EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 19, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: James Colin, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Proposed Specific Plan for Bell Street Park in Partnership with the Magical Bridge Foundation
Recommendation
By motion:
1. Accept a status report regarding the exploration by the Magical Bridge Foundation of a potential Magical Bridge project at Bell Street Park;
2. Provide staff with direction regarding the conceptual plan (Attachment 1) for Bell Street Park; and
3. Direct staff to initiate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process to advance the Bell Street Park design process.
Background
In Fiscal Year 2019-2020, the City Council established key priority areas for the City, including “Enhancing Community Services and Parks for Residents.” Since early 2021, the City Council has made several investments in the City’s Parks and Recreation offerings, including initiatives that would advance this priority in the future. See Table 1 below:
TABLE 1
Council Actions to Enhance Community Services and Parks for Residents Item Investment
Contract with Wallace, Roberts, & Todd, LLC (WRT) to complete a Parks, Recreation, Open Space Master Plan $298,506
Contract with Verde Design to complete a master plan for Martin Luther King Jr. Park
$271,713
Contract with the Magical Bridge Foundation to explore the possibility of creating a Magical Bridge at Bell Street Park $80,000
Summer Programming in 2020 and 2021 $340,000
Total $990,219
On March 2, 2022, the City Council approved an agreement in the amount of $80,000 with the Magical Bridge Foundation (Magical Bridge) to explore the possibility of creating a Magical Bridge project at Bell Street Park.
Magical Bridge has interacted with the community to develop a proposed plan for Bell Street Park. The purpose of this staff report is to provide the City Council and community with an update regarding this effort with Magical Bridge and outline a proposed plan for Bell Street Park.
Analysis
Progress to Date:
Magical Bridge Foundation is pleased to share progress of the Bell Street Park public planning and design process, as described in Table 2:
TABLE 2
Date Meeting / Action # Attendees
Jan. 2021 Initial meeting between MBF, CCRMS and City staff 5 Mar. 2021
City Council approves comprehensive design services
agreement (“Phase 1”) w/Magical Bridge for Bell St.
Park
25 (?)
Apr. 2021 Phase 1 agreement between City and MBF executed N/A Jan. 2022 Bell Street - Magical Bridge press release N/A Jan. 13 2022 Community meeting #1 via zoom 24
Jan. 27 2022 Community meeting #2 via zoom 17
Feb. 10 2022 Community meeting #3 via zoom 19
Feb. 26 2022 EPA Parks Master Plan in person workshop (MB exhibited) 27
Apr. 6 2022 Senior Advisory Committee Meeting via zoom 10 Mar. 30 2022 In-person meeting at Bell St. Senior Center (with Mrs.
Grant and other magic makers who volunteer there) 7
Community Feedback Themes:
To date, MBF has received the following comments and requests related to the development of Bell Street Park. Highlights of amenities the community wishes for include:
• A place to gather for concerts and events, open spaces and fitness • Excited to have Magical Bridge but may not be enough space for full playground at Bell Street
• Make the Senior Center feel more connected to Bell Street • Multigenerational recreational activities
• Spaces for all ages to enjoy, including teenagers and young adults • A welcoming place for special events like Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, and Blues Festival
• A place for families to come together at night too
• Equipment that children and adults with disabilities can use • New accessible walking paths
• A better skate park
• BBQ areas
• More shade
• Provide programming options for everyone
• Local art
• Historical elements that celebrate EPA and its heroes • Picnic area(s)
• A real community space which is safe and clean
• Pop up shops for local residents to use to launch small business and build relations
Some Concerns:
• “Please make the fencing better”
• “It wouldn’t be a good place for a dog park”
• “Please preserve trees”
• “Provide housing solutions for those in and nearby the park” In addition to various outreach efforts through zoom and in-person, Magical Bridge Foundation remains actively engaged in social media groups including FB’s East Palo Alto Neighbors with over 8k members, and Homeowners is East Palo Alto (over 700 members). The Foundation has also identified 12 local “Project Ambassadors” for this specific project to encourage neighborly conversations and honest feedback from as many East Palo Alto residents as possible.
Proposed Design:
Through the use of surveys, community meetings, pop-up events, and other outreach methods, Magical Bridge has developed a conceptual design for Bell Street Park, which is shown in Attachment 1. Team Magical Bridge is also sharing design concepts and communicating with Sobrato and Madison Capital, whose projects border Bell Street Park to ensure all benefits for this community are realized in a meaningful way. We are excited about collaborating on our spaces so that there is a fluidity to the access and these new areas are inclusive for all. Upon completion it is our goal that East Palo Altans experience these spaces as safe, welcoming and reflective of their wishes.
Cost Estimates:
As of the date of this report, Magical Bridge does not have a cost estimate for the draft plan shown in Attachment 1. However, during the meeting on July 19, Magical Bridge will be able to provide a rough estimate of potential costs. An appropriation for these funds would not be requested until CEQA is completed, and it is customary for CEQA to study plans that may have the greatest impacts or amenities to ensure that additional environmental analysis is not required at a later date.
If the City eventually implements a comprehensive update to Bell Street Park, the associated costs could be reduced or managed by considering various options, such as the alteration of specific amenities or adopting a phased approach, similar to that utilized by many larger parks in the Bay Area. Time and costs would be reduced by completing the CEQA review for all phases early in the process.
Next Steps:
If the City Council directs staff to move forward, staff will work closely with the City’s consultant who completes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review on behalf of the City.
The City’s FY 22-23 budget included funds for this effort, however, a contract amendment with the City’s CEQA consultant may be required in September. Staff anticipates that the CEQA process may take 6-9 months to complete.
Attachments
1. Draft Plan