City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Administrative Services
Meeting Date: November 3, 2025
Report #:2510-5296
TITLE
Adoption of a Resolution Approving The Palo Alto Museum‘s Facility Naming Plan for the Roth Building; CEQA status – not a project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council adopt a Resolution approving the proposed Naming and Recognition Plan for the Roth Building as proposed by the Palo Alto Museum (Attachment A) informed by staff review for compliance with appropriate policies and procedures.
BACKGROUND
The City’s Policy and Procedure 1-15, Naming City-Owned Land and Facilities, Section 3, (Attachment B), authorizes naming recognition for significant donations to capital fundraising campaigns. Staff recommends that the Council adopt the attached Naming and Recognition Plan developed by the Palo Alto Museum to support the capital fundraising effort for the Palo Alto Museum at the City-owned Roth Building facility.
In 2022 Council approved a lease with the Palo Alto Museum (Museum) for the Roth Building facility1. Under the terms of lease, the Museum completed a $13 million renovation of the Roth Building in February 2025 with funding coming from sources including the City’s General Fund (including sale proceeds from the transfer of development rights), impact fees, federal and county grants, museum generated private donations, and other museum funds. As a term of the lease the Museum is obligated to open to the public in February 2026. To support the buildout of the museum exhibits and spaces within the Roth Building, the Museum is proposing a naming plan to encourage fundraising.
1 Staff Report 15017 12/12/2022 Approval of Lease and License of 300 Homer Ave. Roth Building between the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto Museum; https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=59025&repo=r- 704298fc&searchid=fab5ad13-705c-49c4-91ed-476b27f898ac
For reference and background, a naming plan was approved for the Jr. Museum and Zoo in 20173.
ANALYSIS
The naming plan will help the Museum continue to fundraise to support the build out of exhibits and the operations of the Museum and renovated spaces. Prior to October 2025 the Museum secured donor commitments for spaces, trees and benches totaling $1.75 million.
Going forward the Museum expects to make available additional spaces, including exterior paving bricks for small donations and rooms, galleries, exhibits, the courtyard, and colonnade for large donations as detailed in attachment A. The Museum total goal with this forward- looking funding plan is more than $9 million.
As mentioned, naming commitments were made prior to October 2025, which preceded approval of the plan being presented in Attachment A. This reflects the uniquely long history of the project, which dates to the early 2000s. Since then, the museum has had ongoing fundraising efforts to varying degrees resulting in donor commitments for planned spaces that were yet to be constructed. It was only recently that the City and Museum coordinated on the naming plan. Should Council approve this naming plan, these prior commitments align with the plan and policy.
Staff recommends that Council approve the attached naming plan with the past commitments included. This will ensure that the earlier funds committed by donors will remain as available donations for the museum to support opening. In addition, the timing for approval of the naming plan is crucial since the Museum is planning fundraising events as early as November.
The proposed naming plan, in summary below, is in alignment with the City’s Policy and Procedure 1-15, Naming City-Owned Land and Facilities:
3 Staff Report 7810, 3/6/2017, Adoption of a Resolution Approving a Facility Naming Plan for the Junior Museum and Zoo; http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=56118 This process aligns with the Jr. Museum and Zoo process, except for prior commitments as noted above.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There is no resource impact for approving the naming and recognition plan for the Roth Building and Palo Alto Museum. The naming and recognition plan is intended to support the financial needs of the Palo Alto Museum.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Staff has worked closely with leaders of the Palo Alto Museum to prepare for and bring this naming plan to Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The recommendation in this report does not constitute a project requiring review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution Naming and Recognition Plan for the Roth Building and Palo Alto Museum, including Naming Plan for the Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building Attachment B: City Policy 1-15 Naming of City Owned Land and Facilities APPROVED BY:
Lauren Lai, Administrative Services Director