3,505 New Palo Alto Homes

Thanks for taking this short survey.

Please provide name and either e-mail address or phone number below. We do not accept anonymous responses as they are less thoughtful and less polite.

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D. We may make all the survey responses public (via an on-line spreadsheet), less name, e-mail, and phone. We may submit these survey responses to Palo Alto City Council and to the Association of Bay Area Governments.

1. Name:

2. Please provide a valid e-mail address or phone number:

3. Select your neighborhood or school community: not sure?

Bay Area job growth is expected to lead to an increase of at least two million residents in the next 30 years. While lower levels of population growth might make traffic and environmental protection easier to handle, continued growth is expected by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and other organizations that study the Bay Area's future.
The Bay Area's economy is expected to grow a bit more rapidly than the nation as a whole.

4. (OPTIONAL): Please provide any comments you have about this Bay Area population growth:

Because of the Bay Area’s expected population growth, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) has asked Palo Alto and Stanford to add a total of 3,505 new homes by 2014. Many Bay Area cities besides Palo Alto have been asked to add significantly to their population, and almost all of these cities are unhappy about this request (especially Menlo Park, Atherton, Cupertino, Piedmont, Pleasanton, and Larkspur).
ABAG's policy is to encourage new development in and around existing city and suburban centers with an emphasis on reducing overall car traffic, preserving open space and reducing the percent of workers living outside the region.

5. “It will be very hard to accommodate 3,505 new homes in Palo Alto”

6. “Building these 3,505 homes in Palo Alto will make a contribution to reducing global warming and regional traffic”

7. “Building these 3,505 homes in Palo Alto and in cities like Palo Alto in the region will increase our attractiveness for innovative companies to locate in the Valley. These homes will also help companies retain valued employees.”

8. "Adding these 3,505 homes will increase pressure on the schools, roads, libraries and other public facilities"

9. "Palo Alto residents have some obligation to plan for these homes as part of supporting regional environmental and economic goals"

10. (OPTIONAL) Please provide any comments you have about questions or your answers on this page:

11. (OPTIONAL) Many residents support ABAG's goals of environmental protection and reducing the overall amount of auto travel. Yet they are concerned about the impacts on their own neighborhoods and cities. If you do not think Palo Alto (and Stanford) should plan for these 3,505 homes, where should they be built?

You are now at the end of the traditional part of the survey. The questions on this page cover "visioning scenarios" and are optional. (One of the survey authors has a special interest in such scenarios.)

SCENARIO 1:

By 2014, Palo Alto stays pretty much the same as in 2007. The 3,505 new homes are built in Manteca, Modesto, and Merced, not in Palo Alto. Cities such as Menlo Park, Atherton, and Cupertino also avoid their unpopular housing allocations. Palo Alto traffic levels stay the same, but regional auto usage increases. By year 2020, California GHG (greenhouse gas) levels are 33% more than 1990 levels.

12. (OPTIONAL): Please rate Scenario 1

13. (OPTIONAL): Please add any comments you have about Scenario 1:

SCENARIO 2:

Palo Alto adds 3,505 new "innovative growth" homes by 2014.

In the past, Palo Alto City Council helped pioneer green, traffic-reducing policies on Stanford and Stanford West Apartments. Stanford West residents produce 75% less GHG (greenhouse gas) than the average Palo Alto resident, primarily because they drive much less. As a condition of adding the new homes, Palo Alto imposes similar traffic-reducing policies on the new housing. (Palo Alto also ensures that energy-saving "green building" best practices are followed.) New housing is created especially for deserving local workers, such as Stanford Hospital nurses. Palo Alto also implements further traffic reducing policies for Palo Alto workers, shoppers, and residents. As a result, traffic and total auto trips remain at 2007 levels, despite increased population.
Because of Palo Alto’s inspired model, cities such as Menlo Park, Atherton, and Cupertino follow Palo Alto’s lead. By year 2020, despite large population growth, California GHG levels are back to 1990 levels. Even though significant new housing is added in the Bay Area, the foothills remain preserved.
In order to balance the city's budget, Palo Alto copies recent suburban Bay Area funding innovations to ensure that city services, parks, infrastructure, and high quality education are fully funded.

14. (OPTIONAL): Please rate Scenario 2

15. (OPTIONAL): Please add any comments you have about Scenario 2: