Parks and Recreation Commission - February 25, 2025

Byxbee western trail closure planned for sewer rehabilitation

Palo Alto is preparing to rehabilitate 2,400 linear feet of a deteriorated 60- to 72-inch sewer line near Byxbee Park, a roughly $9 million project that will require a temporary closure of the park’s western trail and detours for recreational users. The Parks and Recreation Commission received the update without taking formal action.

Staff anticipated bypass pumping from March through July, with the pipe-lining work expected to take about three weeks. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of October, although the project schedule allows work and closures to extend into November if there are delays.

The cured-in-place lining is intended to avoid excavation and add an estimated 50 to 100 years of service life. Staff said most staging would remain within the wastewater treatment plant, while protections in the park would include biological surveys, wildlife-clearance fencing, shielded lighting and restoration of affected trails.

Commissioners asked how the work would be coordinated with Valley Water’s tide-gate project and other nearby construction. Staff said closure and delay notices would be distributed through signs, a QR code or web address, and city and park webpages, with project teams coordinating with park rangers.

Staff expects to extend comments on tree manual

Palo Alto urban forestry staff said they expected to extend the March 3 public-comment deadline for the draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual by one or two weeks. Staff plans to begin incorporating public and interdepartmental feedback in April and complete the manual before the end of the fiscal year.

Commissioners and commenters generally supported the draft but called for stronger guidance on locally native species, biodiversity, habitat, riparian ecosystems and ecological training for arborists. They also sought clearer examples, better tracking of private protected-tree removals associated with development and more accessible care guidance for protected species.

Commissioners also pressed the city to address synthetic turf and other petroleum-based landscape materials. Staff said the manual can implement Title 8 but cannot impose requirements beyond the existing ordinance, meaning broader regulation would require separate policy changes. In a related update, staff clarified that a proposed consultant-supported synthetic-field study had not been approved and was expected to go before the City Council on March 17.

The annual report said the city maintains just under 40,000 inventoried public trees and more than 30,000 private trees for utility-line clearance. Staff also identified invasive shot hole borer as an emerging threat, citing its confirmed presence in San Jose and Redwood Shores and saying Palo Alto could be affected within one or two years.

Canopy targets lower tree cover in South Palo Alto

Canopy reported that it had planted about 48 of 120 trees scheduled for the fiscal-year planting season and planned to complete the remainder by the end of May. The nonprofit said it has a waiting list and is prioritizing neighborhoods and schools south of Oregon Expressway, where tree cover was described as roughly half the citywide level of about 37%.

Through the South Palo Alto Tree Initiative, residents can request a tree, receive a site assessment and species recommendations, and obtain approximately three years of early tree care. Canopy also reported that its Great Oak Count was about 95% complete after involving more than 250 volunteers, with completion anticipated in spring 2025.

Commissioners encouraged greater emphasis on locally native species, elementary-school partnerships, youth participation and potential planting along California Avenue. Canopy and Commissioner Bing Wei will coordinate a possible presentation to the Youth Leadership Council in March or April, while any California Avenue proposal would be evaluated with city urban forestry staff.

Pardee restroom survey will return for action

Staff said the completed Eleanor Pardee Park restroom survey would return to the commission as an action item next month. The commission did not decide the restroom issue at this meeting.

During public comment, speakers criticized the survey as leading and insufficiently focused on people living near the park. They requested more information about traffic, maintenance, safety and costs. Vice Chair Jeff Greenfield asked staff to provide comparative operating information for restrooms at Ramos Park and Peers Park when the issue returns.

Primary sources

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