The Barron Park Association

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BPA Newsletter Editor — email

The following article, written by Winter Dellenbach, was published in the Spring 2013 issue of the Barron Park Newsletter. It is being posted here to provide information to all Barron Park residents about the human costs if the closure of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park proceeds, to remind us all about the people who live in Buena Vista and what is at stake for them.

The City of Palo Alto announced on February 20th, 2014 that they have accepted the Relocation Impact Report (RIR) provided by the owner and deemed it to be complete. The next step in the process towards closure, as defined by the ordinances of the City of Palo Alto, is a hearing by a City appointed Hearing Officer within 60 days of the acceptance of the RIR.

The hearing on the closure application that was previously set for Monday, April 21, 2014 10:00 AM-12:00 PM has been CANCELLED.

The hearing has been re-scheduled to the following dates and times:

1.       Monday, May 12, 2014, 6:30 PM -9:30 PM
2.       Tuesday, May 13, 2014, 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
3.       Wednesday, May 14, 2014, 6:30 PM-9:30 PM

The hearings will take place at Avenidas located at 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto, CA 94301. Parking is available directly across the street at the Bryant/Lytton Parking Garage located at 445 Bryant St., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

You can find out more information about the issue and view other documents on the City’s webpage City of Palo Alto/Buena Vista and read a companion post recently published on our site, Buena Vista Mobile Home Park RIR Deemed Complete”

Editor’s Note: The Board of the Barron Park Association has been closely following the closure and planning process for the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, but has not taken a formal position. As of March, 2013, a relocation specialist is preparing a Relocation Impact Report (RIR) that involves interviewing the individual households (as required by an ordinance adopted 10 years ago after considerable debate and discussion). There has been no action on the developer’s plans for a 180-rental apartment project since the Winter 2012-13 BPA newsletter article. Winter Dellenbach lives in Barron Park.

By Winter Dellenbach, Friends of Buena Vista

Seldom has a Palo Alto land use issue had the power to move nearly 400 people out of Palo Alto, redefining our neighborhood and city in the process. Yet that may happen in Barron Park. The 86-year old Buena Vista (BV) is in the early stage of closure, to be sold by the owner. The closure process will likely go well into 2014. A developer quietly waits in the wings. Residents will be the collateral damage of redevelopment and will lose everything. We neighbors know little about our Buena Vista neighbors. This is an introduction to them and the issues they face (names changed for privacy).

Why Live at Buena Vista?

For all the same reasons we live here. BV offers affordable space-rent for residents’ homes. Our safe community, with its high quality medical and elder care, offers needed services, and children get to go to good schools.

To Quote Bruce Springsteen ~ “We take care of our own”.

There are over 60 elders at Buena Vista, several of whom are disabled and dependant on extended family’s support and care. An example is Angela, a Gunn graduate who moved to BV when she was 14. She now owns a home there, as does her sister, and both help support their elderly parents, longtime BV residents. Angela works at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and her husband is a produce manager at Whole Foods, while their son attends Barron Park Elementary. Angela’s brother is able to pay college tuition because he lives with their parents, sharing expenses. Everyone helps with childcare. BV’s affordable housing makes this critical mutual support possible.

Residents Consider Buena Vista to Be the Land of Opportunity.

Of the 125 children living at BV, 104 are students attending Gunn, Terman, Juana Briones, and Barron Park schools. They comprise 12% of Barron Park Elementary’s enrollment.

Two autistic students are thriving in high quality programs they will not find elsewhere – a boy at Terman and a girl at Gunn.

Stanford professors and students are working with BV families. An education professor and pediatrician cite studies that repeatedly show the quality of a child’s educational experience is a principal determinant of that child’s life course as an adult, including both socioeconomic wellbeing and health status. Losing the opportunity provided by Palo Alto schools could irreversibly alter the trajectory of these children’s entire lives.

If BV neighbors are forced to leave town, some of us may think, “Oh good, more room in our schools”, while others may think, “Oh no, there go lots of nice families and my children’s friends.” BV parents will think, “This is a disaster.”

Continue reading »

The City of Palo Alto just announced (February 20, 2014) that they have accepted the Relocation Impact Report submitted by the Jisser family, the owners of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. This is one of the steps required by the Palo Alto Municipal Code that would allow the Jisser family to close Buena Vista. You can download the City’s press release – Buena Vista, and read more about the issue and view other documents on the City’s webpage City of Palo Alto/Buena Vista . The next step, as written in the press release is a hearing: ” A City-appointed hearing officer is now required to hold a hearing within 60 days to decide whether the mitigation measures offered by the mobile home park owner, including relocation benefits, are adequate to mitigate the adverse impacts to displaced park residents, subject to limitations in the law. The hearing officer acts independently of the City and may also request additional information prior to rendering a decision.”

The most recent Barron Park Association Newsletter, Winter Issue 2013-14, contained an article I wrote with background information about the issues involved, from both the property owner and the BV homeowners’ perspectives. Because this issue has now come front and center, the article is being posted below.

The Buena Vista Mobile Home Park (BVMHP) is owned by the Jisser family who announced about a year ago their intention to close it and sell the property to Prometheus, a large privately held developer of apartment buildings in Silicon Valley. Prometheus disclosed their concept for the 4.5 acre section of the mobile park site directly behind the stores (Barron Park Newsletter, Winter 2012). Their plan is to redevelop the site, removing the 104 trailers and 12 cottages and replace them with a 180 unit rental apartment complex. Continue reading »

Community Meeting

Thursday, Feb. 20^th at 6:00 PM

Creekside Inn; Top Floor Tower Room

Presentation of Risk Assessment

By the City’s Consultant

http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/cpi

Please attend this Important Meeting

Some background:

A series of spills and releases of toxic materials starting in 2006 alerted Chimalus residents that large quantities of cyanides, acids, and other extremely hazardous materials are used on a daily basis right behind our homes.
CPI maintains a plating shop on the second floor of Building 2. This is particularly dangerous in an earthquake environment.
CPI was allowed to vastly increase the amounts of hazardous materials on this site without any notice to the neighborhood or any public review.
The City of Palo Alto ordered a study of the toxics, possible amortization, and zoning updates that was to have been completed by December of 2012. Now, over a year later, the report will be presented.

What can WE do? What can the City do?

Hazardous Materials and Plating Shops should not be near families and children. Safety requires Distance between toxics and people.
We, the residents, MUST DEMAND Zoning Changes – Amortize the CPI Plating Shop – Move it AWAY from our homes!
Fire Department oversight is NOT ENOUGH: Accidents and unexpected events occur.

Residents have followed this for 8 long years – since the nitric acid fume release in February 2006. Here is the timeline of events and actions. Click for a clearer, enlarged view.

Information and commentary provided by Lynnie Melena

The Transportation Division held the second of the Maybell – Donald – Georgia Bicycle Boulevard Community Outreach Meetings on January 28, 2014

Approximately 25-30 people attended this meeting. At the beginning and again at the end, people had a chance to pore over sets of plans showing concepts for the Maybell-Donald-Georgia Bicycle boulevard.

You can view the detailed presentation drawings here: Maybell drawings 01.30.14 They consist of five sheets:

#1 is along El Camino Way from West Meadow to El Camino and on Maybell to Thain Way. Starting at El Camino Way and W. Meadow, one concept showed bow-outs at that intersection (mostly to benefit peds) and pavement markings to direct bicycles through the intersection. There was also a proposal to prohibit parking on west side of El Camino Way approaching the intersection with El Camino in the morning bike commute, and to increase the size of the waiting area for bicycles waiting to cross El Camino at El Camino Way/Maybell.

#2 and #3 are two alternatives along Maybell from Thain Way to Donald Drive. Of the several concepts for Maybell, the most significant one was to create a 12-foot wide “shared-use path” (bikes and peds) on the north side. How it would be delineated (pavers or paint) has not developed. Parking would be prohibited on the south side. Other concepts include painting “sharrows” on the roadway (indicating the roadway is to be shared by bikes and cars).

#4 is the Clemo to Amaranta section on Maybell (three alternatives) and Coulombe intersection (two alternatives). One concept is a raised textured or painted area within the intersections of Maybell-Amaranta and Maybell-Clemo, or both, or just raised sidewalks, to slow traffic and alert drivers that this is a special area for pedestrians.

#5 is along Donald and Georgia to the Gunn HS Spur Trail. One concept was to create bow-outs where the present bike/ped path from Gunn meets Georgia and to realign the path (slowing bicyclists down a little) to improve safety for students entering Georgia at that point. It would also highlight this bike access point to drivers.

These drawings were all meant to be preliminary ideas, responding to comments from the first meeting, for which staff was seeking feedback. Most of the “group” part of the meeting was Q and A.

The timeline for this project going forward is as follows:

Spring 2014–Community Meeting #3 or present concept plans to Planning and Transportation Commission
Summer 2014–Council approval of concept plans
Fall 2014–Final design and environmental assessment

You can view Jaime Rodriguez presentation here: Maybell Bike Blvd – 2nd Meeting – 01 28 14 Presentation

The Barron Park Association

Stories wanted please.

Who Lives at Buena Vista and Why We Care?

Buena Vista Mobile Home Park – RIR deemed ‘complete’

Risk Assessment for Storing and Handling Hazardous Materials at CPI