the same name is the
City’s only public pool facility. This outdoor facility includes a wading
pool with spray and waterfall features, a small slide and a zero
depth “beach” area. A second pool features 14 lanes and two diving
boards. These facilities offer recreational swimming, lessons and
private pool parties through the spring, summer and late summer
and lap swimming year-round.
TABLE 2: PALO ALTO FACILITIES
18
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Community Centers, Special Purpose Buildings and Other Indoor Facilities
Palo Alto maintains both general and specialized indoor recreation
facilities. The two largest facilities are the Cubberley Community
Center and the Lucie Stern Center which offer a wide variety of
programs. However, neither was designed nor built primarily as a
recreation facility or to provide the mix of programs they currently
offer. The majority of the Cubberley site is owned by the Palo Alto
Unified School District, with the balance owned by the City. This site
is home to a wide range of programs, largely run by partner organi-
zations. This facility is also home to the only gymnasiums sched-
uled by the City. The future of this site, and a future redevelopment
of the facilities there for school and community use, is the subject
of ongoing collaboration between the City and the School District.
The Lucie Stern Center is a historic building, which opened in
1934 and shares a campus with the Junior Museum and Zoo as
well as the Children’s Theatre, and is adjacent to Rinconada Park.
The formal ballroom and community rooms are ideal for events
and meetings of varying sizes and are used for a wide range of
indoor recreation activities, such as regularly scheduled fitness and
wellness classes. This building is also home to the administration of
Community Services and the Recreation Services division.
The brand new Mitchell Park Community Center, adjacent to the
new Mitchell Park Library, is designed for flexibility with some spe-
cialized spaces. The building includes a teen center that faces the
park (and the middle school beyond it) and as several large spaces
that can be configured into multiple class or meeting rooms. An
outdoor courtyard and the large El Palo Alto room host numerous
personal, business, and community events.
Other buildings and major facilities are more specialized focusing
on a narrower range of functions and representing a significant
community investment in one area. This includes the Palo Alto Arts
Center, which hosts the visual arts programming provided by the
City, as well as visitor centers and other interpretive facilities at
Palo Alto’s natural open space preserves.
1918
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Recreation Programs
The programming of recreation activities, ranging from sports and
fitness to specialized classes, is the most flexible and dynamic
element of the system. Many programs can be held in the most
basic of meeting rooms or outdoor spaces, making programming
the best way to utilize and activate existing facilities and spaces.
Palo Alto benefits from a mix of public, non-profit, and private
recreation program providers, each working in specific segments
of the recreation marketplace. In many cases, programming is
provided by private providers (often small businesses) within a
City of Palo Alto facility or a City program may be held in a partner
facility such as a school district gym. These partnerships create
new opportunities to reach new participants and promote Palo Alto
as a place to learn, exercise and have fun.
PALO ALTO RECREATION
PROGRAM AREAS
• Adult Aquatics
• Adult Fitness
• Adult Special Interest Classes
• Adult Sports
• Day Camps
• Middle School Athletics
• Open Space/Outdoor
Recreation
• Youth and Teen Aquatics
• Youth and Teen Sports
• Youth and Teen Special
Interest Classes
• Youth and Teen Sports Camps
• Special Events
• Therapeutic Recreation
• Senior Programs
20
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Recreation Services
The Recreation Division of the Community Services Department of-
fers more than 1,300 classes, teams or camps across the fourteen
program areas. These programs served over 13,000 participants
in 2014-15. Over half of this number were youth and teen focused
swimming programs and day camps. The Recreation Division cate-
gorizes its recreation programs into 14 areas, by age and topic.
Sports programs, particularly middle school athletics and adult
sports, are operating over capacity with full teams and waitlists for
most offerings. These programs are not easily expanded, as they
rely on limited gym and field space. Middle school athletics are
further constrained by a lack of coaches.
Other Providers
The City of Palo Alto also offers programming through other divi-
sions of Community Services, including the Art Center, Children’s
Theatre and Junior Museum and Zoo and separate entities including
the Palo Alto Library. Programs offered by these other divisions
serve thousands of additional adults, youth and teens. Many of
these programs have waitlists, partly because of limited space in
the specialized buildings associated with these divisions.
Day
Camps
Youth
& Teen
Sports
Camps
Adult Fitness
Open Space/Outdoor
Recreation
Adult Special
Interest Classes
Middle
School
Athletics
Youth
& Teen
Sports
Youth &Teen
Aquatics
Adult
Sports
Youth & Teen
Special Interest Classes
Community Gardens
FIGURE 3: PROGRAM AREAS BY NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
2120
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation SYSTEM ELEMENTS
In addition to the City, the other major providers of recreation pro-
gramming in Palo Alto include the Palo Alto Unified School District
as well as many private businesses and non-profit organizations
who operate in partnerships with the City.
• Avenidas
• Abilities United
• Ballet and Dance Studios
• Brad Lozares Golf Shop at Palo Alto Golf Course
• Community Sports Organizations (Little League, Soccer
Club, Lacrosse, Swim Club, etc.)
• Master Gardeners and Garden Shops
• Martial Arts Studios
• Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (JCC)
• Palo Alto Family YMCA
• Private Childcare Providers
• Private Gyms and Fitness Centers
• Stanford University
• University Club of Palo Alto
• Women’s Club of Palo Alto
CHAPTER3
ANALYSIS & ASSESSMENT
THE MASTER PLAN WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH A
COMPREHENSIVE, DATA-DRIVEN AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED
PROCESS AND INCLUDES AN ARRAY OF ASSESSMENT, ANALYSIS
AND OUTREACH STRATEGIES. The results of the process provide a detailed understanding of Palo Alto’s current system of parks, trails, natural open spaces, recreation facilities and recreation programs and services. In addition, the process identifies current and future needs of the community it serves and opportunities for system enhancement.
24
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
RESIDENTS WANT A HIGH QUALITY, RESILIENT PARKS AND RECREATION SYSTEM THAT EMBRACES AND PROTECTS THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, ADAPTS TO CHANGING NEEDS, AND SERVES A GROWING VARIETY OF INTERESTS.
2524
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
The identified needs and possible opportunities to enhance the
parks and recreation system is based on three types of data and
analyses:
1) Demographic and Recreation Trends - Quantitative
forecasts of previously published data on growth trends
in areas such as overall population, and growth of key
demographic segments.
2) System Analysis - Park, facility and program inventory
data including the quantity and location of parks; field, pool
and other facility usage program registration and other
similar inventory data.
3) Community Engagement Results - Qualitative data
compiled from the input of citizens and stakeholders
through a multitude of outreach tools.
Ultimately these data sources resulted in the “findings”
summarized in this chapter. The findings address the most notable
population-based shifts supported by population and demographic
growth forecasts that the City will need to accommodate and
respond to in the next ten to twenty years. Conclusions drawn from
the system analysis identified needs currently not being met or
that will not be met in future years and are considered gaps in the
system, or “needs” for the City. Community preferences identified
in the community engagement and outreach phase identified
areas that the City can evaluate and implement to address citizens’
“votes” in various forums provided during this study. These are
community “wants” versus demonstrated gaps or needs.
The following sections describe the analysis completed and key
findings from the process. More detailed versions of the reports
and work products summarized here can be found in the Technical
Supplement on the City website.
Demographic and Recreation Trends
The project team evaluated the existing demographic profile of
Palo Alto including population, household characteristics and
transportation behavior, to identify patterns and trends that
influence recreation needs and preferences. In addition, this
analysis evaluated regional and national trends in health, sports,
socializing, recreation, family and urban form for their potential to
affect the direction of the Master Plan.
26
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
KEY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND TRENDS:
Population
Over the past five years, Palo Alto has grown faster than projected
with an average annual growth rate of 1.3%. The population of
Palo Alto in 2015, as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau, was
66,853. Additionally, the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update (Draft
Environmental Impact Report, 2016) contemplates housing
scenarios that would exceed current total population projections,
indicating potential for an even greater rate of growth over the
life of this Master Plan. Meeting the demands of Palo Alto’s
growing population without compromising the level of service
will require significant investment in park and recreation facilities,
maintenance and programming.
Roughly 60,000 commuters come to Palo Alto to work, along
with thousands of Stanford students, resulting in a daytime
population well in excess of the City’s resident population. Efforts
to better understand the park and recreation use patterns of this
sizable group should inform strategic planning around facilities,
maintenance and programming.
Housing and Income
Over half (57.5%) of Palo Alto residents live in single-family
detached homes, while over one third (37.9%) live in multifamily
units. As Palo Alto expands its housing stock, the City anticipates
that the vast majority of new housing will be multi-family units
(Comprehensive Plan Update Draft EIR, 2016). This shift to a
housing type that lacks the private open space typical of a single
family home will create an increasing need for publicly accessible
outdoor space and recreation opportunities.
Median household income in Palo Alto grew by 73% between 1990
and 2012, to $118,936 per household. However, housing costs
have also increased dramatically. The median home sales price in
Palo Alto in 2013 was more than two and a half times that of the
county median price and rental prices in 2014 were more than
double county-wide fair market rental prices (Comprehensive Plan
Update Draft EIR, 2016). Palo Alto’s high median income conceals
the economic challenges faced by many residents spending an
increasing amount on housing. Recreation is a crucial quality of life
asset and people with less disposable income rely more heavily on
public recreation facilities. Planning for parks and recreation should
reflect the unique local economic conditions in Palo Alto and not
rely heavily on statewide or regional data to determine income-
based trends or demand.
Low
Projection (City
of Palo Alto
Scenario 1)
High
Projection
(Association
of Bay Area
Governments)
Population 2014 66,800 66,800
Population 2030 72,285 77,100
Percent Change 10%15%
TABLE 3: CITY OF PALO ALTO PROJECTED POPULATION
Source: City of Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan Update Draft EIR
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Transportation
The city has a significant share of commuters who travel by bike
(11%) and has seen a sizable increase in student ridership, with
approximately 40% of high school students and many elementary
and middle school students bicycling to school. Palo Alto can
support and expand this popular mode choice by providing safe
routes to parks and recreation facilities. In addition to providing safe
bike routes, users should be encouraged to use alternative modes
of transportation, such as the Palo Alto free shuttle, to parks and
recreation faclities.
Demographic Groups
National and regional recreation trends emphasize an outdoor
lifestyle, physical and mental health, and diverse options for older
adults at multiple stages of life, universal design and access for
people of all abilities, and a movement to connect children with
nature. These trends point to several specific segments within the
population that require special consideration in this plan.
While the average age of residents is increasing, the city has a
sizable population of children under 18 years of age. Seniors and
children represent the largest growth segments in Palo Alto since
1980 and stand at 17% and 23%, respectively, of the City’s total
population. These age groups are, anecdotally, high users of parks
and recreation facilities and services in Palo Alto and are the most
likely to access facilities by walking or biking.
Youth and Teens
Palo Alto’s under 18 population has grown steadily over the past 25
years, representing the City’s fastest growing age segment (totaling
15,019 in 2010). However, PAUSD projects a downward trend
in school enrollment beginning in year 2020. Currently, PAUSD
assumptions about future new housing types and volume differ
from those used in the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update analysis,
leading to inconsistent projections regarding the future size of Palo
Alto’s school-aged population. Once the updated Comprehensive
Plan is completed it will be important to coordinate assumptions
about housing growth and student generation rates in order to plan
appropriately to serve this large segment of the population.
Efforts have grown in recent years to build stronger community
connections for area teens. Innovative programs such as Maker
Space and Think Fund teen grants (previously Bryant Street Garage
Fund) are gaining popularity. Additional programs such as The Drop
TABLE 4: CITY OF PALO ALTO KEY AGE
GROUPS
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009-2013 5-Year American Community Survey
Age Percent
Total Population 64,234
Persons under 5 years 5.1%
Persons under 18 years 23.3%
Persons 65 years and over 16.9%
28
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
teen center and LEAP (Learning Enrichment After School Program)
are also well attended. Additional teen programs are needed
to better tailor offerings to attract broader teen participation
consistent with the goals of Project Safety Net.
Seniors
The senior population is large and rapidly increasing. One-half of
all Palo Alto residents are expected to be age 55 or above by 2030.
In 2000, it was projected that the senior population for Palo Alto
and surrounding cities will double between 2000 and 2020 and
will continue to grow until 2040 (Source: Avenidas), as illustrated
in Figure 4. As more seniors choose to “age in place,” programming
and services must evolve to address new demands.
Special Needs
Though the majority of Palo Alto residents with disabilities are
65 or older (2,842 people), our community is also home to an
unusually high number of special needs students (1,100 students
in PAUSD as of September 2014). These two growing population
segments call for expanded inclusion efforts related to facilities,
services and programming.
Ethnicity and Culture
Figure 5 illustrates US Census data showing Palo Alto’s cultural
and ethnic diversity is steadily expanding. In the past decade, the
City’s Asian population alone grew by 10%. Of all Palo Altans, 31%
FIGURE 4: PROJECTED GROWTH IN PALO ALTO’S SENIOR POPULATION
Source: Avenidas
PROJECT SAFETY NET
“Project Safety Net is a
collaborative community network
held together by a common
interest of fostering youth well-
being in Palo Alto. Our mission
is to develop and implement a
community-based mental health
plan that includes education,
prevention and intervention
strategies that together provide a
“safety net” for youth in Palo Alto,
and defines our community’s teen
suicide prevention efforts.”
2928
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
are foreign-born and 38% speak a language other than English at
home. PAUSD data reveals that the City’s minority population is
young, with a higher rate of Hispanic/Latinos and Asians in the
school system (11% Hispanic/Latino and 39% Asian) than in the
general population of Palo Alto. Sensitivity and attention to the
needs of this growing and significant segment of the population will
require expanded outreach, partnership with PAUSD, and targeted
efforts at inclusion.
System Analysis
The analysis of the system began with a site visit to each
park, facility, and preserve to document and evaluate existing
conditions to develop an accurate and in-depth foundation of
baseline information. The observations recorded during these
visits are compiled within a set of existing conditions maps.
These maps include the history, a summary of features and a
description of opportunities and constraints for each site. Each
map also incorporates site-specific public input gathered through
the community engagement process. For the full set of existing
conditions maps, see the Technical Supplement on the City website.
Geographic Analysis
A geographic analysis of the parks, trails and natural open spaces
system evaluated walkability and accessibility. A Geographic
FIGURE 5: PALO ALTO RACE AND ETHNICITY
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
White Black or African
American
American Indian
and AlaskaNative
Asian Native Hawaiian/
Other PacificIslander
Two or More
Races
Hispanic or
Latino
2000 2010 2014
30
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Information Systems (GIS) model of the surrounding streets,
sidewalks, trails, and pathways was constructed using ESRI
Network Analyst software to identify “walksheds” or catchment
areas for each park, reflecting the way people move through the
city. The analysis used ¼ and ½ mile travel distances, reflecting
research on the distance a typical person can walk in five and ten
minutes, respectively. This analysis refined the understanding of
the ½ mile distance often cited as walking distance and aligned
with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The project team also
factored in physical barriers that impede access, incorporating
feedback from the public engagement process about specific
streets and intersections people report as being difficult to cross.
Figure 6, on page 32, shows the ¼ and ½ mile walksheds for all
parks in Palo Alto.
Many communities also analyze park systems using a function-
based parks classification scheme (neighborhood parks, community
parks, regional parks). However, the parks in Palo Alto serve
multiple and often overlapping functions. Community feedback
indicated that people in Palo Alto are looking for the park system
to deliver five categories of activities on a widely accessible basis,
regardless of how the park is classified functionally. The analysis
assessed the community’s access to each of these activities by
defining criteria for each category and applying the criteria to the
geographic analysis model.
The five categories of activity and their analysis criteria are
summarized below.
• Relax and Enjoy Outdoors. Palo Altans place a high value
on parks that provide a quiet and calm place to relax and
enjoy the outdoors. While most Palo Alto parks support
this activity, some parks experience noise from highway/
road traffic or from heavy sports use. Comments made by
the public on the online interactive map (and confirmed by
site visits) also identified parks without quiet areas.
• Play for Children. Children and youth were regularly cited
as one of the most important audiences for the park
system. Parks containing a playground, play area or unique
play feature (sculpture, nature play, etc.) best support this
audience.
• Throw a Ball. This activity encompasses kicking, hitting,
and throwing balls and other objects such as Frisbees,
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
including both self-directed and league-based play. Parks
containing open turf areas, sports fields, or courts best
support this activity.
• Exercise and Fitness. Health and wellness has been
shown to be important to Palo Alto residents in this and
other planning processes. Parks with perimeter or looped
paths support both walking and running, which are the top
recreation activities both in Palo Alto and in the country.
Palo Alto’s Rinconada Pool also provides an exercise option
for swimmers.
• Gathering. The Palo Alto park system is an important
provider of space for family, friends, and the larger
community to gather for picnics, social events, and group
activities. Formal picnic areas, shelters, and features such
as amphitheaters facilitate this activity.
GEOGRAPHIC NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
The spatial analysis revealed the following:
• Most Palo Alto residents have access to a city park within
a ¼ and ½ mile. Gaps exist north of the Oregon Expressway
near Highway 101 and along Sand Hill Road near
commercial and institutional land uses. Adding additional
parks or park-like lands can improve park accessibility
for residents in these areas. Fewer neighborhoods have
activity access to all five identified activities within a ½ mile.
• Parks that offer exercise and fitness opportunities are
more common south of the Oregon Expressway. The
addition of exercise opportunities to north Palo Alto parks
should be considered.
• Dog parks are all located south of the Oregon Expressway.
Since dog owners prefer to use dog parks near their
residence, adding dog parks to north Palo Alto parks will
improve residents’ dog exercise opportunities.
• Community gardens are currently located entirely north of
Oregon Expressway The addition of community gardens
in south Palo Alto can improve garden access to those
residents.
32
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
S a n F r a ncisquito Creek
Mat a d e ro C r e ek
Barron
C
r
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e
k
Adob
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C
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Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
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Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Walksheds
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
FIGURE 6: PARK WALKSHEDS MAP
3332
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
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Adob
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C
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Stanford
Mountain
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Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
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Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Walksheds
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
34
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
• Palo Alto does not have a public gym and the City’s only
public pool is located north of Oregon Expressway. The
addition of a public pool or improving access to other public
or private pools should be explored to provide more access
during peak times.
Additional geographic analysis evaluated access to experiences,
natural open space and recreation facilities that were identified
as highly desired by the community during the intercept surveys.
These include:
• The experience and preservation of nature;
• Improved ease of access to natural open space preserves
(e.g., bike routes and shuttles);
• Community gardening;
• Recreation with dogs; and
• Gymnasiums and swimming pools.
Recreation Program Analysis
To evaluate the capacity of Palo Alto’s facilities and programs to
meet demand, the data on reservations, minimum participation,
program registrations and waitlists was analyzed along with
observations collected from staff and consultants. A crucial
performance indicator in recreation programming is enrollment at
or above minimum participation, which is the minimum number
of participants needed to achieve the cost recovery goals of each
class. These goals are set according to the City’s cost recovery
policy and the individual class budget. This, along with classes
indicated as full or with waitlists, provided insight into the capacity
and demand for categories and specific types of programs.
RECREATION PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES:
• The highest participation in City programs is in sports
(adult and youth), aquatics (youth and teen) and day
camps. Continued demand for these program areas is
anticipated and program offerings should respond to this
demand.
• The current policy of “everyone plays” is widely supported
for middle school athletics. Since limited gym and field
space makes it difficult to expand these programs, the
City and PAUSD should consider additional facilities or
improved scheduling to maximize student involvement
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
in these popular programs. Furthermore, a shortage of
instructors and coaches exacerbates the difficulty to
expand. Recruitment, training, and increased pay should be
considered to improve the supply of qualified instructors
and coaches.
• Demand for some classes and programs varies greatly by
time of day. The program scheduling should attempt to
provide additional classes during the most popular times.
• A limited number of gymnasiums available to the public
and a lack of a City-owned gym complicates the expansion
of most sports programs. Increasing sports facilities,
sharing of facilities, and adjusting facility scheduling should
be investigated.
• Academic support programs offered to youth and teens
are typically operating under capacity. Improved marketing
and updated offerings should be considered to increase
the popularity of these programs or resources should be
shifted to other types of teen programming.
• Programs offered by the Art Center, the Junior Museum
and Zoo and the Children’s Theatre serve thousands
of additional adults, youth and teens. Many of these
programs have waitlists, partly because of limited
space in the specialized buildings associated with these
divisions. Adjusting the scheduling of current facilities and
developing access to other facilities (such as PAUSD) may
increase the number of people that can be served by these
popular programs.
Community Engagement Results
A variety of community engagement efforts, conducted at
several stages in the process, collected input from hundreds of
residents and stakeholders. The input of community members
and stakeholders guided decisions of where to focus assessment
efforts. Resident and stakeholder input highlighted the need to
look at walkability and park access, as well as access to those
highly desired experiences, such as play for children. In addition,
the analysis examined equitable distribution and need of specific
facilities, such as restrooms, dog parks and community gardens, as
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
a result of the community interest in these features.
Community feedback largely confirms conclusions drawn from
the demographic trends analysis. The following section describes
the key topics and themes that emerged from the Master Plan
community engagement process.
KEY COMMUNITY TOPICS AND THEMES:
The following topics and themes were referenced multiple times by
the community, City staff, partners and decision makers. The key
themes were critical in shaping the overall analysis of the system,
and provided direction for the development of the Master Plan
principles, goals, policies and recommended actions.
• Respondents value, support and appreciate their parks
system. They recognize that it is a high-quality system.
• Respondents believe that strategic enhancements and
improvements are needed to better meet evolving needs
and trends, adapt to growth and changing demographics,
and to continue to provide world-class experiences to
residents.
• Limited land availability and high cost is seen as the major
limiting factor to pursuing new park opportunities.
• Providing accessible and safe active transportation
(walking, biking, etc.) routes to natural open spaces,
community centers and parks is a high priority.
• Enhancing physical and mental well-being is a critical
function of parks for Palo Altans. Loop trails, bicycle and
pedestrian paths to parks, and places to relax are top
priorities, along with exercise equipment or additional
classes.
• Protection of nature is very important to residents. There
is widespread support for the continued protection,
enhancement and restoration of open spaces and wildlife
habitat.
• Residents want to feel connected to nature in their urban
parks. There is interest in adding nature play elements and
wildlife habitats to more traditional park settings.
• There is widespread interest in bringing community
gardens, dog parks and aquatic facilities to new areas
of the city to improve access to these amenities for all
neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THEMES
• Walkability and Equity of
Park and Preserve Access
• Activity Access:
º Play for Children
ºExercise and Fitness
ºThrow/Catch/Shoot/
Kick/Hit
ºGather Together
ºRelax and Enjoy the
Outdoors
• Experience Nature
• Preservation of Nature
• Trail Connections
• Availability of Restrooms
• Site Amenities and
Experience
• Universal Accessibility
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
• Residents strongly support improved and additional
restrooms in parks. In addition, there is a clear preference
for features and amenities that support comfort,
convenience and longer stays at parks, including water
fountains and places to sit.
• The Palo Alto community strongly supports universal
design and access and there is interest in adding inclusive
play elements to more parks.
• Current policies that prioritize the availability of facilities
for Palo Alto residents are widely supported, and
stakeholders generally agree that providing services to
local residents is a higher priority than providing regional
attractions.
• Residents would like to see enhancements to parks
throughout the city including more types of play
experiences and environments. There is also support
for smaller, more locally focused events and programs
(e.g., movies in the park) that are held in different parks
throughout the city.
• The community strongly supports the kinds of local and
regional partnerships (particularly with the school district)
that expand recreation opportunities and services for
youth, teens and residents of all ages and abilities.
Needs and Opportunities Summary
Review of the data from the Technical Assessment and Analysis
and the Community and Stakeholder Engagement tied these two
tracks of the Master Plan process together in preparation for
Developing and Prioritizing Projects. As described in Chapter 1,
this process produced a detailed reference matrix (with supporting
documentation) identifying needs and opportunities across the
system.
The Data and Opportunities Summary Matrix included in the
technical supplement synthesizes findings from both the Technical
Assessment and Analysis and the Community and Stakeholder
Engagement tracks across nine topics:
• Current Service/Inventory
• Level of Control
38
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
• Geographic Analysis
• Capacity/Bookings
• Perception of Quality
• Expressed Need
• Demographic Trends
• Barriers to Access/Participation
• Projected Demand
The final step of the process was to summarize opportunities
to enhance Palo Alto’s system through the addition, distribution
or modification of a particular element and component. These
actions were prioritized to develop the Master Plan’s final
recommendations, based on the constraints posed by limited land,
staff, funding and other resources in the community.
Key Findings
The review of the matrix identified groupings of opportunities
that had emerged from the many analysis and community input
activities. The opportunities were crafted into a set of twelve Areas
of Focus, which represent a major development step toward goals
for the master plan. The Areas of Focus are:
• Distributing park and recreation activities and experiences
across the city
• Improving the accessibility of the full range of park and
recreation opportunities
• Exploring new types of programs, classes, events and
activities for all ages and abilities
• Improving and enhancing community center and recreation
spaces across the community
• Enhancing capacity and quality of sports fields
• Increasing the variety of things to do in existing parks
• Enhancing comfort and making parks more welcoming
• Increasing health and wellness opportunities in parks and
programs
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
• Integrating nature into Palo Alto parks
• Improving spaces and increased options for off-leash dogs
• Expanding the system
• Offering more of the existing programs, classes and events
The community prioritization challenge, a combination of online
survey and in-person workshop, reviewed the community’s
opinions of these areas. Participants were asked to allocate a
$10 budget across each of the areas of focus, with the amounts
allocated indicating the priority they place on a particular area.
The analysis of the results reflects the strong interest heard
throughout the process for community center space improvements,
integrating nature more thoroughly in the park system and making
parks more welcoming.
A relatively smaller number of participants placed a very high
priority (and resulting larger budget allocation) on improving options
for off-leash dogs.
These results of the community prioritization challenge provided
additional insight into the community’s opinions about the future
of Palo Alto’s parks and recreation. The full summary is available in
the technical supplement.
Figure 7 shows a sample survey question result. Full results are
available in the technical supplement.
FIGURE 7: PRIORITIZATION CHALLENGE RESULTS
40
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Opportunities for the System
Three concept maps (Figures 8-10) illustrate opportunities
to further create a multi-layered system of park lands and
connections that serves both people and natural systems. The
maps can also serve as tools for supporting decisions on individual
policies, programs and projects.
EXPAND THE SYSTEM
Figure 8 identifies areas of Palo Alto where residents lack access to
parks and natural open spaces within ¼ mile of their homes. These
“park search areas,” labeled A through E for planning purposes, will
help the City focus future park additions in neighborhoods with
the greatest need, for example those with the highest density
and/or largest population. Meanwhile, public access to school
grounds that fall within park search areas (noted in purple) should
be maintained and expanded to better support neighborhood park
uses and enhance their natural open space value. Other City-
owned properties (noted in brown) may represent future park
opportunities, but nearly all of these lands fall outside of the park
search areas.
CONNECT THE SYSTEM
A selection of Palo Alto’s existing and planned bikeways and
pedestrian routes can be leveraged to improve park and recreation
access. Figure 9 illustrates this potential network of trails and
enhanced roadways that connect neighborhoods to local and
regional parks, recreation facilities and natural open spaces.
These routes are part of the City’s adopted Bicycle Pedestrian
Transportation Plan. Recommended enhanced routes, labeled
1 through 3 for planning purposes, provide main north to south
travel corridors between Palo Alto’s parks and into neighboring
communities. Regional trails like the Bay to Ridge and San
Francisco Bay trails provide similar travel corridors from Foothills
Park and Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in the southwest to the
Baylands Nature Preserve and other shoreline parks and natural
open spaces to the northeast. Recommended park connectors
complete the network by linking the remaining park sites.
CONNECT NATURAL SYSTEMS
Figure 10 illustrates how the same corridors recommended for
bike and pedestrian enhancements can also provide connectivity
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
for natural systems. Landscape design features such as increased
urban forest canopy, native species plantings, and stormwater
bioswales can create safe paths of travel and provide habitat value
for local wildlife. Creek and riparian enhancements, supported
by these “pollinator pathways,” would improve water quality and
habitat connections between regionally significant habitats in the
hills and in the bay. New street and park trees would benefit areas
that currently have low tree canopy coverage, highlighted in tan.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY SITES
In the overall context of limited land, three properties in Palo Alto
represent unique opportunities, as they are already owned by the
City and are not yet designated for a specific use. These three sites
each have unique opportunities for park development, but also
constraints. The status of each is summarized below:
• Cubberley Community Center: The City owns 8 of the 35
acres of this former high school campus and has managed
leases within the buildings with a number of community
organizations and businesses while also scheduling the
gym and field space. The City and the Palo Alto Unified
School District have agreed to jointly master plan the
redevelopment of the site by 2020.
• Foothills Park Expansion: The City acquired 7.7 acres of
land adjacent to Foothills Park and has dedicated it as an
expansion of the park. The expansion is cut off from the
developed portion of the park by the existing maintenance
facility. Discussion of the future of this site is pending the
results of the Buckeye Creek hydrology study, which will be
completed in summer 2017.
• Baylands Athletic Center Expansion: As a result of the
redesign of the Palo Alto Golf Course, 10.5 acres of land
was added to the adjacent Baylands Athletic Center site
for future recreation opportunities. Considerations for
developing this site include its relative isolation from
residences (and access through a complicated and heavily
impacted roadway exchange), its proximity to adjacent
park sites, site limitations due to wetland and its location
below the mean projected high water line after 3 feet of
sea level rise, which could influence the type of recreation
opportunities at the site.
42
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
e
S a n Francisquito Creek
Matad e r o C r e e k
Barron
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Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los Altos
Hills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
Park Search Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
Private Recreation
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Park Search Areas
Priority School Sites
A
Park Search Area B:
Lowest population and
lowest population density
Park Search Area D:
Highest population
Park Search Area E:
Highest population density
A
B
C
D
E
AddisonElementary School
AddisonElementary School
DuveneckElementary School
DuveneckElementary School
El Carmelo Elementary School
El Carmelo Elementary School
Ohlone Elementary Ohlone Elementary
Jordan Middle School
Jordan Middle School
Palo Verde Elementary School
Palo Verde Elementary School
FIGURE 8: PARK SEARCH AREAS MAP
4342
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
e
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Matadero Creek
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Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
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Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
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HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
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MayeldPark
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Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
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ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
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MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
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PortolaValley
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RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
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City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
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AddisonElementary School
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DuveneckElementary School
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Palo Verde Elementary School
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44
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle
and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails,
San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
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Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
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Streets
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Valley
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Santa Clara County
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BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
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JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
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CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
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RinconadaPark
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LyttonPlaza
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FIGURE 9: BIKEWAYS AND PEDESTRIAN ROUTES MAP
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle
and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails,
San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
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Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
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Mountain
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Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
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MayeldPark
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PearsonArastraderoPreserve
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Foothills Park
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Pollinator Pathways
Community Gardens
Wetland Habitat
Riparian Connected Parks
Creeks/ Riparian Enhancements
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Mean Projected High Water -
3 ft Sea Level Rise (NOAA)
Creeks and Channels
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
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Water Bodies
Urban Canopy Target Areas
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in the Bayland Preserve:
Western burrowing owlCalifornia seabliteNorthern coastal salt marsh
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in San Francisquito Creek:
SteelheadCalifornia red legged frogWestern pond turtleShowy rancheria clover
Valley oak woodland
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Pearson-Arastradero Preserve:Western pond turtle
Serpentine bunchgrass
Indian Valley bush-mallow
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in Foothills Park:
Western Leatherwood
Valley oak woodland
Regional Habitat
Connection Concept
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S a n F rancisquito Creek
Matader o C r e e k
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Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
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FIGURE 10: NATURAL SYSTEMS MAP
4746
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Pollinator Pathways
Community Gardens
Wetland Habitat
Riparian Connected Parks
Creeks/ Riparian Enhancements
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Mean Projected High Water -
3 ft Sea Level Rise (NOAA)
Creeks and Channels
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
Natural System Features
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
Private Recreation
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Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in the Bayland Preserve:
Western burrowing owlCalifornia seabliteNorthern coastal salt marsh
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in San Francisquito Creek:
SteelheadCalifornia red legged frogWestern pond turtleShowy rancheria clover
Valley oak woodland
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species in Pearson-Arastradero Preserve:Western pond turtle
Serpentine bunchgrass
Indian Valley bush-mallow
Special Status Wildlife and Plant Species
in Foothills Park:
Western Leatherwood
Valley oak woodland
Regional Habitat
Connection Concept
e
San Francisquito Creek
Matadero Creek
Barron
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Stanford
Mountain
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Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
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CHAPTER 4
THROUGH THE MASTER PLAN PROCESS, THE PALO ALTO
COMMUNITY HAS DEFINED A FUTURE FOR PARKS, TRAILS,
NATURAL OPEN SPACES AND RECREATION. Distilled community input and themes from the analysis process result in principles, goals and system-wide concepts that describe the community’s long-term vision for the future system.
The principles and goals will be realized through the recommended programs described in this chapter. The recommendations were developed through an assessment of community input and an analysis of needs and opportunities. These recommendations reflect both changing needs and evolving demands for parks, trails, natural open spaces and recreation. They are organized within the framework of the eight principles and six goals, with policies and programs following each goal.
OUR FUTURE: PRINCIPLES, GOALSPOLICIES, PROGRAMS & PROJECTS
50
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
A MULTI-LAYERED SYSTEM OF PARK LANDS AND CONNECTIONS THAT SERVE BOTH PEOPLE AND NATURAL SYSTEMS.
5150
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Principles
Building on our assets, our vision for the continuing evolution of the
park system is encapsulated in the following eight principles:
• Playful: Inspires imagination and joy.
• Healthy: Supports the physical and mental health and
well-being of individuals as well as the connectedness
and cohesion of the community.
• Sustainable: Stewards natural, economic and social
resources for a system that endures for the long-term.
• Inclusive: Responsive to the entire Palo Alto community,
all ages, abilities, languages, cultures and levels of
income.
• Accessible: Easy for people of all abilities to use year-
round and to get to by all modes of travel.
• Flexible: Supports multiple uses across time with
adaptable spaces that can accommodate traditional,
emerging and future uses.
• Balanced: Is not dominated by any one type of
experience or place, and includes both historic elements
and cutting-edge features, highly manicured and more
organic spaces, and self-directed and programmed
activities.
• Nature: Incorporates native species and habitat
corridors, and creates opportunities to learn about and
interact with nature.
Together, these principles provide the foundation for the Master
Plan.
Master Plan Goals
The input from the community, including all twelve Areas of Focus,
form the long term direction for the City’s park and recreation
system. The following six goals state the outcomes and provide an
organizational structure for the policies, programs and projects that
form the recommendations of this plan:
1. Provide high-quality facilities and services that are
accessible, inclusive, and distributed equitably across
Palo Alto.
52
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
2. Enhance the capacity, quality and variety of uses of the
existing system of parks, recreation, and open space
facilities and services.
3. Create environments that encourage regular active and
passive activities to support health, wellness and social
connections.
4. Preserve and integrate nature, natural systems and
ecological principles throughout Palo Alto.
5. Develop innovative programs, services and strategies
for expanding the system
6. Manage Palo Alto’s land and services effectively,
efficiently and sustainably utilizing quantitative and
qualitative measures.
Recommended Programs
The goals, policies and programs are intended to be a guide for
decision making. Choices will need to be made annually through
the City budget process, recognizing the City has limited resources,
multiple priorities and competing resource needs. The goals, polices
and programs that follow represent a path to a preferred future,
it is aspirational, while also tangible, providing a specific menu of
potential investment and resource allocation opportunities for the
Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation system. Chapter
5 provides tools and recommendations on how the community and
City can effectively evaluate options and make sound and reliable
choices to improve the Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and
Recreation system.
Each goal is numbered, and under each goal a list of related
policies is provided. The policies are numbered according to goal
and ordered by letter for easy reference (1.A, 1.B, 1.C, 2.A, 2.B,
etc.). Most policies are followed by a list of programs, which have
complementary numbering (1.A.1, 1.A.2, 2.A.1, etc.). The numbering
is for reference only. Prioritization is covered in Chapter 5.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 1: Provide high-quality facilities and services that are accessible, affordable, inclusive and distributed equitably across Palo Alto.
Policy
1.A Emphasize equity and affordability in the provision
of programs and services and the facilitation of
partnerships, to create recreation opportunities that:
• Advance skills, build community and improve the quality
of life among participants, especially Palo Alto youth,
teens and seniors; and
• Are available at a wide range of facilities, at an increased
number of locations that are well distributed throughout
the city.
PROGRAMS
1.A.1 Periodically evaluate the use and effectiveness of the Fee
Reduction Program for low income and disabled residents.
1.A.2 Develop free or low cost teen programs that develop
life skills and developmental assets, such as leadership,
community service and health.
1.A.3 Develop a teen advisory committee to provide feedback on
newly proposed parks, recreation and open space projects
and programs.
1.A.4 Partner with local recreation providers to relocate existing
programs or offer new programs in Palo Alto parks.
1.A.5 Recruit or develop programs for additional and alternative
sports that can take place in existing parks and make use
of existing outdoor recreation facilities. Examples include
cross country running, track and field, rugby and pickleball
1.A.6 Expand offerings of preserves’ interpretive facilities to area
schools through curriculum packages (backpacks, crates,
etc.) that can be brought into the field or the classroom.
1.A.7 Evaluate the geographic distribution of program offerings
and make adjustments to equally offer programs
throughout the City.
Williams Park
Baylands Preserve
Baylands Athletic Center
El Camino Park
GreerPark
BolPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
MitchellPark
TermanPark
Hoover Park
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
Seale Park
Robles Park
RamosPark
Rinconada Park
Briones Park
Johnson Park
BowdenPark
BowlingGreen Park
Boulware Park
MonroePark
Werry Park
Cogswell Plaza
CameronPark
MayfieldPark
WeisshaarPark
LyttonPlaza
SarahWallis Park
KelloggPark
StanfordPalo Alto Playing Fields
Palo Alto Golf CourseHopkins Creekside Park
El Palo Alto Park
Pearson - Arastradero Preserve
Scott Park
Heritage Park
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VenturaCommunityCenter
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12.8.2015 | Data Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS, Santa Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails, .ATURAL Open Space and
Recreation Master Plan
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainViewLosAltos
Los AltosHills
Atherton
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Trail
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Palo Verde Elementary School
04.01.2016
Figure 12: Park Search Areas Map
Williams ParkWilliams Park
Evaluation - geographic distribution of program offerings
54
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
1.B Expand parkland inventory using the National
Recreation and Park Association standard as a
guide (see sidebar) for park development in Palo
Alto’s Urban Service Area. New parkland should
be added to meet and maintain the standard of 4
acres/1,000 residents. Parkland should expand
with population, be well distributed across the
community and of sufficient size to meet the varied
needs of neighborhoods and the broader community.
Maximum service area should be one-half mile.
PROGRAMS
1.B.1 Develop design standards for privately-owned public open
spaces (POPOS) that clearly set the expectation for public
access, recreation activities and natural elements. .
1.B.2 Establish a system in the City’s real estate office that
identifies land being sold and reviews it for park potential,
prioritizing review of land within park search areas. (See
Figure 8: Park Search Areas).
1.B.3 Review all city owned land and easements (starting in
park search areas) for potential parkland development or
connection locations. (See Figure 8: Park Search Areas and
Figure 9: Bikeways and Pedestrian Routes to Parks and
Recreation Facilities).
1.B.4 Examine City-owned rights-of-way (for example, streets,
which make up the biggest portion of publicly owned
land) to identify temporary or permanent areas for
improvements that connect or add recreation activity
space. (Examples: California Ave., Indianapolis Cultural Trail,
Parklets).
1.B.5 Identify and approach community organizations and
institutions that own land in park search areas to create
long-term agreements and improvements for public park
space. (Examples: Friendship Sportsplex in Charlotte, NC,
New Riverside Park in Boston).
1.B.6 Create usable park space, or other recreational
opportunities, on top of utilities, parking or other
infrastructure uses. (Examples: Anaheim Utility Park, UC
Berkeley Underhill Parking Structure, Portland’s Director
Park, Stanford University Wilbur Field Garage).
Privately-Owned Public Open Spaces (POPOS) are built and managed by private entities and are required to allow public access.
PARKLAND STANDARDS
The Palo Alto
Comprehensive plan
references (Policy C-28)
National Recreation and Park
Association standards:
• Two acres of neighborhood
park land should be
provided for each 1,000
people; and
• Two acres of district park
land should be provided
for each 1,000 people.
5554
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
1.B.7 Monitor properties adjacent to parks that are smaller than
the minimum recommended size for potential acquisition
to expand existing parks.
1.B.8 Increase collections through revised or alternative park
impact fee structures that are sufficient to expand
inventory. Develop a system to reserve funds for parkland
acquisition and proactively pursue strategic opportunities
for expansion.
1.B.9 Acquire and develop a new neighborhood park in each park
search area, starting with the most underserved areas
and targeting a central and well-connected location to
maximize access.
1.B.10 Develop a creek walk along Matadero Creek that links
parks and creates open space and habitat corridor.
1.B.11 Incorporate other underutilized City-owned outdoor
spaces for park and recreational programming.
1.B.12 Identify and dedicate (as parkland) City-controlled spaces
serving, or capable of serving, park-like or recreational
uses, where appropriate (e.g., Winter Lodge, Gamble
Gardens, Rinconada Community Gardens, GreenWaste
Facility at the former PASCO site, former Los Altos Sewage
Treatment Plan, Kingsley Island).
Policy
1.C Ensure the maximum distance between residents’
homes and the nearest public park or preserve is
1/2-mile, 1/4-mile preferred, that is evaluated using
a walkshed methodology based on how people travel.
PROGRAMS
1.C.1 Maintain the City’s digital map developed during this
Master Plan process, updating for new activities and
access points.
1.C.2 Establish a review step in the Planning and Community
Environment Department for any major redevelopment or
the purchase/sale of any City land in the park search areas.
Palo Alto Airport
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Enhanced Bikeway Features
Recommended Enhanced Bicycle
and Pedestrian Routes
Regional Trails (Bay to Ridge Trails, San Francisco Bay Trail)
Recommended Park Connectors
1
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
Trails
Trails
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail withPublic Access)
Private Recreation
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BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
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Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
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CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
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HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayeldPark
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56
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
1.D Adopt the wayfinding signage used at Rinconada
Park as the standard for Palo Alto parks and provide
standardized directory signs for all large parks,
preserves and athletic field complexes.
PROGRAMS
1.D.1 Create and implement a signage and wayfinding program
that conveys the park system identity, incorporates art,
connects bike paths to parks and enhances the experience
of park visitors.
1.D.2 Install directional signs at parks that include the walking
time to the next nearest park or parks.
Policy
1.E Apply universal design principles as the preferred
guidance for design solutions in parks, striving to
exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
PROGRAMS
1.E.1 Create a process to address adaptive program requests for
individuals with cognitive, sensory, and physical disabilities
(to be coordinated with upcoming ADA Transition Plan).
1.E.2 Adopt a standard of universal park design for accessibility
and/or upgrade play areas and picnic facilities to meet or
exceed the standard.
1.E.3 Upgrade Open Space trails to be more universally
accessible where environmentally appropriate.
Policy
1.F Maintain a Field and Tennis Court Brokering and Use
Policy as well as the Gymnasium Use Policy (as well
as any subsequent updates) to guide the allocation of
these recreation facilities with a preference for youth
and Palo Alto residents.
PROGRAMS
1.F.1 Periodically review the existing Field and Tennis Court
Brokering and Use Policy and Gymnasium Policy and
update as needed.
Magical Bridge Playground: Universally accessible children’s park facilities
5756
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
1.F.2 Develop an annual field usage statistics report, including
number of prime timeslots that were unused due to field
condition/resting and the number of requests for field
space that were unfilled due to capacity.
Policy
1.G Encourage walking and biking as a way of getting to
and from parks, supporting implementation of the
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan.
PROGRAMS
1.G.1 Select parks as destinations along routes for “Ciclovia” or
“Sunday Streets” type events where streets are closed
to traffic and opened up for citizens of all ages to interact
with each other through exercise, entertainment and fun.
1.G.2 Provide bike parking for cyclists as a standard feature at
parks, open spaces, preserves and community centers.
1.G.3 Provide, identify and mark “Safe Routes to Parks” from
locations such as schools, shopping centers, libraries,
after-school programs, community centers, and residential
neighborhoods;
1.G.4 Educate residents about the city’s Bike Boulevards –
streets prioritized for bicycles – to promote greater use,
and plan new Bike Boulevard projects that connect parks,
open spaces and recreation facilities.
1.G.5 Identify gaps in the walking and cycling network to
improve access to parks, open spaces, preserves and
community centers, including sidewalk repairs, easements,
trail improvements/repair and improved pedestrian
visibility.
1.G.6 Collaborate with school communities to enhance routes to
schools, especially where they pass through parks.
1.G.7 Develop a regular bicycle and walking tour of Palo Alto
parks and preserves as a new recreation program. Develop
online materials for self-guided tours.
1.G.8 Improve trail connections to neighboring communities
(Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Stanford
University, Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View,
East Palo Alto, etc.)
58
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
1.H Incorporate cultural diversity in projects and
programs to encourage and enhance citizen
participation.
PROGRAMS
1.H.1 Conduct a survey at least every two years of cultural
groups to identify gaps barriers to access, preferred
design, and awareness in recreation programming.
1.H.2 Provide multi-cultural and multi-lingual recreation
programs, signage, and educational information.
1.H.3 Encourage and provide opportunities for civic engagement
by directly connecting with cultural groups.
Policy
1.I Increase stewardship and volunteerism by creating
and promoting opportunities for youth and adults to
participate in parks, recreation, open space events,
projects and programs.
PROGRAMS
1.I.1 Create a robust volunteer recruitment and management
program.
1.I.2 Continue to offer volunteer habitat and landscape
improvement projects, and support partnership
organizations that offer volunteer programs in Parks and
Open Space areas.
Volunteers assisting with maintenance of a natural area
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 2: Enhance the capacity, quality and variety of uses of the existing system of parks, recreation and open space facilities and services.
Policy
2.A Sustain the community’s investment in parks and
recreation facilities.
PROGRAMS
2.A.1 Collaborate with Palo Alto Unified School District to
develop and implement a vision and master plan for the
future of the Cubberley Community Center.
2.A.2 Continue to program and prioritize projects for existing
facilities as identified in the Infrastructure Blue Ribbon
Commission report, and plan the keep up of new facilities
as they come on line, recognizing their expected lifespan
and revised based on real-world experience.
2.A.3 Research best practices to design park and recreational
facilities that can be maintained with existing or lower
budgets.
2.A.4 Encourage residents to organize and participate in park
maintenance and cleanup events to foster a sense of
ownership, establish social connections, and reduce
maintenance costs.
2.A.5 Develop a proactive Asset Management Program to
maintain existing park and recreation infrastructure.
2.A.6 Provide additional lighting to enhance park safety and
expand park use to dusk while minimizing impacts to
wildlife.
2.A.7 Find ways to mitigate conflicts between different trail user
groups, particularly in the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
where bicyclists, equestrians, and hikers share trails.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
2.B Provide opportunities for creative expression in park
and recreation facilities and programs.
PROGRAMS
2.B.1 Incorporate artists and art into youth recreation
programming, particularly day camps, utilizing the
expertise of the Arts and Sciences Division.
2.B.2 Create outdoor studios and program spaces for creating
art in parks (coordinated with the Public Art Master Plan).
2.B.3 Encourage the community to participate in more
expressive projects led by the department, such as
community mural projects in facilities, pop-up open mics
or chalk art programs in parks.
2.B.4 Continue to provide “maker” space to Palo Alto teens to
encourage creative thinking and expression.
Policy
2.C Design and maintain high quality natural and
synthetic turf fields to support maximum use in parks
by multiple local organized sports and casual users
with areas large enough for practice or play.
PROGRAMS
2.C.1 Conduct an athletic field condition and maintenance
assessment of the City’s natural turf fields, and
upgrade fields at select parks to high quality natural turf
standards including irrigation system upgrades, drainage
improvements, etc. The field assessment report should
include analysis and recommendations regarding the soil
profile, agronomy, irrigation systems, field slope, drainage,
field-use demand, and maintenance.
2.C.2 Actively monitor and track industry developments and
the latest reputable scientific studies regarding synthetic
turf to understand the environmental and human safety
impacts of our existing synthetic turf fields.
2.C.3 Assess the type of turf (new synthetic turf product or
natural turf) that should be used when replacing an
existing synthetic turf field that is due for replacement.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
2.C.4 Synthetic turf fields should be striped for multiple sports
to maximize use. Whenever possible, synthetic turf playing
fields should have lights in order to maximize use of the
field.
2.C.5 Collaborate with Palo Alto Unified School District to
develop and implement a design and maintenance plan for
high quality natural and synthetic turf fields.
Policy
2.D Actively pursue adding dedicated, fenced dog parks
in multiple neighborhoods, equitably distributed
between north and south Palo Alto. The size of the
dog parks will vary, but should strive to be at least .25
acres. Dog parks should not be placed in Open Space
Preserves.
PROGRAMS
2.D.1 The City will evaluate and select at least six* dedicated,
fenced dog parks, equitably distributed across north
and south Palo Alto, from the following list of potential
locations:
• Eleanor Pardee Park (North, .41 Acres)
• Bowden Park (North, .37 Acres)
• Greer Park (Improve existing) (South, .87 Acres)
• Peers Park (North, .73 Acres)
• Hoover Park (Improve existing) (South, 1 Acre)
• Robles Park (South, .47 Acres)
• Mitchell Park (Expand existing) (South, 1.2 Acres)
• Kingsley Island Park (North, .27 Acres)
• Werry Park (North, .31 Acres)
• Juana Briones Park (South, .47 Acres)
• Heritage Park (North, .27 Acres)
2.D.2 Develop rules and regulations specific to dog parks
focusing on safety and limits of use.
*It is acknowledged that Hoover and Greer’s current dog parks are inadequate in
terms of size, and they should not be counted in their current configuration towards
the minimum of six dog parks recommended in this program.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
2.E The City will actively pursue adding park restrooms in
parks that are approximately two acres or larger, have
amenities that encourage visitors to stay in the park,
have high level of use, and where there are no nearby
public restrooms available.
PROGRAMS
2.E.1 Develop a restroom standard, in collaboration with the
Architectural Review Board, for neighborhood parks.
2.E.2 The City will actively pursue adding park restrooms at the
following potential locations:
• Bol Park
• Bowden Park
• Eleanor Pardee Park
• Johnson Park
• Ramos Park
• Robles Park
• Terman Park
Policy
2.F Develop additional community gardens focusing
on underrepresented areas of the City, and provide
community engagement opportunities around
gardens.
Policy
2.G At least every five years, quantitatively evaluate
demand and capacity of major recreation facilities
including pools, gyms, tennis courts, and teen
centers with appropriate attention to geographical
distribution in the city. Adjust plans as appropriate
to accommodate significant demographic or demand
changes.
Community gardens
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 3: Create environments that encourage active and passive activities to support health, wellness and social connections.
Policy
3.A Implement the Healthy City Healthy Community
resolution with the community’s involvement.
PROGRAMS
3.A.1 Convene and lead a Healthy City Healthy Community
stakeholder work group consisting of other agencies,
nonprofit organizations and citizens that supports building
a healthy community.
3.A.2 Develop an annual plan that supports implementation of
the resolution.
3.A.3 Achieve designation as an Age-Friendly Community.
3.A.4 Add drop-in programs (free or BOOST!) focused on physical
and mental health in settings that are near home/work
and maximize the health benefits of being outside and
surrounded by nature.
3.A.5 Connect walking paths within and between parks to create
loop options of varying length that encourage walking and
jogging.
3.A.6 Enhance seating areas to take advantage of quiet spaces
or to create opportunities for social interaction.
3.A.7 Promote and enforce the ban on smoking in Palo Alto’s
parks through a marketing campaign and signage program.
3.A.8 Upgrade or add drinking fountains with water bottle filling
and water for dogs.
3.A.9 Develop adult fitness areas in parks including exercise
areas for the exclusive use of older adults (seniors).
Policy
3.B Incorporate art into park design and recreation
programming (consistent with the Public Art Master
Plan).
HEALTHY CITY /
HEALTHY COMMUNITY
In 2015, the City Council
adopted a resolution
recognizing its role and
responsibility to promote
and support a Healthy City/
Healthy Community. Four
areas of action are identified
in this resolution:
• Healthy Culture
• Healthy Environment
• Healthy Food Access
• Healthy Workplace
Bicycling and walking path promoting outdoor fitness
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
PROGRAMS
3.B.1 Promote temporary public art installations in local parks.
3.B.2 Promote interactive public art features that also serve as
play features (i.e. climbable sculptural elements integrated
into the natural environment that invite touch and
exploration).
3.B.3 Update park design policies to incorporate artistic
elements consistent with the Public Art Master Plan.
3.B.4 Commission artwork that interprets local history, events
and significant individuals; represents City core values of
sustainability, youth well-being, health, innovation.
3.B.5 Bring in performance-based work, social practice,
temporary art and community art.
3.B.6 Explore suitable art for preserves and natural areas.
3.B.7 Incorporate public art in the earliest stages of the design of
parks and facilities that may utilize wind direction, sunlight
and ambient sound (Coordinated with the Public Art
Master Plan).
3.B.8 Install permanent and temporary installations and exhibits
in well-trafficked parks and plazas, following the guidance
of the Public Art Master Plan.
3.B.9 Integrate functional public art into play areas, seatwalls
and other built features in parks across the system.
3.B.10 Integrate art and nature into bike lanes, routes and paths
as appropriate.
Policy
3.C Require that proposed privately owned public spaces
that are provided through the Parkland Dedication
Ordinance meet Palo Alto design guidelines and
standards for publicly owned parks, allow public
access, and are designed to support recreation,
incorporate natural ecosystem elements and comply
with the policies of the Urban Forest Master Plan.
PROGRAMS
3.C.1 Develop and apply clear expectations and definitions of
public access (hours, rules) for privately owned public
spaces.
Public art in Palo Alto
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 4: Protect natural habitat and integrate nature, natural ecosystems and ecological principles throughout
Palo Alto.
Policy
4.A In Natural Open Space, ensure activities, projects
and programs are compatible with the protection of
nature.
PROGRAMS
4.A.1 Develop comprehensive conservation plans for Baylands
Preserve, Foothills Park, Esther Clark Park, and Pearson-
Arastradero Preserve to identify strategies to balance
ecosystem preservation, passive recreation, and
environmental education.
4.A.2 Continue to work with partnership organizations to
remove invasive weeds and plant native plants and trees
in riparian and natural open space areas.
4.A.3 Update the Arastradero Preserve Trail Management Plan
(March 2001) and the Foothills Park Trail Maintenance
Plan ( January 2002), and incorporate into in the Foothills
Park, Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, and Esther Clark Park
Comprehensive Conservation Plan Project.
Policy
4.B Connect people to nature and the outdoors through
education and recreation programming.
PROGRAMS
4.B.1 Expand access to nature through elements and
interpretive features that explore ecological processes,
historical context, adjacent waterways, specific plant/
animal species that can be encountered onsite and
elements tailored to be of interest to youth as well as
multiple ages, cultures and abilities.
4.B.2 Update or rebuild interpretive centers with modern
interactive exhibits.
4.B.3 Improve and increase access to creeks for learning and
stewardship experiences by designing access points that
minimize impact on the waterway.
Natural Open Spaces
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
4.B.4 Expand programs such as Foothills camps to connect
youth with parks year-round.
4.B.5 Partner with boys/girls scouting organizations for outdoor
education programs and/or the Junior Rangers program.
4.B.6 Expand and increase events that educate and promote
native plants, species and wildlife.
4.B.7 Provide shade for play areas using shade trees as the
preferred solution.
4.B.8 Update and improve the Toyon Trail Interpretive Guide to
make it more engaging and educational.
4.B.9 Develop a Trail Interpretive Guide for Pearson-Arastradero
Preserve and the Baylands Nature Preserve.
Policy
4.C Connect natural areas, open spaces, creeks and
vegetated areas in parks and on public land to create
wildlife, bird, pollinator and habitat corridors by
planting with native oaks and other species that
support pollinators or provide high habitat values.
PROGRAMS
4.C.1 Develop a map that identifies locations for habitat
corridors including the appropriate plant palette for each
corridor.
4.C.2 Work with local environmental groups to grow native plant
species and utilize their network of volunteers to install
and maintain planted areas.
4.C.3 Establish low-impact buffer zones with native plant
species along creeks to enhance habitat value.
Nature education programming
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
4.D Promote, expand and protect habitat and natural
areas in parks and open space.
PROGRAMS
4.D.1 Identify and pursue strategies and opportunities to expand
native trees and planting areas in urban parks.
4.D.2 Integrate and implement the Urban Forest Master Plan
Policies and Programs as applicable to parkland in Palo
Alto.
4.D.3 Update the preferred planting palette and approved tree
species list.
4.D.4 Collaborate with habitat restoration organizations such as
Save the Bay, Canopy and Grassroots Ecology (Acterra).
4.D.5 Replace low-use turf areas with native shrubs and
grasses, incorporating educational elements about native
habitats.
4.D.6 Support regional efforts that focus on enhancing and
protecting significant natural resources.
4.D.7 Utilizing volunteers, expand programs to remove invasive
species, and to plant native vegetation in open space,
parks, and creek corridors.
4.D.8 Collaborate with regional partners to control the spread of
invasive species and plant pathogens.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 5: Develop innovative programs, services and
strategies for expanding the park and recreation system.
Policy
5.A Identify and pursue strategies to activate underused
parks and recreation facilities
PROGRAMS
5.A.1 Implement short-term placemaking improvements
(flexible, small scale interventions such as seating, art,
programming or planters that have minimal capital cost) to
attract users and experiment with potential longer-term
options.
5.A.2 Emphasize flexibility and layering uses (allowing for
different uses at different times of day, week, etc.) in
parks over installing fixed-use equipment and single-use
facilities.
5.A.3 Expand Day Camp program opportunities, utilizing all
preserves and more local park sites and additional topic
areas, to meet excess demand.
5.A.4 Leverage social media and develop marketing materials
to encourage “pop-up” recreational activities in rotating
parks.
5.A.5 Create small (10-12 people) and medium-sized (20-25
people) group picnic areas that can be used for both picnics
and programming.
5.A.6 Assess high-demand park features and identify those that
can be added or relocated to low use parks.
Policy
5.B Support innovation in recreation programming and
park features and amenities.
PROGRAMS
5.B.1 Review program data based on clearly communicated
objectives for reach, impact, attendance and financial
performance.
5.B.2 Retire, end or refresh programs that require staff, facility
and financial resources but do not achieve program
objectives, thereby freeing up resources for new programs.
Examples of placemaking improvements
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
5.B.3 Actively develop a small number of pilot programs each
year to test new ideas, locations and target audiences.
5.B.4 Build on partnership with Avenidas to expand
intergenerational programming as well as additional older
adult programming.
5.B.5 Expand BOOST!, the pay-per-use exercise class system to
cover fees for any drop-in classes or facility use (lap swim,
drop-in gym time, new programs in parks).
5.B.6 Set goal of 10% new program offerings each season; new
programs should be offered based on needs assessment,
industry trends, and/or class evaluation data.
5.B.7 Create a robust marketing and outreach program to
highlight new and innovative programs to community.
5.B.8 Develop short-term recreation access strategies (such as
temporary use agreements for vacant or park like property)
and seek long-term or permanent park and recreation
space in each park search area. Actively recruit property
and facility owners to participate in the development of
the short- and long-term strategies.
5.B.9 Explore addition of intramural sports for middle and high
school students through a partnership with Palo Alto
Unified School District.
5.B.10 Provide opportunities for “pickup” or non-league sports
activities at City parks and recreation facilities.
Policy
5.C Expand the overall parks and recreation system
through repurposing public land, partnering with
other organizations for shared land, incorporating
public park spaces on parking decks and rooftops, if
appropriate, and other creative means to help address
shortages of available land.
PROGRAMS
5.C.1 Explore a process to utilize and reserve select public and
private lands for “parklike” functions that allows for more
flexibility than formal park dedication.
Underhill Parking Garage at UC Berkeley includes a full size soccer field built over a 1,000 space, four-level parking facility.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
5.D Explore alternative uses for newly acquired parkland
to optimize for long-term community benefit.
PROGRAMS
5.D.1 Determine optimal usage for Foothill Park’s 7.7 acres of
parkland.
5.D.2 Evaluate optimal usage, including open space, for 10.5-
acre land bank created by golf course reconstruction.
5.D.3 Evaluate feasible uses for the south end of El Camino Park.
Policy
5.E Explore and experiment with parklets and other
temporary park spaces for both long and short-term
uses.
Policy
5.F Enhance partnerships and collaborations with Palo
Alto Unified School District and Stanford University
to support access and joint use of facilities, where
appropriate for effective delivery of services and
programs.
PROGRAMS
5.F.1 Partner with PAUSD to open middle and high school
recreation facilities for community use (basketball,
badminton, indoor soccer, swimming pools, tennis courts)
during the evening, weekend, and summer hours.
5.F.2 Develop a steering committee that consists of key
officials from the City, PAUSD and Stanford to develop
partnership agreements and connect facility managers and
programmers.
5.F.3 Increase access to PAUSD public schools (outside of school
hours) to increase the availability of recreation activity
spaces. Target school sites that are within or adjacent to
“park search areas.”
PARKLET:
An inexpensive infrastructure
investment that creates a
public gathering space or
small park from on-street
parking spaces.
Parklet on Noriega Street in San Francisco
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
5.F.4 Partner with Stanford to create or increase access to
athletic facilities and other recreational facilities for Palo
Alto residents.
5.F.5 Develop a common reservation system for community
access to shared facilities.
Policy
5.G Pursue other/private funding sources for recreation
programming, capital improvement projects and
facility maintenance.
PROGRAMS
5.G.1 Encourage foundations to assist with soliciting
sponsorships and grants.
5.G.2 Create a more formalized annual or one-time sponsorship
program that provides the donor with marketing and
promotional opportunities.
5.G.3 Contract or add job responsibilities for managing
fundraising and developing donors for the park system to
pursue funding opportunities and sponsorships.
5.G.4 Engage nonprofit friends groups to seek donor funding,
including foundation grants, corporate giving and small and
major philanthropic gifts by individuals, for priority projects
and programs.
Policy
5.H Partner with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
District and other land conservation groups to expand
access to open space through new acquisitions and
improved connections.
Fitness program
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Goal 6: Manage Palo Alto’s land and services effectively, efficiently and sustainably utilizing quantitative and qualitative measures.
Policy
6.A At least every five years actively review demographic
trends and interests of city population by segment
for critical drivers of facility usage including
schoolchildren, teens, seniors and ethnic groups, and
adjust programs and plans accordingly.
PROGRAMS
6.A.1 Create pilot recreation programs to test the public’s
interest in new types of classes, events and activities
utilizing an evaluation process.
6.A.2 Initiate a community-wide focus group on an annual basis
to provide feedback on programs, facilities and long-term
roadmaps.
6.A.3 Create a streamlined and effective quarterly survey system
that solicits feedback from customers, including program
participants, facility renters, and the general community.
Policy
6.B Continue to implement the Cost Recovery Policy for
recreation programs, refining the cost and fees using
the most current information available.
PROGRAMS
6.B.1 Periodically benchmark the City’s Cost Recovery Policy
against other cities’ cost recovery models.
6.B.2 Invest in and market city facilities to increase revenue for
cost recovery.
Policy
6.C Limit the exclusive use of Palo Alto parks (booking an
entire park site) for events by outside organizations
that are closed to the general public.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
PROGRAMS
6.C.1 No exclusive use of parks by private parties is permitted
on peak days (e.g., weekend, holidays) or peak times (e.g.,
evening hours on weekdays, 10 am – 6 pm on weekends)
as defined by Community Services staff unless approved in
advance by the Director of Community Services. Exclusive
use of certain sites and facilities within parks, such as
reservable spaces like picnic areas, is generally permitted
during peak days and times.
6.C.2 Exclusive use of parks for locally focused events that allow
registration by the general public (e.g., races, obstacle
course events, triathlons, etc.) may be considered by staff
if consistent with this Master Plan.
6.C.3 Private events that are closed to the general public (e.g.,
corporate events, private weddings) and are intended
to use an entire park (rather than a reservable space in
excess of capacities as defined in the Special Event Permit
procedures) may only be considered outside of peak
days and times as defined by Community Services staff.
These events should recover 100% of all associated costs,
including wear and tear on public parks and facilities.
6.C.4 Events that allow public access are permitted, in
accordance with Special Event Permit procedures.
Policy
6.D Periodically review and update existing guidance
for development, operations, and maintenance of
Palo Alto’s Parks, Trails, Natural Open Spaces, and
Recreation system based on the best practices in the
industry and this Master Plan, including:
• Park Rules and Regulations;
• Open Space Policy & Procedure Handbook;
• City of Palo Alto Landscape Standards;
• City of Palo Alto design guidelines and standards; and
• Tree Technical Manual.
Solar installation
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
6.E Incorporate sustainable best practices in the
maintenance, management, and development of
open spaces, parks, and recreation facilities where
consistent with ecological best practices.
PROGRAMS
6.E.1 Increase energy efficiency in Palo Alto parks, including
allocating funding to retrofit facilities for energy efficiency
with increased insulation, green or reflective roofs and
low-emissive window glass where applicable.
6.E.2 Conduct energy audits for all facilities, establish an energy
baseline for operations, benchmark energy performance
against comparable facilities, and implement energy
tracking and management systems for all park facilities
and operations.
6.E.3 Select Energy Star and equivalent energy-efficient
products for Park equipment purchases.
6.E.4 Expand the collection and use of solar power (parking lots,
roofs) and other renewable energy sources at parks and
facilities (e.g. pools).
6.E.5 Provide convenient and well-marked compost and
recycling receptacles throughout the park system, in
recreation facilities and at special events.
6.E.6 Ensure that trash, recycling, and compost receptacles have
covers to prevent wildlife access to human food sources.
6.E.7 Review purchasing policies and improve employee
education to reduce overall consumption of materials
throughout the system.
6.E.8 Procure environmentally preferable products (as required
by the City’s Environmentally Preferred Purchasing policy)
as the “default” purchasing option.
6.E.9 Initiate composting of green waste within the park system.
6.E.10 Work with Public Works to replace the vehicle fleet with
electric vehicles whenever practical.
6.E.11 Install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at park
facilities with parking lots.
Palo Alto park maintenance
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
6.E.12 Enforce a “No Idle” program with vehicles and other gas-
powered equipment.
6.E.13 Conduct water audits for all parks and recreation facilities
and park operations.
6.E.14 Install high-efficiency urinals, toilets, sinks and showers in
all facilities.
6.E.15 Extend recycled water use to more park sites.
6.E.16 Explore water capture opportunities in parks for irrigation
and recycling.
6.E.17 Ensure any irrigation systems on public landscapes are
run by a smart controller and/or sensors and that staff are
trained in programming them.
6.E.18 Link all park facilities to a centralized irrigation
management system to maximize water use efficiency.
6.E.19 Promote urban greening by integrating storm water
design into planting beds, reducing irrigation and providing
interpretive information about park contributions to city
water quality.
6.E.20 Train City maintenance staff and include specific standards
and expectations in maintenance contracts for the
care of low-water, naturalized landscapes, natural play
environments and other new types of features in the
system.
6.E.21 Ensure project designs for new facilities and retrofits
will be consistent with sustainable design principles
and practices. This includes evaluating all projects
for opportunities to implement Green Stormwater
Infrastructure such as bioswales, stormwater planters,
rain gardens, permeable pavers and porous concrete and
asphalt.
6.E.22 Identify locations and develop swales, detention basins
and rain gardens to retain and treat storm water.
Example of urban greening/green infrastructure
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
Policy
6.F Strengthen the Integrated Pest Management (“IPM”)
policy as written. While some parks may be managed
as “pesticide free” on a demonstration basis, IPM
should continue to be Palo Alto’s approach, grounded
in the best available science on pest prevention and
management.
PROGRAMS
6.F.1 Periodically review and update the IPM policy based on
best available data and technology.
Policy
6.G Strategically reduce maintenance requirements at
parks, open spaces, natural preserves and community
centers while maintaining Palo Alto’s high quality
standards.
PROGRAMS
6.G.1 Locate garbage and recycling receptacles in a single
location that is easily accessible by maintenance staff and
vehicles.
6.G.2 Explore high capacity, compacting and smart garbage and
recycling receptacles that can reduce the frequency of
regular collection.
6.G.3 Select standardized furnishing palettes for durability,
vandal-resistance and ease of repair.
Policy
6.H Coordinate with and/or use other relevant City plans
to ensure consistency, including:
• Baylands Master Plan;
• Urban Forest Master Plan;
• Urban Water Master Plan;
• Long-term electric acquisition plan (LEAP);
• Water Reclamation Master Plan;
Accessible garbage and recycling receptacles
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS
• Recycled Water Project;
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan;
• Comprehensive Plan;
• Public Art Master Plan; and
• Others adopted in the future.
Policy
6.I Continue to engage other relevant City departments
and divisions in planning, design and programming,
drawing on the unique and specialized skills and
perspectives of:
• City Managers Office;
• The Palo Alto Art Center;
• Library, including Children’s Library;
• Junior Museum and Zoo;
• Children’s Theatre;
• Public Art;
• Transportation;
• Urban Forestry;
• Planning;
• Public Works; and
• Palo Alto Youth and Teen Leadership.
Policy
6.J Participate in and support implementation of regional
plans related to parks, recreation, natural open space
and trails, such as:
• 2014 Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Vision;
• Clean Bay Pollution Prevention Plan; and
• Land Use near Streams in Santa Clara County.
CHAPTER5
IMPLEMENTATION
OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS
MASTER PLAN WILL INCLUDE AN ANNUAL REVIEW PROCESS
INITIATED BY CITY STAFF WITH GUIDANCE AND LEADERSHIP
FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION (PRC) AND CITY
COUNCIL. Palo Alto’s dedicated community advocates and partner organizations will also play an important role in ensuring the proposed programs and projects align with the needs of the community. Many projects, such as large capital projects will require long-term strategic thinking and development of funding strategies. Strategic planning for these long-term, high capital projects will occur concurrently with the annual review process.
The annual review process described in this chapter involves implementing projects and programs described in Chapter 4 through an annual cycle of reviewing, planning, implementing and reporting. These programs have undergone review by the public, staff, Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) and City Council during the development of this Master Plan. Although the tools in this chapter are designed to work with Palo Alto’s existing budget and capital improvement plan processes, there may be instances where a strategic action or proposal does not fit into the normal budget process. In these cases, it will be necessary for a separate PRC and City Council review and approval process.
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CREATE ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENCOURAGE REGULAR ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ACTIVITIES
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The focus of discussion in this chapter includes:
• A prioritization process to create and update the annual action
plan;
• An evaluation process to consider new projects or programs
proposed in the future; and
• A methodology for measuring the effective and efficient
implementation of the Master Plan.
Prioritization
This plan is intentionally ambitious, to reflect the high standards
of the Palo Alto community. Not all of these projects will move
forward immediately and the City needs to have a method of
prioritization. This process of prioritization is designed to inform the
projects that move forward first and to help guide implementation
throughout the life of the Master Plan.
Prioritization Process
The prioritization process applies a set of criteria drawn from the
extensive community input during the master planning process.
These criteria are applicable to the entire range of projects and
programs and reflect both the Master Plan principles and goals.
When considering the priority of projects and programs and the
order in which they are implemented, the following set of criteria
will be used as a guide to identify the benefit to the community and
parks system in relation to other projects and programs. Proposed
projects and programs will be ranked using a range of low, medium,
and high; on how well the programs meet the criteria. These criteria
will not provide a numerical score, but will inform staff, the PRC,
and Council how a particular program could serve community
needs. Projects and programs will be evaluated against criteria
to identify the benefit to the overall system in relation to other
programs. Staff, PRC, and ultimately the City Council will determine
the final order of implementation as part of the established CIP and
Operating budget process. The criteria are defined below:
• Fill existing gaps: Bring recreation opportunities (parkland,
facilities, programs) to areas of the city and to users where
gaps were identified.
• Respond to growth: Add features or programs and/or
modify or expand components of the system to prepare
for and address increasing demand.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
•Address community preferences: Target the highest
priority types of projects and programs identified through
citywide outreach.
•Maximize public resources: Create the most benefit for
each dollar of capital and operating expenditure possible.
•Realize multiple benefits: Advance the principles of this
Master Plan as well as the goals, projects and directions of
other adopted City efforts.
HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS
There are some programs and projects that we know today are high
priority needs and/or opportunities. The list below reflects those
priorities as identified in the Master Planning process. The priorities
were developed with feedback from the Parks and Recreation
Commission, community, stakeholders, and City staff and includes
a summary of planning effort, capital cost (funding), annual
operating cost, time frame and urgency for each. The programs
and projects have been arranged from high to low urgency with
the projects divided into two groups: 1) large scale projects that
will require more study and a long-term planning and funding
strategy and 2) those projects that can be initiated immediately,
usually of smaller scale and lower funding requirements. While all
the projects and programs that appear on this list are considered
a priority, completion of large scale capital projects will require
efforts over the life of the plan with several steps beginning in the
near term and continuing through planning, design and ultimately
construction.
Projects (High to Low Urgency per group)
Major projects needing further study and strategic funding
•Enhance existing sports fields
•Plan, design and construct 10.5 acre site in Baylands for
park uses
•Plan, design and redevelop Cubberley Community Center
•Plan, design and construct a new public gymnasium
•Improve the Rinconada Pool Facility
•Incorporate 7.7 acre site into Foothills Park
•Acquire new parkland in high need areas
•Golf course facility improvements
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Projects ready in the short term
•Develop conservation plans for open space preserves
•Develop new dog parks in underrepresented areas
•Construct new restrooms in parks
•Incorporate sustainable practices in the maintenance and
management of parks, open space and recreation facilities
•Exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in
parks
•Improve trail connections and access
•Develop adult fitness areas in parks
•Integrate nature into urban parks
•Develop new community gardens in underserved areas
•Enhance seating areas in parks
•Create wayfinding signage of safe routes to parks
Programs
•Establish and grow partnerships and identify and cultivate
potential park and recreation donors
•Collaborate with school district to increase access to
playgrounds, gyms, and other school facilities
•Expand recruitment and training of coaches and
instructors
•Expand aquatics programs
•Expand programs for seniors
•Expand non-academic programs for teens
•Provide intramural sports program for middle and high
school students
•Invest in staff training to enhance therapeutic and inclusive
program development
•Increase the variety of activities available in parks
•Encourage unstructured play at parks and community
centers
•Connect youth, teens and families with nature
•Expand programs related to health and wellness
•Pilot temporary/pop-up programming in parks
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
• Expand community-focused special events
• Offer cultural enrichment programs
IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS
Each priority program or project is described and evaluated based
on the following five factors:
1. PLANNING EFFORT represents the amount of time, effort
and cost associated with planning the project and could
include community outreach, budget and resource allocation,
environmental review, and PRC and Council approval.
2. CAPITAL COST provides an indication of the magnitude of
capital cost to implement the project, shown by dollar signs
as follows:
• $ (<$250,000)
• $$ ($250,000 to $1,000,000)
• $$$ ($1,000,000 to $5,000,000)
• $$$$ (>$5,000,000)
3. ANNUAL OPERATING COST estimates the added annual
operating cost once the project is in place, also indicated by
dollar signs as follows:
• $ (<$5,000)
• $$ ($5,000 to $25,000)
• $$$ ($25,000 to $75,000)
• $$$$ (>$75,000)
4. TIME FRAME indicates whether project activity will occur
in the near, mid, or long-term. All the following projects
identified as priorities will require attention in the near term,
although some are major projects and will not be completed
for years. Some projects can be both planned and constructed
in the same year, while others will take years longer to
complete. Additionally, some projects will require different
actions throughout the life of the project.
This Master Plan looks at three time frames for
implementation. All of the high priority projects identified
will require attention in the near term. Some projects can be
initiated and completed within a single time frame, however
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
many will be ongoing or will require different actions across
multiple time frames. Actions related to identified priorities
will be integrated into City planning within the structure of
each time frame described below.
• Near-Term (0-5 years): The City’s Capital Improvement
Program (CIP) includes capital projects planned for a five-
year period. As each year’s projects are completed, the
annual budgeting process includes the addition of another
year on the rolling five-year CIP. New projects identified in
the Master Plan will be proposed through the annual CIP
process. Programs can be implemented more immediately,
as funding is available.
• Mid-Term (6-10 years): In the mid-term, more of the
new ideas generated in this plan will be cycled into the
CIP process and preliminary work will advance the larger
capital projects. New programs will be established enough
to evaluate and new ideas can continue to be added.
• Long-Term (11-20 years): The long-term timeline includes
projects that require significant up-front work and
planning, represent long-term, ongoing investments or
demand extraordinary funding strategies. Several projects
may not be completed until this time frame; however all
will have been initiated and incorporated into the planning
structure in a previous time frame.
5. URGENCY indicates the level of need. All projects within this
Master Plan have a demonstrated need, but the level of
urgency varies based on the availability of a particular amenity
or program as compared to the demand. Urgency can also be
a consideration of time sensitivity. For example, if a project
will influence or guide future operations, such as development
of open space conservation plans, that project would have
a high level of urgency. A project could also be considered
high urgency if failure to act results in a missed opportunity,
such as purchase of an available open parcel that could be
dedicated as parkland.
PROJECT AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
The following pages provide information about proposed programs
and projects and assigns the appropriate criteria for prioritization to
each of the programs and projects. The graphic on the left indicates
the ranges of each factor that will be seen in this section.
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to High
CAPITAL COST
$ to $$$$
OPERATING COST
$ to $$$$
TIME FRAME
Near, Mid, or Long
URGENCY
Low, Medium, or High
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$
OPERATING COST
$$$
TIME FRAME
Near (Study and Planning)
Near to Long (Construction)
URGENCY
High
Enhance Existing Sport Fields
With current high demands, heavy wear and potential future
growth, improving and maintaining the City’s large open play fields
with limited resources (water & maintenance budget) requires a
clear plan to maintain quality and longevity. Current heavy use of
the play fields, along with limited resources (water & maintenance
budget) requires a clear plan to maintain quality and longevity.
The following steps are recommended for Enhancing Existing Sport
Fields:
• Hire a sport field turf consultant, review and analyze the
existing City sport fields and make recommendations on
how to improve and maintain them to increase quality and
use. (Near Term)
• Develop an on-going capital fund project that focuses
on enhancing the fields consistent with the field analysis
study. (Near to Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Outreach to sport field users and interested parties for
private donations
Major projects that need further study and strategic funding
(Arranged from High to Low Urgency)
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Plan, design and construct 10.5-acre site in Baylands for park uses
The development of the 10.5-acre Baylands site will require a long
term planning and funding effort. As a built out city with limited
areas to expand the park system the planning of the project should
take into account the location of the site in the baylands and
should start in the near term to establish the site design and cost
to complete this large project. The planning effort will focus on the
design of the site with direct community input. Staff will strategize
options of phasing and funding the project in the near term and
establishing a schedule for implementation. Some of the possible
concepts for the use of this site that came from the public outreach
include athletic fields and native habitat.
The following steps are recommended for the Development of the
10.5-acre site:
• Hire a consultant to study the location and provide a
recommendation how to use the site for both athletic use
and native habitat use. (Near Term)
• Establish a phasing plan for the project for
implementation.
• Implement the recommendations of the study.
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Outreach to sport field users and interested parties for
private donations
• Native habitat and restoration grants
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$$
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near (Planning and Design)
Near to Mid (Construction)
URGENCY
High
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$ to $$$$
OPERATING COST
$$ to $$$$
TIME FRAME
Near (Planning and Design)
Mid to Long (Construction)
URGENCY
High (Planning and Design)
Medium to High (Developing)
Plan, design and redevelop Cubberley Community Center
Cubberley Community Center currently sits on a 35-acre site, of
which 8 acres are owned by the City and the remaining 27 acres
are owned by the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). The
City leases the PAUSD’s 27 acres and operates the community
center on the combined 35-acre site. The City and the PAUSD
have committed to jointly develop a plan for the future of the
entire Cubberley Community Center site that represents the
administrative, educational and community needs of the School
District and the City. Planning and design of the site will require
an assessment of the current and projected future needs of the
community with respect to education and recreation. Information
and data gathered as part of this Master Planning effort and
the Citizens Advisory Committee process will help to inform the
needs assessment for Cubberley. Future renovations will provide
increased and enhanced services to the community.
The following steps are recommended to support the future
implementation of this project:
• The City and School District will formalize an agreement
for future development and renovation of the site (Near
Term)
• Prepare a comprehensive master planning study for the
site, including a needs assessment (Near Term)
• Develop a funding strategy for implementation of the
Master Plan (Near Term)
• Plan and develop a long range implementation plan (Near
to Mid Term)
• Implement the master plan (Mid to Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
• Consider the passing of a bond
• Grants
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$$
OPERATING COST
$$$$
TIME FRAME
Mid (Planning and Design)
Long (Construction)
URGENCY
Medium (Planning and Design)
Medium (Developing)
Plan, design and construct a new gymnasium
Currently the City of Palo Alto has no gymnasiums of its own. A
gymnasium at the Cubberley Community Center is the main gym
utilized by the City, but is owned by Palo Alto Unified School District
and operated by the City through a lease agreement. The middle
school gyms are used for middle school athletic programs while
the Lucie Stern Community Center and Mitchell Park Community
Center are utilized for a variety of physical and social activities.
As of means of responding to growth and to maintain, expand
and provide future programming at least one multi-purpose
gymnasium is recognized as a community need.
The following steps are recommended in the future renovation and
development of this site:
• As part of the planning effort for the Cubberley Community
Center a gymnasium will be considered and determined if
it is compatible with the development direction of the site
or if another separate location should be considered (Near
Term)
• Develop a funding strategy for implementation of a new
gymnasium, or multiple gyms in one building if funding
allows (Near Term)
• Plan and design (Near to Mid Term)
• Construct gymnasium project (Mid to Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Park impact fees
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
• Consider the passing of a bond
• Grants
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$$
OPERATING COST
$$$$
TIME FRAME
Mid (Planning and Design)
Long (Construction)
URGENCY
Medium (Planning and Design)
Medium (Developing)
Improve the Rinconada Park Pool Facility
The pool facility at Rinconada Park is the only City-owned pool
facility. During its operational season the pool is in high demand
from the community and local swim groups. To meet growing
demand a programming policy to open the pool for a longer
season and extended times is being explored. Along with increased
demand comes the needs for pool facility improvements. The
existing lap pool is undersized to meet demand in both overall
size and swimming length; falling a few feet short of a regulation
pool length. The existing locker room and restroom facilities are
small and lack separate areas for children, families and adults.
Appropriate pool facility improvements were identified in the
Rinconada Master Plan. They include:
• Expanding and reconfiguring the existing lap pool,
• Full remodel of the existing looker room and restroom
building
• Addition a much needed community room for meetings
and training, and
• Expanding the deck area around the pool for seating.
The following steps are recommended in the future renovation and
development of this site:
• Develop a funding strategy for implementation of a full
pool remodel (Near Term)
• Plan and design (Near to Mid Term)
• Remodel Rinconada Pool (Mid to Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Park impact fees
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Incorporate the 7.7-acre site into Foothills Park
The development of the 7.7-acre site at Foothills Park will require
a long-range planning and funding effort. The planning of the
project should start in the near term to develop the site design
and identify funding to complete this large project. The planning
effort will focus on the design of the site with direct community
input. As a precursor to the project, a hydrological study of Buckeye
Creek will be completed (September 2017) to understand how the
solutions to the Creek’s erosion problem frame the possible uses
for the 7.7 acres. Staff will research options of funding the project
in the near term and establish a schedule for implementation.
Public recommendations for possible uses of the site ranged from
restoring the site to developing it for some form of recreation.
The following steps are recommended in the future renovation and
development of this site:
• Hire a consultant to recommend options and pricing for
restoring the 7.7 acre site (Near Term)
• Establish a phasing plan for the project for
implementation. (Near Term)
• Develop a funding strategy (Near Term)
• Implement the recommendations of the study (Near to
Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Park impact fees
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
• Grants
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium to High
CAPITAL COST
$$$ to $$$$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near (Planning and Design)
Near to Mid (Construction)
URGENCY
High (Opening area to public)
Low (Developing)
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Acquire new parkland in high need areas
Expand parkland inventory in Palo Alto’s Urban Service Area where
gaps exist geographically as illustrated in the Park Search Areas
System Concept Map (Figure 6).
While this is a long-term effort there are short term strategies
and actions needed to achieve results. Following the goal, policy
and program described in Chapter Four 1.B.1-12, some near term
actions include review of all City-owned land and easements
(starting in park search areas) for potential parkland development
or connection locations, and evaluation of City-owned or controlled
spaces serving or capable of serving, park-like or recreational uses
for potential dedication as parkland.
The following additional steps are recommended for acquiring new
parkland:
• Develop and implement a strategy to build up funding
sufficient for future parkland acquisitions
• City staff to review all City-owned property in the high
needs areas for parkland potential
• City staff to develop a process to review and pursue
potential properties available for acquisition or long term
lease for park purposes
• Review options to increase development fees to facilitate
future acquisitions
• City staff to identify undeveloped properties in high
needs areas and pursue purchasing or long-term lease
agreements with the owner
• Develop a process to accept private donations and
bequests of money for parkland
The following steps are recommended to gain community access to
additional parkland through partnerships:
• Collaborate with the school district to make school
ground open space available for use by the surrounding
communities during non-school hours
• Contribute to planning, funding and maintaining the
construction of park elements in school grounds in
collaboration with the school district to ensure community
access, and provide needed park amenities to high need
areas
PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$$
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
High (Funding Strategy)Medium (Implementation)
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PLANNING EFFORT
High
CAPITAL COST
$$$
OPERATING COST
$$$
TIME FRAME
Mid (Planning and Design)
Long (Construction)
URGENCY
Medium (Planning and Design)
Medium (Developing)
Golf course facility improvements
The pro shop, club house, and parking lot facilities were not
included in the scope of work of the newly renovated golf course.
Each of these facilities need improvements to maintain the viability
of the overall golf course facility. Improvements would include a full
remodel of the existing club house and pro shop building with an
expansion of a larger multi purposes room that could be used for
community and private events. Reconfiguration of the large asphalt
parking lot to create a better entry statement when arriving to the
golf course facility is also necessary.
The following steps are recommended for improvement of the golf
course facility:
• Hire a golf course consultant to review and analyze the
existing facilities and make recommendations on how to
improve quality and overall use, along with an operating
cost study that reviews potential improvement options for
generating revenue. (Near Term)
• Establish a phasing plan for the project for implementation
• Implement the recommendations of the analysis and
study
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Park impact fees
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
• Consider the passing of a bond
• Grants
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$$
OPERATING COST
$ to $$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
High
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
High
Develop conservation plans for open space preserves
Comprehensive conservation plans are necessary to develop
guiding principles and best management practices for holistic
management of Palo Alto’s open space preserves and to balance
ecosystem protection, environmental education and passive
recreational uses. Conservation plans will be completed for the
Baylands, Foothills Park, Pearson-Arastradero, and Esther Clark
Preserves and will provide City staff, the Parks and Recreation
Commission and City Council with clear direction on how to manage
Palo Alto’s open space preserves using an ecosystem-based model
that considers both conservation and recreation goals.
Develop new dog parks in underrepresented areas
There are currently three dog parks in Palo Alto, all of which are
located south of Oregon Expressway. The lack of dog parks on
the north side of the City, together with the prevalence of people
allowing dogs to run off-leash outside of designated dog parks
in parks and on school property, underscores the need for more
off-leash dog parks in the near term. Locations for dog parks have
been strategically selected at certain parks and planning efforts are
underway. Existing park features such as native trees, public art
and playground equipment as well as community feedback all will
be considered when planning for the construction of a dog park.
The addition of dog parks will be phased and is proposed to occur in
the near- and mid-term.
Projects ready in the short term:
(Arranged from High to Low Urgency)
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
High
Construct new restrooms in parks
Through this planning process, the community generally came to
a consensus that restrooms make sense in parks with amenities
that draw people, especially children and seniors, and encourage
them stay at the park for a span of time. Though there have been
varying opinions regarding specific sites, additional review will be
conducted to site restrooms and identify security measures such as
automatic locking mechanisms and lighting addressing some of the
concerns related to restrooms.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$ to $$
OPERATING COST
0 to $
TIME FRAME
Near (Strategic Plan)
Ongoing (Implementation)
URGENCY
High
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$ to $$$
OPERATING COST
$ to $$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Medium to High
Incorporate sustainable practices in the maintenance and management of parks, open space and recreation facilities
Staff responsible for the care of Palo Alto’s parks and open spaces
will commit to staying current with sustainable practices. As part
of this effort, staff will develop a strategic plan for incorporating
sustainable practices for maintenance and management of parks,
open spaces and facilities, including updating current practices. As
part of this effort, maintenance staff will consult with the City’s
Sustainability Department to discuss how they can help meet
the sustainable goals of the Sustainability Master Plan (under
development at the adoption of this Master Plan), and to develop
measures for tracking the adoption of sustainable maintenance
practices.
Exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in parks
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides regulations that
inform and guide the amenities and design of parks, and requires
an ADA Transition Plan to remove barriers that may prevent people
with disabilities from fully enjoying the City’s parks and recreation
services. The ADA requirements represent the legal minimum that
is required. Feedback from the community during the Master Plan
process was supportive that Palo Alto seek, when possible, to
exceed ADA minimums and strive for universal accessibility, where
people of all abilities can utilize and enjoy parks. During all parks
related capital improvement projects, staff will not only update
amenities and design to current ADA standards, but will also seek
opportunities to achieve universal access. This will occur in the
near-term and will be on-going.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$ to $$$
OPERATING COST
$ to $$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Medium
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Medium to Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low to High (Depends on drought status)
Improve trail connections and access
Improving trail connections and access to parks and open space
areas was identified as an important priority by the community.
Linkages to parks also promote the “Green Necklace” vision for the
City and allows regional connections to adjacent cities and opens
natural areas. Staff will utilize existing capital improvement projects
as a platform on which to improve trail connections into parks,
access and connections between parks and between multi-modal
trails and to provide linkages to regional trails and neighboring
agency sites. In addition, staff will identify trail connections and
improvements that will require new individual capital projects, up to
and including purchasing land, and will propose those through the
City’s CIP process.
Develop adult fitness areas in parks
Health and fitness is a priority for the Palo Alto community, and an
important reason for park use. Palo Alto can help support health
and wellness for adults and older adults, a population segment that
is growing, by providing outdoor fitness options, especially in close
proximity to playgrounds, creating a multi-generational playground.
These adult fitness areas can take on a variety of forms: from
outdoor workout equipment areas (free weight and cardio
machines) to simple open rubber surface areas for open activity
(e.g., yoga, meditation, weight and cardiovascular training). These
spaces will be designed for both individual use and group gathering
and as a means of activating a park, and will be a high value, simple
addition during park renovation projects.
Integrate nature into urban parks
This project includes converting areas in parks , usually turfgrass
that is not used for recreation, into native plantings (e.g. riparian,
grassland, or oak woodland) or a specific habitat planting (e.g.,
pollinator, hummingbird or butterfly). This type of project may also
include bioswales designed to maintain on-site drainage and create
habitat, and may even include aspects of a natural play area.
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PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
Develop new community gardens in underserved areas
Community gardens provide a place for healthy outdoor activity,
social gathering, and community connections. Ultimately,
community gardens should be evenly distributed throughout the
park system. Staff will look for opportunities to add community
gardens when parks are renovated, looking for underutilized
turfgrass or planting areas as potential locations for community
gardens. In addition, staff will seek to expand the variety of
community gardening opportunities, by considering children’s or
inclusive garden plots or even entire community gardens.
Enhance seating areas in parks
Seating is an important part of creating a welcoming park
environment, and was identified as a priority by community
members during the outreach process. When park renovations
occur, staff will identify opportunities to enhance seating areas
(making them more comfortable and functional) or provide
additional seating. Enhancements may include providing more
seating, providing additional seating options (e.g., movable seating,
artist-designed or embellished benches), and creating enclosure to
define the seating area as a low activity area used for urban retreat.
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PLANNING EFFORT
Medium to High
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
Create wayfinding signage of safe routes to parks
Wayfinding signage is a means of connecting and expanding the
park system. Wayfinding signage designed to direct the community
to designated safe routes between parks will help provide linkages
between all of Palo Alto’s open spaces, which will in turn expand
the system. Community Services, Public Works and Transportation
departments will work together to establish these safe routes and
engage the community for wayfinding and route options. Future
infrastructure development of these safe routes may also include
the addition of park- like features along the length of the route to
further expand the park system.
The following steps are recommended for wayfinding signage of
safe routes to parks:
• Hire a consultant to put together a proposed signage
design, layout and phasing for the project (Near Term)
• Work with City, the community and stakeholders to
develop the overall safe routes to parks plan (Near Term)
• Develop a funding strategy for implementation (Near Term)
• Implement the design (Near to Long Term)
FUNDING OPTIONS
• Capital improvement funds
• Park impact fees
• Outreach to the general community for private donations
• Grants
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Establish and grow partnerships and identify and cultivate potential park and recreation donors
In collaboration with the Friends of Palo Alto Parks and the Palo
Alto Recreation Foundation among other partners, Palo Alto will
develop a marketing campaign to engage members of the public
to volunteer and contribute financially to the improvement and
expansion of Palo Alto’s parks, open space and recreation programs
and facilities.
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
High
Collaborate with school district to increase access to playgrounds, gyms, and other school facilities
City staff will work with PAUSD to increase access to playgrounds,
gyms and other school facilities. Staff will concentrate on specific
locations in the city with limited park space with the intent of
ensuring access to school open areas and playground during non-
school hours, and establishing a gym use agreement for additional
City programs and activities in school gyms during non-school
hours.
Expand recruitment and training of coaches and instructors
Palo Alto staff will develop a system and strategies to broaden
the recruitment and training of coaches and instructors, including
exploring public/private partnerships, to meet the programming
demands of the City and to ensure staffing of high quality, qualified
coaches and instructors.
Programs:
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
High
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
Medium
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Expand aquatics programs
Community feedback has consistently shown that residents
want more pool access during the day and into the spring and fall
seasons. Both recreational swimming and swim lessons are in
high demand and added pool hours would allow more aquatics
programs to occur. City staff will provide expanded programs and
explore new aquatic programs, such as water polo and water
fitness classes that would add to the diversity of programming.
Expand programs for seniors
With the population of older adults and seniors in Palo Alto
projected to be on the rise, Palo Alto will need to adjust program
offerings to meet demand, especially programs tailored to the
needs of active seniors. This may include both indoor and outdoor
activities. Staff will also coordinate with Avenidas as an important
part of the planning effort to ensure that redundancy is minimized
and enhancements are based on needs and gaps in the current
level of service.
Expand non-academic programs for teens
Palo Alto will implement recreation programs and services to
provide additional opportunities for teens to explore a wide
variety of non-academic interests in an accessible, relaxed
and fun environment. Examples of current programs include
the MakeX maker space, Think Fund Grant program and the
counselor-in-training program. Enhancing and expanding these
types of programs is important to provide balance in the busy and
demanding lives of teens.
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
High
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
Medium to High
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
Medium
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Provide intramural sports program for middle and high school students
Intramural sports provide the opportunity for children to learn a
new sport, develops social skills, teamwork and builds friendships,
and promotes an active and healthy lifestyle. Palo Alto will explore
creating an intramural sports program for middle and high school
students. Implementation of intramurals will require coordination
with PAUSD and would require additional field and gym space.
Increase the variety of activities available in parks
When renovating parks, Palo Alto staff will explore adding
both active and passive spaces and elements to increase the
variety of activities that can be experienced in a particular park.
Recommended additions to a park should consider the user groups
of the parks as well as different age groups. Further engagement
of the community should be considered. Examples of potential
elements include: outdoor gathering areas, small scale active
spaces (bocce, pickleball courts), and quiet retreat spaces.
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
Medium
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to High
CAPITAL COST
$ to $$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
Medium
Invest in staff training to enhance therapeutic and inclusive program development
The Palo Alto community highly values accessibility and inclusion.
Community Services will expand therapeutic and inclusive
programming, including increasing funding for staff training in this
area.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Encourage unstructured play at parks and community centers
Providing spaces and programs, both indoors and outdoors
where children can play in a less structured format, away from
electronic devices encourages creativity and problem solving, and
fosters social connections with other youth. Palo Alto will support
unstructured play, such as providing space for “pick-up” games,
providing sports equipment in parks and gyms, and offering
programs with minimal direction and oversight.
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to Medium
CAPITAL COST
N/A to $
OPERATING COST
$ to $$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Low
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to Medium
CAPITAL COST
N/A
OPERATING COST
$ to $$
TIME FRAME
Near
URGENCY
Low
Connect youth, teens and families with nature
Parks and open space preserves provide a direct connection to
nature. Connecting people to nature provides benefits to physical,
emotional and mental health and encourages preservation and
environmental education. Palo Alto will provide more programs
that focus on nature or take place in natural settings, and that are
geared toward specific age groups and families, enhancing the
community’s connection to nature.
Expand programs related to health and wellness
In recent years, Council has identified healthy city and healthy
community as a Council priority. Efforts underway include the
Healthy City Healthy Community Initiative, an annual health fair,
fitness classes and programs specific to teens. Palo Alto will
develop additional programming to encourage a healthy city and
community on an annual basis based on community need.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
PLANNING EFFORT
Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Long
URGENCY
Low
Expand community-focused special events
Palo Alto will develop a yearly community survey to determine
the popularity of current special events and explore possible
new events. Staff will use survey results to pilot new events and
determine the feasibility of continuing these in the future.
Offer cultural enrichment programs
Community Services will develop cultural enrichment programs
that celebrate the diversity of Palo Alto’s community. This will
create opportunities for the community to come together and share
their distinct cultural backgrounds.
PLANNING EFFORT
Low to Medium
CAPITAL COST
$
OPERATING COST
$
TIME FRAME
Near to Mid
URGENCY
Low
Pilot temporary/pop-up programming in parks
Palo Alto staff will develop a program series that would bring
activities to parks. Further review to identify locations for potential
pop-up programming sites will be carried out by Community
Service staff, who will also schedule and promote pop up programs.
Examples of pop up programs include: play activities; fitness
activities such as yoga or tai chi; nature-oriented programs such as
bird watching and park tree walks, or arts-related activities such as
painting or music.
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Action Plan
The complete set of projects and programs identified during the
Master Plan process are summarized in a working document called
the Action Plan. The Action Plan is maintained separately from
this Master Plan document and is designed to adapt and change
with the completion of projects, passage of time and shifting
funding opportunities. Each project and program is described in
terms of location, the relevant element of the system and the
plan framework reference (which policy the project or program
originates from). The action plan also indicates the anticipated
year(s) of implementation and the total estimated costs (capital
and operational). Capital costs are broken down between planning/
design and the implementation of the project. Operation costs
are further clarified by the staff time required per year of project
implementation.
The action plan allows a comprehensive look at the projects and
programs resulting from this Master Plan. Each year, as the next
year is added to the CIP, the Action Plan will feed a new set of
projects based on the timelines as they have evolved. Further, new
projects will continue to be added to the Action Plan, using the
prioritization process described earlier in this chapter.Shown below are examples of action plans ( top: program) (below: projects)
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Funding Today and Tomorrow
The City of Palo Alto uses a minimum of six funding sources for the
majority of its capital, operational and recreation program funding:
• General Fund
• Consumer and Participant Fees
• Parkland Dedication Fees
• Development Impact Fees
• Public Private Partnerships
• Grants
• Donations
These funding sources are defined and described in Appendix D:
Existing Funding Sources
There are limitations (both statutory and in practice) on the use
of many of the existing funding sources. Table 5 summarizes
the existing funding sources by their applicability to capital and
operational projects and programs.
EXISTING FUNDING
SOURCE
CAPITAL OPERATIONAL/
PROGRAMMING
GENERAL FUND
PARKLAND DEDICATION
FEES
DEVELOPMENT IMPACT
FEES
PUBLIC PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS
GRANTS
DONATIONS
KEY
ELIGIBLE
LIMITED
NOT ELIGIBLE
TABLE 5: FUNDING APPLICABILITY
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
In addition, Palo Alto’s Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission
(IBRC) process established a schedule to “Keep-Up” with the
current maintenance needs of City owned parks, facilities and open
space. The Commission also identified maintenance needs that
had not been planned and the cost and schedule to “Catch Up”.
City Staff has utilized the IBRC process over the past five years to
schedule needed maintenance and have greatly reduced the “Catch
Up” items.
Potential Funding Options
Although there are multiple funding sources for capital and
operating projects and programs, there remains a gap in funding.
While the total capital funding needed for new projects is a
substantial number, the limited options currently available for
maintenance, operations and programming funding is a bigger
constraint on achieving the Master Plan goals. The potential for a
funding method to expand funding for maintenance, operations and
programming should be carefully considered as the City explores
options to fill the funding gap.
EXPAND EXISTING FUNDING OPTIONS
One important option is increasing the amount of funding from
existing sources. The General Fund could be expanded by increasing
revenue generation.
• Parkland dedication fees could be reevaluated to ensure
the rates are keeping up with land costs.
• Development impact fees could be increased through
action by the City Council.
• Donations and grants could also be expanded with effort
by the City
• Public-private partnerships, which could include allocating
staff time, creating a new position focused on expanding
these sources, or hiring a consultant experienced with
grant writing.
• Participation and membership fees should be evaluated
to increase cost recovery and to help pay for new and
enhanced programs and services.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
EXAMPLES OF PAST SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS:
Heritage Park:
In 2007, the Friends of Heritage Park gave the City a donation
of $197,572 to contribute towards a capital project to build the
Heritage Park Playground. The City contributed $75,000 towards
the project. Council approved a limited-term agreement with
the Friends of Heritage Park to design, construct, and install the
playground facilities and other improvements at Heritage Park.
Magical Bridge Playground:
The City partnered with the Friends of the Magical Bridge to
design and build Palo Alto’s first “inclusive” playground at Mitchell
Park. The City contributed the land and $300,000 to the project
for planning and design purposes, while the Friends contributed
approximately $3.5 million for construction. A grant was also
secured for $80,000 for improvements to the pathways that lead
to the playground. The playground opened to the public in April
2015 and is a regional draw winning several design awards and
high praise from the community.
Lytton Plaza Renovation:
The City formed a public-private partnership with the Friends
of Lytton Plaza to renovate Lytton Plaza. The Friends donated
$750,000 for the renovation of the plaza. The project was
completed in December 2009.
Acquisition of new park land at the Pearson-Arastradero
Preserve:
The City contributed $1,110,305 along with $2,592,210 in grant
money for the acquisition of 13-acre open space Bressler Property
from the Peninsula Open Space Trust. In October 2002, the
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) purchased a 13-acre property
from the Estate of Jacqueline Bressler with the intent of holding
the parcel for open space purposes until the City of Palo Alto could
purchase the property. The City acquired the Property and added it
to the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in 2005.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Save the Bay Partnership:
The City partnered with Save the Bay in 2001 in order to
accomplish the shared goal of restoring sensitive wetland habitat at
the Baylands Nature Preserve. Annually, Save the Bay contributes
hundreds of hours of staff time to organize and lead volunteer
restoration programs (35 per year on average) in the preserve. Save
the Bay has also fully funded the cost to construct a native plant
nursery at the Baylands to propagate native plants that volunteers
use to restore Baylands habitat. The partnership continues to
provide benefit to the sensitive habitat at the Baylands Nature
Preserve, and to the Palo Alto community members that participate
in the volunteer programs.
ISSUE BONDS
There are two types of bonds relevant to the Master Plan. While
City Council would need to initiate either type of bond, only one
method would require a public vote.
General obligation bonds are voter-approved bonds with the
assessment placed on real property. The money can only be used
for capital improvements, not for maintenance or operations. This
property tax is levied for a specified period of time (usually 15-20
years). Passage requires a two-thirds majority approval by the
voters.
Revenue bonds are sold to finance revenue-generating facilities,
such as community centers, performing arts centers and in some
cases sports complexes. The interest and capital are paid from the
revenue produced from the operation of such a facility. The City has
to guarantee repayment, meaning that if revenue from the facility
does not cover the necessary bond payments, the City will be
required to pay from another source.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
CREATE A SPECIAL DISTRICT
There are several types of special districts allowable by California
law for recreation purposes.
The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 allows any
county, city, special district, school district or joint powers authority
to establish a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District (a “CFD”)
to finance public improvements and services. The services and
improvements that Mello-Roos CFDs can finance include streets,
sewer systems and other basic infrastructure, police protection, fire
protection, ambulance services, schools, parks, libraries, museums
and other cultural facilities.
Formation of a CFD requires a two-thirds vote of residents
living within the proposed boundaries. If there are fewer than
12 residents, then the vote is instead conducted of current
landowners. The assessment cannot be based on property value;
instead it is based on the size of the property or square footage
of structures. By law, the CFD is also entitled to recover expenses
needed to form the CFD and administer the annual special taxes
and bonded debt. The special assessment continues until bonds
are paid off and then is typically reduced to a level to maintain the
investments.
The Landscaping and Lighting Act permits a public agency to
assess housing units or land parcels for a variety of city services,
including parks. The assessment revenues can be used for parkland
acquisition, development and/or maintenance. The agency can
choose to use the revenue generated on a pay-as-you-go basis
or can sell bonds in order to receive a lump sum amount which
is then paid back from the annual revenue generated from the
assessment. The pay-as-you-go method provides steady ongoing
revenue to fund services. Bonding against revenue provides a
larger sum to undertake a bigger project. Establishment of a new
assessment district or revision to an existing one requires a simple
majority vote of property owners.
EXCHANGE OR SELL PROPERTY
If the City has an excess piece of property, the City could sell or
trade the property to obtain a site more suitable for park use.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
COMBINING MASTER PLAN PROJECT WITH OTHER
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
As the primary part of Palo Alto’s green infrastructure, the
parks, natural open space and trails system connects to many
other city services. Some projects can be vital parts of other
infrastructure projects or be applicable for funding from sources for
transportation, stormwater, flood protection and other engineered
infrastructure projects. Combining or coupling Master Plan projects
with other infrastructure projects can reduce the costs all around,
open up new funding streams, provide mitigation and achieve
multiple objectives.
ESTABLISH AN ENDOWMENT FUND FOR MAINTENANCE
Recognizing that operations and maintenance funding is not likely
to get any easier to obtain, Palo Alto could fund, or could seek
philanthropic donations to fund, a endowment for the long-term
maintenance of parks, natural open spaces or recreation facilities.
This effort could be started with a smaller, targeted effort to endow
the maintenance of a specific type of facility and then grown
over time to eventually cover a significant portion of the system
maintenance.
Evaluating Future Projects
As time passes new ideas will emerge about how to optimize an
individual site, add to the system or change the mix of recreation
opportunities. The combination of the goals (detailed in Chapter 4)
and the prioritization criteria create a framework that can be used
to evaluate future proposals for changes to the parks, trails, natural
open space and recreation system.
Review Process
Following a similar process to developing the Master Plan projects
and programs, the review process for new ideas includes both staff
and PRC review. The review process will follow the steps below.
1. Step 1: Staff, individual or community group proposes a
project or program.
2. Step 2: Staff reviews the proposal to determine if the
project aligns with the community’s vision as expressed in
the Master Plan principles and goals. If a compelling case
cannot be made, the process stops here.
3. Step 3: Staff analyzes need using the same
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
categories as in the Data and Needs Summary
(see Master Plan Chapter 3):
• Current service/inventory
• Level of control
• Geographic analysis
• Capacity/bookings
• Perception of quality
• Expressed need
• Demographic trends
• Barriers to participation
• Projected demand
In some cases, information may not be readily available for staff
to make an adequate evaluation. In these cases, staff may obtain
additional data by meeting with the proposer or with local experts,
conducting regional or national research or seeking community
input. Staff may also recommend conducting a specific technical
study. Once adequate information is gathered, staff will complete
the analysis of need and document it in a brief report. If PRC review
is needed, staff will proceed to Step 4.
4. Staff makes a recommendation to the PRC. Using the
results of the analysis of need (Step 3), staff evaluates
the proposal using the prioritization criteria and prepares
a staff report to the PRC with a recommendation. Staff
may recommend that the PRC add the proposed project
or program for further development and eventual addition
to the Action Plan. Staff may also recommend against the
proposal if the prioritization scoring is low. Low scoring is
an indicator that the proposal is not a priority, compared to
all opportunities.
5. The PRC considers the staff’s recommendation at a
meeting. The proposer is encouraged to attend and to
present the proposal. After consideration at the meeting,
the PRC makes a determination and directs staff how to
proceed.
For proposals recommended for further action, staff can explore
the financial and practical considerations and incorporate the
proposal into Action Plan and/or the CIP process as applicable.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Progress Reporting
Palo Alto annually collects data, both internally and from the
community to measure and track performance, budget and
expenditures. These existing measures provide a large selection
of data points to draw from when looking at any part of the parks,
trails, natural open space and recreation system, including annual
trends. Many of the existing indicators are directly related to
Master Plan goals, while others indirectly provide valuable insight
into the progress of the Master Plan.
Palo Alto has a standing practice of reporting on the annual
National Citizen Survey1, a citizen satisfaction survey as well as
a performance-based “Citizen Centric Report”2, both of which
provide data on parks and recreation programs and services. A
City-wide Performance Report that provides information to City
Council, management and the public contains information on
spending, staffing, workload and performance results. In addition,
there is internal reporting at the department level that informs
program and service delivery decisions, budget proposals and
policy and procedure changes. Below are the existing indicators
and measures that Palo Alto currently collects along with additional
recommended indicators to effectively monitor and report on
Master Plan progress.
1The National Citizen Survey™ is a collaborative effort between the Nation-
al Research Center, Inc., (NRC) and the International City/County Manage-
ment Association. The NRC uses a statistically valid survey methodology to
gather resident opinions across a range of community issues, including the
quality of the community and services provided by the local government.
2 The Citizen Centric Report is a summary document highlighting perfor-
mance, financial data, and an overview of the City’s economic outlook.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
TABLE 6: EXISTING INDICATORS
Indicator Rating Source
Goals
1 2 3 4 5 6
Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Palo Alto as a whole:• Availability of paths and walking trails • Public places where people want to spend time • Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) • Recreational opportunities
1=Excellent2=Good3=Fair4=Poor5=Don’t Know
National Citizen Survey X X X X
In the last 12 months, about how many times, if at all, have you or other household members done each of the following in Palo Alto? • Used Palo Alto recreation centers or their services • Visited a neighborhood park or City park
1=2 times a week or more 2=2-4 times a month3= Once a month or less4=Not a at all
National Citizen Survey X X X X
Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Palo Alto: • City parks • Recreation programs or classes • Recreation centers or facilities • Preservation of natural areas such as open space, farmlands and greenbelts • Palo Alto open space • Your neighborhood park
1=Excellent2=Good3=Fair4=Poor5=Don’t Know
National Citizen Survey X X X X X X
Please rate the quality of Palo Alto’s trees and landscaping for Parks
1=Excellent2=Good3=Fair4=Poor5=Don’t Know
National Citizen Survey X X
Suggested improvements to Parks or Recreation Activities and Programs (open-ended question, which may change annually)
N/A National Citizen Survey X X X X X X
Parks/Land Maintained by Community Services # of acres City of Palo Alto Performance Report X
Participants in community garden program # of participants City of Palo Alto Performance Report X
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
Indicator Rating Source
Goals
1 2 3 4 5 6
Visitors at Foothills Park # of visitors City of Palo Alto Performance Report X X X X
Community Services Volunteer Hours in restorative/resource management programs and neighborhood parks
# of hours City of Palo Alto Performance Report X X
Enrollment in recreation classes and camps:• Summer camps and aquatics• Kids (excluding camps)• Adults• Preschool
# of enrolled participants
City of Palo Alto Performance Report X X X X X X
Participants in Teen Programs Number of participants
City of Palo Alto Performance Report X X
Amount of General Fund Expenditures spent on Community Services
Percent of total expenditures Citizen Centric Report X X X X X X
TABLE 6: EXISTING INDICATORS (CONTINUED)
To track progress on Master Plan implementation, additional
specific measurable indicators that relate directly to the goals,
policies and programs were identified. These will be applied and
reported annually to the PRC, City Council and the community.
Additional indicators may be added if a need is identified by staff,
the PRC or City Council. Table 7 lists the recommended additional
indicators.
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation IMPLEMENTATION
TABLE 7: RECOMMENDED INDICATORS
Recommended Indicator
Goals
1 2 3 4 5 6
Number of park visitors X X X
Number of visits to community centers, pools and recreation sites X
Diversity of participation and visitors age/culture/ abilities X
Senior participation numbers in recreation programs and services X X
Percent of residents satisfied or very satisfied with the affordability of Recreation programs.X
Percent of residents satisfied or very satisfied with the inclusivity of recreation programs.X
Percent of residents satisfied or very satisfied with the accessibility of Recreation programs.X
Percent of residents who rate the number and variety of recreation programs as good or very good X X
Number of participants in outdoor education programs X X X
Number of new recreation programs, events and locations piloted X X
Percentage of residents who live within a ½ mile distance to a City park X
Number of acres dedicated as park land X
Number of projects that improved accessibility by meeting or exceeding American Disability Act requirements X
Number of dog park users by site X X
Number of timeslots used on sports fields X X X
Percent of athletic fields available for use X X X X
Acres of new native landscape and new habitat X X
Number of public restrooms in parks X
Percent of potable water reduced (based on 2013 base year)X
Amount of funding obtained from grants, sponsorships, and other private funding sources X
Recreation Division budget that is derived from recreation fees X
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Glossary
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Capital Project: Any physical improvement with a minimal cost of
$50,000, a useful life of at least 5-7 years or that extend the life
of an existing asset by at least 5 years. Planning and design are
considered a part of a capital project.
Creek/Riparian Enhancement: Conceptual enhancement
opportunity for all of the creeks passing through Palo Alto.
Element: One of three divisions of the plan for analysis purposes:
parks, trails and natural open space; recreation facilities; and
recreation programs.
Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Route: A concept to improve
routes identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan to
create a network of high quality on and off street connections
that link parks. These routes are envisioned to have enhanced
crossings, street treatments and other improvements beyond the
bicycle infrastructure outlined in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
Streetscape and plantings are also linked to the idea of Pollinator
Pathways.
Facility: A built feature in a park or preserve that adds, supports or
enhances a recreation activity.
Goals: A broad statement of direction describing the desired end
state. Goals are qualitative in nature, and collectively should achieve
the system envisioned by the principles.
Mean Projected High Water 3ft Sea Level Rise: The line at
which water meets the land surface at the mean high water point
projected in NOAA models for 3 feet of sea level rise.
Natural Open Space Preserve: A category of park land that is
designated to protect and provide access to nature. The four
natural open space preserves are: Baylands Preserve (which
includes Byxbee Park), Esther Clark Preserve, Foothills Park and
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve.
Park Connector: A conceptual second tier of enhanced bicycle and
pedestrian route that links the major routes to a few isolated sites.
Park Search Area: The inverse of the park service areas,
highlighting the areas outside of a ½ mile walk from any park
land. These areas are the targets for strategies to add to the park
system.
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Policy: A values-based framework that provides clear direction and
guides an action toward achieving the goal. Policies state what will
be done, but not how.
Pollinator Pathway: A concept for pathyways, utilizing the
Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Route network, that feature
plantings and tree canopy along the streetscape to enhance habitat
connections for birds and insects with multiple benefits including
enhancing pollination.
Principles: A fundamental basis that describes a desired state or
preferred direction. Collectively, the principles articulate the Palo
Alto community’s vision for the future parks, trails, natural open
space and recreation system.
Recreation Program: A class, league, camp, tour or event that
facilitates participating in an activity
Riparian Connected Parks: Sites with a creek (natural or
channelized) passing through or adjacent.
Universal Design: “The concept of designing all products and the
built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent
possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in
life.” - Ronald L. Mace of North Carolina State University, College of
Design
Urban Canopy Target Area: The lowest canopy coverage
neighborhoods in the Urban Forestry Master Plan (0-30%
coverage).
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Glossary
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Bibliography
Documents
1. Association of Bay Area Governments. “Projections and Priorities: 2009. Building Momentum.”
2. Association of Bay Area Governments. “Projections 2013.”
3. City of Palo Alto, Administrative Services Department. “2014-2015 Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report.” June 30, 2015.
4. City of Palo Alto City Manager. “Adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration and the Foothills
Fire Management Plan.” May 18, 2009. http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/
documents/15866
5. City of Palo Alto. “Blue Ribbon Infrastructure Advisory Committee Report: Palo Alto’s Infrastructure:
Catching Up, Keeping Up, and Moving Ahead.” December 21, 2012. http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/
civicax/filebank/documents/29729
6. City of Palo Alto. “Bicycle + Pedestrian Transportation Plan.” July 2012.
7. City of Palo Alto. Bicycle Plan Implementation Projects.” March 17, 2014. https://www.cityofpaloalto.
org/civicax/filebank/documents/39437.
8. City of Palo Alto. “Clean Bay Pollution Prevention Plan.” February 2012. http://www.cityofpaloalto.
org/civicax/filebank/documents/28774
9. City of Palo Alto. Climate Protection Plan. December 3, 2007. www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/
filebank/documents/9986
10. City of Palo Alto. “Citizen Centric Report for Fiscal Year 2013.” March 17, 2014.
11. City of Palo Alto. “City of Palo Alto Field and Tennis Court Use Policy.” www.cityofpaloalto.org/
civicax/filebank/documents/38719
12. City of Palo Alto. City Council Informational Report. “Downtown Monitoring Report 2010-2011.”
March 5, 2012
13. City of Palo Alto, City Manager’s Office. “Adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration and the
Foothills Fire Management Plan.” May 18, 2009.
14. City of Palo Alto, Community Service Department. “Adoption of Healthy Cities, Healthy Communities
Resolution.” October 26, 2015.
15. City of Palo Alto, Community Services and Public Works Department. “Parks and Recreation Master
Plan Staff Report.” October 23, 2012.
16. City of Palo Alto. Community Services Class Cost Recovery Policy. Adopted by Council November 26,
2007.
17. City of Palo Alto. “Comprehensive Plan Update Draft EIR: Biological Resources.” February 5, 2016.
120
18. City of Palo Alto. “Comprehensive Plan Update: Population, Housing, and Employment.” August 29,
2014.
19. City of Palo Alto. “Comprehensive Plan Update: Public Services.” August 29, 2014.
20. City of Palo Alto, Department of Planning and Community Environment. “Tree Technical Manual:
Palo Alto Municipal Code, Chapter 8.10.030.” June 2001. http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/
filebank/documents/6937.
21. City of Palo Alto Department of Utilities, Utility Marketing Services in cooperation with the
Department of Water Resources. January 2009. “Landscape Standards.” http://www.cityofpaloalto.
org/civicax/filebank/documents/18226.
22. City of Palo Alto. “Development Impact Fees for Parks, Community Centers, and Libraries.” October
2001.
23. City of Palo Alto. “Development Impact Fees.” August 17, 2015.
24. City of Palo Alto. “Field and Tennis Court Use Policy.” June 2013.
25. City of Palo Alto, Finance Committee. “Proposed Changes in Development Impact Fees.” May 6,
2014.
26. City of Palo Alto. “Fiscal Year 2013 Adopted Capital Budget.” April 30, 2012.
27. City of Palo Alto. “Fiscal Year 2014 Adopted Operating Budget.” August 5, 2013.
28. City of Palo Alto. “The National Citizen Survey.” January 23, 2015.
29. City of Palo Alto. “Palo Alto Baylands Master Plan.” 4th Edition. 2008.
30. City of Palo Alto. “Palo Alto Municipal Code.” www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/
paloalto_ca/paloaltomunicipalcode?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:paloalto_ca
31. City of Palo Alto. “Performance Report for FY 2013.” March 17, 2014.
32. City of Palo Alto. “Public Art Master Plan.” Revised Draft. April 18, 2016.
33. City of Palo Alto, Public Works Department. “Management Plan for the Western Burrowing Owl,
Byxbee Park Hills.” May 2015.
34. City of Palo Alto, Office of the City Auditor. “Study Session: Service Efforts & Accomplishments
Report FY 2011.” March 19, 2012.
35. City of Palo Alto Recreation Division: Community Services Division. “Summary of Programs and
Services.” Hard copy only.
36. City of Palo Alto Safe Routes to School. “Bicycle Counts.” 2010.
37. City of Palo Alto. “Urban Forest Master Plan, February 2015.
38. City of Palo Alto Utilities. Urban Wastewater Management Plan. June 2011. www.cityofpaloalto.org/
civicax/filebank/documents/27107
39. Cubberley Community Center. “Cubberley Community Advisory Committee Report.” May 2013.
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Bibliography
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Bibliography
40. Fehr and Peers.”Maybell Plan Drawings.” January 28, 2014. http://www.bpapaloalto.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/02/Maybell-drawings-01.30.14.pdf
41. Gallagher, Tim. “Developing Sustainable Park Systems in Oregon.” June 2012
42. Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. “Imagine the Future of Open Space.” www.openspace.
org/imagine/downloads/Top25_Future_Projects_sm.pdf
43. National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association
(ICMA). “National Citizens Survey: City of Palo Alto 2013.” 2013.
44. Palo Alto Unified School District, prepared by Decision Insight. “Analysis of enrollment projections:
Fall 2014.” December 2013.
45. Project Safety Net. “Strategic Plan 2013-2014.” www.psnpaloalto.com/home/psn-strategic-plan/.
46. Stanford University / City of Palo Alto. “The Stanford and Palo Alto Trails Program: Connecting the
Bay to the Ridge.” Stanford University / City of Palo Alto Joint Grant Application, September 6, 2012,
Santa Clara County Recreation Fund Established by the County / Stanford Trails Agreement. http://
www.sccgov.org/sites/scc/Documents/Recreational%20Projects%20Applications/Stanford%20
and%20Palo%20Alto%20Application_Pt%203%20-%20Stanford%20Perimeter%20Trail.pdf
Databases
47. California Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit: State and County Population
Projections by Major Age Groups (2010-2060). December 15, 2014.
48. California Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit: State and County Population
Projections by Race/Ethnicity (2010-2060). December 15, 2014.
49. California Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit: State and County Population
Projections by Total Population every 5 Years (2010-2060). December 15, 2014.
50. California Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit: State and County Population
Projections Median Age by Race/Ethnicity and Gender (2010-2060). December 15, 2014.
51. City of Palo Alto Open Data Portal http://data.cityofpaloalto.org/home
52. City of Palo Alto Recreation Registration System (2014 onward)
Websites
53. U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2012 American Community Survey. http://
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml
54. U.S. Census Bureau; 2010 Census Summary. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/
community_facts.xhtml
55. City of Palo Alto, CA. “City Sustainability Policy” http://archive.cityofpaloalto.org/environment/news/
details.asp?NewsID=751&TargetID=59
122
56. City of Palo Alto. Budget Viewer. https://paloalto.opengov.com/transparency#/329/accountType=ex
penses&breakdown=3ae92313-04df-42e6-aaf9-6428e2d2c5b5¤tYearAmount=cumulativ
e¤tYearPeriod=years&graph=stacked&legendSort=desc&month=6&proration=true&saved_
view=null&selection=F27FD044A63ADC842F2C21EB66DA828B&fiscal_start=earliest&fiscal_
end=latest
57. City of Palo Alto. Golf Course Reconfiguration Project. www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/csd/golf/
new/default.asp
58. Safe Routes to School: Palo Alto. http://www.saferoutes.paloaltopta.org/
59. City of Palo Alto. “News Details: Rinconada Long Range Plan.” www.cityofpaloalto.org/news/
displaynews.asp?NewsID=1917&targetid=109
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Bibliography
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Photo Credits
Photo Credits
The photos in this document were provided by the City of Palo Alto unless credited below.
Page xi
TOP: hustace_mig_santeepark_7321, MIG, Inc.
MIDDLE: 104trailhead, Ty Littell, www.bahiker.com
BOTTOM: Outdoor Fitness Machines, Barry Cawston, http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_
id=3978634
Page xii
TOP: 2012billyhustace_0812_7826_darker, MIG, Inc.
Page xiv
MIDDLE: hustace_0412_anaheimcove_0432, MIG, Inc.
BOTTOM: 8_BigBird’s Climbing Nest06, http://www.japanesesearch.com/big-birds-climbing-nest-in-
universal-studios-osaka/
Page 11
2011.05.28-027-Snowy-Egret-cedMed.jpg, Citizen Science League. http://csl.dynamicpatterns.
com/2011/05/28/nesting-season-at-the-palo-alto-baylands/
Page 54
P1030296.jpg, Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space, The Municipal Art Society of New York,
http://apops.mas.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/P1030296.jpg
Page 58
IMG_6446, MIG, Inc.
Page 59
TOP: 1-2-JCWCEVENT_NaturalAreas, David F. Ashton, http://eastpdxnews.com/general-news-features/
hundreds-of-volunteers-clean-up-johnson-creek/
124
Page 60
BOTTOM: AA DroughtQ&A2, Andy Alfaro, http://www.modbee.com/news/article22403646.html
Page 61
TOP: McAllisterdogpark, San Antonio Parks & Rec, http://www.sanantonio.gov/ParksAndRec/
ParksFacilities/AllParksFacilities/ParksFacilitiesDetails/TabId/3354/ArtMID/14820/ArticleID/2578/
McAllister-Park.aspx?Park=141&Facility=
BOTTOM: dog_parkrk, Username: Fidelity http://www.doggoes.com/parks/california/san-mateo-
county/foster-city-dog-park-boat-park
Page 62
TOP: Community-Garden, MIG, Inc.
BOTTOM: 6-East-Palo-Alto-United-States1, 350.org, http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/current-affairs/
social-issues/10-ways-to-celebrate-10-10-10/
Page 63
606wide, Jeff Banowetz, https://rootsrated.com/stories/new-proposed-bike-lanes-could-change-the-
way-you-ride-in-chicago
Page 64
PA7.jpg, Upper Playground. http://www.upperplayground.com/blogs/news-upperplay-
ground/15493048-brilliance-new-interactive-illuminated-sculpture-garden-in-palo-alto
Page 66
TOP: Earth Day 045, Dr. Laura Russomano, http://character.org/schools-of-character/promising-
practices-overview/promising-practices-award-winners/winners-list/promising-practices-2012/
theunis-dey/
BOTTOM: Julio great horned owl2, MIG, Inc.
Page 67
150dpiUCBUnderhill-1024wx500h.jpg, Watry Design, http://watrydesign.com/projects/uc-berkeley-un-
derhill-parking-structure
Page 68
TOP: INSTALLATIONS_c984b34b42fe0469a8f60619532cfdf0, JUSTIN SAGLIO, https://www.
bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2014/09/11/interactive-art-piece-swing-time-lights-
lawn/4UQQCGiRZ0lPDysO4IYxNK/story.html
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation Photo Credits
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Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Open Space, & Recreation
BOTTOM: The porch, MIG, Inc.
Page 70
3876 Noriega Street SF Devils-teeth-baking-company, MIG, Inc.
Page 74
BOTTOM: Parachute solar flowers, Garfield Clean Energy, http://www.postindependent.com/news/in-solar-energy-
rifle-shines-most-brightly/
Page 75
stormwaterplanter_residential, sitephocus.com, https://hpigreen.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/highresdownload_
highpoint-005.jpg
Title Page, Appendix C
Youth Soccer_RAM, Ryan Mottau, MIG, Inc.
APPENDIX A
PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES INVENTORY
THE FOLLOWING PAGES CONTAIN A COMPLETE INVENTORY OF
PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES IN PALO ALTO.
A-1
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX A: PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES INVENTORY
PALO ALTO PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES INVENTORY
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Baylands Athletic Center City of Palo Alto Geng Road, off Embarcadero 6 1 1
Bol Park City of Palo Alto Laguna between Barron and Matadero 13.8
Boulware Park City of Palo Alto 39 Fernando Avenue 1.5
Bowden Park City of Palo Alto Alma Street at California Avenue 2
Bowling Green Park City of Palo Alto 474 Embarcadero Road 1.9
(Juana) Briones Park City of Palo Alto Arastradero at Clemo Street 4.1
Cameron Park City of Palo Alto 211 Wellesley Street 1.1
Cogswell Plaza City of Palo Alto Lytton Avenue at Bryant Street 0.5
El Camino Park Stanford University*1 El Camino Real 12.19 1 1
Eleanor Pardee Park City of Palo Alto 851 Center Drive 9.6
El Palo Alto Park City of Palo Alto El Camino Real at Alma Street 0.5
Greer Park City of Palo Alto 1 98 Amarillo Street 22 1 3 5
Heritage Park City of Palo Alto Homer at Waverley 2.01
Hoover Park City of Palo Alto 291 Cowper Street 4.2 1
Hopkins Creekside City of Palo Alto Palo Alto Avenue from Emerson to Marlowe 12.4
Johnson Park City of Palo Alto Everett and Waverley 2.5
Kellogg Park City of Palo Alto Waverly at Embarcadero Road 0.245
Lytton Plaza City of Palo Alto 202 University Avenue 0.2
Mayfield Park City of Palo Alto 23 Wellesley Street 1.1
Mitchell Park City of Palo Alto 6 East Meadow Avenue 21.4
Monroe Park City of Palo Alto Monroe and Miller Avenue 0.55
Peers Park City of Palo Alto 1899 Park Boulevard 4.7
Ramos Park City of Palo Alto 8 East Meadow Avenue 4.4
Rinconada Park City of Palo Alto 777 Embarcadero Road 19
Robles Park City of Palo Alto 4116 Park Boulevard 4.7 1 1
Scott Park City of Palo Alto Scott Street at Channing Avenue 0.4
Seale Park City of Palo Alto 31 Stockton 4.3
Stanford - Palo Alto Playing Fields Stanford University*El Camino at Page Mill Road 5.9 2
Terman Park City of Palo Alto 655 Arastradero Road 7.7 1 2
Wallis Park City of Palo Alto Grant Avenue at Ash Street 0.3
Weisshaar Park City of Palo Alto 2298 Dartmouth Street 1.1
Williams Park (Museum of American Heritage)City of Palo Alto 351 Homer Ave 0.7
Werry Park City of Palo Alto 23 Dartmouth Street 1.1
Subtotal 174.08 4 6 11
* Leased by the City of Palo Alto The El Camino lease expires in 2042 and the Stanford - Palo Alto Playing Fields lease expires in 2056.
A-2A-1
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Yes A 2 1 2 Concessions stand/maintenance equipment storage; restrooms equipment storage
1 E 1 perimeter trail 2 1 un-channeled creek
1 2 perimeter trail 2
NA 1 yes perimeter trail
1 1 Bowling green
1 E 1 2 footpath 1 1
E 1 1
NA 1 1 Wireless internet access
yes NA perimeter trail 1 1
1 C 2 yes 1 3 Community Gardens, multipurpose concrete bowl
connections
B 2 1 yes 3 1 2 Skateboard Park (outdated); dog "exercise area"
NA 1 1
1 B 2 1 2 yes perimeter trail 1 1 3 fenced dog run, handball court, multipurpose bowl
NA
1 E 1 1 perimeter trail 5 3 community garden, sand volley ball court, open turf
NA
yes 1 fountain
NA 1 1 Library
1 NA 7 4 yes 2 0.25 miles 6 3 1
Magical Bridge accessible play area, fenced dog run, water feature, handball courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, petanque, multipurpose bowl, fieldhouse. Concession stand/kitchen area
NA 1 walking path 1
1 D 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 Field house with restroom
1 E 1 1 T-ball field
1 D 9 1 2 2 1
E 1 2 footpath 2 2 multipurpose bowl
NA 1 1 1
1 C 1 1 pathway 3 1
yes A yes 1 1 1 1 snack shack
C 2 4 perimeter trail
NA yes
E 2
Museum of American Heritage
1 E 1 1
11 0 3 24 14 0 1 29 8 8 39 13 22
A-3
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PALO ALTO PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES INVENTORY
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Baylands Preserve (including Byxbee)City of Palo Alto 2775 Embarcadero Road 1,986
Esther Clark Preserve City of Palo Alto Old Trace Road 22
Foothills Park City of Palo Alto 33 Page Mill Road 1,400
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve City of Palo Alto Arastradero Road at Page Mill Road 622
Subtotal 4,030 0 0 0
Other Recreation Facilities in Palo Alto
Cubberly Community Center and Fields City of Palo Alto/PAUSD 4 Middlefield Road, T-2 4 3
King Plaza at City Hall City of Palo Alto 250 Hamilton Avenue
Lucie Stern Community Center City of Palo Alto 13 5 Middlefield Road
Middlefield Ballpark Palo Alto Little League 3672 Middlefield Road
Mitchell Park Community Center City of Palo Alto 3800 Middlefield Rd
Junior Museum and Zoo City of Palo Alto 1451 Middlefield Road
Municipal Golf Course City of Palo Alto 1875 Embarcadero Road 181
Ventura Community Center City of Palo Alto 3990 Ventura Court
Subtotal 181 0 4 3
Palo Alto Unified School District Facilities
Barron Park Elementary School PAUSD 8 Barron Ave
Duveneck Elementary School PAUSD 75 Alester Ave
El Carmelo Elementary School PAUSD Loma Verde Ave
Escondido Elementary School PAUSD 89 Escondido Road
Fairmeadow Elementary School PAUSD 5 East Meadow Drive
Greendell Early Childhood Education Center PAUSD 412 Middlefield Rd
Gunn High School PAUSD 78 Arastradero Rd 1*1*2*
Hoover Elementary School PAUSD 445 E. Charleston Road
JLS Middle School PAUSD 48 E. Meadow Dr, Palo Alto 3
Jordan Middle School PAUSD 75 N. California Ave 1 3
Juana Briones Elementary School PAUSD 41 Orme St
Lucille Nixon Elementary School PAUSD Stanford Ave
Ohlone Elementary School PAUSD 95 Amarillo Ave
Palo Verde Elementary School PAUSD 345 Louis Rd
Palo Alto High School (Paly)PAUSD 5 Embarcadero Rd 1*1*2*
Terman Middle School "PAUSD (joint shared use with City)"655 Arastradero Rd 2
Ventura Community Center (building only)PAUSD 3990 Ventura Court
Walter Hays Elementary School PAUSD 1525 Middlefield Road
Subtotal 0 0 1 8
Palo Alto Total 4384.7 4 11 22
“D” Facility
“E” Facility
Quality Rating Key
“A” Facility
“B” Facility
“C” facility
High quality turf, possibily with lights and few time restrictions
High quality turf, no nights and few time restrictions
Good quality turf, no lights
Fair turf quality, no lights, restriction on use time and close proximity to neighbors
Low turf quality, no lights, no bathroom access and time restrictions
*HS Fields not available for City or community use
A-4A-3
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yes 1 15 miles 1 1 2 nature interpretive center
NA yes 1 15 miles 1 1 3 campground; large turf area; Boranda Lake dock; nature interpretive center
yes 1 10.3 miles 1 nature interpretive center
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 3 5
B 6 yes 1 2 theater
1 2 Community Theater and Children's Theater
2 snack shack and scoreboard
1 1 reopening soon after major rennovation
1
1
1 E 1 1
1 0 0 6 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 6
1 E 3
1 E 2
1 E 2
1 E
1 E 2
1 E
1*Yes C 7 3 1
1 C 3
1 C 6 6
C 6 7
1 E 4
1 E 3
1 E 2
1 E 4
1*Yes NA 7 4
C 5
3 1
1 E 3
13 0 2 26 56 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
Fair turf quality, no lights, restriction on use time and close proximity to neighbors
Low turf quality, no lights, no bathroom access and time restrictions
APPENDIX B
GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
THE MAPPING AND ANALYSIS OF PALO ALTO’S SYSTEM USED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) DATA ON the parks, streets, trails and recreation facilities to evaluate the system from the perspective of a pedestrian or cyclist. The core of the analysis is described and illustrated in Chapter 3. This appendix includes additional mapping that was completed to illustrate the distribution of components and activities that emerged as important in the planning process. These include: exercise and fitness; gathering; play for children; relax and enjoy the outdoors; throw/catch/shoot/kick a ball; recreation with dogs; indoor recreation, and sports courts. Additionally, community input through the Mapita interactive map reported a park quality rating that is visualized in a final map.
C-2C-2B-2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
S an F r a ncisquitoCreek
Matad e ro C re e k
Barron
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Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Exercise and Fitness
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-2 B-3
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Exercise and Fitness
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-4C-4B-4
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Sa n F r a ncisquitoCreek
Mat a d e ro C r e ek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcar
d
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Gathering
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
StanfordUniversity
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
C-4 B-5
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcar
d
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Gathering
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
StanfordUniversity
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
C-6C-6B-6
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Sa n F ra ncisquitoCreek
Mat a de ro C r ee k
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Play for Children
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (PrivateTrail with
Public Access)
C-6 B-7
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with
Play for Children
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (PrivateTrail with
Public Access)
C-8C-8B-8
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
San F ra ncisquitoCreek
Matad e ro C re e k
Barro
n
C
r
e
e
k
Ado
b
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Relax and Enjoy the
Outdoors
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-8 B-9
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barro
n
C
r
e
e
k
Ado
b
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
MountainView
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Relax and Enjoy the
Outdoors
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-10C-10B-10
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
S an F r a ncisquito Creek
Mat a d e ro C r e ek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
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y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
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l
Embarcard
e
r
o
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d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
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l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
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e
r
o
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d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
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R
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a
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n
o
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e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Throw, Catch, Shoot
or Kick a Ball
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-10 B-11
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Throw, Catch, Shoot
or Kick a Ball
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-12B-12
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
S a n F r a ncisquitoCreek
Mat a d e ro C r e ek
B arron Creek
Adobe Creek
Stanfo r d
M ount ai n
View
M e n l o Pa r k
L o s A lto s
Los Al t o sHills
E a s tPalo A l t o
A t h e rto n
San M a t eo C o u n ty
Po r t o laValley
S an F ra n ci s co B a y
S t a n f ord
Santa C l a r a C o u n ty
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Page Mill Rd
Oregon Expy
el C
a
min
o R
eal
Emb a r c a r de r o R d Middlefield Rd
Alm
a St
Arastradero Rd
Alm
a St
C h a rle s t o n R d
el Camino Real
Sa n d Hill R d
Santa Cruz Ave
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with Recreation
Areas for Dogs
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Dog Recreation Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (PrivateTrail with
Public Access)
C-12 B-13
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron Creek
Adobe Creek
Stanford
Moun t a i n
Vi e w
Menlo Park
L o s A lto s
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
S an F ra nc i s co B a y
Stanford
San t a C l a r a C o unt y
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Page Mill Rd
Oregon Expy
el C
a
min
o R
eal
Embarcardero RdMiddlefield Rd
Alm
a St
Arastradero Rd
Alm
a St
C h arle s t o n R d
el Camino Real
Sand Hill Rd
Santa Cruz Ave
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with Recreation
Areas for Dogs
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Dog Recreation Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (PrivateTrail with
Public Access)
C-14B-14
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
S a n F r a ncisquito Creek
Mat ad e ro C re e k
Barro
n
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charles
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Indoor Recreation
Facilities
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Community Recreation Centers Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
Other Community Services Buildings Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-14 B-15
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barro
n
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
PortolaValley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcard
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charles
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Indoor Recreation
Facilities
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Community Recreation Centers Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
Other Community Services Buildings Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-16B-16
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
San F ra ncisquitoCreek
Mat a d e ro C r e ek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcar
d
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with Sports
Courts
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-16 B-17
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron
C
r
e
e
k
Adob
e
C
r
e
e
k
Stanford
Mountain
View
Menlo Park
Los Altos
Los AltosHills
EastPalo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
San Francisco Bay
Stanford
Santa Clara County
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Pag
e
M
i
l
l
R
d
Oreg
o
n
E
x
p
y
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Embarcar
d
e
r
o
R
d
Mi
d
d
l
e
f
i
e
l
d
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Ara
s
t
r
a
d
e
r
o
R
d
Al
m
a
S
t
Charle
s
t
o
n
R
d
el
C
a
m
i
n
o
R
e
a
l
Sand
H
i
l
l
R
d
San
t
a
C
r
u
z
A
v
e
Palo Alto Airport
Parks with Sports
Courts
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS andSanta Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000 Feet
Park Experience Service Areas
1/4 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1/2 Mile or Less Walking Distance
1 Mile or Less Walking Distance
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-18C-18B-18
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
S a n F r a ncisquito Creek
Mat ad e ro C re e k
Barron C reek
Adobe Creek
S t a n f o r d
M o u n t a i n
V i e w
Men l o P a r k
Los Al t o s
L o s A lto sHills
Eas t
Pal o Alt o
A t h e r t o n
San M a t e o C o u n t y
Po r t o l a
Va l ley
Sa n F r a n c i sc o Ba y
S t a n f o r d
S a n t a C la ra Cou n t y
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryPark BoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Page Mill Rd
Oregon Expy
el C
a
min
o Re
al
E m b a r c a r dero R d Middlefield Rd
Alma St
Arastradero Rd
Alma St
C h a rle s t o n R d
el Camino Real
San d Hill R d
Santa Cruz Ave
78
4956
71 72
42
80
71
36
62
67
75
61
78
39
73
74
69
76
23
69
74
61
85
73
7468
31
64
65
61
48
76
75
67
82
Palo Alto Airport
5955
Overall
Park Quality
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000
Feet
Park Quality
10
25
50
75
100
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
C-18 B-19
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX B: GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SanFrancisquitoCreek
MataderoCreek
Barron Creek
Adobe Creek
Stanford
M ountai n
View
Menlo Park
L o s A l tos
Los Altos
Hills
East
Palo Alto
Atherton
San Mateo County
Portola
Valley
S an F ra n ci s co B ay
Stanford
Santa Cl a r a C o u n t y
Baylands Preserve
BaylandsAthleticCenter
GreerPark
BolPark
MitchellPark
Esther ClarkPreserve
El CaminoPark
TermanPark
HooverPark
EleanorPardeePark
Peers Park
SealePark
RoblesPark
RamosPark
Briones Park
CubberleyCommunityCenter
JohnsonPark
BowdenPark
Stanford-Palo AltoPlayingFields
Heritage Park
BowlingGreenPark
El PaloAlto Park
WerryParkBoulwarePark
CameronPark
WeisshaarPark
MonroePark
RinconadaPark
WilliamsPark
Cogswell Plaza
LyttonPlaza
Sarah WallisPark
HopkinsCreekside Park
Palo AltoGolf Course
Scott Park
MayfieldPark
VenturaCommunity Center
PearsonArastraderoPreserve
KelloggPark
Foothills Park
Page Mill Rd
Oregon Expy
el C
a
min
o Re
al
Embarcardero RdMiddlefield Rd
Alma St
Arastradero Rd
Alma St
C h arle s t o n R d
el Camino Real
Sand Hill Rd
Santa Cruz Ave
78
4956
7172
42
80
71
36
62
67
75
61
78
39
73
74
69
76
23
69
74
61
85
73
7468
31
64
65
61
48
76
75
67
82
Palo Alto Airport
5955
Overall
Park Quality
Date: October 2016Sources: Palo Alto OpenGIS and
Santa Clara County GIS
Stanford
FoothillsPark
ArastaderoPreserve
BaylandPreserve
Santa ClaraCounty
San MateoCounty
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
MountainView
Los AltosLos AltosHills
Atherton
Cupertino
PortolaValley
East Palo Alto
UpperStevensCreek
Stevens CreekCounty Park
RanchoSan AntonioOpen SpacePreserve
Base Map Features
City of Palo Alto
Major Highways and Freeways
Streets
Creeks and Channels
Water Bodies
Schools
Palo Alto Existing Parks and Open Space (2016)
City Park
City Natural Open Spaces
Other City Property
0 2,000 4,000 6,0001,000
Feet
Park Quality
10
25
50
75
100
City of Palo Alto
Parks, Trails,
Natural Open Space
and Recreation
Master Plan
Trails
Trails
Private Recreation Route
Stanford Perimeter Trail (Private Trail with
Public Access)
APPENDIX C
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
THE CITY OF PALO ALTO IS COMMITTED TO CREATING A PLAN THAT ALIGNS WITH LOCAL NEEDS, PREFERENCES AND PRIORITIES. Community input was integral to each phase of the Parks, Trails, Open Space and Recreation Master Plan development. The engagement plan was designed to: increase community awareness of the project; inform the community about the challenges and opportunities of the project; provide easy access to project information and opportunities for participation; offer a range of communication and engagement tools to match interests and preferences; ensure the final Master Plan reflects community priorities, preferences and values; and get community buy-in to support plan adoption and its short-, mid- and long-term implementation.
C-2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community Engagement Activities
To achieve these goals, the Public Engagement Plan laid out
a robust, layered outreach strategy that included a variety of
engagement tools and activities so Palo Alto residents and other
interested community members could participate in a manner
convenient and comfortable for them. There were numerous
opportunities for participation, with a variety of formats, times and
levels of interaction offered as well as both online and face-to-face
methods.
PROJECT WEBPAGE
A Master Plan project webpage, hosted on the City’s website with a
project-specific web address (paloaltoparksplan.org), served as the
information portal and document library for the planning effort.
PUBLIC INFORMATION UPDATES
The project team disseminated public information updates through
the City’s established mailing lists, newsletters and social media
accounts. These updates informed the community about upcoming
meetings, online participation opportunities and project status.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
AT‑A‑GLANCE
200+ Intercept Survey
Participants
487 Online Map-Based
Survey Participants
65 Community Input
Workshop Participants
1,100+ Online Community Survey Participants
16 Follow-up Stakeholder
Interviews
736 Community Prioritization Challenge
and Workshop Participants
200+ Site Concept Review
Comments
Project webpage
C-2 C-3
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP
The Stakeholder Advisory Group provided an informed sounding
board for ideas and provided updated information about related
efforts and organizations. This group was also asked to help boost
participation in other engagement activities by passing along
information to existing networks and constituent groups about the
Master Plan process. This group consisted of representatives from
local advocacy groups, recreation organizations, local employers
and landowners, community service providers and others. To
respect the time of the members of the Stakeholder Advisory
Group, the project team designed the process to solicit this group’s
input at strategic times during the project.
INTERCEPT EVENTS
During the summer of 2014, the project team and Parks and
Recreation Commission (PRC) members conducted six “intercept
surveys” to collect input from visitors outdoors at parks, farmers
markets and community events. This approach is effective at
engaging all age groups, especially families with children, and
allows for informal and educational discussions with the public. It
also facilitates interaction with people who do not typically attend
public meetings, due to schedule conflicts or a lack of awareness.
The project team selected intercept times and locations to reach
a cross-section of Palo Altans. More than 200 people learned
about the park system and the Master Plan effort and informed
the planning team about their values and motivations as related to
parks, natural open space and recreation.
ONLINE MAP‑BASED SURVEY
During the summer of 2014, the project team hosted an online,
interactive, map-based survey using the Mapita application.
This tool allows community members to respond to a series
of questions and provide geographically tagged comments on
specific parks, facilities and transportation routes throughout
the City. A total of 487 respondents provided comments on park
quality, barriers to access, needs and opportunities. This effort
generated a rich data set about how people use the park system,
how they travel to the places they go, and what their experience is
like, including site-specific data. The images on the next page are
example graphics from the map-based survey.
C-4
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Site-specific comments on Bol Park from the online map-based survey
Routes to respondents’ closest park (darker lines indicate more intensely-used routes)
C-4 C-5
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY INPUT WORKSHOPS
In fall and winter 2014, the project team conducted three
interactive public workshops in different areas of Palo Alto,
attended by about 65 community members. Participants took
part in a visual preference survey about the character and design
of parks using real-time keypad polling. This activity, facilitated
in small groups, provided opportunities for in-depth discussion
of what features participants would like to protect, preserve,
improve or add to Palo Alto. The project team collected polling
data, recorded group discussion and collected additional input on
comment cards. For example, the image below shows the level
of participant support (combined from all three workshops) for a
landscape with integrated natural plantings.
ONLINE COMMUNITY SURVEY
Over 1,100 people completed an online survey developed by the
project team in close consultation with the PRC. This tool collected
data on community priorities and preferences to inform the
development of recommendations and actions. The survey was
available online and in hard copy, in both English and Spanish, from
mid-November to mid-December 2015.
Visual Preference Survey Result from a Community Input Workshop
C-6
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
FOLLOW‑UP STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS
As the planning process unfolded, the project team identified
issues for which additional knowledge from staff and community
experts would be beneficial to understanding needs and
identifying potential recommendations. Between October 2014
and March 2015, 16 follow-up stakeholder interviews were
conducted to gather additional data and explore issues in depth.
The interviewees included City and partner staff, volunteers, and
community members across a variety of topics:
• Community Gardening
• Aquatics
• Cubberley Community Center tenants
• Junior Museum and Zoo
• Palo Alto Art Center
• Children’s Library
• Palo Alto Children’s Theatre
• Middle School Athletics
• Palo Alto Dog Owners
• Avenidas
• Palo Alto Youth Council
• Boost drop-in programming
COMMUNITY PRIORITIZATION CHALLENGE AND WORKSHOP
To obtain community input on how to prioritize enhancements
within areas of focus, the project team implemented an online
interactive exercise called the “Community Prioritization Challenge”
from August 28, 2015 to February 15, 2016. A total of 731
respondents provided feedback through this activity.
The online exercise was supplemented by an in-person workshop
held on February 11th, 2016, which was lightly attended (5
participants representing different recreation interest groups) but
included a rich conversation about priorities. The online exercise
was mirrored by a printed display board that listed the twelve areas
of focus, on which each participant was asked to place five sticky
dots to indicate preferred investments.
C-6 C-7
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community Prioritization Challenge
C-8
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
SITE CONCEPTS REVIEW
The project team reached out to the community at the May Fête
on May 7, 2016 to review preliminary site concepts, illustrations of
how the recommendations of this plan could play out across each
park and preserve. The site concepts were presented as bubble
diagrams, indicating areas within the site and the general type of
improvements recommended. Shortly after this initial event, on
May 25th, a workshop was held to provide another opportunity to
comment on the concepts. Approximately 30 people reviewed the
concepts at the workshop. Further comments were received from
other City of Palo Alto department staff (including Public Safety
and Planning) as well as the Park and Recreation Commission. To
expand the opportunity to comment, the project team created and
advertised an online comment form that provided the opportunity
to provide site-specific feedback on the concepts. Over 200
comments were received through this form. These concepts have
been refined and are presented in Chapter 5 of this plan.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON PLAN
The project team created an online feedback form to collect
comments from the public on the draft Master Plan. As comments
were made, they were logged to track the source of the comment,
specific feedback or recommended changes for consideration,
and aggregated feedback to identify patterns. Comments were
discussed with staff and the PRC to determine appropriate action.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION (PRC)
The planning team engaged the PRC throughout the Master Plan
effort, from the initial scope development and consultant selection
through every step of the process. This commission’s involvement
was critical to understanding the full range of issues in the
community and in shaping further community engagement.
CITY COUNCIL
An important part of the Master Plan process was City Council
involvement. Council members represent Palo Alto residents and
are the policy and decision-making body of the City. As an initial
step, the project team made a presentation to the City Council and
the Park and Recreation Commission in a joint study session. This
presentation introduced the goals and objectives of the planning
process as well as preliminary plans for community engagement
and system analysis. As the planning process progressed, City
Council was provided updates through periodic reports and two
study sessions.
C-8 C-9
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community Engagement Results and Plan Development
The planning team identified patterns and trends that cut across
all the engagement activities and results, and crafted the Master
Plan Principles described in Chapter 4 to articulate a vision for the
future. These principles served as the foundation for the Master
Plan. The planning team then developed six Master Plan Goals
stating desired outcomes and accompanying policies and programs
to serve as a guide for City decision making to improve the Parks,
Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation system.
For more detailed descriptions of each outreach activity and key
findings, please see the Technical Supplement on the City website.
APPENDIX D
EXISTING CAPITAL AND OPERATIONS FUNDING SOURCES
THE CITY OF PALO ALTO IS COMMITTED TO CREATING A PLAN THAT ALIGNS WITH LOCAL NEEDS, PREFERENCES AND PRIORITIES. Community input was integral to each phase of the Parks, Trails, Open Space and Recreation Master Plan development. The engagement plan was designed to: increase community awareness of the project; inform the community about the challenges and opportunities of the project; provide easy access to project information and opportunities for participation; offer a range of communication and engagement tools to match interests and preferences; ensure the final Master Plan reflects community priorities, preferences and values; and get community buy-in to support plan adoption and its short-, mid- and long-term implementation.
D-2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX D: EXISTING CAPITAL AND
OPERATIONS FUNDING SOURCES
General Fund
The General Fund is the pool of unrestricted tax dollars and other
revenues that a City uses to pay for most of the services it provides.
General Funds are allocated out in the budgeting process and
dollars for park operations must compete with other city needs
for limited resources. Palo Alto uses the General Fund as the
primary source for operations and programming and also makes a
substantial transfer to the Capital Improvement Program each year.
Recreation programs generate revenue from user fees, which flow
directly into the General Fund, not into the budget for recreation
services.
Parkland Dedication Fees
A separate fee is charged at the time land is subdivided for
additional development. The parkland dedication fee is authorized
under the Quimby Act (California Government Code §66477)
allowing cities to require developers set aside land, donate
conservation easements or pay fees for park improvements. This
fee is calculated based on the maximum land requirement allowed
under the act, 5 acres per 1,000 persons, the number of dwelling
units and the current value of land. This funding source will be
relatively insignificant in the future due to the limited opportunity
to subdivide land within Palo Alto. In 2016, the parkland dedication
fee fund balance is $3,214,370.
Development Impact Fees
The City of Palo Alto collects impact fees authorized by the
Mitigation Fee Act for both new park system expansion and
community centers. These fees are collected at the time building
permits are issued for new construction and are based on a
measurable impact of additional people to the system. The fees are
adjusted annually to account for inflation. The current impact fee
amounts are listed in Table X, to the right.
The amount of the impact fee is based on two variables, the
projected growth of the user population resulting from the
development and the cost of planned improvements in response
to that growth. In 2014, the City revisited the nexus study and
projects that form the basis of all of the development impact fees
D-3D-2
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX D: EXISTING CAPITAL AND
OPERATIONS FUNDING SOURCES
FEES:
RESIDENTIAL
SINGLE FAMILY SINGLE FAMILY
OVER 3000 SQUARE
FEET
MULTI-FAMILY MULTI-FAMILY
UNDER 900 SQUARE
FEET
PARKS $11,864 $17,716 $7,766 $3,926
COMMUNITY
CENTERS
$3,075 $4,605 $2,024 $1,021
TOTAL RELEVANT*
IMPACT FEES PER
HOME
$14,939 $22,321 $9,790 $4,947
FEES: Commercial Hotel/Motel Institutional Industrial
NON-RESIDENTIAL
PARKS 5.038 2.278 5.038 5.038
COMMUNITY
CENTERS
0.284 0.128 0.284 0.284
TOTAL RELEVANT*
IMPACT FEES PER
SQUARE FOOT OF
NON-RESIDENTIAL
CONSTRUCTION
$5.32 $2.41 $5.32 $5.32
*The City also collects development impact fees for Public Safety Facilities, General Government Facilities,
Housing, Traffic and Public Art.
charged. This study determined that the fees were adequate for
current needs but should be revisited following the completion of
this master plan. In addition to the ongoing collection of impact
fees as development continues, Palo Alto currently has a balance
in the impact fee funds. In 2016, the park development impact
fee fund balance is $3,946,291 and for community center impact
fee fundbalance is $5,727,035, although this balance is mostly
committed to improvements that are already in the CIP.
D-4
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX D: EXISTING CAPITAL AND
OPERATIONS FUNDING SOURCES
Grants
Both private and public agencies offer a variety of grant programs.
Most park and recreation grant funds originate with either the
Federal or State government and are limited to funding the
acquisition, design and construction of parks, facilities and trails.
The active list of grant programs regularly changes, as Federal and
State budgets expand and contract and the application schedule
and process must be learned and monitored. Further, most grants
require that the local agency match a percentage of the funding
with local dollars.
In addition, private and corporate foundations are granting funding
for the construction of facilities and the acquisition of lands that
further their missions. Some private grant agencies in the health
sector are currently funding pilot programs in some areas of the
country to improve health outcomes, but for the most part grants
are not a sustainable ongoing source of funding for recreation
programming. Palo Alto has had some success with utilizing grant
funding to expand successful programs, including those at the
Junior Museum and Zoo and the Palo Alto Art Center beyond the
borders of the City. This allows these unique programs to reach a
larger scale without costing the taxpayers of Palo Alto additional
funds.
Public-Private Partnerships
The idea of working in close collaboration with a private entity to
enhance park and recreation opportunities is gaining in popularity
across the country. The basic approach is for a public agency to
enter into a working agreement with a private corporation or non-
profit entity to help fund, build, and/or operate a public facility.
Generally, the three primary incentives that a public agency can
offer is free land to place a facility (usually a park or other piece of
public land), certain tax advantages and access to public facilities.
While the public agency may have to give up certain responsibilities
or control, it is one way of developing public facilities at a lower
cost.
Palo Alto has had several high-profile successes, most recently
with the Magical Bridge Playground, with a fairly unique model
of public-private partnership. In this model, the City allows a
partner organization to take on the design and construction
D-5D-4
Palo Alto Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, & Recreation APPENDIX D: EXISTING CAPITAL AND
OPERATIONS FUNDING SOURCES
process, carving out the project site and leasing the property to the
partner for the duration of the project. The City remains involved
in oversight and technical assistance and takes possession of the
project at completion. Putting the partner organization at the front
of the effort has resulted in very successful fundraising and a high
quality and relatively lower cost process.
Donations
The donations of labor, land, or cash by service agencies, private
groups or individuals are a popular way to raise money for specific
projects. The most effective agencies actively solicit donations from
both the general public and through developed relationships with
local companies and philanthropists. Friends of the Palo Alto Parks
is an established channel for tax-deductible donations that can be
directed to specific projects or to park improvements in general.
The current level of donations has averaged approximately $15,000
per year. Labor hours contributed by volunteers is another type of
donation that benefits the City’s parks and open space preserves.
In Palo Alto’s history, there have been significant donations, such as
Lucie Stern Center.
Funding Gap
Palo Alto currently has more options for funding capital projects
than it does for funding that can fund the operation, maintenance
and programming of the system. The City should sustain a
sufficient investment to maintain its existing facilities, amenities
and programs. Future funding options should address this gap.
IN PROCESS BY PROJECT TEAM. This section will quantify the
gap between current funding and needed funding to catch up and
keep up with the maintenance of the existing parks, trails, natural
open space and recreation facilities and programs. Moreover, this
section will provide costs for a variety of new amenities that will
be evaluated annually as the department and City develop and
approve the capital and operating budget.
To: Peter Jensen, Kristen O’Kane, Rob de Geus, Daren Anderson, Peter
Jensen and Elizabeth Ames
From: Lauren Schmitt, Ellie Fiore, Ryan Mottau, MIG
Re: Online Comment Form Results as of 12/2/16
Date: December 5, 2016
The draft Master Plan has been available for public review since early November. To facilitate
public comments, the project team provided an online comment form that includes general
feedback questions and opportunities for detailed feedback. The general feedback questions
focus on the principles and goals, and the specific feedback allows reviewers to provide detailed
comments and feedback.
Figure 1: Screen shot of the feedback form
1
Principles and Goals
The principles and goals section asks the following questions, which are followed by the results:
Through the master plan process, the Palo Alto community has defined a future for parks, trails,
natural open spaces and recreation. This future is encapsulated in the eight principles and six
goals of this plan.
Which of the principles is most important to you and should guide the City's implementation of
this plan? (Check your top three principles)
Figure 2: Results to Date, Top Three Principles
Principle Percent
Number of
Responses
Healthy: Supports the physical and mental health and well-being
of individuals as well as the connectedness and cohesion of the
community.
52.0%39
Sustainable: Stewards natural, economic and social resources for
a system that endures for the long-term.45.3%34
Nature: Incorporates native species and habitat corridors, and
creates opportunities to learn about and interact with nature.42.7%32
Inclusive: Responsive to the entire Palo Alto community, all ages,
abilities, languages, cultures and levels of income.34.7%26
Flexible: Supports multiple uses across time with adaptable
spaces that can accommodate traditional, emerging and future
uses.
30.7%23
Playful: Inspires imagination and joy.25.3%19
Balanced: Is not dominated by any one type of experience or
place, and includes both historic elements and cutting-edge
features, highly manicured and more organic spaces, and self-
directed and programmed activities.
24.0%18
Accessible: Easy for people of all abilities to use year-round and
to get to by all modes of travel.20.0%15
Draft Master Plan Comments 12/2/16 2
Which of the goals is most important to you and should guide the City's implementation of this
plan? (Check your top three goals)
Figure 3: Results to Date, Top Three Goals
Residency in Palo Alto
A question asks whether the commenter lives in Palo Alto. Results show that 96% of
respondents report living in Palo Alto.
Goals Percent
Number of
Responses
Create environments that encourage regular active and passive
activities to support health, wellness and social connections.59.7%43
Preserve and integrate nature, natural systems and ecological
principles throughout Palo Alto.52.8%38
Enhance the capacity, quality and variety of uses of the existing
system of parks, recreation, and open space facilities and
services.
44.4%32
Provide high-quality facilities and services that are accessible,
inclusive, and distributed equitably across Palo Alto.43.1%31
Manage Palo Alto’s land and services effectively, efficiently and
sustainably utilizing quantitative and qualitative measures.36.1%26
Develop innovative programs, services and strategies for
expanding the system 19.4%14
Draft Master Plan Comments 12/2/16 3
Implementing the Plan
Two questions ask for feedback on where to emphasize implementation.
Figure 4: Screen shot of implementation questions
The instructions for these two questions are the same: Indicate the balance between the
choices below by selecting a point on the scale. The tables below show responses to date, with
the average of responses shown below each table.
1 2 3 4 5
Programs, classes,
or activities 1 7 21 31 15
Physical
improvements or new facilities
1.3% 9.3% 28.0% 41.3% 20.0%
1 2 3 4 5
Major upgrades or new facilities 6 11 19 28 11
Smaller
improvements throughout the
system
8.0% 14.7% 25.3% 37.3% 14.7%
AVERAGE 3.69
AVERAGE 3.36
Draft Master Plan Comments 12/2/16 4
Other Comments
The comment page also includes a window that invites people to submit other comments and
feedback.
Summary of comments:
• 37 written comments, ranging from general positive remarks to specific concerns
• The most commonly mentioned topics were related to connectivity and access to parks (in
support of more/better connected parks)
• A small number of comments specifically called out supporting more off-leash dog facilities or natural features
• Other comments were unique in their topic/focus.
The full text of comments received to date is provided below.
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about the draft plan?
I think there should be as many green spaces as possible throughout the city so that they are easily accessible to the entire age range within walking distance
Shouldn't we put ALL potential changes in front of the neighbors of each park BEFORE we select and plan those changes? It seems as if the cart is before the horse otherwise. You've probably put a lot of
work in already, and what if each neighborhood argues against your draft plan for their park?
Yes Every recreation does not have to be in a park. Such things as basketball track running walking table sports can be done on buildings. Pa shud consider acquiring such bldg and converting them to
inside gyms. This would save land as open space which is vital to coping with increased density of our city
Thank you for your efforts. I enjoy the green space
Would love to have more reasons to visit Bayshore
Great plan, please prioritize investment to bring it to life.
I don't see a lot of planning for the future. Are large parcels of land in the core of the city for parks, pools and playing fields being identified? Are funds being set aside and earmarked for the purchase of large
tracts of land and the facilities that will make them usable? If not , why not?
I am deeply concerned about any plans to privatize the pool activities. Menlo Park did this and it has
resulted in an aquatics program that is dominated by competitive swimming/masters programs to the almost complete exclusion of residents who want to use the facilities regularly but do not want to be
forced into a program. Maintaining the lap swim schedules or and adding more hours even if there is an added cost or membership would be much more community friendly. I am not surprised that Menlo Park
went the way if a for profit system but Palo Alto is too progressive and community oriented to follow that path. At least I hope!
I like the emphasis on access to parks by biking and walking. Thanks for your continued efforts on bikes/pedestrians and parks. I also like the emphasis on planting trees where there is not canopy.
Sometimes the whole town feels like a park when we are biking.
Draft Master Plan Comments 12/2/16 5
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about the draft plan?
Multi-use or Shared Paths should be integrated into the Parks and not be part of the transportation
infrastructure. Bicycles now speeding on these paths in several parks create dangerous situations for youngsters, people with disabilities, folks walking their pets, and older folks. There MUST BE speed limits
established for bicycles, along with signs, and physical changes (rumble strips, for example) to stop bicyclists from speeding, endangering pedestrians, and ruining the outdoor experience of the many folks
who use these facilities.
I would urge the expansion of park land towards the hills, with dirt trails preserved, not paved.
In this era of greater density of housing and constant/ubiquitous traffic, it is essential to Palo Altans' wellbeing and the health of our ecosystems to have open spaces and parks for animals, people, plants to
thrive. Please retain all the wonderful parks we have and consider incorporating more parklands into Palo Alto. This will provide infinite value to the health and wellness of our citizens (kids, seniors, families,
athletes, walkers, etc.) and will serve as a sustainable model for other thriving, expanding cities.
It would be great if many more bike routes could be created to facilities, parks, and other significant places from each neighborhood and elementary/middle/high schools.
We need bathrooms in the neighborhood parks!!
I attended a meeting at Mitchell Library some time ago on the Master Plan. It seems to me we are
spending an inordinate amount of time and money planning and surveying rather than implementing . I support the need for being thorough in planning, but it seems a bit excessive. I think it is time for action.
If not now, when?
I am disappointed to read the report on Rinconada Pool, suggesting that privatizing the site would
improve it. I object to using the lap lanes for private lessons, thereby creating fewer lanes for those of us who use them; it is already very crowded at peak times. Encourage more staff by training and outreach,
by raising salaries and opportunities. Do not outsource our valuable resource. I am 73 years old and have used the pool regularly since 1971 when i moved to this neighborhood. I despair of seeing Palo Alto
change for the worse.
make sure all (large) parks have facilities for visitors.
not enough green in Palo Alto-implement green spaces with indigenous plants
Please leave Bol Park alone. It is a community park, and we welcome visitors who enjoy its quiet, friendly atmosphere.
A lot of these goals and principles are vague and amorphous. Some concrete examples would have
helped.
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Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about the draft plan?
We have three creeks running through Palo Alto. They go as straight as possible to the bay, encased in
ugly, concrete beds. It would be beautiful if at least a segment of a creek could be diverted, and could run naturally in a park landscape.
I really like the recent improvements at Mitchell Park. It is now an inviting, multi-use park, but marked with one eyesore: the fenced-in Adobe Creek, bedded in concrete, cutting through the park, separating vital
play areas. I think it should be possible that Adobe Creek is made meandering through part of Mitchell Park, safely contained in a shallow, open flood bed with trees along its run. Of course, a good part of the
year renders Adobe Creek dry. But in summer water could be added and recirculated for that short park segment, similar to pools. Mitchell Park would then be park with a creek, not a canal, and kids for sure
would enjoy playing in a running water.
Providing additional bike friendly corridors and the riparian pathway connecting natural areas are important to me.
We need to expand the usage. Palo Alto has lots of land, and nowhere for the citizens to ride off road
vehicles or shoot our guns. There are several hundreds of us that spend thousands of dollars a year in other city's just to shoot at their outdoor ranges. We need to be more forward thinking to attract others
and to keep our dollars in Palo Alto.
I support our parks having native plant/ pollinator patches in each park, with signage to educate our PA citizens as to what they can do in their own gardens to support native wild life.
Fewer sports fields, more great playgrounds. Love Magical Bridge. Outdoor gyms?
Bring balance to park availability throughout Palo Alto. Triple El has 0 parks (bounded by Embarcadero,
Oregon Expressway and Middlefield) compared to a uniform number of parks available to residents of Palo Alto elsewhere.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzfJH1ImxqGMM0pObWgtSEl2ZFU
More Dog Parks :-)
Overwhelming! But I appreciate the opportunity to comment here and at meetings.
Incremental improvements desirable so no major changes to what is working well;ie add May and Sept to
swim lessons but don't take away 6 lanes for a wide skill variety of mid-day adult and senior lap swimmers.
Need bathrooms in every park. Ensure sports activities do not preclude others from using the parks.
Parks should be a quiet refuge, not a sports arena.
More dog play areas please!
Dog communities throughout the city supported with welcoming LOCAL spaces - especially downtown
with high pop density, walking neighborhoods but NO dog parks currently
thank you for taking the time to draft a great plan! can we have NON-CAR bike paths/trails on this side of the 101 (i.e., not Badlands only)? Like Mountain View's Stevens Creek Trail! And a dance studio in Lucie
Stern Community Center
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Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about the draft plan?
The city's tendency is to build new stuff. But resist that tendency. It's far too easy to overbuild and lose
the nature of the place. Some places (e.g., in Foothills Park) should be more-or-less left alone (except for needed maintenance, etc).
It is a very comprehensive and well-thought-out process that has resulted in an impressive document
whose features will be able to be implemented readily, dependent, of course, on staffing and funding.
Better dog parks, especially at Greer! No one uses it so they end up using the fields
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