Comprehensive Plan - Alternative Visions

On Monday, August 4 (8:00-10:00pm),  Palo Alto City Council will review 4 Alternatives (summary here) for the next Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Report (staff report here). 

Green Planning Action does not currently endorse a single alternative or have an alternate proposal.  While Alternatives 3 & 4 have individual merits, both could be strengthened with concepts outlined in the Ideas for Comprehensive Plan section below. 

We need your vision and your voice!  Please come share your thoughts at the meeting, or if you can't attend, take a few minutes to write to [email protected]g (and cc [email protected])  
Template letter to Council
Dear City Council,

My name is <name here> and I have lived at <address here> with <family/housemates> since <year>.  I chose to live in Palo Alto because <state one or two reasons>. Thank you for reviewing the 4 Alternatives to the Comprehensive Plan.  

I support Alternative <x> because <list 2-3 aspects>. This alternative, however, could be strengthened in a few ways <explain> 
-OR-
I feel none of the alternatives is idea <describe your vision and principles for the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan>

I hope the Comprehensive Plan will enable Palo Alto to continue being a vibrant and inclusive community for individuals and families alike, and a great place to live and work.

Sincerely,
<Your Name>
<Your Address>
Ideas for the Comprehensive Plan
Specific (or Precise) Plans
  • Palo Alto is one of few cities on the Peninsula without any Specific (or Precise) Plans.  Specific Plans are important planning and community outreach tools to allow cities and citizens to plan structured development at important geographic/economic zones.  
  • Specific Plans can address interaction between land use with transportation and housing policies.
  • University Avenue - replace the Downtown Cap Study with new non-residential, residential development targets and strong, achievable transit plan and transportation demand management programs
  • California Avenue - expand concept plan to include neighborhoods to manage growth and traffic
  • El Camino Real - build on the 2007 Master Plan and identify transit/walkable nodes along El Camino 

Prioritize denser residential development in the right places
  • Housing near job and transit centers can also a provide moderate reduction in commute traffic  

Support Transit Oriented Commercial Development 
  • Locating commercial development near transit nodes (1/4 - 1/2 mile) is the best way to increase public transportation use
  • If Bay Area job growth continues and companies need workplaces, keeping jobs near transit helps reduce overall regional traffic pressures
  • Commuting by transit can increases productivity and lower commute times - two important lifestyle benefits!
Encourage transit, transportation options 
  • Creating development clusters in the right places  make services such as car and bike-sharing services, and shuttles more viable and utilized
  • Housing near Palo Alto’s two Caltrain stations and retail centers can reduce car traffic by creating transit nodes to attract more transit routes and options
Move Beyond Monoculture > Promote Mixed Use to encourage transit & transportation options
  • As with farming (crops) and ecology (species) monocultures of people and land uses do not promote vitality 
  • Layering multiple land uses makes better use of infrastructure & utilities, and creates opportunities for different people to interact
  • Development clusters in the right places allows services like car and bike-sharing services, shuttles, to be more viable and utilized
  • Jobs near Palo Alto’s two Caltrain stations and housing near service/retail zones creates nodes that become more attractive transit routes and options
Focus on Good Design
  • Encourage human scaled design for buildings and the spaces between buildings, such as recessed entries, street level canopies, non-imposing facades, generous landscaped zones
  • Bring nature and habitats for birds & other fauna into the city through landscape at interstitial spaces, public spaces and streetscapes
  • Promote people oriented streets: safe for walking, biking, and driving 
  • Encourage good public spaces: from large fields and playgrounds, to smaller pocket gardens or parklets.
Integrate Land Use with Transportation Policies
  • NetZero transportation impact is an inspiring vision. Use the vision to do analysis to set specific, aggressive, achievable goals to reduce car trips and vehicle miles traveled.
  • For any land use changes, consider in parallel strong achievable Transportation Demand Management programs and goals
  • Encourage collection and analyze data on building uses, demographics of people in Palo Alto, multimodal trips & traffic, parking
  • Refine and develop TDM programs based on data collected
Contribute Funding for Well Designed, Critical Infrastructure
  • Concentrating development at transit nodes can enable value capture financing to realize grade separations and other substantial infrastructure investments.   
  • Funding from local development with regional funding matches can help Palo Alto create designs that are the best for the community, and help desired infrastructure investments to happen sooner