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Ezran V Ì Õi`ÊvÀ Ê«>}iÊÇ®
how much developers really are getting and how much the city is really getting. The in-depth analysis has not always been done and when done, not done correctly.” In announcing his candidacy, Ezran listed as his priorities “preserving the quality of life”; addressing the city’s infrastructure needs (including a new public-safety building); and solving downtown’s parking issues
Downtown V Ì Õi`ÊvÀ Ê«>}iÊn®
in recent years,” the study states. More than half of downtown’s total non-residential development since 1986 has been built over the past three years — more than 100,000 square feet in the past two years. Downtown’s vacancy rate, which stood at 9 percent in 2009, dropped to 2 percent in 2013. Though the growth inevitably means more cars, a survey included in the study shows that more than half of the people who come to downtown Palo Alto don’t drive at all. The survey, which asked 501 downtown respondents (including employees, visitors and residents) about their traveling habits, found that 44 percent of the employees who commute to Palo Alto from elsewhere rely on their cars, while 51 percent take public transit. Employees who live in Palo Alto drive to downtown alone at a higher rate (48 percent), with the balance split between public transit (30 percent), walking and biking (9 percent each), and carpooling (4 percent). Furthermore, the survey found that less than half of the people who visit downtown (but don’t work there) drive alone. That rate is 32 percent among visitors from Palo Alto and 40 percent among visitors from other cities. The study indicated that significantly more commuters than in the past are getting to downtown without using their cars. Boardings at the downtown Caltrain station are up by 51 percent since 2009, according to the study. Even with the high rate of transit use, commissioners agreed that downtown parking is a major problem. Jessica Sullivan, the city’s parking manager, said most commuters prefer to park on the streets, with parking lots as a second choice and garages as a third. This has left residents in the Professorville and Downtown North neighborhoods seething as they watch their blocks get parked up every weekday morning. Alcheck pointed to parking as the “real concern” downtown residents have about new development downtown, “not whether we approve a few more office buildings.” The study also suggests that new development isn’t the only reason for downtown’s parking woes. An-
through a combination of permitting programs, better public transportation options and use of technology to better utilize existing parking spots. He also vowed to continue the city’s environmental efforts and to preserve small commerce. “University Avenue and California Avenue should not become bland shopping malls,” Ezran wrote in his annoucement. Ezran moved to Palo Alto shortly after graduating from Harvard Business School. He worked for Intel before taking other jobs at
3Com, Xerox and Adobe. Most recently, he has been working as a consultant to various startups. This will not be Ezran’s first campaign for public office. In 2005 and 2007, he vied for a seat on the school board but did not win. He has also served on the city’s Cable Co-Op; sat on the steering committee for Measure A, the school board’s 2005 parcel tax; and held numerous positions on the Palo Alto Council of PTAs. He also serves on the board of the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation. N
other is the way in which existing buildings are being used. Even though new construction accounts for less than 10 percent of the area’s total square footage of buildings, much more space is now devoted to professional, personal and commercial services. Downtown is also filled with startups, which typically employ more workers per square foot than traditional offices do, the study notes. “It is these changes in the use and building occupancy in the downtown overall that have likely contributed to increased traffic and parking demand,” the study states. In the study’s next phase, existing businesses will be surveyed to determine how many people they employ and how these employees get to work. These questions also
prompted the City Council to direct staff earlier this year to create a business registry, an online database that would collect such information from employers. Whatever the numbers, commissioners agreed on Wednesday that the city will have plenty of work to do in the coming years to ease the negative consequences of growth downtown. “I think we need to think in terms of how, in particular for people who come from far away, how to encourage them to take public transit and how to make it easier for them to take public transit,” Vice Chair Arthur Keller said. “That’s going to be an increasing challenge for us.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
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Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in a closed session to discuss the status of the city’s labor negotiations with the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 1319, and the Palo Alto Police Officers Association. The council then plans to discuss revision of the sidewalkwidth requirements and building-setback rules on El Camino Real; discuss the proposed Santa Clara County sales-tax increase to fund transportation projects; review the administrative draft of the 2015-23 Housing Element; and review the city’s infrastructure-funding plan. The closed sessions will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 2. Regular meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will discuss results of the annual “Strategic Plan Survey” of students, parents and staff, and will discuss a proposed district budget for 2014-15, the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan, and a variety of construction items. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, in the boardroom of school district headquarters, 25 Churchill Ave. COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to consider reducing the frequency of street-sweeping services in residential areas; and discuss an audit of the city’s solid-waste program. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the continuation of the plug-in program for electricity generation and hear an update on the impact of the statewide drought on water and hydroelectric supplies. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss a proposed master sign program for City Hall; review a proposal to demolish and reconstruct 85,000 square feet of office space at the VMWare campus at 3421-3431 Hillview Ave.; consider a proposal by Tarlton Properties to demolish a two-story building at 2555 Park Blvd. and replace it with a three-story office building; and discuss a request by Crown Castle for a distributed-antenna system, about 17 antennas that would be installed at existing poles on University, Lytton and Hamilton avenues. The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave.
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