by Peter Gauvin
Despite objections from some Barron Park residents, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has received initial approval from the city of Palo Alto for its $5 million plan to build a mile-long flood control tunnel along Matadero Creek.
The Planning Commission, after five hours of public comment and debate, Wednesday approved the water district's plans to construct 4,300 feet of underground concrete box culvert along the Bol Park bike path from Varian Associates to the Gunn High School track.
In some places, the culvert will be large enough to drive a truck through. But once it is completed, it will not be visible except at its two end points. Construction time is estimated to take two years.
The culvert is the latest phase of a project begun in 1988 to provide 100-year flood protection along Matadero Creek. This section of the plan is designed to provide protection for about 300 of the 3,000 homes in the Barron Park neighborhood upstream of El Camino Real. These homeowners no longer would have to have flood insurance.
But many residents are up in arms over what they say is an unnecessary project, a waste of money, and needless destruction of a beautiful riparian corridor through a suburban neighborhood.
As part of the project, 84 mature trees would have to be taken out and another 34 would have to be transplanted. The existing bike path (which the culvert would parallel) would have to be torn up and rerouted through city streets during construction.
In opposing the project, residents noted that only about 10 percent of the homes in the neighborhood would benefit.
A 100-year flood has never been recorded, they add. The last time the area flooded was in 1983 (a 10-year flood, according to Bob Schubert of the city's Planning Department) and they say there are much cheaper ways to deal with occasional flooding.
Proponents counter that Measure F was approved by the voters in 1986 to increase benefit assessment rates and accelerate the flood control construction program.
The Architectural Review Board will consider the project on Feb. 3 and the City Council Feb. 22. Because the project affects a dedicated city park and a park improvement ordinance must be adopted, the city has jurisdictional review, according to Palo Alto Senior Engineer Joe Teresi.
If the Council grants its approval, the water district plans to put the project out to bid in early March.
The southern end of the culvert would be 10 feet wide and 6 feet high and carry overflows from Barron Creek. At its confluence with Matadero Creek, the culvert would then be 12 feet wide and 12 feet high and tie back into the creek at El Camino Real. Low flows would continue down the natural channel.
"The concept is to provide protection without destroying the creek," said Bob Schubert of the city's Planning Department.
Another gripe of opponents are the five-axle trucks that would rumble down neighborhood streets during the 18 months estimated for construction and the additional six months needed to relandscape the 80-foot-wide right-of-way where the bike path runs, formerly a Southern Pacific Railroad spur.
During those two years, an estimated 10,000 truck trips would be made on three different routes: Miranda Avenue by the Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Arastradero Road on the southern end, and Matadero Avenue, a narrow street with no curbs or gutters, where access would only be allowed for six months.
An existing wooden pedestrian bridge across Matadero Creek would also be torn down and rebuilt, and two existing sediment basins along Barron Creek would be modified.
On a 5-1 vote, the Planning Commission recommended that the project be approved by the City Council. Commissioner Bill Glazier was opposed and Phyllis Cassel was absent. But the commission stipulated that the water district must meet further with Barron Park residents to discuss traffic safety issue specifically regarding the use of Matadero Avenue and that the contractor must use the approximately 70,000 cubic yards of dirt excavated as backfill, instead of hauling it off site. This would lessen the number of truck trips.
The commission also required that screens or grates be added to the opening of the culverts to keep out children and animals. The water district is concerned that screening the openings may affect hydraulics if branches get caught.
Back up to the Table of Contents Page