Silent majority waiting in the wings? Silent majority waiting in the wings? (January 16, 2004)

Opposition to Charleston plans may be brewing

by Don Kazak

Days before the issue comes before the City Council, some fear opposition may be building against a plan to reduce Charleston and Arastradero roads in south Palo Alto from four lanes to two.

"I hope it doesn't turn into another Downtown North," said Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg, referring to the neighborhood where residents have turned on each other over traffic barriers. "We have been hit by a lot of e-mails in opposition."

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the matter Tuesday, which so far has attracted little visible opposition. However, Kleinberg pointed out that Downtown North was similarly quiet until the barriers were actually built.

Palo Altan John Elman believes there is indeed a "silent majority" of residents opposed to the Charleston corridor plan. His assertion is echoed by Wayne Martin, a resident who released his personal survey on the matter last week.

Martin said 75 percent of the people he contacted are against the plan to reduce the travel lanes. The survey was reportedly distributed to 200 residents over the last two months, and 67 had been returned as of last week.

Joe Kott, the city's chief transportation official, has reportedly criticized the methodology of Martin's survey in an e-mail to council members, saying it was biased.

Potentially complicating matters, the Chamber of Commerce was expected to issue a statement criticizing the plan as the Weekly went to press.

The proposal was unanimously recommended for approval by the Planning and Transportation Commission last month. A 12-month trial period was proposed to see if the lane reduction does increase pedestrian and bicycle safety without significantly increasing travel time for motorists, goals Kott claims can be accomplished.

"This is going to be a major decision for the council," said Mayor Bern Beecham, who noted the city has made a commitment to protect residents in terms of increasing traffic safety.

The Charleston corridor study was initiated by the city last April on the recommendation of Steve Emslie, the city's planning director, because too many unanticipated development projects were suddenly underway in south Palo Alto.

When the City Council approved the study eight months ago, it also put a moratorium on those development projects, which are now waiting in the wings. The moratorium expires at the end of the month, bringing some urgency to the council's action Tuesday night.

Those development projects include rebuilding Hyatt Rickey's Hotel and adding up to 300 housing units; building a Campus for Jewish Life at the former Sun Microsystems site on Fabian Way, complete with 230 units of housing; a still undefined plan to redevelop the Elks Lodge on El Camino Real; and a plan to rebuild the Albertson's grocery store at Alma Plaza at East Meadow Drive into a 28,000-square-foot store.

In addition, Terman Middle School on Arastradero Road reopened in September, adding strong arguments for increasing bicycle safety on a four-lane street where traffic approaches median speeds of 40 miles per hour and which can be daunting for pedestrians to cross.

The plan has been strongly endorsed by several neighborhood groups, mostly on the grounds of added pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The corridor is currently unsafe, said Deborah Ju, president of the Charleston Meadows Association. "That's why parents don't feel safe letting their children walk or bike to school," she said. The 2.2-mile-long corridor serves 11 public and private schools. .

Don Kazak can be e-mailed at dkazak@paweekly.com

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