Parks and Recreation Commission - February 24, 2026

Open-space visits top 1 million as commissioners examine ranger staffing

Palo Alto’s open-space preserves logged just over 1 million visits in 2025, while the Parks and Recreation Commission heard that current ranger staffing is insufficient for roughly 4,000 acres and for peak events that fall on weekends or holidays. The commission received the informational report without taking formal action.

The Baylands accounted for just over 500,000 visits, Foothills Nature Preserve for just under 300,000 visits, or about 102,000 vehicles, Pearson-Arastradero Nature Preserve for about 190,000 visits and Esther Clark Park for about 43,000. Staff also reported about $390,000 in Open Space revenue and about $3.3 million in expenses for 2025.

The ranger program has two supervising rangers, six full-time rangers, two part-time assistant rangers and five part-time open-space technicians. Rangers answered 173 calls for service in 2025, including 36 medical calls, three suicide attempts, three vegetation fires, four vehicle fires, an aircraft crash and a water rescue.

Commissioners discussed volunteer support, outside funding and possible contributions from neighboring communities that also use the preserves. Staff noted that adding city positions is difficult during citywide budget reductions, and no funding or staffing proposal was adopted.

Staff said the Foothills Improvement Plan was about 90% complete and would return for further discussion during 2026. The Baylands Horizontal Levee Project was reported complete as of Jan. 31, while the Arastradero Creek Stabilization Project remains in planning and environmental review and is expected to return for a park-improvement ordinance.

Liaison reports crossing-closure study and 382-unit housing proposal

City Council liaison Julie Lythcott-Haims reported a 60-day study and three community-engagement efforts concerning a possible closure of Church Hill Avenue at its rail crossing. The review is expected to consider safety benefits and emergency-access effects. If the study supports closure, the city would work with Caltrain to seek California Public Utilities Commission approval.

Lythcott-Haims also reported that guards are covering four rail crossings around the clock at an estimated annual cost of about $1.8 million, with school-district cost participation. Work on anti-intrusion technology is also expected to continue.

In the same report, Lythcott-Haims described a proposed builder’s-remedy development at the end of California Avenue with approximately 382 housing units, about 13% of them affordable, above a renovated Molly Stone’s market. She also reported a projected city budget deficit for the coming fiscal year and six additional years, attributed largely to state-level changes in sales-tax calculations affecting the auto sector. The commission took no action on the liaison report.

Staff reports 1,695 on summer-camp wait lists

Staff reported that 2,943 campers were enrolled across 310 camps offered for summer 2026, with 1,695 on wait lists. Commission Chair Nellis Freeman requested historical wait-list trends and suggested the commission could help explore capacity increases for popular programs, but no formal direction was adopted.

Demand varied by program. Woodworking camp had 22 participants enrolled and 103 on its wait list, while 21 of 92 sports camps had met their enrollment minimums at the time of the report. Staff said it would continue monitoring enrollment, combine camps where feasible and make operational adjustments.

The Bryant Community Center teen center, which opened Feb. 11 and operates Wednesdays through Fridays, had reached its 25-teen capacity each day. A grand opening is targeted for late spring. Commissioners asked for more public information about the center and clearer teen-center signage.

Cubberley plan is expected for March review

The commission is expected to review a conceptual master plan and CEQA analysis for Cubberley in March. A City Council presentation is anticipated in April, followed by results from a fourth public poll in May. The long-range planning effort includes tenant priorities and options for the center’s future use.

The Cubberley Community Center office is scheduled to operate by appointment only beginning March 2. The commission took no formal action on the planning update.

Youth Council plans broader mental-health survey

The 29-member Palo Alto Youth Council plans to distribute completed youth mental-health and civic-engagement reports to commissioners and City Council members. More than 250 teens contributed to its mental-health census, and more than 260 students contributed to an earlier youth census used for the civic-engagement report.

The Youth Council plans another mental-health survey intended to better represent Palo Alto teens beyond the schools initially included, potentially adding middle-school students. Individual commissioners discussed youth access to parks, transportation, nature-based stress relief and ways to incorporate youth perspectives into park design and recreation programs, but the commission took no formal action.

Youth Council members also reported providing feedback on the layout and programming of the planned downtown teen center. Their upcoming activities include a Civic Impact Summit scheduled for April 25 at Mitchell Park Community Center.

Commission outlines work-plan edits without a recorded approval vote

Commissioners outlined revisions to the fiscal year 2027 work plan, but no formal motion or vote was recorded. Approval of the plan and its formal forwarding to the City Council therefore could not be confirmed.

Nature connectivity will remain a standalone work-plan item, initially focused on guidance for using connectivity maps in city plans and adding natural assets to parks. Its estimated staff requirement was reduced from moderate to low. Staff also clarified that only the natural-grass pilot is currently in scope, with any turf component to be considered in the following fiscal year.

During a related assignment review, Recreation Programs was clarified to include pickleball, tennis and middle-school athletics. The commission retained two park-group liaisons and three Cubberley liaisons, while Roger Smith joined Shani Kleinhaus on the open-space assignment. Staff is expected to incorporate the assignment changes into the work plan for a City Council presentation in April.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet