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Palo Alto ARB names representatives for Urban Land Institute review of downtown transit center
Summary
The Architectural Review Board agreed to designate two members to represent the board in stakeholder interviews for an Urban Land Institute (ULI) study of the Palo Alto Transit Center; ULI will hold an intensive study week Oct. 19–24, with stakeholder interviews Oct. 21 and a public presentation Oct. 24.
Palo Alto — The Architectural Review Board on Sept. 18 appointed two board members to represent the ARB in stakeholder interviews for an Urban Land Institute study of the Palo Alto Transit Center.
The board designated Board Member Hirsch and Board Member Georges as ARB representatives to participate in the ULI stakeholder interviews scheduled for Oct. 21, part of an intensive ULI study week Oct. 19–24. ULI will interview roughly 100 stakeholders, then work through Oct. 24 to prepare recommendations and present results to the City Council that Friday.
Chantelle Cotton Gaines, deputy city manager, told the board the Urban Land Institute engagement is intended to produce an actionable short-, medium- and long-term strategy for the downtown Palo Alto Transit Center, the second-busiest Caltrain station on the corridor. The study will focus on site features and uses that could make the station a stronger gateway to downtown and to Stanford, improve non-vehicular access, identify funding and phasing options, and examine successful mixed-use transit center models elsewhere. Gaines said ULI panelists will be supplied a briefing book of past studies and current plans to inform their analysis.
Board members and staff discussed the study’s geographic scope and immediate questions for interviewees. Board members asked ULI to consider: pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to the station, sheltered and visible waiting areas or mixed-use retail to improve the rider experience, accessibility and compliance with historic-designated elements near MacArthur Park, and short-term reactivation options the transit mobility hub ad hoc committee is pursuing. Staff said the study area includes the transit center, MacArthur Park, the VTA bus depot and nearby parcels, and confirmed that 400 Mitchell Lane (the building behind MacArthur Park) is included in the study scope and that MacArthur Park’s structure is a designated historic resource.
The board heard one public speaker, a nearby property owner who asked to be added to stakeholder outreach lists and offered to participate as a resident with property adjacent to the station.
Staff said they will follow up with the two ARB representatives to share the stakeholder questions and visuals before the Oct. 21 interviews so those board designees can carry the ARB’s priorities into the ULI sessions.
The ULI engagement will culminate with a public presentation of ULI’s recommendations at City Council chambers on Oct. 24.
Notes: The ARB’s appointment was made during the study-session item; no formal vote roll call naming a mover or seconder was recorded in the transcript.
