BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Palo Alto City Council tonight (March 10) took the final step to close California Avenue and a half block of Ramona Street to cars, despite a coalition of downtown property owners fighting to keep Ramona Street open.
With council’s 7-0 approval of an environmental analysis, the temporary closure that lasted nearly five years is now permanent.
Attorney David Lanferman wrote a letter to the city on Friday that said the city is violating state vehicle code that says cities can’t close streets without first showing that they’re no longer needed for vehicular traffic.
Bret Van De Sande, representing the owners of the building at 250 University Ave., said his main issue is public safety.
The closed half block of Ramona Street ends at a parking garage where deliveries are made and cars turn around.
“The space is just too busy, too compacted. It’s often very unsafe to try and walk near Ramona or even enter or exit the garage,” Van De Sande said.
Nancy Coupal, owner of Coupa Cafe, spoke in favor of the permanent closure.
“Allowing a few building owners in Palo Alto to derail this effort would be a mistake,” Coupal said. “The arguments against this proposal are weak.”
Property owners Joseph Martignetti Jr., Elizabeth Wong and Roxy Rapp wrote letters to the city against the closure.
“It is very dangerous and frustrating for customers trying to visit Ramona Street,” Rapp said.
Project manager Ashwini Kantak said closing the street permanently will help with safety because the city can put up signs showing that Ramona Street isn’t a thoroughfare.
“So basically making it clear it’s a dead end, unless one wants to go to that parking garage,” Vice Mayor Vicki Veenker said.
The city is further along on California Avenue, where the road is closed from El Camino Real to Birch Street. Near-term improvements will happen in the coming weeks, project manager Ashwini Kantak said.
New bollards and plants still need funding for Ramona Street, Kantak said.
Council voted to reduce the proposed speed limit for bikes on California Avenue from 15 mph to 8 mph.
Ramona Street will be for pedestrians only.
Council closed both streets and University Avenue in June 2020 when indoor dining wasn’t allowed during the pandemic. The temporary closure was extended five times since then.
Open the streets. The closures had nothing to do with safety – they were implemented to promote outdoor seating when indoor seating was banned based on junk science – so playing the “safety” card now is disingenuous and a red herring. Heck, you can drive by Pier 39 and any major street in SF.
“Council voted to reduce the proposed speed limit for bikes on California Avenue from 15 mph to 8 mph.” Yeah, good luck enforcing that one. Like the group of teenage bike riders from E. Palo Alto who routinely ignore every traffic rule, popping wheelies, giving drivers the middle finger. Try ticketing one of those punks.
“Council closed both streets and University Avenue in June 2020 when indoor dining wasn’t allowed during the pandemic. The temporary closure was extended five times since then.” They would have extended the closures and lockdowns permanently if it wasn’t for the red (sane) states like Florida opening up.
Council has already destroyed Cal Ave. Business is way down and the new parking structure is mostly empty. Now council is applying its anti-business magic to downtown. Hopefully the businesses and landlords will sue to stop this.
“Project manager Ashwini Kantak said closing the street permanently will help with safety because the city can put up signs showing that Ramona Street isn’t a thoroughfare.”
As if they couldn’t do this before???
Oh silly me. This is PA where it takes 4 years to put up a sign saying PARKING THAT WAY, where we have to waste big bucks on “retail consultants” with no local knowledge and where what we get in return is never-ending utility rate hikes to pay for thus incompetence and lack of initiative.
SO looking forward to wasting $43,000,000 to redo University Ave sidewalks to match the color of Burlingame which Pat Burt — member of the Retail Committee — supports.
This is really disappointing. Despite what council and staff thinks, people aren’t going to ditch their cars and go shopping on bicycles. The thinking here is completely unrealistic.