Council,
CSC will meet next week to help staff determine how to move forward on the Middle Ave Complete Streets project. One of the options is whether to remove parking along Nealon Park and instead rely on the parking lot beside and behind the park. Since there is construction ongoing at Nealon which eliminates the Middle Ave parking strip, we need not speculate. We now know that the existing parking lot easily handles the parking needs of the community. It also makes Middle Ave safer since there are no cars backing out onto the street. Please visit Nealon Park and see for yourself how well this is working.
We have the opportunity to think about not only movement along Middle Ave, but across it as well. Suggestions:
1. Consider Blake St between Middle and College to be a southern extension to the park similar to the Golden Gate Park Panhandle. Doing so will define and reinforce the connection between the Allied Arts neighborhood and Nealon Park.
2. Raised crosswalks are already in some places at Burgess and Lyle. Make this a standard treatment for all MP parks, particularly at Nealon and Lyle parks.
3. Think about how Roble Ave fits into the network. It is already a popular bike route and could connect to Middle via the back entrance to Nealon Park.
4. Hundreds of daily bike, scooter, and skateboard riders cross Middle on their way to and from Stanford via the San Mateo bike bridge. The Middle crossings at Fremont, Arbor and San Mateo could be improved to facilitate this movement.
5. Reimagine the parking strip now under construction at Nealon Park. Since cars will now park in the back, we can use it for things such as bike and stroller parking, pickup/drop off zone, exercise stations, improved plantings, benches, wider paths, etc.
Anything we do on Middle Ave will be a vast improvement over the status quo. We have the opportunity to amplify our efforts and increase quality of life by thinking more broadly.
Regards,
Jonathan Weiner
