Palo Alto study session focuses on REACH 2 flood project as JPA weighs $120M-plus options

A study session at the Palo Alto City Council on REACH 2 — the next phase of San Francisco Creek flood protection — laid out alternatives that combine channel widening, flood walls and bridge replacement to contain the flood-of-record flow and reduce risk to thousands of homes.

The San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority’s executive director, Margaret Bruce, told the council the project goal is “to provide protection up to the flood of record,” which the JPA and consultants modeled at about 7,200 cubic feet per second. Bruce said higher-resolution hydrologic modeling shows the channel has roughly 25% less capacity than engineers previously estimated, requiring a larger set of interventions than earlier plans.

Why it matters: REACH 2 would affect properties and infrastructure in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. The JPA stressed the project must balance flood protection with habitat and public access while coordinating funding and permitting across five agencies. Early cost estimates: a near-term widening/top-of-bank flood-wall phase could cost roughly $20–25 million; replacing the Pope-Chaucer bridge and associated works was put at roughly $100 million (rough, order-of-magnitude figures provided by staff).

Key details and options

- Project goal and context: Bruce and Council Member Greg Stone (Palo Alto’s JPA representative and board chair) reminded the council that REACH 2 aims to contain a return to the 1998 flow. Bruce said improved modeling and recent flood events (including New Year’s Eve 2022) showed more capacity is needed than earlier designs assumed.

- Components under study: WRA Incorporated’s alternatives include varying degrees of channel widening (north-side or south-side), top-of-bank flood walls, replacement of the Pope-Chaucer bridge with an open span, and targeted measures near Middlefield Road. Staff also proposed a preliminary feasibility study of a bypass tunnel; JPA staff emphasized any tunnel, if feasible, would not eliminate the need for walls or widening but might reduce wall sizes in places.

- Technology and safety measures: Caltrain and VTA partnership examples were cited. Stone described technologies already tested at Churchill — video and lidar intrusion detection (branded as RailSentry), anti-intrusion mats and elevated delineators — as precedent for combining safety systems with civil works.

- Costs and phasing: Bruce said JPA staff are evaluating a phased approach. Phase 1 (widening and top-of-bank flood wall near University/Woodland) was described as a “no regrets” early action and estimated at roughly $20–25 million. A later phase to replace the Pope-Chaucer bridge was estimated in the order of $100 million; staff stressed these are initial, high-level estimates that will change as design advances.

Public comments and concerns

Several residents and stakeholders spoke during the study-session public comment period. Engineer and resident Tom Rheinflesh (identified as Thomas R. in the public record) described personal flood damage in 1998 and urged support for WRA’s preferred plan, saying it would protect neighborhoods including Crescent Park and Duveneck. Multiple residents raised concerns about homeless encampments and illegal dumping along the creek, urging project designs that deter encampments while preserving habitat; JPA and city staff acknowledged those concerns and said they are a standing agenda item for the JPA.

Jeffrey S., speaking for local environmental advocates, urged the JPA to include anti-encampment design features where appropriate: “The unhoused are a vulnerable population and they present a measurable ecological problem in the creek,” he said, and asked staff to consider unobtrusive, dual-purpose barriers that limit creek access without harming habitat.

What the council directed / next steps

- The JPA intends to complete an alternatives-evaluation report by the end of the calendar year and expects the JPA board to select a project alternative thereafter.

- Staff will carry out additional technical studies (including a bypass-tunnel feasibility check) and a supplemental environmental review for elements not covered in the existing EIR.

- Project permitting, an arborist survey, and funding discussions are expected to continue through FY26; JPA staff said construction could begin on the earliest phased elements in 2027 in a “best-case” timeline, dependent on permits and funding.

Quotes

“New Year’s Eve 2022 revealed something shocking and dismaying…we experienced something about 25% more flooding than we thought we would have,” Margaret Bruce, executive director of the San Francisco Creek JPA, told the council, describing updated hydrology and the need to reassess designs.

“This is going to be a large project,” Bruce said. “When you build large projects, you hopefully add some additional benefits” such as habitat improvements and recreational access.

Meeting context and implementation risk

Engagement level: High — the council held a full study session with multiple staff presentations and a lengthy public comment period (about a dozen speakers) focusing on technical, ecological and equity concerns.

Implementation risk: Medium to high — the project is complex, touches endangered-species habitat, requires multi-agency coordination (Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Mateo County), and depends on large, not-yet-secured capital funding streams.

Clarifying details (from the presentation and public comments)

- Flood of record modeled: ~7,200 cubic feet per second (project design target). - Recent modeling outcome: channel capacity appears ~25% less than previously estimated. - Cost rough order of magnitude: early widening/top-of-bank phase ~$20–25 million; Pope-Chaucer bridge replacement ~ $100 million (both estimates described by staff as preliminary). - Estimated homes potentially protected (public comment): “over 5,000 homes” cited by a resident affected by earlier flooding.

Proper names

- San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) (agency) - REACH 2 project (project) - Pope-Chaucer bridge / Middlefield Road bridge (infrastructure) - WRA Incorporated (consultant) - Caltrain, VTA (transportation agencies) - Santa Clara Valley Water District (agency) - Railsentry (intrusion-detection technology referenced by staff)

Speakers (attribution whitelist)

- Margaret Bruce — Executive Director, San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority (government) - Council Member Greg Stone — Palo Alto City Council; JPA representative and board chair (government) - Mayor Loughing — Mayor, Palo Alto City Council (government) - Jeffrey S. — Resident / commenter (citizen) - Thomas R. (Tom Rheinflesh) — Resident / commenter (citizen) - Roger Smith — Resident / commenter (citizen) - Aram Jay — Resident / commenter (citizen) - Hamilton H. — Resident / commenter (citizen)

Authorities

- environmental review / certified EIR — referenced by JPA staff as the baseline environmental review with a forthcoming supplemental EIR for additional flood-wall elements (type: other; referenced_by: ["reach-2-san-francisco-creek-jpa"]).

Actions

- Kind: other - motion: "Study session and public input on REACH 2 alternatives; staff to complete alternatives-evaluation report and additional technical studies and return to JPA/council with recommended alternative(s)." - mover: "N/A (study session)" - second: "N/A" - vote_record: [] - tally: {"yes":0,"no":0,"abstain":0} - outcome: "no_action" - notes: "Study session only; the JPA board will later adopt a preferred alternative; staff cited an intent to return with an alternatives evaluation by the end of the calendar year."

Provenance (transcript evidence)

- topicintro: {"block_id":"block_3058.355","local_start":0,"local_end":210,"evidence_excerpt":"So I'm I'm honored to serve as Palo Alto's representative to the San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority, the SFC JPA...our focus is on the REACH 2 project, which will stretch from the Pope Chaucer Bridal through East Palo Alto, and our goal is to provide protection up to the flood of record.","reason_code":"topicintro"}

- topfinish: {"block_id":"block_5688.055","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"That concludes public comment on study session item 2.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}

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