Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 7987 City of Palo Alto (ID # 7987) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 5/1/2017 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: AT&T Property for Parkland Title: Parks and Recreation Commission Recommendation to Explore the Potential Sale by AT&T and Purchase by City of Palo Alto of a Portion of a Parcel at 3350 Birch Street, Palo Alto, Adjacent to Boulware Park, for Parkland From: City Manager Lead Department: Community Services RECOMMENDATION This is an informational report and no action is required at this time. The Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC) has considered and recommended that the City Council explore the potential sale of AT&T owned land adjacent to Boulware Park at 3350 Birch Street, for possible purchase by City of Palo Alto for dedicated parkland (See Attachment B). Staff is evaluating next steps and providing this report to inform the City Council of the pending issue and will return to the Council for action in the near future. BACKGROUND In Fall 2016, staff learned that a section of a property owned by Pacific Bell Telephone Company (referred to as the AT&T property) in the City of Palo Alto would likely be made available for purchase. The Parks and Recreation Commission, along with residents in the Ventura neighborhood have expressed their strong support for the City to consider purchase of the property. The 1.65 acre (71,807 square feet) property is located at 3350 Birch Street in the Ventura neighborhood and is bounded by Chestnut Street to the east, Ash Street to the south and Lambert Avenue to the west (Attachment A). The General Plan designation for the property is Major Institution/Special Facilities and the Zoning is Public Facility. A large building exists on the northeast corner of the parcel while the remaining parcel is vacant. This property is owned by Pacific Bell Telephone Company, with AT&T being the regulated entity. At this time, AT&T plans to separate the land at the above location and then competitively market it for sale. The area of the parcel that would be made available for sale is estimated at 0.64 acre (27,832 square feet) and is a vacant section of the parcel. AT&T has not completed its internal approvals to sell the property which will be another step in the process. City of Palo Alto Page 2 At the intersection of Chestnut and Ash Streets and opposite the AT&T property sits Boulware Park, a 1.5 acre neighborhood park. The park includes two children’s playgrounds, a basketball court, two picnic areas with barbecues, benches and a short perimeter pathway. The area surrounding both the AT&T property and Boulware Park is a mix of residential and commercial land uses. POLICY IMPLICATIONS The draft Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan includes a policy aimed at expanding parkland inventory using the National Recreation and Park Association standard of 4 acres/1,000 residents as a guide. The policy states that parkland should expand with population, be well distributed across the community and be of sufficient size to meet the varied needs of neighborhoods and the broader community. The maximum service area of a park should be ½ mile. Palo Alto does not currently meet the standard and acquiring this property and dedicating it as parkland would get the City closer to achieving it. Staff is in the process of analyzing the potential purchase of the property by the City and is including the distance to other neighborhood parks, population density and compatibility with the Draft Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan in the analysis. Additional considerations will be cost, available funding and prioritization over additional City parks and recreation projects that also require a funding source (for example, development of the 10.5 acre property in the Baylands), and criteria for designating priority of parks for funding, acquisition, or improvement. To the extent such decisions require general funds, implications for the Citywide Capital Improvement Program need to be reviewed and considered. Attachments:  Attachment A: Site location  Attachment B - AT&T Purchase Memo to Council Attachment A Attachment B 1 MEMORANDUM April 3, 2017 TO: City Council FROM: Parks and Recreation Commission SUBJECT: Recommendation to explore opportunity to purchase the parcel owned by AT&T at 3350 Birch Street, Palo Alto for parkland use. The Parks and Recreation Commission strongly recommends full investigation of the opportunity to purchase the AT&T property, located at 3350 Birch Street (adjacent to Boulware Park), for use as parkland, including identification of creative funding strategies to realize this unique opportunity The sizeable subject property is currently zoned Public Facility. It sits on the edge of two park search areas highlighted in the draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan and adjacent to existing Boulware Park and Matadero Creek in the Ventura neighborhood. Acquisition of the property would allow for expansion of this undersized park in an already underserved area targeted for future growth. In addition, the property location offers unique potential for employing the public right of way (street) for recreational use and developing a creek walk connecting with future development at the Fry’s site. Pursuit of this unique opportunity to expand the city’s parkland inventory is consistent with the Draft Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan and the Comprehensive Plan as follows: DRAFT PARKS, RECREATION, TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN: Policy 1.B: Expand parkland inventory using the National Recreation and Park Association standard as a guide 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. Program 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. Program 1.B.4: Examine City-owned right of way (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. Attachment B 2 Program 1.B.7: Monitor properties adjacent to parks that are smaller than the minimum recommended size for potential acquisition to expand existing parks. [Note: While the Master Plan does not carry over the explicit NPRA distinction between neighborhood parks (2+ acres) and district parks (5+ acres), it does use the overall NRPA standard as a guide. Boulware is undersized by both standards.] Program 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. Program 1.B.10: Develop a creek walk along Matadero Creek that links parks and creates open space and habitat corridor. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: Policy C-28: Use National Recreation and Park Association Standards as guidelines for locating and developing new parks. These guidelines are as follows:  Neighborhood parks should be at least two acres in size, although sites as small as one- half acre may be needed as supplementary facilities. The maximum service area radius should be one-half mile. Two acres of neighborhood parkland should be provided for each 1,000 people.  District parks should be at least five acres in size. The maximum service area radius should be one mile. Two acres of district park land should be provided for each 1,000 people. A park should be provided within walking distance of all residential neighborhoods and employment areas. The National Recreation and Park Association defines walking distance as one-half mile.