East Palo Alto General Plan Neighborhood Workshops Summary Workshop Overview University Village/Ravenswood Workshop Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park

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1 East Palo Alto General Plan Neighborhood Workshops Summary November 8, 2014, 9:30 am 12:30 pm 1 (University Village/Ravenswood): Ravenswood Family Health Center, 1842 Bay St. 2 (Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park): East Palo Alto Senior Center, 560 Bell Street St. 3 (Weeks/Gardens/Gateway 101): East Palo Alto Education Center, 763 Green St. Workshop Overview On Saturday, November 8, 2014, the City of East Palo Alto hosted three concurrent neighborhood workshops to generate input and insight into the General Plan update. Workshop locations and attendance were as follows: University Village/Ravenswood Workshop approximately 25 attendees, facilitated by Aaron Welch of Raimi + Associates with assistance from Daniel Berumen of the City of East Palo Alto and Nuestra Casa Staff Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park approximately 10 attendees, facilitated by Matt Raimi of Raimi + Associates and Omowale Satterwhite, with assistance from Nuestra Casa Staff Weeks/Gardens/Gateway 101 approximately 25 attendees, facilitated by Chris Sensenig of Van Meter Williams Pollack with assistance from Troy Reinhalter of Raimi + Associates and Nuestra Casa Staff. All materials were available in Spanish and English. The University Village workshop was conducted primarily in Spanish, while the Kavanaugh and Weeks workshops were conducted primarily in English, as a result of the preference of attendees. Each workshop was individually designed to focus on the issues and improvements specific to the neighborhood area where the workshop was located. Those areas are listed in bold above. The workshop included the following primary forms of input: Opening large group exercises. Two exercises occurred during the registration and socializing portion of the meeting: o o Where Do you Live? Participants mapped where they live in East Palo Alto Community Priorities Participants voted on their top priorities from a list of choices Individual feedback cards. The facilitator asked participants, If you can change any three things about your neighborhood, what would they be? Each participant had 5-10 minutes to provide a handwritten answer on note cards, and all answers were collected and compiled. Small-group discussion. Participants separated into three small groups to discuss a series of four questions over the course of about an hour and a half. Results from each of these exercises are summarized in this document. 1

2 The results of the Neighborhood Workshops will be summarized at the Citywide General Plan Workshops for Land Use and Economic Development (November 17, 2014), Transportation and Parking (December 8, 2014), and Public Health and Quality of Life (January 8, 2015). They were also provided to the City and General Plan Consultant Team for review, informing the draft of the General Plan to be created in early Community Priorities The following votes were received for different community priorities. Participants received 4 or 5 votes per person. Overall between the groups, Preserve existing affordable housing was the most-voted-for priority, with double the amount of votes over the next-most-popular option. Other options that received a high number of votes included: Increase jobs and economic development, Reduce crime, Beautify the City and increase code enforcement, Improve water, sewer and trash services, and Encourage more community events. But, as can be seen in the tally below, priorities sometimes differed considerably, depending on the neighborhood area. Community Priority Votes Weeks Kavanaugh Univ. Vil. Total Preserve existing affordable housing Build new housing Encourage more stores and shopping, including supermarkets Establish a main street or downtown Increase jobs and economic development Reduce traffic congestion Improve public transit Improve pedestrian facilities Create safer bicycle facilities 3 3 Improve parking in neighborhoods Increase parks, open space, and recreation opportunities Reduce crime Beautify the City and increase code enforcement Improve access to health care 7 7 Reduce pollution and health hazards Add public art Improve water, sewer and trash services Encourage more community events Build more community facilities Add trees and enhance natural areas Enhance intra-city communication (write-in) 1 1 Keep old/original residents (write-in) 1 1 Better skate park (write-in) 1 1 2

3 Where Do You Live Results of each neighborhood workshop s Where Do You Live exercise are provided below. Most, but not all, attendees chose to attend the workshop that focused on their neighborhood. Weeks/Gardens/Gateway 101 Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park 3

4 University Village/Ravenswood 4

5 Summary of Small Group Discussion and Mapping Participants divided into small groups. The Weeks/Gardens workshop and University Village/Ravenswood workshop both had three small discussion groups, while the Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park workshop (which had fewer attendees) had a single small-group discussion. Each small group had a map of the City and discussed the following questions: Discussion Question 1: What makes the neighborhood special or unique? Discussion Question 2: What are the issues facing the neighborhood now and over the next 20 years? Discussion Question 3: Use the map and game pieces to show what specific physical changes you want in your neighborhood? Small Group Discussion Overview Below is a summary table of the prevalent themes discussed in small groups, based upon a review of the group discussion notes and report-back. This table summary relates primarily to Discussion Questions 1 and 2 mapping results of Discussion Question 3 are shown in a separate section below. University Village/ Ravenswood Weeks/ Gardens/ Gateway 101 Kavanaugh/ Palo Alto Park What makes the neighborhood special or unique? Parks The library Costaño School The Bay Trail Access to Ravenswood Clinic and dentist Police presence Access to Dumbarton Bridge Ravenswood Preserve St. Francis Church Green Oaks Academy, Creative Montessori, and Magnolia Head Start Accessible to all the community resources Latino population Rent control Weather Big lots agricultural past Big trees Walkable to shopping center and jobs Lots of schools in peninsula Belly button of the Bay 101 Shopping Center Streets lined with mature trees Walking distance to retail Neighborhood is walkable Memories of the place and its history What are the issues facing the neighborhood now and over the next 20 years? Flood Insurance cost Safe routes to schools Traffic and access to Costano Elementary Flooding at Costano Elementary Lighting near the Boys and Girls Club Junk in the City Dog cleanup Graffiti Lack of special needs schools in the City Opportunities for low-income people Parking Need for a minimum living wage Pedestrian safety Need for youth centers and activities Traffic during morning commute Parking on sidewalks Baseball field is not used and locked Multiple streets are dangerous for pedestrians to cross Affordability Jobs Flood prevention and safety Poor access and limited use of multiple parks Need more corner stores Parking on sidewalks Lack of job opportunities East Bayshore is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists Gentrification 5

6 Climate and environment Proximity to the Bay, freeway, parks Proximity to Willow Large education hub Safer walking routes to school Rural character Accessible public transit Overcrowding Creek overflow (Garden) Safety: gangs and drugs Pockets and places where people hang out a lot Often you can only walk on 1 side of the street Predatory lending Elimination of community services Trash and illegal dumping around the neighborhood Street lights too far apart in some locations Small Group Mapping For question 3, each small group was given a map of the neighborhood and game pieces symbolizing different types of improvements to consider for the neighborhood (see list below). Participants were asked to place the game pieces where they might like to see such improvements: Pedestrian safety improvements New neighborhood retail New infill housing New or improved park space Community facilities or services Bicycle paths or lanes Streetscape improvement Other In addition, participants were asked to place green dots to indicate locations where there are features that make the neighborhood special or unique (Discussion Question 1), and red dots to indicate locations where there are issues of concern in the neighborhood (Discussion Question 2). Since the Weeks/Gardens/Gateway 101 and University Village/Ravenswood workshops each had three small discussion groups, there were three maps created for each workshop location (one for each small group). The Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park workshop had just one small group and so created a single consolidated map. The content of these maps will be used as input for the General Plan update. It will be particularly relevant when drafting the implementation chapter of the General Plan which will focus on specific improvements and programs needed to realize the General Plan s vision, and when drafting policies to address specific neighborhood issues (e.g. sidewalk completion, neighborhood parking, etc.). In addition to the photos below, the General Plan team has archived the hard copies of the neighborhood maps because some map details are hard to read when not in poster size. For maps with handwriting, the handwritten comments have been transcribed next to each map to make them more legible. 6

7 Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park Map 1 (only map created) Transcription of hand-written comments (Kavanaugh/Palo Alto Park Map 1) Intersection of Saratoga Ave & 101 No right turn 6am-9am, 3pm-7pm End of Kavanaugh (outside city limit) Job train City Hall Air rights over parking lot University between Bell and Runnymede Affordable housing overlay on Church property RCSD building at Euclid & Donohoe Joint Ravenswood School District and City of EPA building Euclid at crossing of 101 Repair tunnel University at crossing of 101 Improve ped access and bike South side of Donohoe, west of 101 Dark 7

8 Weeks/Gardens Map 1 Transcription of hand-written comments (Weeks/Gardens Map 1) Intersection of Cooley & Runnymede Elders NE corner of Clarke and Weeks Affordable Housing Land east of Pulgas and north of Runnymede Contaminated, Contaminated/Flood, and Buffer zones? NE of Clark eand Beech Community Garden Bay Trail north of Runnymede Pave this section East end of Runnymede Lighting/garbage and litter pick-up East Palo Alto Charter School Now Closed on Weekends Martin Luther King Park Unused baseball diamond Alley between Pulgas & Azalia, near O Connor Pave alley (private property) 8

9 Weeks/Gardens Map 2 Transcription of hand-written comments (Weeks/Gardens Map 2) Pulgas towards Oakes Street Pulgas towards Palo Mobile Estates Daphne (connection to Abelia or to points south?) Martin Luther King Park towards Larkspur Drive Entry point comment, with arrow drawn 9

10 Weeks/Gardens Map 3 Transcription of hand-written comments (Weeks/Gardens Map 3) East of Clarke between Beech and Garden Hi-Tech Garden East of Jasmine Way near San Francisquito Creek Flood Protection 10

11 University Village/Ravenswood Map 1 Transcription of hand-written comments (University Village/Ravenswood Map 1) Green Oaks Academy Buena ( good ) Costaño Elementary Esta bien pero deveria (sp?) mejorar ( It s good but could be better (??)) City Hall and Library Promueva la educion ( Promote education ) North end of Fordham centro communitario ( Community center ) Area to the north of where Pulgas ends Shopping area Area east of Tara Street Commercial area University Avenue Trafico ( traffic ) Illinois Street Trafico ( traffic ) Jack Farrell Park Diversion sana ( Healthy fun ) Jack Farrell Park No suficientes ( Insufficient ) Demeter Street north of Bay Road Programas de reduccion de crimen ( Crime-reduction programs ) Future Ravenswood Clinic Acceso ( Access ) 11

12 University Village/Ravenswood Map 2 Transcription of hand-written comments (University Village/Ravenswood Map 2) Large lot between northern end of Demeter and Pulgas Eastern terminus of Bay Road Ravenswood Open Space Preserve Recycle Center? Downtown Business ideas: Chuck E Cheese, Movie theatre, Walmart/Target, Costco School (special ed) Fire House? Community Center? Alternate entrance to [Dumbarton] Bridge 12

13 University Village/Ravenswood Map 3 Transcription of hand-written comments (University Village/Ravenswood Map 3) University Avenue Make it bigger for cars Orange line through Ravenswood Open Space Preserve Way or Expressway to Dumbarton 13