Reminders: Wellesley Project Hearing Tuesday and City Budget Priorities

Just a reminder that the City Council will pre-screen Cato Investments’ proposed development at the corner of Wellesley and College at a special meeting on Tuesday evening, May 18.  The full agenda includes instructions for making a public comment at the meeting. This particular agenda item is scheduled for 6pm.

Also, there are four days left to respond to the City‘s 2022 Budget Priorities Survey. While the City Council last week voted to reverse many of the proposed cuts in the 2022 budget (including cuts to service at the College Terrace library), this survey is still an important way to inform future budget discussions and let the Council know what services should be prioritized.

Wellesley Project at May 18 Council Meeting

Despite voting to restrict the use of PHZ zoning in residential neighborhoods, the City Council will review Cato Investments‘ proposed development at the corner of Wellesley and College. The pre-screening will take place at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 18. Read the full agenda here; this agenda item is scheduled for 6pm. The agenda includes directions for making a public comment at the meeting.

On Thursday, May 13, at 6pm, the Wellesley project developers are hosting an online community conversation entitled “What’s So Scary About Apartments?” The event panel includes economist Steve Levy, housing advocate Josh Kirmsse, representatives from the Wellesley project and others.

Budget Cuts Target CT Library (Again)

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The City Manager presented a proposed FY2022 budget to the City Council on Monday and, once again, the College Terrace Library is on the chopping block. The current proposal recommends closing the College Terrace, Downtown, and Children’s libraries to the public in favor of vending machines for contactless distribution.

The College Terrace Library is most than just a library – it’s a gathering place and hub for residents of College Terrace, Evergreen Park, Southgate, Mayfield, Ventura, Barron Park, Stanford, and beyond. And as we emerge from the pandemic, we’ll need community centers like the College Terrace Library more than ever.

Our local Fire Station #2 (on Hanover St.) is also targeted for further service reductions. The station currently experiences “brownouts” during weekday nights and weekends; these would be extended to all day, every day. This means the station would be shut down anytime firefighters at the station are on leave.

This staffing model would result in longer response times and a reduced ability to handle simultaneous calls. Every second counts in an emergency and relying on backfill from a station across town, or worse, elsewhere in the county, puts residents’ lives in jeopardy. And with California’s increasingly dangerous fire seasons, full staffing for EMS and fire suppression alike is critical.

As with last year’s budget discussions, we encourage neighbors to let the City Council know how you feel about these potential budget cuts. Two ways for you to do that:

  1. Email the City Council at city.council@cityofpaloalto.org and let them know how important the College Terrace Library and Fire Station #2 are to you and our community.
  2. Attend the City‘s Budget Town Hall on Thursday night at 6pm via Zoom. City Staff will share details about the proposed budget and share how residents can engage with the process in the coming weeks. Register here.

The Council will begin budget hearings to discuss potential cuts next Tuesday and Wednesday. You can find the schedule on the City‘s budget website.

CTRA Board Meeting Agenda: April 21, 2021

The next CTRA board meeting will be Wednesday, April 21, at 7:00pm via Zoom. All College Terrace residents are welcome to attend! Use this link to access the meeting.

At this month’s meeting, we’ll have a guest speaker: Megan Swezey-Fogarty, Stanford’s Associate Vice President for Community Engagement. Other topics include budget cuts at the College Terrace library, PHZ and RMD zoning, and a discussion of the board’s goals for 2021-22. Read the full agenda.