Feds Grant $4.4 Million To Prevent Peninsula Flooding

PALO ALTO, CA — The federal government has awarded a $4.4 million grant to East Palo Alto to build a critical stormwater infrastructure project along Bay Road, U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo announced.

The Palo Alto Democrat is joined by her San Francisco Peninsula colleague in the House, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough, along with East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier and U.S. Economic Development Administration Regional Director Leonard Smith in acknowledging the infrastructure investment.

The dignitaries are expected to turn out for a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at 1885 Bay Rd, East Palo Alto.

The grant provides the final piece of funding required for the city to complete the $15.2 million project to reconstruct Bay Road, which will serve as a gateway to the Ravenswood Business District. The commercial zone runs from the town center through the workplace core and ends with a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay.

Eshoo characterizes the project as "transformative" in that it will provide crucial management of flooding caused by stormwater in heavy downpours as the Bay Area experienced last winter. The plan will also revitalize the Ravenswood Redevelopment Area, which includes 130 acres of underdeveloped prime real estate located on the bay.

When fully built out, the redevelopment of the Ravenswood Area will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment, create thousands of new jobs and significantly expand the tax base for this long-time distressed area.

The project will also indirectly help the city and its businesses improve their resilience to future disasters.