Parks and Recreation Commission - January 27, 2026

Commissioners seek clearer safety priorities for capital projects

Palo Alto parks commissioners asked staff to make safety needs, delivery risks and staffing constraints clearer as the city develops its fiscal 2027-31 capital improvement plan. Staff presented 26 projects proposed for fiscal 2027, correcting an agenda list that counted one project twice, and 38 projects across the five-year plan. The commission provided feedback but took no formal action or vote.

The proposal would begin design work in fiscal 2027 for two major renovations. Staff proposed $200,000 for design within a $1.4 million Hoover Park project and $400,000 for design within an approximately $2.74 million Mitchell Park project. Both would include community outreach, and staff said Mitchell Park would return to the commission for project-specific input.

Chair Nellis Freeman cited repairs to the Baylands levee and work on seepage at the Foothills Nature Preserve dam as examples of safety-driven priorities. Commissioner Vadim Axelrod asked for clearer timelines, completion percentages and information about which schedules are most at risk. Commissioner Shani Kleinhaus requested that Mitchell Park design address late-night lighting and dark-sky concerns and that playground outreach clearly present surfacing choices.

Kleinhaus also questioned synthetic turf and taller golf-course netting near Embarcadero Road, suggesting tree screening and consideration of wildlife-corridor effects. The agenda listed $847,789 for golf-course net and turf replacement, but staff said that estimate was outdated and that the project depends on second-deck and ball-trajectory studies expected in spring 2026. Commissioner Roger Smith advocated completing a restroom project every year and suggested public-private partnerships; the preliminary plan includes about $1.91 million for park restrooms over five years.

Staff will evaluate the commission’s feedback while preparing the proposal. The City Manager’s Office is expected to present the five-year plan to City Council in April, with council budget and capital-plan approval anticipated in June.

Street-tree planting rises as pruning cycle stretches

Palo Alto planted 466 street trees in fiscal 2025, compared with a 15-year average of about 283 a year, but recent pruning output had extended the city’s targeted seven-year cycle toward eight years. Staff said out-of-cycle service requests had redirected contractor work from scheduled pruning. The commission received the report without taking formal action.

Urban Forestry reported 15 full-time employees and one vacant tree-trimmer line-clearance lead position. The city maintains just under 40,000 public trees, while approximately 30,000 trees receive electric-line-clearance pruning. Staff also completed more than 970 development reviews during fiscal 2025, contributing to commissioners’ questions about workload and maintenance capacity.

The Great Oak Count recorded close to 11,000 living oaks, which staff described as a 22% increase from the just under 9,000 found in the 2001 Oakwell survey. Staff said the new data could help identify planting gaps and guide canopy work in South Palo Alto. Vice Chair Bing Wei also asked about canopy declines in seven neighborhoods; staff said more analysis was needed to explain them.

Kleinhaus questioned the use of 12 southern live oaks among 15 oaks planted at the Baylands duck pond, arguing that locally native species could better support biodiversity. Staff cited seasonal inundation, drought tolerance and other site conditions behind the selection.

Staff said revisions to the Tree and Landscape Technical Manual were needed after the city identified internal permit-review processes that were not fully compliant with the tree ordinance. Staff expects to complete the revisions by the end of February and send them to the city manager for review and approval in March. Urban Forestry also reported that invasive shot hole borer has not been detected through Palo Alto’s monitoring and said surveillance along riparian corridors would continue.

Council approves El Camino turf work; housing pre-screen is set

A council liaison reported that City Council approved replacement of the existing synthetic-turf playing surface at El Camino Park following the Parks and Recreation Commission’s recommendation. The liaison also said exploration of a possible transition away from synthetic turf at Cubberly would continue.

The liaison reported that City Council was scheduled to pre-screen a proposed development on February 2. The proposal calls for 158 housing units and 315 parking units in two seven-story structures on the parking lot between Town and Country and the Opportunity Center. A pre-screen is not project approval, and the Parks and Recreation Commission took no action on the liaison report.

Cubberly shifts to appointments while temporary park restrooms arrive

Cubberly Community Center will change from walk-in service to appointment-only service on March 2 because of citywide budget reductions and staffing adjustments, staff reported. The commission received the department update without taking action.

Cubberly planning will reach two additional milestones in February. Staff is scheduled to present results from the third community poll to City Council on February 9, and the Parks and Recreation Commission is scheduled to review the final conceptual master plan on February 24.

At Eleanor Party Park, the city installed one standard temporary restroom, one ADA-accessible unit and a handwashing station on January 26. Staff said Friends of Palo Alto Parks had offered to fully fund the temporary facilities while the permanent restroom project proceeds.

A prior city survey drew 1,171 responses, with 82% supporting the permanent restroom project and 18% opposing it. Support included 75% of respondents who live within walking distance. Staff said the permanent facility’s location will be determined through community outreach planned for mid-2026.

Primary sources

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