What is happening?
On September 16, the City Council of Palo Alto will discuss alternatives for the expansion of the Palo Alto airport. The proposed alternatives include expansion of runways into wetlands at the Bayland Nature Preserve, expansion of runways closer to the wetlands and the San Francisquito Creek trail, intensification of operations, including accommodating larger aircraft, and lots and lots of asphalt!
To learn about the alternatives, you may click here to download the staff report. The description of project alternatives begins on page 8. Click here for the City Council meeting agenda document (Look for Item 3).
Based on FAA standards, the airport suggests that expansion is recommended to increase safety and improve operations. However, the FAA does not require any changes which means that the airport can continue to provide service as it does now.
Why is this important?
Unfortunately, the Palo Alto Airport is located in the midst of Palo Alto’s, and the region’s, most precious assets: the Baylands, lagoon, Duck Pond, Byxbee Park, San Francisquito Creek and the San Francisco Bay. The Baylands are a critical resource for millions of birds and other wildlife, and hundreds of thousands of people who visit the Baylands and enjoy their beauty. The airport and its operations are imposing a heavy toll on the Baylands, and on our neighbors in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and the St. Francis and Duveneck neighborhoods in Palo Alto.
Airport expansion, changes in runway location, increase in number of flights, and ongoing use of fossil and leaded fuel, could all exacerbate impacts on the Baylands’ habitat and ecosystems and the people who visit and live locally. The locations being considered for expansion would remove invaluable, non-replaceable Baylands, increase greenhouse gas emissions, increase noise pollution, and increase lead deposition on our Baylands and in our local communities.
What can you do?
- Join us either virtually or in-person at the Palo Alto City Council meeting on Monday, September 16, or send an email to the City Council.
In-Person Instructions
- You can park underneath Palo Alto City Hall at 250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301. The parking lot entrance can be found on Ramona Street.
- Inside the City Council Chambers you will find a table on the right which contains speaker cards. Take a speaker card, fill out your name and that you are interested in speaking on Agenda Item 3. Hand your completed card to the City Clerk, who sits at a desk close to the audience seating.
- Our item will start at approximately 6:30pm. There will be a presentation, then questions by council members, and then the public will speak (that's us). The clerk will call your name when it is your time to speak.
- You can prepare a 2-minute or less public comment. Depending on the number of speakers, your time to speak may be reduced to 1 minute.
Zoom Instructions
- Click this link to join the meeting: https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/362027238 (Note: you can also find this link in the meeting agenda document)
- When item 3 begins, click the “raise hand” button on Zoom to get in queue for your public comment.
- The clerk will call your name and ask you to un-mute your microphone when it is your time to speak.
- In advance of the meeting, you can send an email to Mayor Stone and the Palo Alto City Council members: City.Council@CityofPaloAlto.org
- The Sierra Club and Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance are looking for community members to join via Zoom and cede their time to us so that we can deliver extended presentations to the City Council. If you are interested in doing this, please email Dashiell.Leeds@SierraClub.org with the subject line “ceding my time” and we will give you instructions on how to do this.
Talking points:
- Please tell the City Council who you are and why you care. Tell them YOUR story. Tell them why the Baylands Nature Preserve, educational facilities, the golf course, and the trails are important to you.
- Ask them not to expand the airport into the Palo Alto baylands, the golf course, or other designated parkland. Ask them also not to introduce any new pavement anywhere, within or outside of the airport property.
- Ask the Council not to take any action that may intensify the operations and the number of flights at the airport, or allow larger planes to use the runways.