CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL
MEETING
AGENDA
February 24, 2026 - 5:00 PM
In Person
Members of the public may participate by being present at the Los Altos Council Chamber at Los Altos City Hall located at 1 N. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA during the meeting. Public comment is accepted in person at the physical meeting location, or via email to [email protected].
RULES FOR CONDUCT: Pursuant to Los Altos Municipal Code, Section 2.05.010 "Interruptions and rules for conduct": Understanding that the purpose of the city council meetings is to conduct the people's business for the benefit of all the people, in the event that any meeting of the city council is willfully interrupted by a person or group of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of the meeting impossible, the mayor, mayor pro-tem, or any other member of the city council acting as the chair may order the removal of the person or persons responsible for the disruption and bar them from further attendance at the council meeting, or otherwise proceed pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.0 or any applicable penal statute or city ordinance.
SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS: Prior to the meeting, comments on matters listed on the agenda may be emailed to [email protected]. Emails sent to this email address are sent to/received immediately by the City Council. Emails sent directly to the City Council as a whole or individually, and not sent to [email protected] will not be included as a public comment in the Council packet.
REMOTE MEETING OBSERVATION: Members of the public may view the meeting via the link below, but will not be permitted to provide public comment via Zoom or telephone. Public comments will be accepted in person, and members of the public may submit written comments by following the instructions below. https://losaltosca-gov.zoom.us/j/91929662425?pwd=lODtXgad9aCnN8DjUGF8Juui73OED9.1 Telephone: 1-669-444-9171 / Webinar ID: 919 2966 2425 / Passcode: 666380 Please note: Personal information, such as e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, home addresses, and other contact information are not required to be included with your comments. If this information is included in your written comments, they will become part of the public record. Redactions and/or edits will not be made to public comments, and the comments will be posted as they are submitted. Please do not include any information in your communication that you do not want to be made public. The Mayor will open public comment and will announce the length of time provided for comments during each item.
AGENDA
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
ESTABLISH QUORUM
DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Receive presentation and provide direction on next steps for Downtown Park & Parking Design Options
Provide direction on the following policy questions:
• What is the City Council’s preferred location and design themes for the park? • What is the City Council’s preferred option for parking? • Does City Council wish to conduct community engagement for the Downtown Park & Parking now, or wait until later this year once there is more information available regarding the Performing Arts Center and Housing on Plazas 7 & 8?
ADJOURNMENT
SPECIAL NOTICES TO THE PUBLIC
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Altos will make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk 72 hours prior to the meeting at (650) 947-2610.
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: February 24, 2026
Prepared By: Anthony Carnesecca
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Receive presentation and provide direction on next steps for Downtown Park & Parking Design Options
COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
Business Communities
Circulation Safety and Efficiency
Environmental Sustainability
Housing
RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction on the following policy questions:
• What is the City Council’s preferred location and design themes for the park? • What is the City Council’s preferred option for parking? • Does City Council wish to conduct community engagement for the Downtown Park & Parking now, or wait until later this year once there is more information available regarding the Performing Arts Center and Housing on Plazas 7 & 8?
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The City Council action authorizing the review of the proposed project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). Subsequent action taken during the review of the proposed project will be analyzed separately under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no proposed changes to the existing budget allocation for this project at this time.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
January 9, 2024; April 9, 2024; February 11, 2025; and April 22, 2025
BACKGROUND
As part of their Annual Retreat in 2024, the City Council directed City staff to explore the possibility of a downtown park with parking in the City-owned parking plazas. City staff initiated the exploratory research process to identify which parking plazas have the desirable characteristics and initial feasibility for the necessary project components. City staff identified that Parking Plazas #1, #2, and #3 provide the best spaces for the proposed project for a variety
of factors, including location, size, proximity to the Civic Center, and maximized parking efficiencies in these plazas.
As presented to the City Council on April 9, 2024, there would be a number of benefits provided by a beautiful new park space with adjacent parking as compared to the existing at-grade parking in Parking Plazas #1, #2, or #3. This project would further assist the City in achieving their City Council Priority Areas:
• Business Communities – Provide a benefit to the downtown business community through a new community space that will allow new visitors to spend their time and money in our main commercial district. It will provide high quality park space and parking spaces along with protected, secure parking for employee vehicles. • Circulation Safety and Efficiency – Improve circulation safety of the downtown by calming this portion of the downtown parking plazas from solely vehicular traffic in atgrade parking. Parking plaza efficiency will significantly increase with a new flow of traffic that is oriented to maximum benefit. The circulation for all modes of transportation, including pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, etc., will be improved through the different design options.
• Environmental Sustainability – Enhance the existing asphalt parking to green space with state-of-the-art sustainable amenities.
• Housing – Utilize portions of the Housing Element which identify integration of public park facilities to be located with or nearby multi-family housing.
On April 9, 2024, the City Council provided direction to continue exploring the possibility of a Downtown Park through design and community outreach.
City staff developed an RFP for Community Engagement and Design Services for Downtown Park with Parking on October 31, 2024 that closed on December 3, 2024.
On February 11, 2025, the City Council awarded a contract to Watry Design, Inc. for Community Engagement and Design Services for Downtown Park with Parking.
On April 22, 2025, the City Council received a presentation from Watry Design, Inc. and MIG introducting the consultants to the community and receiving feedback on the proposed community engagement process.
ANALYSIS
None
DISCUSSION
After the April 22, 2025 meeting, City staff and the consultants began the community engagement process to receive feedback from the community regarding a potential park and parking project in the downtown.
As part of these efforts, the City hosted 48 community events and connected with over 1,000
community members at pop-up events, meetings, and workshops.
Prior to any community, the City announced the launch of this community engagement and outreach effort with links to the website, which included the ability of community members to provide comments digitally through a direct email or the website. The website highlighted project information, FAQs, project timeline, and outreach calendar.
The majority of these were pop-up events, which were intended to be spontaneous in nature and connect with individuals in the community where they spend time, such as coffee shops, parks, our two libraries, community center, Farmers’ Market, Los Altos High School, and various special events happening over the summer, including summer concerts, First Friday, Art & Wine Festival, and Headwest Market. Not all engagement opportunities were publicized in order to try and reach individuals who may not actively seek out the feedback opportunities.
However, various engagement opportunities were highlighted on social media along with the calendar for future engagements.
City staff attended meetings with many groups, including the Los Altos Community Coalition, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Adult 50+ Lunch Group, Los Altos Residents, and soon to the Los Altos Village Association. City staff made themselves available to table or present to any group that requested.
The result of these engagements was a bold, community-driven vision for a new Downtown Park that highlighted what matters most for the community: nature, connection, creativity, and belonging.
Residents expressed a clear desire for a park that blends seamlessly with the character of downtown Los Altos and adds to its sense of place. People described a place where one could grab lunch from a local restaurant, enjoy coffee with a friend, or relax under the shade of trees with neighbors. They want a park that feels open and welcoming, where food, conversation, and connection come naturally.
Creativity also emerged as a strong theme. Many community members voiced their enthusiasm for spaces that support live music, performances, and public art—elements that bring people together to celebrate, and reflects the spirit of Los Altos.
The new park will replace the at-grade parking spaces at Plaza 1, 2, and/or 3. To ensure convenient access for the downtown community, the design team is exploring two strategies to replace parking: building below-grade parking below the park or adding above-grade parking adjacent to the park. Maintaining safe traffic flow, clear wayfinding and accessibility were top community priorities for the parking solution.
Parking has been a very important conversation topic in many community conversations and the design team has created options that provide a park space along with the maximum replacement available based upon the constraints provided by the option. In each design option at the direction of City Council, replacement parking is one of the most important considerations in the design process.
There are four distinct design options presented to City Council for consideration. It is important to note that these design themes are interchangable with the parking plazas on Plaza 1, 2, and 3, or could be explored in other Plazas. For example, the design team could explore The Meadow design theme on Plaza 3 if that was a preferred theme and location from the City Council.
City staff understands that there are many moving projects happening in downtown that are at different points in their process and, accordingly, recommends that City Council provide direction on these distinct design options that the design team can work on in preparation for further community engagement.
City staff plans to engage with the community to receive more specific feedback on these design options through a similar process to the community engagement process that happened last year.
City staff requests direction to the following Policy Questions:
• What is the City Council’s preferred location and design themes for the park? • What is the City Council’s preferred option for parking? • Does City Council wish to conduct community engagement for the Downtown Park & Parking now, or wait until later this year once there is more information available regarding the Performing Arts Center and Housing on Plazas 7 & 8?
ATTACHMENTS
1. Attachment 1 - Presentation
Downtown Park & Parking
Project Update
February 24, 2026
Project Goal
• Support our unique and charming downtown by providing a new park with amenities and replacing as much parking as possible 2
Policy Questions
• What is the City Council’s preferred location and design themes for the park?
• What is the City Council’s preferred option for parking? • Does City Council wish to conduct community engagement for the Downtown Park & Parking now, or wait later this year once there is more information available regarding the Performing Arts Center and Housing on Plazas 7 & 8?
3
Project Benefits
• Encourage active community space
• Increase parks portfolio
• Attract residents and visitors downtown
• Improve parking portfolio
4
Existing Downtown Conditions
Existing Parking Conditions
• Surplus in off-street public and private parking
6
Downtown Projects
• Park & Parking
• Housing
• Performing Arts Center
• San Antonio Road Improvements
• Access & Circulation Study (Future Study Session)
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Community Engagement
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9 Factsheet FAQ Feedback Form
10 Engagement Boards
Community Engagement – June through August 2025
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Project Drivers
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13 Strengthen the City's Park and Open Space Network
14 Strengthen Pedestrian Connections
15 Strengthen Downtown Character
Extend Pedestrian Promenade experience beyond Main Street
Park Themes
16
• The Park Themes are interchangeable with the sites on Plazas 1, 2 and 3, or could be explored in other Plazas.
• Only Option 1 shows a dedicated location for the Future Performing Arts Center, to respond to the original study assignment from City Council. The Performing Arts Center could be incorporated into the other options as the location is flexible.
• All above ground power and communication lines will be relocated underground.
• Replacement of parking and trees are integral parts of each design. 17 Design Notes Regarding the Park Design
Park Themes
18
• Flexible event space for community gatherings and celebrations • Outdoor dining in the promenade and park.
• Lots of shade, and vibrant low water use planting areas • Places to walk, sit, and gather in small groups
• Integrate Play and Art into park spaces
19 Common Park Elements
Emerging from Community Feedback
Option #1: The Grove
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22 Net New Parking: –57 spaces
*If Performing Arts Center is not built on Plaza 2: Full Parking Paseo build out on Plaza 2 would provide a net new of +19 Plaza 1 Plaza 2 Plaza 3
Park above underground parking structure Parking Paseo with Future Performing Arts Center *
Existing Site - No changes
The Grove
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Option #2: The Meadow
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27
28 Plaza 1 Plaza 2 Plaza 3
3 Level Above Grade Parking Structure Park Existing Site - No changes * Net New Parking: +4 spaces
*Future Performing Arts Center on Plaza 3 or 10
The Meadow
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Option #3: The Orchard
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33
34 Plaza 1 Plaza 2 Plaza 3
3 Level Above Grade Parking Structure * Parking Paseo Park and Parking Paseo Net New Parking: +43 spaces
*Future Performing Arts Center on Plaza 1 or 10
The Orchard
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Option #4: The Garden
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40 Plaza 1 Plaza 2 Plaza 3
3 Level Above Grade Parking Structure * Parking Paseo Park and Parking Paseo Net New Parking: +16 spaces
*Future Performing Arts Center on Plaza 1 or 10
The Garden
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44 WITH 3 LEVEL GARAGE on Plaza 1 NET NEW + 16 +$18.4M
1 LEVEL UNDERGROUND PARKING STRUCTURE NET NEW -57 $45.7M WITH 3 LEVEL GARAGE on Plaza 1 NET NEW + 43 +$18.4M
3 LEVEL ABOVE GRADE PARKING STRUCTURE NET NEW +4 $18.4M THE GROVE PARK + PASEO PARKING $15.4M THE MEADOW PARK $ 9M THE ORCHARD PARK + PASEO PARKING NET NEW –88 $14.4M THE GARDEN PARK + PASEO PARKING NET NEW –115 $13.6M
45 Existing and Proposed Parking Summary
Potential Project Funding
• Park Impact Fee
• California Statewide Park Grant
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Project Goal
• Support our unique and charming downtown by providing a new park with amenities and replacing as much parking as possible 49
Policy Questions
• What is the City Council’s preferred location and design themes for the park?
• What is the City Council’s preferred option for parking? • Does City Council wish to conduct community engagement for the Downtown Park & Parking now, or wait later this year once there is more information available regarding the Performing Arts Center and Housing on Plazas 7 & 8?
50