Category: CTRA Meetings

CTRA Observer Reports for April

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The College Terrace Residents Association has a group of board members known as “observers” who monitor relevant public meetings and news in their assigned area and then report back to the entire board on pertinent local actions and issues of interest to College Terrace. This month, we have an update from our Stanford observer.

Stanford

GUP/Development Agreement

The big news this month is that the Development Agreement negotiations between the County and Stanford have been suspended indefinitely. This is in response to the announcement of a “school funding and mitigation agreement” arranged separately but contingent on the eventual approval of the Development Agreement.

Meanwhile, the GUP process continues to be a moving target, with meetings constantly being scheduled/cancelled/rescheduled/etc. The current County Planning Commission meeting schedule is tentatively set as:

  • May 9 – 2nd study session
  • May 23 – 1st Public Hearing (Palo Alto)
  • June 13 – 2nd Public Hearing
  • June 27 – 3rd Public Hearing

The Board of Supervisors discussions will begin after that.

With regard to the Historic Resources section of the GUP, I was unable to attend the April 10th special session of the Historic Heritage Commission due to a Caltrain meltdown. As far as I can understand, however, the staff is recommending that the GUP EIR be approved but with the inclusion of a recommended condition of approval to require ongoing evaluation of all resources over 50 years old. This would provide some protection for the buildings excluded from the Historic Resource Report as written without requiring too much finely detailed discussion at this point. They’re scheduled to vote on it Thursday evening. I can’t be there but expect that it will be a good result and I will share my thoughts on it with the County Board (including Supervisor Simitian) and with the County Planning Commission.

The San Juan neighborhood continues to be very contentious, with discussion of requiring a full historical analysis of the neighborhood and a request for legislative tools to ensure that the board can protect the character of the neighborhood. The next meeting to discuss this is the HLUET (Housing Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee) on Thursday morning. One item under discussion is the possibility of forming a special advisory committee for development of the area.

Fireworks

A reminder that Stanford has both a baseball game and a softball game scheduled for Saturday, April 27th. The games are to be followed by a fireworks show. I have not been able to verify but I anticipate that a County Fire Marshall will be on hand with the authority to cancel the fireworks if we’re experiencing high winds as we have recently.

Please note that the Stanford University noise hotline can be reached at (650) 724-4900. This hotline was implemented as a condition of approval under the 2000 GUP but unfortunately has not had much effect, largely because folks don’t know about it, can’t be bothered to report noise, or have given up. It can be used to report any annoying noises emanating from Stanford such as the never-ending sports announcements or loud music.

Stanford Development in College Terrace

I have submitted a code enforcement request to the City regarding the use of 757/739 College Ave as a storage yard. They have inspected it and have notified Stanford that it needs to be cleaned up.

–Pria Graves

CTRA Annual Meeting Tomorrow Morning

The College Terrace Residents Association is holding its annual meeting tomorrow, March 23rd, at University Lutheran Church (1611 Stanford Ave at Bowdoin). Come at 9:30am to mingle and meet with neighbors as you enjoy coffee and pastries from Khoury’s Market.

The meeting will begin promptly at 10am with a welcome and “State of the Terrace” address from current CTRA president James Cook, followed by the election of the 2019-20 CTRA board of directors.

After the voting, Palo Alto mayor Eric Filseth will address the neighborhood and then answer questions. (Have a burning question for the mayor? This is your chance to ask!) After his Q&A, election results will be announced and the meeting will adjourn.

All College Terrace residents are invited and encouraged to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet neighbors from all over College Terrace and hear directly from the mayor on issues of importance to our neighborhood. Hope to see you there!

CTRA Spring 2019 Newsletter

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By now, most College Terrace residents should have received a copy of the CTRA’s Spring newsletter “Views from the Terrace” on their doorstep. (Thanks to Erika Enos and her band of volunteers for delivering the newsletters!) If you didn’t receive one, or prefer to read it online, you can download the newsletter here.

The newsletter includes a piece on “Life in College Terrace” by CTRA Social Coordinator Taylor Brady, as well as reports from Stanford Observer Pria Graves and City Observer Margaret Heath (writing about Khoury’s Market). California Avenue Observer Ann Balin contributed a piece about the coyotes that visited College Terrace last year. Thanks to CTRA Communications Director Jens Jensen for putting the newsletter together and to Susan Wilson for doing the layout.

At the end of the newsletter are short biographies of the nominees for the 2019-20 CTRA Board of Directors. The election will be held at our annual meeting this Saturday, March 23rd, at 10am at University Lutheran Church. If you can’t attend, but still want to vote in the election, you can download an absentee ballot (see the ballot for submission instructions).

We’re still looking for volunteers for a handful of positions including Secretary, Research Park Observer, and Social Coordinator. If you’re interested in serving on the board, please email current CTRA president James Cook, or just come to the meeting and volunteer. It’s a fantastic way to serve your neighborhood and community!

Volunteers Needed for the CTRA Board

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The annual meeting of the College Terrace Residents Association (CTRA) is coming up on Saturday, March 23, at 9:30am at University Lutheran Church (1611 Stanford Ave at Bowdoin). Palo Alto mayor Eric Filseth will give an address and Q&A, residents will elect the 2019-20 CTRA board, and there will be pastries and muffins provided by Khoury’s Market.

We are still looking for volunteers for a few open positions on the CTRA board for 2019-20 – no experience necessary, just an open mind and generous spirit. If you are a College Terrace resident and are interested in serving on the board, please email current CTRA president James Cook, or just come to the meeting and volunteer. It’s a small time commitment and a fantastic opportunity to serve your neighborhood and community.

Here’s a tentative schedule for the annual meeting:

9:30 a.m. Coffee/pastries/socializing with neighbors old and new
10:00 a.m. Welcome and “State of the Terrace” address by current CTRA President James Cook
10:15 a.m. Election of new CTRA board
10:30 a.m. Mayor Eric Filseth’s address followed by Q & A
11:15 a.m. Announcement of election results and appreciation of new board members
11:30 a.m. Meeting ends