Smart Voter

Palo Alto; Measure M


"Shall an ordinance proposed by citizen initiative be adopted amending the
Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan to require: Transportation demand management
programs for projects generating traffic on Sand Hill Road; limiting Snad
Hill Road to two lanes with a third lane authorized for public vehicles;
extension of Sand Hill Road to El Camino Real; efforts to redesignate as
open space certain land adjacent to San Francisquito Creek currently
designated for housing; and restrictions on Stanford Shopping Center
expansion if traffic increases will occur on specified streets?"

MEASURE M


RESOLUTION NO. 7704
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
CALLING A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 4, 1997, FOR SUBMITTAL OF AN INITIATIVE
MEASURE TO THE ELECTORATE AND ORDERING
CONSOLIDATION OF SAID ELECTION


WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 7679,  the City Council has called a general
municipal election for the election of Council Members for November 4, 1997,
pursuant to Article III, Section 3, and ordered consolidation of said election;
and

WHEREAS,  an initiative petition regarding a Sand Hill Project Alternative has
been presented to the City Council in accordance with the requirements of
Article VI, section 2 of the Charter of the City of Palo Alto and this Council
has concluded that it wishes to submit the initiative to the electorate of the
City of Palo Alto, rather than the alternative of adopting it directly; and

WHEREAS, elections are scheduled to be held on November 4, 1997, in certain
school districts and certain special districts in Santa Clara County; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Education Code Section 5342 and Part 3 of Division 10 of
the Elections Code, commencing at Section
10400, such elections may be partially or completely consolidated.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does RESOLVE as follows:

SECTION 1. Pursuant to Article VI,  Section 2 of the Charter of the City of Palo
Alto, this Council submits to the electorate of the City of Palo Alto the
following question:

CITY OF PALO ALTO INITIATIVE MEASURE M

Shall  an  ordinance  proposed  by  citizen initiative be adopted amending the
Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan to require:  Transportation demand  management 
programs  for  projects generating traffic on Sand Hill Road; limiting Sand Hill
Road to two lanes with a third lane authorized for public vehicles; extension of
Sand Hill Road to El Camino Real; efforts to redesignate  as  open  space 
certain  land adjacent to San Francisquito Creek currently designated for
housing; and restrictions on Stanford Shopping Center expansion if traffic
increases will occur on specified streets.

If a majority of qualified electors voting on such measure shall vote in favor
of City of Palo Alto Initiative Measure M, it shall be deemed ratified and shall
read as provided in Exhibit "A" attached hereto and incorporated by this
reference.

SECTION 2. The Council of the City of Palo Alto requests the Governing Body of
any such other political subdivision, or any officers otherwise authorized by
law, to partially or completely consolidate such elections and to further
provide that the canvass be made by any body or official authorized by law to
canvass the returns of the election, except that in accordance with Article III,
Section 4, of the Palo Alto Charter, the City Council must meet and declare the
results of said elections; and that this City Council consents to such
consolidation.

SECTION 3. Pursuant to Section 10002 of the California Elections Code,  the
Council of the City of Palo Alto hereby requests the Board of Supervisors of
Santa Clara County to permit the Registrar of Voters to render services to the
City of Palo Alto relating to the conduct of Palo Alto's General Municipal and
Special Elections which are called to be held on Tuesday, November 4, 1997.

The services shall be of the type normally performed by the Registrar of Voters
in assisting the clerks of municipalities in the conduct of elections including,
but not

RESOLUTION NO. 7704 - Continued

limited to, checking registrations,  mailing ballots,  hiring election
officers and arranging for polling places,  receiving absent voter ballot
applications,  mailing and receiving absent voter ballots and opening and
counting same, providing and distributing election supplies, and furnishing
votomatic machines.

Subject to approval of the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County of the
foregoing request, the City Clerk is hereby authorized to engage the services of
the Registrar of Voters of the County of Santa Clara to aid in the conduct of
said elections including canvassing the returns of said election.  Further, the
Director of Administrative Services is authorized and directed to pay the cost
of said services provided that no payment shall be made for services which the
Registrar of Voters is otherwise required by law to perform.

The City Clerk is directed to submit a certified copy of this resolution to the
Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara.

SECTION 4. The City Clerk is directed to do all things requested by law to
present  the measure to the electorate, including required publication and
noticing.  Further, the City Clerk is directed to forward a copy of this
resolution to the City Attorney for preparation of an impartial analysis of the
above measure.

SECTION 5. The Council finds that this resolution does not constitute a project
subject to the California Environmental Quality Act.

INTRODUCED AND PASSED: August 4, 1997

AYES: Andersen, Eakins, Fazzino, Huber, Kniss, McCown, Rosenbaum, Wheeler

NOES:

ABSTENTIONS:

ABSENT: Schneider

ATTEST:
GLORIA L. YOUNG
City Clerk

APPROVED:
JOSEPH H. HUBER
Mayor

JUNE FLEMING
City Manager

APPROVED AS TO FORM:
ARIEL PIERRE CALONNE
City Attorney

MELISSA O. CAVALLO
Acting Director of
Administrative Services



INITIATIVE FOR SAND HILL PROJECT ALTERNATIVE


The people of the City of Palo Alto hereby ordain as follows:

Section 1. Purpose and Findings.

A. Purpose.

This initiative offers Palo Alto voters an alternative which reduces the impact
of Stanford's proposed projects along Sand Hill Road and still provides the
community benefits of new housing and road improvements.

The initiative provides for connecting Sand Hill Road to El Camino Real, but
keeps Sand Hill as a two lane road for automobiles from the El Camino to Santa
Cruz Avenue. It provides for a potential third lane for public vehicles such as
buses and ambulances. The initiative amends the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan to
enable building an equal number of housing units as proposed by Stanford, but
in a location closer to transit and work sites. The initiative seeks to preserve
the field next to San Francisquito Creek as open space. It allows for additional
growth of Stanford Shopping Center beyond the current cap of 49,000 square feet
only if traffic management plans are developed and put into effect.

By controlling road capacity along Sand Hill Road, this initiative will require
and guide the redesign of the proposed development to meet community needs far
into the future.

By reducing reliance on the automobile, encouraging housing closer to transit
lines and workplaces, and preserving open space, the initiative will guide
development along the Sand Hill corridor in accord with the goals of Palo
Alto's Draft Comprehensive Plan update.

B. The Proposed Projects.

Palo Alto's City Council and Stanford University have proposed to enter into a
Development Agreement to build a set of major projects along the Sand Hill/San
Francisquito Creek corridor ("The Project"), stretching from El Camino Real to
Santa Cruz Avenue. The Project would locate 628 housing units and 1193 parking
spaces on the open space meadow next to San Francisquito Creek, construct 496
senior housing units across the road from Stanford Shopping Center, expand the
shopping center by 80,000 square feet, widen Sand Hill Road to four lanes,
connect it with two lanes to El Camino Real, and add significant new roadways
along Quarry, behind Nordstrom, and along Stockfarm Road.

C. Traffic.

The Sand Hill projects are based on an outmoded concept of transportation and
land use: more concrete, more parking, more cars. This approach eats up open
space, discourages use of alternative transportation and pollutes the air and
water with automobile
emissions.

According to the Project's Environmental Impact Report, the proposed four-lane
Sand Hill Road will have twice as many cars as the current two lanes. The
projected traffic - 53,000 cars per day - exceeds both today's traffic on El
Camino in Menlo Park and
today's traffic on University Avenue and Embarcadero Road combined.

Moreover, widening Sand Hill now will induce even more traffic by laying the
groundwork for future development along this corridor. A four-lane Sand Hill
Road from  Arboretum to Santa Cruz will enable Stanford to completely develop
the land south of Sand Hill without oversight by the City of Palo Alto. 
Although the City's proposed Development Agreement prevents building on some
current open space until 2020, widening the road now will put the infrastructure
in place for buildings planned in the future.

The Project therefore violates the community objective of reducing reliance on
the automobile expressed in the Draft Comprehensive Plan update.

D. Open Space.

The open space next to San Francisquito Creek is the last remaining creekside
meadow in the Midpeninsula area. This field holds significant environmental
value and provides a much-needed sense of open space in an urbanized area which
grows more congested each month. The Project proposes to construct housing and
parking on this meadow, a violation of the community objective of preserving
natural features expressed in the Draft Comprehensive Plan update.

E. Housing.

Furthermore, the housing proposed for the San Francilsquito Creek site will be
isolated from transportation and community services, and school children will
have to cross a four-lane road to leave their neighborhood.  Building in this
location will violate the neighborhood services objectives in Palo Alto's Draft
Comprehensive Plan update.

F. Sensible Planning.

Forward-looking communities around the U.S. have begun to integrate land use
and traffic planning. To bring traffic under control and make communities
livable, they plan housing next to transit lines, reduce roadways and parking,
and protect natural open spaces. Applying such strategies to the Sand Hill
projects would move housing away from Ohlone Field and onto sites (such as
Hoover Pavilion) closer to transit lines and work places, limit Sand Hill to
two lanes, and curb traffic growth by creating incentives for building and
using alternative transportation.

G. Effect of this Initiative.

This initiative would amend the City's Comprehensive Plan to:


Require that Sand Hill Road be maintained at its current width of two lanes
for private automobiles, authorize creation of a third lane for public vehicles
(buses and ambulances), and allow for connecting Sand Hill to El Camino Real;

Direct the City and Stanford to work together to utilize creative techniques
(such as the transfer of development rights) to preserve the open space next to
San Francisquito Creek, while at the same time ensuring development of the
proposed number of new housing units in our community; and

Prevent expansion of the Stanford Shopping Center beyond what is currently
allowed, unless the expansion is designed to ensure that there is no net
increase in traffic on El Camino, Alma, Embarcadero, University, Willow and
other residential streets in the area between the Sand Hill corridor and the
regional highways.


If passed, this initiative becomes part of the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan,
and, as a matter of law, the initiative requires that these provisions will
remain a part of the Comprehensive Plan until the year 2015 unless changed by a
vote of the people. After that, the provisions of this initiative may be
changed by the City Council at any time.

Section 2. Comprehensive Plan Amendment

A. Comprehensive Plan Text Amendments. The City of Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan
adopted February 2, 1981 as amended through June 16, 1997 is hereby amended as
indicated below. Text to be inserted into the Comprehensive Plan is indicated
in bold italic type while text to be stricken is presented in strikeout type;
text in standard type currently appears in the Comprehensive Plan and is
reaffirmed and readopted unchanged by this initiative. All references to the
"Comprehensive Plan" refer to the City of Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan dated
February 2, 1981 as amended through June 16,1997.

1. The Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan is hereby amended by
amending Program 19 to read as follows:

Program 19: Sand Hill Road Area.

Reduce traffic congestion on Sand Hill Road while prohibiting a direct
connection from Sand Hill Road to Palo Alto Avenue/Alma Street across El Camino
Real.

(a) Traffic congestion and automobile volume on Sand Hill Road shall be reduced
in the long term by, to the fullest extent allowed by law, requiring projects
generating traffic on Sand Hill Road to implement a transportation demand
management (TDM)
program which shall include, but not be limited to, the following components:
regular shuttle service to the University Avenue Multi-modal Transit Station
available seven days per week, bicycle access and bicycle parking facilities,
small-scale commercial
uses and community services co-located with residential projects to allow
residents to fulfill everyday shopping and community service needs within
walking distance, mandatory local employment for at least one household member
of new housing, resident
parking limited to one space per unit for residential projects, separate rental
of parking spaces and dwelling units for residential projects, remote employee
parking and employee busing for non- residential projects, fees for parking for
non-residential
projects, limited on-site parking facilities for non-residential projects, 
and offering employee parking cash-outs and other employee incentives to 
encourage alternative means of travel to non-residential sites. A project may 
be exempted from implementing one or more of the foregoing TDM measures if 
the City Council finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that the 
measure is not feasible in light of the circumstances applicable to that 
project. For the purposes of this Program, "Sand Hill Road" refers to that 
portion of Sand Hill Road between Santa Cruz Avenue and El Camino Real.

(b) Traffic improvements in the Sand Hill Road Area (e.g., Quarry Road,
Arboretum Road, and Palo Road) shall be designed in a manner that will not lead
to increased traffic on Alma Street and nearby residential streets.

(c) To relieve congestion around Stanford Shopping Center, Sand Hill Road shall
be extended to El Camino Real.  Sand Hill Road between Santa Cruz Avenue and El
Camino Real shall be no wider than two lanes, except that a third lane may be
added for public
vehicles such as buses and emergency vehicles.

(d) Sand Hill Road has severe traffic congestion problems. Minor intersection
improvements need to be made, traffic signals upgraded and coordinated, and
bike
lanes, sidewalks and crosswalks improved as minimum safety actions. Sand Hill
Road serves an
undeveloped 46-acre site zoned for multiple family residential. The
Comprehensive Plan requires the City to identify potential methods of
redesignating the site as Streamside Open Space and developing the multiple
family housing elsewhere in the City
(including lands such as the Hoover Pavilion or Campus West areas that may be
annexed to the City in the future) through a transfer of development rights or
other mechanisms.  If, despite this requirement, housing is developed on this
site, access will be
improved by designing the project in compliance with the traffic management
principles set forth in paragraph (a) of this Program and by the road
improvements described in paragraph (c) of this Program. Development of housing
on this site may make
improved access necessary. However, any connection of Sand Hill Road to 
Palo Alto Avenue and Alma Street would encourage traffic increases on Alma 
Street and nearby residential streets, especially north of Downtown and, 
therefore, should shall not be approved.

(e) The City shall consult on a regular basis with Santa Clara and San Mateo
Counties and the cities of Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside and East Palo
Alto to identify and implement methods of eliminating or significantly reducing
any adverse traffic
impacts of the Sand Hill Road extension and projects in the Sand Hill Road
area.
 The City shall report on the consultations and the measures identified and
implemented as a result of those consultations on a regular basis and shall
seek
public comment in
connection with each report.  The City shall issue the first such report and
hold a public hearing on that report by June 30, 1998.  Subsequent reports
shall
be issued and public hearings held at least once per year thereafter.

2. The Urban Design Element of the Comprehensive Plan is hereby amended by
adopting the following Program 25A implementing Policy 7 ("Strengthen gateway
identity.") to be inserted immediately following Program 25:

Program 25A: The undeveloped 46.7 acre parcel known as both  "Ohlone Field" and
"Stanford West" on Sand Hill Road at the northeast entrance to the City is the
last significant open space in the City adjacent to San Francisquito Creek. The
site is
currently designated as Multiple-Family Residential.  To protect this valuable
community resource in its undeveloped form and promote the development of
housing in more suitable locations, the City shall consult with affected
jurisdictions and affected
property owners to identify potential methods of redesignating the site as
Streamside Open Space and allowing development of at least 628 units of
multiple
family housing elsewhere in the City (including lands that may be annexed to
the
City in the
future).  The City shall evaluate the options identified and, following public
hearings on the options evaluation, seek to implement the option or options
best
suited to promote redesignation of the site and development of housing at a
location (or
locations) that is well-served by public transit and within walking or 
cycling distance of significant employment opportunities. Methods of 
achieving this goal may include, but are not limited to, creating 
transferable development rights, allowing use of transferable development 
rights to allow higher density development in areas currently designated for 
multiple-family housing, designating some or all of the El Camino Park 
site for multiple-family housing, and annexing lands in the Hoover 
Pavilion and/or Campus West areas of the Stanford Campus for use as 
multiple-family housing.

3. The Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan is hereby amended by amending
the description of the category "Regional/Community Commercial" as 
follows:

Regional/Community Commercial:

A. In General: This designation applies to larger shopping centers and shopping
districts that have a variety and depth of goods and services usually not
available in the neighborhood shopping areas. They rely on large trade areas
and
must be sized in
accordance with the regional transportation systems serving the areas in which
they are located. They may include department stores, apparel shops, sporting
goods stores, toy stores, book shops, plan stores, fabric stores, appliance
dealers, furniture
stornes, restaurants, theater, and non-retail services such as offices, real
estate brokers, banks, and insurance brokers.  Residential and mixed use
projects may also locate in this land use category.  Regional/community
commercial areas shown on the Plan
Map are Stanford Shopping Center, Downtown (University Avenue), California
Avenue, and Town and Country Village.  The allowable building/site floor area
ratios range from .35:1 to 2:1 and may be adjusted downward where necessary to
reflect limitations in
the transportation system serving the facility.

B. Stanford Shopping Center: Due to substantial existing development and
traffic
constraints in the area, the Stanford Shopping Center (the area designated as
Regional Community Commercial and bounded by El Camino Real, Sand Hill Road,
Quarry Road and
Arboretum Road and including properties adjoining Arboretum Road to the south)
shall not be permitted to add more than forty-nine thousand (49,000) square
feet
of floor area to the total amount of floor area existing as of January 1, 1997
unless the City
Council finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, each of the
following:

(1.) At least one year has passed since completion of the intersection of Sand
Hill Road and El Camino Real; and

(2.) The expansion will result in no net increase in traffic volume during the
afternoon peak traffic hour on Sand Hill Road, Quarry Road, El Camino Real, or
Alma Street.  Design elements to achieve this goal may include, but are not
limited to, the
Transportation Demand Management program elements specified in Program 19(a),
improved pedestrian connections to University Avenue/Downtown and nearby
housing, and redevelopment of the University Avenue Multi-modal Transit Station
area.

Prior to making the findings referenced above, the City Council shall hold at
least one noticed public hearing for the purpose of receiving testimony and
evidence from the applicant and the public on the proposed findings.  This
hearing shall be in
addition to any other public hearings regularly required for the project.

4. The Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan is hereby amended by
inserting
the following text after the last paragraph on page 76 of the Comprehensive
Plan:


Initiative for Sand Hill Alternative

In 1997 the voters approved the Sand Hill Road Initiative adopting certain
amendments to this Comprehensive Plan.  In accordance with that action, the
following policies, programs, and provisions shall continue to be included in
the Comprehensive Plan
until December 31, 2015 unless earlier repealed or amended by the voters of the
City:  Transportation Element, Program 19, paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (e);
Urban Design Element, Program 25A; and Land Use Element, Regional/Community
Commercial land use
designation description, paragraph B.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
above-referenced provisions may be renumbered and reordered in the course of
ongoing updates of the Comprehensive Plan in accordance with the requirements
of
state law.  In
addition, the above-referenced provisions may be amended by the City Council if
it finds, by a majority vote and based on substantial evidence in the record,
that:

(1.) The application of the provision to be amended would constitute an
unconstitutional taking of a landowner's property; and

(2.) The amendment and associated land use designation will allow additional
land
uses only to the minimum extent necessary to avoid said unconstitutional taking
of the landowner's property.

Substantial evidence may include, but is not limited to, a final judgment of a
court of competent jurisdiction that the referenced policies constitute an
unconstitutional taking.  Prior to making the findings referenced above, the
City Council shall hold
at least one noticed public hearing for the purpose of receiving testimony and
evidence from the applicant and the public on the proposed findings. This
hearing shall be in addition to any other public hearings regularly required
for
the project.

Section 3. Implementation.

A. Effective Date. Upon the effective date of this initiative, the provisions
of
Section 2 of the initiative are hereby inserted into the City of Palo Alto
Comprehensive Plan as

an amendment thereof, except that if the four amendments
of the mandatory
elements of the Comprehensive plan permitted by state law for any given
calendar
year have already been utilized in the calendar year in which the initiative
becomes effective, this Comprehensive plan amendment shall be the first
amendment inserted in the
City's Comprehensive Plan on January 1 of the next year.  At such time as this
Comprehensive plan amendment is inserted in the City of Palo Alto Comprehensive
Plan, any provisions of the City of Palo Alto Zoning Ordinance, as reflected in
the ordinance
itself or the City of Palo Alto Zoning Map, inconsistent with this
Comprehensive
Plan amendment shall not be enforced.

B. Interim Amendments. The City of Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan in effect at
the
time the Notice of Intention to circulate this initiative measure was submitted
to the City of Palo Alto City Clerk ("submittal date") as amended by this
initiative measure,
comprise an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of
policies for the City. In order to ensure that the City of Palo Alto
Comprehensive Plan remains an integrated, internally consistent and compatible
statement of policies for the
City as required by state law, any provision of the Comprehensive Plan that is
adopted between the submittal date and the date that the Comprehensive Plan is
amended by this measure shall, to the extent that such interim-enacted
provision
is inconsistent
with the Comprehensive Plan provisions adopted by section 2 of this initiative
measure, be amended as soon as possible and in the manner and time required by
State law to ensure consistency between the provisions adopted by this
initiative and other
elements of the City's Comprehensive Plan.

C. Other City Ordinances and Policies. All City plans, policies, ordinances,
rules, and regulations constituting legislative acts shall be amended as
necessary as soon as possible and in the time and manner required by State law
to ensure consistency
between those policies and the provisions adopted by section 2 of this
initiative.

D. Project Approvals. Upon the effective date of this initiative, the City, and
its departments, boards, commissions, officers and employees, shall not grant,
or by inaction allow to be approved by operation of law, any Comprehensive Plan
amendment,
rezoning, specific plan, tentative or final subdivision map, conditional use
permit, building permit or any other ministerial or discretionary entitlement,
which is inconsistent with this initiative. Nothing in this initiative shall be
construed to
prohibit the City from complying with State laws requiring density bonuses
and/or other incentives for projects including housing for seniors or for lower
or very low income households.

Section 4. Exemptions for Certain Projects.

This initiative shall not apply to any development project that has obtained as
of the effective date of the initiative a vested right pursuant to state law.

Section 5. Severability.

If any portion of this initiative is declared invalid by a court, the remaining
portions are to be considered valid.

Section 6. Competing Measures.

In the event there are competing measures on the same ballot with the measure
proposing this ordinance that address the same subject matter of this
ordinance,
the following rule shall apply. If more than one such measure passes, then both
ordinances shall
go into effect except to the extent that particular provisions of one ordinance
are in direct, irreconcilable conflict with particular provisions of another
ordinance. In that event, as to those conflicting provisions only, the
provisions of the ordinance
which received the most votes shall prevail. For the purposes of this section,
a
direct, irreconcilable conflict includes, but is not limited to any provision
or
provisions that would purport to grant any vested rights to development on or
in
the vicinity
of Sand Hill Road.

Section 7. Amendment or Repeal.

Except as specifically provided herein, this initiative may be amended or
repealed only by the voters of the City of Palo Alto at a City election.


CITY ATTORNEY'S IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE M


Measure "M" amends the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan Transportation, Urban
Design
and Land Use Elements.  The measure would control the location and size of
streets,  housing and commercial development that may be approved along Sand
Hill Road. The measure
creates policy limiting Sand Hill Road to two lanes, and an extension to El
Camino Real is required but not funded.


Effect of Measure "M"


Measure "M" does not grant approval for any specific development.  The policies
in Measure "M" are being proposed to the voters by citizen initiative.  If
Measure "M" is approved by a majority vote and receives more votes than Measure
"O,"  the City
Council's approval of Stanford projects along Sand Hill Road will be 
rejected.
Alternative proposals for the Sand Hill Road Corridor would  require 
additional
 environmental  review  and  planning approvals by the City.


Background


The Comprehensive Plan is a "constitution" that governs development.  The
Transportation Element governs the location and size of roads and transit
facilities.  The  Urban Design Element creates policies for the visual
character
of development.  The Land
Use Element designates land for certain types and amounts of development.


Operation of Measure "M"


Measure  "M"  would  change  three  elements  of  the Comprehensive Plan to:


Require Transportation Demand Management  ("TDM") Programs for any
development
in Palo Alto that generates  traffic  on  Sand  Hill  Road.    When required,
TDM programs must include, among other components, shuttle buses to the
University Avenue train
depot, at least one resident of each new housing unit must be employed locally,
limiting residential parking to one space per new unit, parking  fees  for
non-residential projects,  and employee incentives for transit use;

Require road projects in the Sand Hill Road area to be designed not to
increase traffic on Alma and nearby residential streets.

Require that Sand Hill Road be extended to El Camino Real.

Prohibit expansion of Sand Hill Road beyond two lanes, except that a third
lane could be added for public vehicles like buses and ambulances.

Require  Palo Alto  to consult with neighboring cities and counties on ways
to
reduce the traffic impacts of development in the Sand Hill Road area.

Require Palo Alto to identify and seek to implement methods of:


Redesignating a 46.7 acre parcel adjacent to Sand Hill Road from multifamily
housing to open space.

Transferring development rights for at least 628  residential units from the 
46.7 acre parcel to another site.



Limit expansion of Stanford Shopping Center to 49,000 square feet more than
what existed on 1/1/97 unless at least one year has passed following completion
of the Sand Hill Road to El Camino Real connection and the expansion will
result
in no net
increase in afternoon peak hour traffic volumes on Sand Hill Road, Quarry Road,
El Camino Real, or Alma Street.



CITY ATTORNEY'S IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE M - Continued

 LM=10

All City regulations must be reviewed and amended to ensure consistency with
Measure "M."

All  future  City development  approvals must be consistent with Measure "M."

With minor exceptions, Measure "M" could not be changed without voter
approval
until 12/31/2015.



Dated: August 18, 1997

 

ARIEL PIERRE CALONNE
City Attorney



ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE M


Traffic congestion in our community is a major problem. To improve our quality
of life, we have to reduce traffic flow in our residential neighborhoods and
busy thoroughfares. Measure M is an effective solution to the traffic problems
on Sand Hill Road.
If passed, MEASURE M WILL:


Improve traffic flow on Sand Hill Road by extending and connecting Sand Hill
Road to El Camino Real. In addition, it proposes to widen Sand Hill Road by a
third lane designated for buses and ambulances.


Measure M reduces traffic congestion and improves emergency access to Stanford
and Lucille Packard Children's Hospitals.


Limit expansion of Stanford Shopping Center. Currently,  local zoning
ordinances in Palo Alto allow limited expansion at Stanford Shopping Center.


Measure M states that the Shopping Center may not expand beyond the cap
currently designated by law, unless responsible traffic management plans are
implemented.


Provide the Palo Alto community with more housing. Measure M allows for over
1,000 new housing units for senior citizens and Stanford employees.


Stanford University proposes placing their housing on Ohlone Field, the last
remaining natural creekside meadow in the mid-peninsula that offers wildlife
habitat. Measure M requires the City of Palo Alto to negotiate with Stanford
for
alternative housing
sites closer to existing community services, jobs and transit.


Protect the environment by preserving Ohlone Field, the meadow alongside San
Francisquito Creek, as open space. The Sierra Club endorses Measure M.


Measure M improves our quality of life by reducing traffic congestion and
delay,
while promoting responsible development and placing proposed new housing away
from environmentally-sensitive areas.

Over 4,000 Palo Alto citizens signed petitions placing Measure M on the ballot.
Please join neighborhood, school and business leaders, environmental
organizations, and thousands of your fellow citizens in voting YES on Measure
M.


WALTER V. HAYS, Attorney & Mediator

DEBORAH D. MYTELS, Executive Committee, Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club

LARRY CUBAN, Professor of Education, Stanford University

YORIKO KISHIMOTO, President, Palo Alto Civic League

GERRY MASTELLER, Co-Owner Printers Inc Bookstore


REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE M


MEASURE M - EMPTY PROMISES AND A POISON PILL

Despite its empty promises, Measure M won't fix the Sand Hill Road bottleneck, won't improve 
traffic flow, and won't improve ambulance access to hospitals.

  M provides no funding or project approval for extending Sand 
Hill Road
  Traffic studies show M's two-lane limit for cars makes traffic worse

M calls for an ill-advised third lane for public vehicles on Sand Hill 
Road - a  bad idea 
rejected by the City Council. A single lane for buses, ambulances, fire trucks, police cars,
 and other emergency vehicles raises serious operational and safety problems - including an increased 
likelihood of accidents.

M promises housing, but cannot deliver.  It only cancels what the Council has approved. 
M's suggested sites for housing have already been rejected - one requires cutting down 300 trees 
and another paves over El Camino Ballpark.

  If Measure M gets more votes than Measure O, it wipes out City Council
 approvals for Sand Hill Road improvements
  M destroys the hard-won agreements between the City and 
Stanford,
 achieved after years of public input

M cancels real improvements for Sand Hill Road and blocks any hope of eliminating the gridlock. 
 Without funding and new approvals, Sand Hill Road will still dead-end into the Shopping Center parking lot.  
Ambulances trying to get to the Stanford Medical Center will still be trapped in congestion.

Measure M promises many things; it delivers nothing. M is a 
poison pill to destroy Measure 0's independently-validated traffic solutions for Sand Hill Road.  
It is NOT a real alternative.

Vote No on Measure M

JOSEPH H. HUBER, Mayor, on behalf of the Palo Alto City Council

RUTH M. LACEY, Co-president, League of Women Voters of Palo Alto

BETSY BECHTEL, Council Member 1980-1989; Mayor 1983

WILL BECKETT

ROBERT D. SIMONI, Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University


ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE M



MEASURE M - A ROAD BLOCK,  NOT A REAL ALTERNATIVE


If you want --


to break the Sand Hill bottleneck and extend the road to El Camino Real...

to improve traffic flow on Sand Hill Road and in adjacent neighborhoods... 



VOTE NO on MEASURE M



better ambulance and emergency access to Stanford Medical Center...

nearby senior housing and continuing care ...

a new child care facility ...



VOTE NO on MEASURE M



Stanford University - rather than taxpayers - to pay $20 million for needed
road improvements in the Sand Hill corridor ...



ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE M - Continued



VOTE NO on MEASURE M

Measure M wipes out years of public participation and review.  If Measure M
gets more votes than Measure 0, the City Council's unanimous approval of
Stanford University's Sand Hill Road project will be canceled.

The traffic studies show Measure M's two lane limit for cars will make traffic
WORSE, rather than better.  Measure M also claims to require extending Sand
Hill
Road, but provides no funding and no approval to do the work.  Sand Hill Road
would continue to
dead end into the Stanford Shopping Center.

Measure M proposes undesirable housing sites - such as paving over El Camino
Ballpark or part of the historic arboretum near Palm Drive (which would require
cutting down 300 trees versus just four trees on the approved Stanford West
site).  Sites
suggested by Measure M were considered by the City Council and were rejected as
unworkable.


WHAT WOULD YOU LOSE WITH MEASURE M?


Proponents of Measure M claim it does a lot, but the plain truth is there will
be no improvements, no traffic relief, no housing, 
no extension of Sand Hill
Road if Measure M gets more votes than Measure 0.

Like the current Sand Hill Road, Measure M is a dead end.  It is NOT an
alternative.


VOTE NO on MEASURE M and YES on MEASURE 0



JOSEPH H. HUBER, Mayor, on Behalf of the Palo Alto City Council

RUTH M. LACEY, Co-president, League of Women Voters of Palo Alto

LARRY KLEIN, City Councilmember, 1981-89; Mayor, 1989, 1984

CRYSTAL D. GAMAGE

JANET A. NEFF, Coordinator, Trauma Center, Stanford and Packard Children's
Hospitals


REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE M


The argument against Measure M is false and misleading. Our opponents say that Measure M is a dead end. 
They want you to believe that Measure M won't relieve traffic or provide housing. Nothing could be farther
 from the truth.

Measure M REQUIRES that traffic congestion be
addressed by extending
Sand Hill Road to El Camino 
Real, and adds a third lane for 
public transit and emergency vehicles.

Measure M allows nearly 1000 units
of new housing to be built for seniors, Stanford
faculty, and staff.
This is the same number of housing units 
proposed in Stanford's plan. Measure M simply requires the City of Palo Alto to negotiate with Stanford 
to put new housing nearer to transit and jobs. Measure M also maintains the meadow along San Francisquito Creek 
as open space.

Measure M permits expansion of Stanford Shopping Center within the current growth cap of 
49,000 square feet.

The truth is, Stanford Land Management Company needs bigger development to make 
their project financially worthwhile. They also need a four-lane highway to support 
future development along Sand Hill Road.


REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE M - Continued


The truth is, Stanford wants it their way or no way. Stanford has refused even to consider an effective, 
reasonable solution to the traffic and housing problems. That's just plain arrogance.

Measure M has been studied by many University faculty, staff, civic leaders, and average citizens who want relief from traffic, but not at the cost of big development. They agree that Measure M works.

VOTE YES ON MEASURE M and NO ON MEASURE 0.

WALTER V. HAYS, Attorney and Mediator

MILLIE DAVIS, Charleston Meadows Neighborhood Assoc. Bd. of Directors

AGNES C. ROBINSON, Former School Board Member 1963-73

ERIC S. ROBERTS, Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University

WINTER DELLENBACH, Palo Alto Housing Attorney



Cover Page || Election Links
About Smart Voter || Feedback || Help

Copyright © 1997 League of Women Voters of California, Smart Valley Inc.
The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes candidates or political parties.