City project
Crescent Park Traffic Calming Project
Traffic-calming project in Crescent Park.
- Current status
- Final concept design approved/recommended; exact action wording is unclear in this chunk.
- Location
- Crescent Park, Palo Alto, CA
August 12, 2026: Advanced to final design
City Council approved the project with direction to minimize the size of a bulbout of particular interest.
Read related coverageAugust 10, 2026: Final concept design approved with reduced bulb-out
Council approved permanent Option 1 improvements at Southwood Drive and East Crescent Drive, modified to reduce the bulb-out to the minimum size necessary for the turning radius.
Read related coverageMay 27, 2026: Council consideration delayed
Staff said the item had been bumped from Council agendas several times and no new Council date had been set.
Read related coverageSeptember 24, 2025 final conceptual-design review
Staff presented final concepts for permanent installation. Refinements included reducing a curb extension by about 5 feet, adding a pedestrian platform, adjusting curb alignment for parking and passenger loading under AB 413, and using drought-tolerant low-height landscaping. Staff outlined preparation of 100% engineering drawings with refinements, followed by a construction phase and Council review of the construction contract. Commissioners requested further review of bulb-out dimensions, concrete-pad placement, ADA obligations, outreach data, and performance evidence.
Read related coverageScheduled commission return
Staff said the previously continued project would return to the commission on September 24, 2025.
Read related coverageApril 30, 2025 postponement and accessibility update
Staff met with a neighbor to better understand accessibility needs; a further update will be included in a future written staff report.
Read related coverageApril 9, 2025 final concept design review
Refined concepts include a shifted elongated traffic circle with raised splitter islands on all five approaches, ADA ramp and crosswalk improvements, drought-tolerant landscaping, and a revised curb extension/roadway realignment retaining the three-way stop. The curb extension is 5 feet narrower than the prior concept. Staff described refinements to enlarge the East Crescent opening compared with the pilot while retaining the curb extension/T-intersection approach. Drainage calculations reportedly support positive flow around the extension. Public testimony and commissioner questions focused on permanent-design effects on traffic safety, landscaping, signage, and accessible caregiver drop-off at the residence identified as 590. Staff stated its proposed concrete path would have a curb, rather than a ramp, based on its interpretation that the existing ramp is a pedestrian crossing. Staff described refinements intended to maintain a concrete pedestrian connection and accommodate drop-offs while replacing an existing nonstandard ramp. Staff reported 2019 baseline data and 2022 follow-up data showing reduced speeds and a 35% traffic-volume reduction, but commissioners requested updated data and alternatives that could retain the ramp. Commission focused on an intersection adjoining a resident's property. Staff stated it could meet with the resident again to explain the current design; Commissioners sought a substantive discussion of access needs and additional design alternatives before further action. The Commission continued one intersection component for staff to meet with an adjacent resident regarding safe property access and potential feasible design modifications. It separately discussed the five-way intersection's oval, mountable apron, landscaping, markings, and signs; no final action on that component appears in this chunk. The Commission voted 7-0 on a motion described only as being as depicted.
Read related coverageMarch 12, 2025: pedestrian beacon reported complete
Transportation staff reported receiving notice that the pedestrian beacon installation was complete and said staff would confirm its operation.
Read related coverageFebruary 12, 2025 transportation update
Transportation staff anticipated presenting the project to the Commission in early April.
Read related coverageOctober 30, 2024 update
A commissioner reported community feedback meeting attendance and stated that the effort could return to the Commission in early 2025.
Read related coverage
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