Final Days For Palo Alto Community Survey On Street Closures

PALO ALTO, CA — This the final week for Palo Alto community members to provide feedback via a survey on recommendations for street closures on Ramona Street and California Avenue.

The city council is set to discuss extending the street closures through 2023 during next week’s meeting.

Additional proposed changes by city staff include implementing dedicated emergency access and two-way bicycle lanes, permitting large tents only during inclement weather months (November through March), installing edge treatments around dining spaces and returning sidewalk encroachment to eight feet of clearance.

Along California Avenue, staff suggested installing “appropriate enhancements or aesthetic elements that will also provide a visible distinction from the access lane and dining areas.”

The survey, which closed Friday, includes questions about how often people visit California Avenue and downtown Palo Alto, how they get there and what they visit while they are in the shopping districts.

Related: Street Closures On Palo Alto's California Avenue Likely To Remain

Currently, California Avenue from El Camino Real to Birch Street is closed to vehicles, as the city looks to continue a policy born out of the pandemic that has generally been popular with patrons seeking to dine outdoors and have more walking space.

The council directed staff to obtain a consultant for a feasibility study on the impact of closing the portions of California Avenue. The impact study would include proposed guidelines on hours of use of public spaces and noise control, the effect of displaced traffic on residential streets and an approach to improve aesthetics and maintain open sidewalks so pedestrian traffic is near the windows.

Restaurants owners within the closed streets prefer the closures, according to city staff.

The council extended the street closures last September through June 2022 with a planned discussion in the future on permanent street closures.

Staff added that to consider the needs of businesses that may not benefit as much from street closures, the council could consider various combinations of closing portions of the streets, or maintaining some access for vehicles.

Click here to view the survey.