HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-02-05 City CouncilCity of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTENTION: POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE
2
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER
DATE: February 5, 2002 CMR: 110:02
SUBJECT: PROPOSAL BY THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TO LEASE AN
ESTIMATED 0.75 ACRE SITE AT THE PALO ALTO BAYLANDS ATHLETIC
CENTER TO CONSTRUCT AN ATHLETIC FIELD FOR JOINT CITY AND
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL USES
REPORT IN BRIEF
This report transmits a proposal from the International School of the Peninsula to enter
into a public/private partnership with the City of Palo Alto to: 1) build a path to provide
pedestrian and bicycle access to the School from the Baylands Athletic Center parking
lot, located off of Geng Road; and 2) improve a currently unimproved portion of the
Baylands Center with playfields and other amenities for public use. The report provides
information on the potential traffic impacts of the pathway proposal; and of the need for
additional athletic field space and potential public benefits of the playing field proposal.
The proposal would involve a lease of dedicated park land, and this policy issue is also
raised in terms of the appropriateness of a lease of park land.
CMR:110:02 Page 1 of 7
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee recommend to the City
Council that staff proceed with preparation of an option to lease an estimated 0.75 acres
of the Baylands Athletic Center to the International School of the Peninsula (School), as
part of a public/private partnership that will:
¯Develop playing fields to be used by both the school and the community; and
¯Create a pedestrian pathway from the Baylands Athletic Center parking to the school
in order to relieve congestion at the School’s entrance on Laura Lane.
BACKGROUND
In May 2001, representatives of the School approached City staff with a proposal to 1)
build a path to provide pedestrian and bicycle access to the School from the Baylands
"Athletic Center parking lot, located off of Geng Road; and 2) improve a currently
unimproved portion of the Baylands Center with play fields and other amenities for public
use.
Path Construction
The School currently has a significant problem with pick-up and drop-off of students in
the morning and afternoon hours from its entrance on Laura Lane. This is most
pronounced in the afternoon, when 30 to 40 cars may be coming and going from the
School. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the School is directly across from
the Palo Alto Main Post Office. The School is proposing to add a new length of pathway
to connect an existing path on the School property with an existing City path at the
parking lot of the Baylands Athletic Center. The proposed path also requires access
across Santa Clara Valley Water District property, which has been acquired by the
School.
The proposed pathway would effectively have four sections as it passes over City of Palo
Alto property from the edge of Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) property to
the edge of the Baylands Athletic Center (BAC) parking lot. The sections are:
From the edge of the SCVWD property line to the right field corner of the BAC
softball field the path is decomposed granite.
From the right field corner of the BAC softball field to the fence behind home plate at
the softball field, the path would consist of a 9-foot wide surface of either chip seal or
asphalt overlay, applied to the existing path.
:02 Page 2 of 7
¯ ~From the end of section "B" to the top of the grade near the BAC parking lot cul-de-
sac the path would be repaired with the same material used for the existing surface.
In some cases this is decomposed granite while at other times it is asphalt.
¯From the end of section "C" to the edge of the BAC parking lot cul-de-sac the path
would have an overlay of asphalt applied to it.
The estimated cost of the pathway improvements is $35,000. Please see Attachment 2.
The path would be maintained to City specifications. To the extent that increased use of
the Baylands parking lot resulted in deterioration of that facility, a cost sharing
arrangement would be negotiated with the school. However, at the current time there is
no scheduled Capital Improvement Program project to renovate the parking lot and the
School understands that its use of the parking lot is on an "as is" basis.
Play fields
The School currently does not have adequate play space for its students. The School has
350 first grade students on its 0.75 acre site. The proposal is to improve an area behind
the current ballfield that has primarily been used for temporary storage of debris by Parks
crews.
The proposed improvements include the costs of constructing the playfields, providing
power to the site, and providing the site with access to a source of supply of water. The
School has proposed constructing the improvements in phases, with Phase 1 being the
pathway; Phase 2 be!ng a large playing field and Phase 3 being a smaller play field. The
cost of the large playing field is $317,000; the small playing field is estimated to cost
$167,000.
The School has requested "limited exclusive use" of the playfields during the designated
school hours and the City having use for the rest of the time to program the playfields for
recreational use. The School’s use would be:
¯From early September to the middle of June
¯From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
¯Weekdays only
The School has proposed that the City share on a pro-rata basis in the cost of maintenance
of the fields. Given the City’s current financial constraints, the School has indicated its
willingness to work with the City on the timing of the City’s payment of its prorata share
CMR: 110:02 Page 3 of 7
of annual maintenance costs, estimated at $20,000’ annually (i.e. City share would be
$8,000).
DISCUSSION
Pathway
City transportation staff believes the proposed pathway connection between the parking
lot and the School will substantially relieve congestion along Laura Lane during the mid-
afternoon at each of the International School driveways, in front of the main Post Office
driveways, and at the Laura Lane/East Bayshore signalized intersection. Staff also
believes that the resulting increase in turning movements at the signalized intersection Of
Geng Road and Embarcadero Road will not, in all probability, substantially affect level
of service at that location. On net, there should be a positive impact on traffic operations
in this part of Palo Alto. While the City could ask International School to commission a
traffic impact analysis to confirm- or to disconfirm - staff’ s judgement, Transportation
staff does not believe that it is reasonable to impose that cost on the School given ’the
high probability that Geng/Embarcadero will continue to operate acceptably and that
Laura Lane/E. Bayshore will improve substantially should the scheme for a park-and-
ride/pathway arrangement be implemented.
Park Space
The City Attorney’s Office has raised a concern about allowing limited exclusive use by
a private organization of dedicated parkland. The Attorney’s Office has indicated that a
key legal issue is the extent to which this proposal is consistent with public park use.
The City’s current parks are overprogrammed. There is a deficiency of athletic field
space. Soccer has become so popular that the sport is played and practiced in parks that
are not designed to handle such use. Currently soccer is played in at least 17 parks that
were not intended for such use, and play occurs 6 to 7 days per week, several hours per
day, for months at a time. The deficiencies in park space are exacerbated by overuse.
Many areas in the current parks do not drain well, and overuse by soccer teams and other
user groups worsens field conditions.
Provided that the proposed park area is able to be designed in such a way as to
accommodate soccer and baseball, soccer could be scheduled Monday through Friday,
and possibly most or all of the day on Saturday, from the hours of 4 p.m. to dusk during
September through November. Baseball could be scheduled from 4 p.m. to dusk during
the months of March through June. Women’s rugby may also be able to use the area,
C!VI~: 110:02 Page 4 of 7
since they use an area very similar to this for practice (the turf area behind the softball
diamond in E1 Camino Park) in the evenings during the fall and winter months.
If, at some point in the future, the International School was no longer able to provide
support for the park area and the City resumed responsibility, the City’s use of the field
area would not be expected to change. Recreation does not program the fields or parks
during school hours, as there is little or no demand. When school is not in session, the
area would not be a desirable one for most types of summer day camps.
With regards to the issue of "limited exclusive use," staff recommends, if Council
approves a lease arrangement with the International School, that it be modeled on
Attachment 2 to the School District-City-Terman Park lease (see Attachment 3 of this
report) which provides the School with "first call on the playing fields." This would
allow the International School to exclude the public from the playing fields only to the
limited extent necessary for it to make its preferred, or "first call," use of the fields.
Members of the public could not be routinely excluded from the playing fields, and
permanent fencing and other barriers would not be allowed.
Lease Term
The School will need to raise funds from its parents to construct both the pathway and the
proposed play fields. The estimated cost of developing the pathway is $35,000 and
$484,000 for the play fields. Given the fact that the School cannot own the land, the
School believes it will be difficult to persuade parents to donate money unless it can be
assured of some reasonable lease term, and has proposed 7 years with option to renew for
additional 7 year periods. Staff believes this request is reasonable, when balanced against
the fact that the City will gain the use of badly needed playing fields during the times of
day when they ,are most in demand by community groups, and would assume full
maintenance responsibilty of the developed fields inthe event that the School defaulted
on its commitment under the lease. Staff has been advised by the City Attorney that,
given the proposed use of dedicated parkland and limited exclusivity requested by the
School, a shorter term is desirable. Staff believes the 7 year term strikes a balance
between the School’s need to show value to its donor community and the City’s need to
be protective of its dedicated park land.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The Council, in approving the School District-City Terman Park lease, has provided a
template for responding to the request by the International School for use of the dedicated
park land.
CMR:110:02 Page 5 of 7
RESOURCE IMPACT
The City’s pro rata share of annual maintenance costs would be $8,000. If the City did
have to resume responsibility for the park area at some point in the future, the annual
maintenance costs are estimated to be $20,000, and would come from the General Fund.
Fee revenue from user groups would offset these costs to some extent; however, minimal
revenues are generated from youth and children’s sports groups. Staff also intends,
should the Council approve moving forward with this proposal, to include a requirement
for the School to put one year’s cost of maintenance ($20,000) in a financial security (e.g.
certificate of deposit) so that the City would have time to plan should the School default
for any reason on its commitment to maintain the fields. Liability insurance will also be
required.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
A lease of dedicated parkland is a departure from previous Council policy and may result
in other offers of public/private partnerships, although each would need to be individually
evaluated as to the public benefit provided and the consistency with City park use.
TIMELINE
Staff estimates that it will take 6 months to complete the playfields, once fundraising for
the project will be completed. The pathway would be constructed as soon as possible to
ease the traffic problems on Laura Lane.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Planning and Community Development staff has indicated that the proposal is congruent
with the Baylands Master Plan. An environmental assessment and site and design review
will be required for this project. In addition, a Park Improvement Ordinance will be
prepared, if the project moves forward.
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~r ~een eX~s t,~CitX,y Manager
CMR:110:02 Page 6 of 7
Attachment 1"
Attachment 2:
Attachment 3:
Proposal from International School of the Peninsula
Schematic of proposed pathway and playing fields
School District Use of Terman Park
CMR:110:02 Page 7 of 7
ATTACHMENT 1
Proposal for Development and Use
Certain Areas of the Baylands Athletic Center
Palo Alto, California
November 28, 2001
F~om~
Contact:
Zo~
Contact:
The International School of the Peninsula
Stuart Berman
Chairman, Site Committee, Board of Trustees
City of Palo Alto
Emily Harrison
Assistant City Manager
Note:
Architectural plans entitled, "International School of the Peninsula, Accessible Pathway
and Play Field", are an integral part of this proposal.
The International Schoo! of the Peninsula Location: 151 Laura Lane, Palo Alto. The
School is situated across the street from Palo Alto’s main post office, just off of East
Bayshore Road. The schoo!’s property backs up to San Francisquito Creek and is
adjacent to the City of Palo Alto’s Baylands Athletic Center (BAC) Please refer to the
maps and architectural plans that accompany this proposal for more precise location
information.
Introduction:
The International School of the Peninsula (ISP) has two Palo Aho campuses that educate
500 students in grades Pre-kindergarten through 9. Students have the choice of going
through either a Chinese language immersion pr.ogram or a French language immersion
program. The ;chool educates approximately 150 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten
students at its leased campus at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church at 3233 Cowper
Street. The approximately 350 students in first grade and above study at our new, owned,
campus at 151 Laura Lane. This campus is named the Cohn Campus.
The ISP takes great pride in its new campus. However, since this campus was acquired
under the pressure of the late 1990’s real estate and school enrollment boom, certain
compromises had to be made in order for us to obtain a school site. This proposal seeks
to describe those problems and how we hope to overcome them.
The ISP’s Problems:
1. Playground Space:
The Cohn campus is less than 1 3/4 acres in size. While we do have a beautiful multi-
purpose room, our outdoor play area is far too small Put simply, our kids just don’t have
enough room for play.
2. Traffic:
Afternoon traffic in the East Bayshore Road area is quite heavy at pick-up time (3:15-4
PM). Added to that is the fact that the school has stacking area for cars awaiting children
that has proven inadequate. The result is that cars awaiting children back up onto
adjacent streets causing a traffic problem.
The City of Palo Alto’s Problem:
The City of Palo Alto has a shortage of playground space. This problem is at it’s worst
during soccer season and has been exacerbated by the construction of portable classrooms
on school district playgrounds.
The Solution:
The Cohn campus is adjacent to parcels of land owned by two public entities, the Santa
Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and the City of Palo Alto. We believe that these
parcels hold the key to solving, the problems described above.
Traffic Solution:
Adding a new length of pathway to connect an existing ISP path with an existing City of
Palo Alto path would enable the ISP to have afternoon pick-up.at the parking lot of the
Baylands Athletic Center (BAC). Access to this parking lot is from Geng Road which
connects directly to Embarcadero Road. Access to the BAc parking lot for afternoon
pick-up would be advantageous from three perspectives:
!. The parking lot is unused for athletic activities at this time of day. It is a large
lot which would provide ample space for cars to park or stack in line while
awaiting students.
2, Cars using this parking lot would not use East Bayshore Road or Laura Lane.
This would result in better traffic flow on these roads.
3. Environmental quality and health effects would be improved as:
a. Cars would cease to be in line with their engines idling on East
Bayshore road and Laura Lane.
b. The ISP would encourage its students to bicycle to school. While
currently unsafe, it would be safe through the proposed access. A bike
path already crosses Highway 101 on a dedicated bridge and then
proceeds to the BAC parking lot.
Playground Space:
The Baylands Athletic Center (BAC) has a large amount of space. Some of it is already
improved as athletic fields. Additional land at the site has not yet been improved for this
purpose.
The ISP currently uses some of the existing fields under permit fro~ thd City.
Unfortunately, access to the fields is currently achieved by walking for 15 minutes along
busy East Bayshore Road and through office building parking lots. Tl~is is neither time
efficient nor does it meet our desired safety conditions.
Construction of a path from the ISP to the BAC will solve the access and traffic safety
issues. However, the current fields at the BAC are closed for maintenance for a number
of months during the school year. Therefore, the ISP seeks to construct and maintain two
small playing fields on currently unimproved sites in the BAC.
The Current Status:
Path Across SCVWD Lands:
The SCVWD has given the ISP permission to construct a path across its property. The
path will begin at the edge of the ISP playground and run as far as the beginning of the
BAC-lands. In order to expedite opening the path, the SCVWD is allowing the ISP to do
this construction prior to finalizing a permanent agreement. The permanent agreement
will involve the exchange of specified land owned by the ISP which is adjacent to the San
Francisquito Creek levee for the lands that the new path occupies. The ISP will purchase
path land to the degree that square footage required for the path exceeds the amount of
land that the ISP has available to trade.
Path Across BAC:
The City of Palo Alto seeks to expedite the solution of the ISP’ s most pressing problems.
To this end it will, upon the issuance of necessary permits, allow the ISP to construct a
decomposed granite path on BAC lands. This path will begin where the path over the
SCVWD lands ends. It will continue to the end of an existing service road on the BAC
lands. The path ends at the far right field corner of the BAC softball field.
The Dilemma:
The ISP needs to solicit its parent body in order to raise money for the construction of the
path and fields. Given that the school does not own this land, it will be difficult to
persuade parents to donate the money for these improvements. In order to minimize this
issue we believe that we must offer something of value to the donors.
We believe that the most reasonable solution is for the ISP to offer the city construction
and long term pro-rata maintenance of the fields in exchange for the right of the ISP to
have limited exclusive use of the fields during school hours for renewable periods of
seven years.
The Proposal:
The ISP proposes to undertake-a multi-phased construction project to improve certain
parts of the BAC. The ISP will dedicate these improvements to the city of Palo Alto for
public use and benefit. In return for making these improvements the ISP requests that the
City of Palo Alto provide the ISP limited exclusive rights to the use of the improved
playing fields.
The ISP will construct a project on the BAC lands. These improvements are likely to be
constructed in three phases and are described below along with proposed phasing. Phases
are required because the ISP must raise funds to fund these improvements and because
the SCVWD will require the use of the playing field "B" area during the levee restoration
project that it is in the final stages of planning.
1.Phase 1: A path from the intersection of SCVWD, US Postal Service and
BAC lands to the edge of the existing service road. The service road ends at
the far right field corner of the BAC softball field.
2.Phase 1.or 2: Improvements to the service road from the end of the.path to the
BAC parking lot.¯3. Phase 2: A large playing field, designated playing field "A" on the
accompanying plans.
4.Phase 3: A small playing field, designated playing field "B" on the
accompanying plans.
The current plan is environmentally friendly. However, the ISP will investigate for
possible inclusion in the project certain additional environmentally sustainable
components. These include:
1. Use of artificial turf on field "B".
2. Solar powered path lighting.
The ISP will have permission to maintain certain semi-permanent structures at the site
including, but not limited to soccer goals and athletic equipment storage bins.
The ISP will share maintenance costs with the city of Palo Alto on a pro-rata use basis
for a period of seven years.
As compensation for constructing and maintaining these improvements the City of Palo
Alto will issue to the ISP permits for the limited exclusive use of these fields covering the
following times:
1.From the first day of school to the last day of school.
2.From 8 AM to 4 PM.
3.For weekdays only.
4.For a period of seven years.
After the initial seven year period, the ISP will have the right to continued permitted use
of the fields so long as it agrees to continue its pro-rata maintenance of the fields. The
City of Palo Alto will offer to the ISP an initial seven year renewal period followed by
annual renewals thereafter.
Conditions:
4
The ISP is aware that it must meet or accept certain additional ~onditions. Among these
are:
1.The ISP must accept the use of the BAC parking lot in as is condition. Parts
of this lot are subject to pooling of water during the rainy season.
2.Prior to field construction the ISP must locate a source of water for field
upkeep for the term of limited exclusive use. From an environmental
standpoint the use of recycled water fromthe city water treatment plant is
preferre.d. If recycled water is unavailable to this location the ISP must get
potable water to the site.
3. The ISP must provide for getting electric power lines to meet its needs, if any,
to the site.
4. The ISP will provide evidence to the City of Palo Alto that the portion of the
pr6ject that crosses SCVWD lands has been approved by the SCVWD..
5. As part of this agreement the ISP will agree to pro-rata maintenance of the
path and fields that it constructs for a certain amount of time.
6.The ISP will get the approvals for this project that may be required by other
government agencies such as the BCDC.
The City of Palo Alto will meet or accept certain additional conditions as well. Among
these are:
1.As part of this agreement the ISP will receive from the City of Palo Alto typical
recreational field use permits for the terms described above.
2.The city council will adopt a park improvement ordinance that sanctions the
" .improvements that the ISP proposes to make.
5
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NOTE:ALL DRAINAGE TO RUNOFF ON/FROM THE D.G. PATH, WHERE IT PA’~SES THROUGH/
ADJACENT TO S.C.V.W.D. LANDS SHALL BE CONTAINED WITHIN THE PATH EASEMENT
AREA. DIRECTED AND/OR COLLECTED AND TAKEN TO AN OUT FALL POINT AGREEABLE
TO "~-IE CITY OF PALO ALTO ON PALO ALTO LANDS,
PRELIMINARY - NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION
INTERNATIONAL
SCFIOOL
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AREA, DIRECTED AND,~3R COLLECTED AND TAKEN TO AN OUT FALL POINT AGREEABLE
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AREA. DIRECTE~ AND/OR COLLECTED AND TAKEN TO AN OUT FALL POINT AGREEABLE
TO THE CIT~ OF PALO ALTO ON PALO ALTO LANDS.
PRELIMINARY - NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION
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TO THE CITY OF PALO ALTO ON PALO ALTO
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ATTACHMENT 3
SCHOOL DISTRICT USE OF TERMAN PARK
School District Shall be entitled to the issuance of a City
permit under Chapter 22 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code for use
of portions of Terman Park during certain hours. School
District shall not be required to pay for such permit, and in
a~y case where there is a contradiction between the terms of the
permit and the terms of this Agreement, this Agreement shall
govern.
i.Terman Tennis Courts
a. Terman Middle School shall have first call on the
tennis courts between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on
days when Terman Middle School is in regular session.
b. School District shall pick up all litter and
leave courts in good condition at end of every day of use.
2.Terman Playfields.
a. Terman Middle School shall have first call on the
playing fields between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on
days when Terman Middle School ±s in regular session. School
District will not have the right to routinely exclude members of
the, public from Any dedicated playing field or parkland. School
District will have the right to take reasonable actions to
protect both its first call on the playing fields and the safety
of the students. No permanent fence or other barriers to public
access will be constructed.
b. School District shall pick up all litter and
leave fields in good condition at end o.f every dgy of use.
The- public will have unrestricted access to those
portions of Terman Park not being used by the Terman Middle
School.
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