City Council - November 9, 2026

Bryant Street safety project moves to final design

The City Council advanced the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue Traffic Calming Project to final engineering design, adding directions to study more speed-control measures and expand bike-boulevard signage. The motion carried, and staff plans to return with a construction bid package in 2027.

The conceptual package includes traffic circles, curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalks, pavement markings, a short-term parking zone and a pilot restriction on eastbound left turns from Embarcadero Road onto Bryant Street. The council’s added direction included exploring speed tables or raised crosswalks where advantageous, with priority attention at Channing and Bryant and Homer and Bryant; pursuing a lower speed limit; adding warnings on perpendicular streets; enhancing signs along Bryant; and removing excessive red curb at Lincoln and Bryant.

Staff said Bryant carries about 2,000 vehicles per day, compared with a stated bike-boulevard best-practice range of 500 to 1,000. Its 85th-percentile speed was 28 mph, above the stated target of 15 to 20 mph. Staff also cited 10 reported collisions on the Bryant-Lincoln corridor from 2016 through 2024, with 30% involving bicyclists and half classified as broadside collisions.

Council members questioned whether the proposed mini-roundabouts would improve substantially on the existing traffic circle at Addison and Bryant. Residents and council members also raised concerns that the Embarcadero turn restriction could divert traffic to Emerson and Waverly streets. Staff described the traffic circles as permanent, while the turn restriction and curb extensions would be evaluated as pilots.

Council asks for changes to 200-home San Antonio concept

During a nonbinding pre-screening, council members generally supported adding housing at 720 San Antonio Road but called for substantial design work before a formal application. The concept is an eight-story, 200-unit rental building with 30 below-market-rate homes, or 15%, two parking levels and a third-story courtyard. No approval was granted.

Members requested upper-floor stepbacks, ground-floor retail or other active uses, more bicycle parking, space for deliveries and ride-hail vehicles, on-site trash-truck turning and an evaluation of access through Yandow Street. Some questioned whether the nearly 90-foot height, parking supply and affordable-unit count were adequate. One member also warned that an entirely residential project could displace an existing specialty grocery before the city completes retail guidelines for the San Antonio Road area.

The concept would require rezoning from service commercial to planned home. Staff said the proposed 24-foot special setback met San Antonio corridor requirements and that El Camino Real focus-area standards do not formally apply, though the project could be evaluated against them. Staff also said the preliminary plans would need revision for on-site trash pickup and would be reviewed for loading-space requirements. A formal application would begin environmental review and further city consideration.

Council favors Option A for Quarry Road transit link

Council members expressed informal consensus for Option A as the Quarry Road Transit Connection reached 60% design. The option would place bicycle lanes at street level within the existing intersection footprint at Quarry Road and El Camino Real. No formal motion or vote was taken, and members asked staff to further evaluate bicycle crossings, pedestrian refuge and circulation.

The project would extend Quarry Road between the Palo Alto Transit Center and El Camino Real for buses and shuttles, with a protected intersection for cyclists and pedestrians. Staff said nearly 700 daily bus movements could shift to the new transit way. Option B would raise the bicycle lanes to sidewalk level but was estimated to add about $284,000, at least three months and additional utility, stormwater and permitting work.

The council must later approve the final design and construction contract. Staff anticipated winter design revisions, spring engagement and additional permit work, with construction potentially beginning in late 2027 or early 2028 if the remaining approvals are secured.

Primary sources

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