City Council - December 9, 2024

Council advances $43 million University Avenue redesign

The City Council voted 7-0 to approve the preferred concept for a roughly $43 million University Avenue streetscape redesign, moving the long-term downtown project toward detailed design. The motion also asked staff to explore medium-term measures including short-term loading zones on side streets, tree-well improvements along side streets and University Avenue, and ways to promote the street’s history.

The concept would widen sidewalks to 17.5 feet on seven blocks between High and Cowper streets and make streetscape improvements over nine blocks between High and Webster streets. It would retain two-way traffic and on-street parking while adding landscaping, lighting, outdoor dining space, intersection improvements and gathering areas. Staff described Lytton and Hamilton avenues as the preferred bicycle routes, with University Avenue remaining available for local bicycle access.

The preliminary estimate includes a 25% contingency and a 4% inflation factor. Construction was anticipated to begin in 2027, but funding remains to be assembled. Staff is examining an assessment district for benefiting properties and said the process, including feasibility work and an engineer’s report, could take a year or more. The city would need to distinguish benefits to individual properties from broader public benefits when assigning costs.

Council members raised concerns about parking losses, congestion, construction effects on retailers, the representativeness of stakeholder feedback and the pace of delivery. A proposed amendment to require completion in 2027 failed for lack of a second. Members also pressed for visible improvements before major construction; staff cited ongoing garage cleaning, curb-ramp work, news-rack consolidation and parking-guidance upgrades.

Staff plans to return with a scoped consultant contract amendment for design work and to seek proposals for an assessment-district feasibility analysis. Parking studies, near- and medium-term capital improvements and broader property-owner engagement are also expected to continue.

Council backs $3 million affordable housing request

As part of its consent calendar, the council approved a request for a $3 million allocation from Stanford development funds to help finance a 50-unit affordable housing project by Charities Housing on El Camino. Staff also cited a tentative $13 million Measure A commitment.

The County Board was expected to consider the $3 million request the following day. The funding also remained contingent on a tax-credit allocation expected later that week.

Officer pay increases pass in split votes

The council approved compensation increases for the city manager, city attorney and city clerk at an additional combined cost of about $73,800. The actions were divided into two votes: one passed unanimously and the other passed 6-1.

A council member opposed the city manager’s increase, citing declining service ratings, 2.4% inflation and utility-rate increases. Supporters pointed to a review by the council-appointed officers committee and benchmarking against comparable cities. Staff said the cost would be covered within current department budgets and that salary assumptions were already included in the fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026 budgets.

Survey shows high quality of life but weaker city ratings

The 2024 Community Survey found that about nine in 10 residents rated Palo Alto’s overall quality of life as excellent or good. At the same time, positive ratings of the city’s overall direction fell to 47% from 54% in 2023, and the rating for downtown commercial-area vibrancy declined to 59% from 65%.

Affordability remained a weak point: fewer than one in 10 residents rated the cost of living positively, and about one in 10 rated the availability of affordable, quality housing positively. Six services received lower ratings than in 2023: building and planning application processing, code enforcement, traffic enforcement, traffic-signal timing, sidewalk maintenance and the electric utility.

Staff said 23 of 91 evaluative items were above national benchmarks, 65 were similar and three were lower. No city service was below its national benchmark, and parks, open space, libraries and emergency services remained among the strongest-rated areas.

The probability-based survey sampled 3,600 households and received 585 responses, a 17% response rate. A separate opt-in survey drew 727 responses, up from 93. Council members asked for stronger outreach in 2025, including work with neighborhood and Chinese-community organizations, and clearer side-by-side reporting of random-sample and opt-in results.

Members also discussed returning the survey to a biennial schedule and adding more targeted service questions, but made no formal schedule change. They highlighted the 61% of respondents who selected “don’t know” when asked about the availability of affordable, quality mental-health care and urged better communication about available services. Staff agreed to develop additional outreach and follow-up analysis.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda