December 05, 2003

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Palo Alto Online

Evergreen Park

by Lorraine Sanders

In Evergreen Park, a quiet enclave just north of Page Mill Road, neighbors recognize each other, cars move slowly down tree-lined streets and children walk to school. Nestled between El Camino Real and Park Boulevard, Evergreen Park offers respite from urban life and proximity to California Avenue commerce, Caltrain and schools. But it's the sense of community that residents can't get over.

"The families are very warm and open," said Sandra Balzaretti, director and CEO of Casa Dei Bambini Montessori preschool on College Avenue. "They like the idea of walking to a local park like Peers Park or taking their kids on the Marguerite just for fun or hopping on the Caltrain for just one stop and getting off at downtown."

"We love the friendliness of it," said Jill Bicknell, who moved to her Stanford Avenue home in 1984 and now lives there with her husband and son, a first-grader at Escondido Elementary School. "We do a lot of things with groups of neighbors. We have lots of common interests around kids."

Bicknell said an active neighborhood association has helped neighbors connect. Each year, the association organizes block parties and an annual picnic in Peers Park.

Terry Godfrey, who moved to her family's Oxford Avenue home in 1999, said Evergreen Park offers more of a sense of community than any other place she's lived.

"There are tons of families," said Godfrey, mother of two, ages 4 and 6. Peers Park, Godfrey added, is a neighborhood asset that gives residents a place to enjoy outdoor activities, organize sports and get to know each other.

Originally part of Mayfield and incorporated into Palo Alto in 1925, Evergreen Park was developed by the National Building and Investment Company during the economic boom of the 1920s. This "choice tract of real estate," as it was called in newspapers at the time, was initially promoted as one of the last remaining areas offering proximity to Stanford University and the Southern Pacific line (now used by Caltrain) that carried passengers to San Francisco and San Jose.

In the last two decades, Evergreen Park has slowly changed from a quiet neighborhood with many retired residents to prime real estate for young, affluent families.

"There are a number of young people that have moved here and intend to rear children to maturity in Evergreen Park," said David Schrom, president of the Evergreen Park Neighborhood Association.

"I've really seen it change to a neighborhood that seems really multi-generational," Bicknell said of the neighborhood development she's witnessed during her 19 years here.

Traffic and parking developments, most notably the installment of street barriers, are also a unique part of this neighborhood's character. Erected between 1984 and the early 1990s, the barriers are intended to decrease cut-through traffic and make the streets safer for the neighborhood's many children and bicyclists. Schrom, who began lobbying for the barriers in the late 1970s, said traffic decreased after the first barriers appeared, but has increased significantly in recent years. Even so, the barriers make this one tough neighborhood for unseasoned visitors to navigate.

Other issues for neighborhood residents include the parking overflow from California Avenue and El Camino Real commercial zones and the El Camino-Stanford Avenue intersection, which residents say is unsafe for children on their way to school.

"We already have between two and three hundred non-resident cars parking on resident streets," Schrom said of the daily influx of cars.

"In short term, we'd like to see a crossing guard," Bicknell said of her hopes for the busy intersection at El Camino Real and Stanford Avenue. The intersection is used each day by neighborhood children walking to Escondido Elementary School, Palo Alto High School and Jordan Middle School. Long term, she wants the intersection revamped so the crosswalks are straight and the bike lane is better marked.

To that end, residents have joined with city officials to explore options for improving the intersection. In early October 2003, the neighborhood invited Palo Alto city council members to walk to school with residents and children so they could see the problems firsthand.

Nearby El Camino Real and California Avenue may result in more traffic and parking problems for residents, but some say it's worth the inconvenience.

"Having California Avenue close is one of the reasons we bought our house there," Godfrey said. She and her family frequently head to California Avenue for Friday dinner at Casa Isabel. She makes an effort to shop on California Avenue whenever she can to help the local businesses.

"I would say that within a mile and a half of Evergreen, you have almost everything you need," Balzaretti said. "From my (parent) client base, many families choose to remodel and revamp rather than move out."

Convenient commerce and services, a well-maintained park, easy access to Caltrain and popular neighborhood schools keep residents glued to their Evergreen Park homes.

"Houses in our neighborhood don't actually go on the market very often," Godfrey said. "They sell before they have a chance. People come by and leave fliers that say, 'I really want to live here. If you're going to sell, call me first.'"

Lorraine Sanders is an editorial intern at the Weekly. She can be reached at lsanders@paweekly.com.
Evergreen facts Fire station: Mayfield station, 2675 Hanover St. Library: College Terrace branch, 2300 Wellesley St. Neighborhood Association: David Schrom, 325-2786 Parks: Peers Park, 1899 Park Blvd.; Sarah Wallis Park, Grant Avenue and Ash Street Post office: Cambridge station, 265 Cambridge Ave. Pre-school: Casa dei Bambini Montessori School, 463 & 457 College Ave. Private school: The Living Wisdom School, 456 College Ave. Public schools: Escondido Elementary School, Jordan Middle School, Palo Alto High School

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