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After establishing California Avenue as a permanent promenade, Palo Alto’s elected leaders are now shifting their focus toward revamping the city’s prime downtown artery: University Avenue.
But unlike on California Avenue, the option of closing University to cars is not on the table, given the street’s role as a traffic thoroughfare. It accommodates about 12,000 motorists daily, according to data from the Department of Public Works, and serves as a main entry point from Palo Alto to Stanford University and to East Palo Alto.
Instead, the latest streetscape plans consider things like wider sidewalks and bike lanes, according to a newly released feasibility report. Some of these are certain to ignite a debate over street parking, which would have to be reduced to make way for the bicycle and pedestrian amenities.
The study, which was conducted by the firm CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering, identifies several current problems with University Avenue. It’s relatively narrow, with a public right-of-way of 75 feet (the ideal width for accommodating cars, bicyclists and pedestrians is 94 feet, according to the study). Sidewalks aren’t in great shape. Also, there are no bike lanes and few public gathering spaces, according to the consultant.
The study considers three possible ideas for University Avenue.
One would create protected bike lanes (Class IV) along the street.
Another would expand sidewalks from the current width of 12.5 feet to 20.5 feet, creating more room for pedestrians and outdoor diners. Bicyclists in this alternative would continue to share the street with cars, though they could get a striped bike lane (Class II).
Under a third option, which the consultants are recommending, sidewalks would be widened to 16.5 feet and parking changed from angled to parallel. This would bring the number of street spots on each block from about 18 to roughly 14, according to the study. Today, University Avenue includes a blend of angled and parallel parking spaces, with alignments alternating from one block to another.
In developing these options, the consulting firm relied on online surveys, in-person meetings, and regular conversations with a group of “block ambassadors,” which included numerous downtown developers, including Roxy Rapp, Brad Ehikian of Premier Properties, John Shenk of Thoits Brothers and Alex Giovanotto, whose family owns properties throughout downtown and in other parts of Palo Alto.
It also included, among others, Amie Ashton, CEO of the housing advocacy group Palo Alto Forward, Meghan Kawkab, who owns the downtown restaurant, The Patio, and bike advocate Paul Goldstein.
Most group members supported creating more amenities along University Avenue to attract more visitors, making the street more bike-friendly and minimizing impact to on-street parking, according to the consultant’s summary.
Community residents, meanwhile, have indicated that they want the city to make sure that the new University Avenue is safer and more exciting for non-drivers. More than 700 people responded to the consultant’s online survey, in which they were asked about top concerns and desired improvements for University Avenue.
The top three responses were: “pedestrian oriented and people focused”; “bike friendly”; and “fun, lively and vibrant.” Even though 70% of the survey respondents said that they typically visit University Avenue by car, parking did not make the list of the top eight issues.
‘Parking is the lifeblood’
But developers voiced the opposition this week to taking away any parking, when the City Council was considering concepts for bringing affordable housing developments to downtown parking lots. Both Shenk and Ehikian urged the council to reject any proposals that remove downtown parking.
“When it comes to successful retail, parking is the lifeblood,” Ehikian, whose company manages about 50 downtown properties, told the council at the Dec. 11 meeting.
Shenk also touted the importance of ensuring that the downtown area has adequate parking. He called downtown parking lots one of the city’s “most valuable assets.”
“Having a well-distributed parking system to support a vibrant retail core is critical for our downtown,” he said.
But when it comes to the University Avenue streetscape, more parking also means less sidewalk space. The new report suggests that maintaining parking and creating new protected bike lanes would reduce sidewalks to a width of 9.5 feet. Without parking, sidewalks could be almost 18 feet wide, the study states.
Largely for these reasons, the firm is not recommending installing protected bike lanes, which would necessitate either a removal of parking spaces or the narrowing of sidewalks along University Avenue.
Parking is also a major factor for why consultants aren’t particularly gung-ho about a “pedestrian paseo” alternative, which would expand sidewalks to 20.5 feet but limit on-street parking to a few select locations along the corridor. Consultants noted that removal of all non-street parking “may cause an increase in vehicle speeds along the corridor as drivers typically perceive less ‘friction’ with parked cars.
“In addition, the removal of all on-street parking is unpopular with businesses operators and owners along University Avenue,” the report states.
The consultants’ report frames its recommended alternative, which it dubs “activation flex,” as a compromise between parking preservationists and residents calling for a more pedestrian-oriented thoroughfare.
The compromise would convert all parking stalls to parallel parking, which according to the study would remove 48 of the existing 193 parking stalls between High and Webster streets. It would accommodate sidewalks that are about 17.5 feet in width, according to the study.
By widening sidewalks, this option “provides businesses along University Avenue with the opportunities for outdoor dining and retailers to display their goods within the sidewalk area without the development and maintenance of parklets,” the study states.
This alternative also proposes to narrow the roadways near crosswalks to create 24.5-foot-wide “bulb-out” zones that would shorten the crosswalk distance and slow down vehicles.
It also creates areas near the bulb-outs for “plantings and furnishings allowing for ‘people-focused’ activities voiced during the public engagement process,” the feasibility study states.
In addition to the proposed realignment, the streetscape project would include new sidewalks and asphalt pavement, upgraded street lighting and new traffic signals to support both bicycle and pedestrian detection, according to a report from the Department of Public Works.
Amie Ashton, who is the board chair of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition in addition to heading up Palo Alto Forward, said she hopes the streetscape project will meet the needs of all visitors to University Avenue. She said the consultant found that 42% of people get to University Avenue without using a car.
Given how narrow University Avenue is and the property owners’ opposition to losing parking, however, the city’s options for things like dedicated bike lanes are extremely limited, she acknowledged in an interview. She’s hoping that the new University Avenue design will include amenities that make bicycling safer, including a striped zone near parked cars.
“We’re choosing the best of very constrained options,” Ashton said, referring to the recommended alternative. “We’re constrained by right-of-way and we’re constrained by not losing parking. This is probably the best option, but we have to make it as safe as possible.”
The City Council will get its first look at the new streetscape options on Dec. 18, at which time it will also consider possible ways to fund the project. The recommended alternative has a price tag of about $40 million. One option that the council will weigh is creating an assessment district for property owners along University Avenue to pay for the streetscape improvements.
According to the new study, the apportionment of the cost in the assessment district could be based on such factors as front footage, the number of parcels, gross building floor area or property values. Creation of such a district typically requires approval from two-thirds of the property owners, though thresholds may differ based on types of assessment districts.
The Dec. 18 discussion will be the council’s first opportunity to consider new streetscape plans for University Avenue since fall 2021, when council members reopened the street to traffic after its temporary switch to a “car-free” zone in spring 2020. Council members indicated at that time that they would like to also pursue a new plan for enhancing the University Avenue streetscape and commissioned an analysis of various alternatives.
“The focus of the study is to strike a balance between different transportation modes while creating opportunities to enhance economic vibrancy for the community, including increasing economic activity for private retailers and businesses,” the Public Works report states.