Hello, We are residents of Palo Alto who are concerned about the traffic, noise and other impacts of the proposed Alma Plaza Albertsonıs expansion. We are circulating a petition with our concerns, urging the city to: - ensure that the Albertsonıs store does not exceed 20,000 square feet (in keeping with other grocery stores in Palo Alto) and the cityıs Municipal Code; - preserve more independent retail space so the shopping center remains ³neighborhood-serving,² as designated in the cityıs Comprehensive Plan: - minimize the projectıs traffic impact on Alma Street and E. Meadow and avoid cut-through traffic and parking on neighboring streets; and - guarantee that all components of the shopping center comply with existing city standards for noise and parking. If you wish to sign this petition, send a note to jhammer14@earthlink.net, indicating that you agree with these points. Please provide your name and address. Thank you, Jay Hammer Call to Action Regarding Alma Plaza As you may know, the city is in the final stages of reviewing the proposed expansion of the Alma Plaza Albertsonıs store. The project was conditionally approved by the ARB on Sept. 19 and is tentatively scheduled to go before the Planning Commission on Nov. 13. So there is still time to make our views heard and to help shape a project that will work for all involved. An initial Environment Assessment was recently released and is available for public comment until mid-October. The most important thing you can do is attend the Planning Commission hearing. You also can get involved by: - Sending a letter expressing your concerns to city officials; Planning Commission, City of Palo Alto, 250 Hamilton Avenue, 5th floor, Palo Alto, CA. 94301; email: planning_commission@city.palo-alto.ca.us, city_council@city.palo-alto.ca.us, arb@city.palo-alto.ca.us - Providing comments to the city on the initial environmental study (for a copy of the initial study, see contact below); and - Signing and/or circulating a petition urging the city to keep the store small, preserve more retail and address traffic and other impacts. Background The upgrade and expansion of Albertsonıs (formerly Luckyıs) at Alma Plaza was first proposed at least 10 years ago. There has been significant progress since then, although many concerns remain. The current proposal calls for a 29,000 square foot store, including a full-service pharmacy of several thousand square feet. The space for small retail shops has been reduced from 27,000 square feet to 11,000 square feet to accommodate the larger grocery store. Because Albertsonıs is seeking a PC rezoning, it must offer ³substantial public benefit² as part of the project; to satisfy this requirement, Albertsonıs is proposing to build 5 below-market-rate units of 734 square feet each above the retail stores. In addition, Albertsonıs has proposed building five single-family homes along Emerson and Ramona streets. Key issues Traffic. This remains the number one concern for many residents in the neighborhood. Traffic along the southern Alma corridor is already choked at peak commute hours. The initial environmental assessment indicates the project will result in 270 additional trips to the site during the ³p.m. peak hour.² Albertsonıs has also proposed installing a signal at the entrance to the plaza, further slowing down traffic on Alma. Traffic conditions will become intolerable, with drivers seeking an outlet on Ramona and other neighborhood streets. Moreover, there are three schools in the neighborhood, with children walking and biking to school and to the shopping center on neighborhood streets. So traffic safety is a major concern. Neighborhood-serving. The Comprehensive Plan defines Alma Plaza as a neighborhood-serving shopping center, not a regional center. Regional centers, with their ample parking and porous entrances and exits, are better able to serve commuters and visitors from greater distances. Increasing the store size from 17,000 square feet to 29,000 will make this a regional store. A regional store will draw customers from a broader region, exacerbating traffic in an area already congested during commute hours. Preserving small retail. Much of the space for small retail shops has been sacrificed to accommodate the large store. The result is only 25% of the total space would be devoted to small retail, compared to the current 60%. This would convert the existing neighborhood center to a ³big box² retail location with only an incidental number (perhaps five or six) of small, independent retail stores. Palo Alto is a small retail community; we should take steps to preserve our retail tradition. Parking. Albertsonıs is proposing to relax parking restrictions and provide 41 fewer spaces than normally required in order to accommodate the larger store. They maintain that off-street parking will help alleviate the strain, but there is no off-street parking available. If the store is successful, parking shortages could result and cars will spill over onto neighborhood streets (especially Ramona Street). The city should require Albertsonıs to adhere to standard parking regulations. Economic viability. Albertsonıs has argued that it needs a larger store to maintain economic viability. However, city studies suggest that small stores are as viable as larger ones. The city found that the 20,000-square-foot Safeway on Middlefield Road has the largest gross revenue per square feet of any store in Palo Alto (and perhaps even the Bay Area). So economic viability is not necessarily dependent on size. Precedent-setting. If the city approves a larger store on this site, it will pave the way for other grocery stores to expand as well. This could ultimately change the character of neighborhoods throughout Palo Alto. For more information, please contact Jay Hammer at 857-9543, jhammer14@earthlink.net.