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It’s taking far longer than many had hoped, but Palo Alto is targeting this fall as a time for streetscape improvements — including new signs, planters, bike lanes and bollards — on the car-free segment of California Avenue.
The city’s “second downtown” saw seismic changes during the pandemic, with its daytime population shrinking thanks to changing work habits and with the City Council agreeing to designate it permanently car-free. But despite years of conversations and consultant studies, portions of California Avenue continue to look like construction zones, with plastic orange barriers blocking the street from cars on El Camino Real and Birch Street.
The slow pace of work has frustrated residents and council members, who in recent meetings of the Retail Committee urged the city to move faster with improvements such as new signs and better coordinated parklet designs.
Architect Bruce Fukuji, who is leading the redesign effort as project manager, assured the Retail Committee on Aug. 21 that things are moving along. His team just received the results of a survey that was sent out to gauge public opinions about the future of California Avenue. The survey, which asked responders to evaluate three different branding opportunities for the district, received 930 responses, Fukuji said.
The most popular of the three alternatives was “Optimistic Modernism,” which, according to Fukuji’s presentation, draws upon “mid-century modern architecture, playful pastel colors, and relaxed, fun type suggesting a pleasant day out for people of all ages.” That was followed by the “artsy saloon” look that draws upon California Avenue’s past as an alcohol-friendly heart of the town of Mayfield with a “new identity as an arts and nightlife destination.” The third option was “upscale contemporary,” which calls for “clean, vibrant and minimal composition.”
“People wanted something that was appealing to people of all ages and all groups, that would be fun and light-hearted, tied to midcentury Modernism but not tied directly to it, but draw on some of the elements because there’s so many components for doing that,” Fukuji said.
Residents should start seeing some changes this fall, according to Fukuji’s presentation. In September, the city will start procuring retractable bollards along California Avenue to improve safety as well as planters at the edge of the corridor, on Birch Street, to mark the eastern edge of the car-free segment. These features, as well as new signs, are scheduled to go up on California Avenue in late October or early November.
At around the same time, the state Department of Transportation will be repaving El Camino Real in the California Avenue area, a project that includes removing parking spaces and installing bike lanes. The city plans to install bike lanes and colored pavement on California Avenue in conjunction with those improvements, according to Fukuji. He is also targeting late November for installing a new district sign at the entry point to California Avenue.
Fukuji said that he and the merchant stakeholders are also considering broader and more long-term changes to California Avenue. One concept, he said, is to remove curbs to create a continuous pedestrian surface with bike lanes, a central public space and extended canopy. And to enhance the outdoor dining environment, the city can remove all road markings, create new shade structures, separate pedestrians and bikes.
The council Retail Committee, which consists of Chair Lydia Kou, Pat Burt and Julie Lythcott-Haims were generally pleased with the recent progress and the proposed schedule. Lythcott-Haims said the presentation has left her feeling “excited and optimistic.”
“It really feels there is momentum to this,” Lythcott-Haims said.
Burt recommended including more planters throughout the location to fill “dead areas” that currently include little more than chairs on pavement. He also suggested that the city post the schedule of improvements at various locations along California Avenue so that everyone sees that the city now has a concrete timeline.
All three council member supported the idea of filling the area with whimsical signs that strengthen the business district’s identity. Kou also suggested that the future design of California Avenue consider monuments and artwork that showcases local history. She also supported the idea dedicated bike lanes to improve safety for pedestrians in the area. Some cities, she noted, require bicyclists to walk their bikes when entering a car-free area.
“You don’t know when someone will suddenly walk out, so there’s also need for consideration of whether they walk it or they can bike it,” Kou said. “Dedication would really help with addressing some of this.”
Correction: The prior version of the story had incorrectly identified Bruce Fukuji’s position with the city.
