Parks and Recreation Commission - February 13, 2026

Draft plan retains grass pilot and drops completed items

The Parks and Recreation Commission indicated that its draft fiscal year 2027 work plan should remove completed assignments while retaining a one-year natural-grass pilot and several unresolved planning matters. No formal approval vote was recorded at the retreat. Staff said it would revise the document and return it at the end of February, ahead of anticipated City Council review in April.

The grass pilot would begin with enhanced maintenance of existing natural fields, feasibility work at selected sites and conceptual options with cost estimates for later capital decisions. Commissioners discussed keeping that first phase narrowly focused rather than broadening the item to all playing fields; a second phase would depend on the findings.

Middle-school athletics was among the completed items identified for removal, although a final presentation is expected in April. Commissioners also considered whether assessment of parkland dedication at the former Ventura Elementary School site should remain a high-priority item after a commenter urged preservation of the William Frank Peoples Jr. Memorial Playground.

Staff said mitigation commitments should remain a priority and plans a formal Tide Gate update in spring 2026. A public commenter separately requested repair of a broken sluice gate associated with wetland mitigation and asked the commission to take up the issue.

Pickleball capacity review is expected in March

The commission retained racket-court and pickleball policy work in the draft plan pending a recommendation and later City Council action. A residency requirement for tennis and pickleball court use had already been approved, but broader court-use questions remain unresolved.

A separate pickleball-capacity item is expected in March, including staff and club alternatives and collected noise data. Two speakers urged more capacity at Mitchell Park, while the Palo Alto Pickleball Club said it has more than 1,300 members and that more than half are Palo Alto residents.

The club also described efforts to address parking, noise, portable restrooms, accessibility, coordination with tennis players and possible additional lighting. It reported 19 existing AbilityPath parking spaces, 35 additional spaces available nights and weekends and 50 newly available spaces near Hoover School.

Nature-connectivity proposal remains to be scoped

Commissioners discussed adding a nature-connectivity effort to the work plan or assigning it to an ad hoc group, but did not settle its scope or membership. Commissioner Shani Kleinhaus proposed reviewing city planning documents and practices elsewhere to identify gaps and possible guidance on biodiversity, pollinator habitat, connected natural systems and ecological barriers.

The central question was whether the work should produce internal guidance for parks and recreation decisions or become a broader, City Council-directed policy involving other departments and potentially consultants. Staff said ad hoc groups should have two or three members and will revise proposed assignments after the retreat.

Staff will revise commission-partnering norms

Staff will draft additional language for proposed commission-staff partnering norms after commissioners questioned how the rules would distinguish public criticism of work products from concerns about an individual employee's performance. No norms were adopted at the retreat.

Some commissioners favored broad wording to discourage micromanagement, while others warned that ambiguous language could inhibit legitimate discussion or operate differently across communication styles. One commissioner argued that rules beyond the existing handbook should go to City Council, and another suggested scenario-based examples.

Staff said individual performance issues should first go through management, while public discussion of staff work products would remain possible. The norms are expected to continue through other commissions and return to the chairs and vice chairs group later in 2026.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda