Fall & Winter 2022 Palo Alto Newsletter

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UPLIFT PALO ALTO ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND TRANSITION Economic Strategy in Development & Upcoming Effort Seeking Community Input on Car Free Streets UPLIFT PALO ALT The City is working to enhance Palo Alto’s community experience and economic vibrancy, and further the City’s Uplift Local effort. As part of this effort, work is currently underway to develop an economic development strategy. The initial stages of this work include a full study of the local market, an analysis of constraints and opportunities for improvement, and the development of programs and projects to address these findings. Next steps could include changes to downtown streetscapes, modifications to the current parklet program, aesthetic enhancements, and additional actions aimed at increasing Palo Alto’s economic vitality. Related to the economic strategy and supporting small businesses, join the conversation about the City’s Uplift Local Car Free Streets program at California Avenue and Ramona Street. This effort supports outdoor dining, retail, and personal services in business districts such as California Avenue and the downtown core. California Avenue and Ramona Street are currently open to pedestrians and closed to vehicle traffic and will remain that way through the end of 2023. The City is seeking community input to determine the future of these areas. Learn more and share feedback at an upcoming community meeting in December at www.CityofPaloAlto.org/ CarFreeStreets. Following this initial community meeting, other community engagement is in the planning stages for early 2023. Library Welcomes the Community Back to All Branches & Enhanced Hours All branches have reopened and many have expanded hours. MITCHELL PARK LIBRARY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. FRIDAY & SATURDAY Open 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. SUNDAY & MONDAY CLOSED RINCONADA LIBRARY TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. THURSDAY Open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. FRIDAY & SATURDAY Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. SUNDAY & MONDAY CLOSED CHILDREN’S LIBRARY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, & SATURDAY Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. DOWNTOWN LIBRARY THURSDAY, FRIDAY, & SATURDAY Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. COLLEGE TERRACE LIBRARY THURSDAY, FRIDAY, &SATURDAY 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is an exciting step forward for the entire community as it marks the longest open hours since the beginning of the pandemic. Palo Alto Libraries will continue to expand their hours throughout the year. For more information, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/Library. 6
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND TRANSITION FALL/WINTER 2022 | www.cityofpaloalto.org Palo Alto Fiber Heads to Council As They Consider What’s Next The City is assessing the feasibility of providing locally owned and controlled fiber internet services to all residents and businesses. Since its conception in the mid-1990s, fiber in Palo Alto has gone through various phases of ideation and implementation. The City Council and Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) held a joint session on September 19 to discuss the City’s fiber expansion plan and Fiber-to-the-Premises. After receiving feedback from the joint study session and community, the City Council will tentatively consider next steps at their December 19 meeting. Learn more at www.cityofpaloalto.org/PaloAltoFiber. New Shuttle Coming in 2023: Start and End Almost Anywhere in Palo Alto Thanks to a VTA grant, a new shuttle service is on track to start this Spring in Palo Alto. Customers will be able to take trips that start and end almost anywhere in Palo Alto. 8-10 vehicles will serve Palo Alto riders with each trip estimated to cost $3.50, and $1.00 fares available for disabled, low-income, youth, and seniors. For more details, go to www.cityofpaloalto.org/shuttleservice. Newly renovated Rinconada Park playground. Progress on Community Investments in Public Safety, Parks & More Improvements to parks, roads, public safety infrastructure, and flood plans are progressing, helping to further Council priorities and community needs addressing community health, public safety, transportation and sustainability. Since July 2016, the City has completed 87 individual community-serving projects totaling over $284 million in improvements. Since June 2022, and despite the pandemic, significant milestones have been achieved, such as the completion of the Highway 101 Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge project in November 2021, the start of the Public Safety Building construction and reopening of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. Parks continue to be a priority, with the Boulware Park construction and expansion project beginning in early 2023. The Public Safety Building will offer 56,000 square feet of space within a three-story structure and operational yard and is centrally located in the middle of Palo Alto to enhance public safety services to the community. It is scheduled to be complete by fall 2023. It will house the Police Department, 911 Emergency Dispatch Center, the Emergency Operations Center, the Office of Emergency Services, and the administration needs of the Fire Department. Mitchell Park Fire Station No. 4 is being replaced. The project is currently in the Schematic Design phase, which includes public outreach for input. Design work is currently underway and construction is anticipated to begin in April 2024. Charleston-Arastradero Corridor road improvements are in the third and final phase, with much of the work currently focused at or near El Camino Real. The 2.3 mile Charleston-Arastradero Corridor serves as an east-west connector for the southern section of Palo Alto, and has seen a major upgrade to better serve the community. The corridor will soon boast new foliage, landscaped medians, curb extensions/bulb-outs, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and traffic signal modifications consistent with the existing striping/roadway configuration. Caltrans-led improvements on El Camino Real continue to be a focus for some community members. Staff has been communicating with Caltrans about the upcoming plans to repave El Camino Real with work currently planned for 2023. We are aware of challenging road conditions on parts of El Camino Real and when a community member shares concerns with us, we send those directly to Caltrans staff. You can also report safety concerns directly by going to https://csr.dot.ca.gov. For more details about the City’s capital infrastructure projects, go to www. cityofpaloalto.org/projects. 7
Page 1 and 2: UPLIFT PALO ALTO Residential Newsle
Page 3 and 4: CLIMATE CHANGE - PROTECTION AND ADA
Page 5: HOUSING FOR SOCIAL & ECONOMIC BALAN

Fall & Winter 2022 Palo Alto Newsletter

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