Publication Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2003
End-of-year push for new soccer fields
End-of-year push for new soccer fields
(December 24, 2003) Preliminary sketches show fields, lighting, snack and shack
by Bill D'Agostino
With a Jan. 1 deadline staring Palo Alto in the face like an oversized soccer goalie, designers kicked plans for new playing fields forward last week.
A preliminary sketch of the soccer fields -- planned for the corner of El Camino Real and Page Mill Road -- was recently examined by two city commissions, as well as a group of youth sports enthusiasts.
Plans for the fields include two 300-foot by 180-foot artificial turf playing fields that will be equipped with lights for night games. Between the fields would be a 165-foot by 85-foot practice field, restrooms, small snack bar and shack for equipment. There is parking proposed for 108 cars, primarily near El Camino Real.
The most controversial elements of the preliminary design are the eight 70-foot-high light poles for night games. There is a 50-foot height limit in Palo Alto that some elected officials are extremely wary to break..
But lights shorter than 70 feet could impinge on evening soccer games since balls kicked high could get lost in the darkness, according to Richard James, the city's incoming director of Community Services.
Soccer coaches who saw the plans were also disappointed that official games would be limited to youth ages 12 and under, due to the size of the fields. But "they understood the constraints that the city planners had," said David Goldman, a Got Space? co-chair.
The group of youth sport advocates -- known as Got Space? -- spent part of 2002 lobbying for more field space in the city. Stanford's land on the corner of Page Mill Road and El Camino Real was the group's top choice for new fields.
The new fields would be built by Stanford University, which also agreed to lease the land to the city for $1 a year for 51 years. In exchange, the university would get assured development rights. The city has agreed to pay the additional cost for artificial grass. The combination of lights and artificial grass (which the city has agreed to place on the field) would allow for more usage of the fields, James said, at a time when the city is currently facing a dearth of playing fields.
In January, when Stanford Vice Provost LaDoris Cordell takes office as a Palo Alto councilwoman, a conflict-of-interest law will prohibit the city and Stanford from moving any further on the project.
The city is working with Sen. Byron Sher to get an amendment to the law introduced to the state Legislature at the first meeting of the new year on Jan.5, according to Vice Mayor Bern Beecham. But even if that happens, the city is expecting at least a three month halt to work on the fields.
Construction on the two soccer fields was initially scheduled for the summer of 2004, but that is likely to be pushed back to the spring of 2005, due to the law.
"It's terribly unfortunate for the kids," Goldman remarked.
E-mail Bill D'Agostino at bdagostino@paweekly.com
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