Planning & Transportation Commission - October 28, 2026

Commission favors street-level bike lanes for Quarry Road connection

The Planning & Transportation Commission unanimously favored Option A in an informal straw poll on the Quarry Road Transit Connection, supporting street-level bicycle lanes at the northwest and southwest corners of Quarry Road and El Camino Real. Commissioners cited the option’s lower cost, reduced schedule risk and consistency with an earlier Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee straw poll. The preference was feedback to staff, not formal project approval.

The project would extend Quarry Road across El Camino Real with a transit-only roadway connecting to the Palo Alto Transit Center, allowing buses to bypass three signals. Staff presented the project at 60% design and reported that the design budget had increased from $878,000 to $1.005 million, including $127,000 for added work. Option B, which would raise bicycle lanes to sidewalk level at two corners, was estimated to cost about $284,000 more and add at least three months to the schedule. Staff said Option A would lengthen the crossing by about 8 feet.

Commissioners asked for clearer, color-coded diagrams and further analysis of bicycle volumes and routing. They also sought improvements to the southwest-corner connection with the Stanford perimeter trail, measures beyond signs to discourage wrong-way cycling and protection for potential future bicycle connections through the transit center. Pedestrian refuge space and crossing times also drew attention, particularly because of anticipated pedestrian growth from a proposed 500-unit Stanford housing site.

Staff expects to revise the plans during the winter, conduct another round of public engagement in the spring and seek a Caltrans encroachment permit. Construction could begin in late 2027 or early 2028, contingent on Caltrans approval.

Commission backs CS-zone historic incentives in 6-0 vote

The commission voted 6-0 in favor of a staff-proposed zoning amendment extending bonus floor-area and transferable-development-rights eligibility to Category 1 and 2 historic buildings in the CS zone. The proposal was developed in part to support preservation of the Category 2 historic resource at 51 Encina Avenue, which could become eligible for up to 2,500 square feet of bonus floor area after a compliant rehabilitation.

The motion included a clarification that an increase in floor-area ratio would not override limits tied to a use category or project size. Staff said the historic or seismic rehabilitation must be completed in accordance with applicable standards before the city awards the incentive. Staff also noted that the CS-zone office-use limit would remain 5,000 square feet even when a bonus increases allowable floor area.

Commissioners supported the preservation goal while discussing possible broader effects and the limited market for transferable development rights. Staff reported that about 32,000 square feet of bonus floor area was already available on the market and that 46 unevaluated CS-zone properties were more than 50 years old. Commissioners also encouraged consideration of a historical marker when a rehabilitation proposal is submitted for 51 Encina Avenue.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda