Category: CTRA Meetings

CTRA Fall 2019 Newsletter

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By now, most College Terrace residents should have received a copy of the CTRA’s fall newsletter “Views from the Terrace” on their doorstep. (Thanks to all our volunteers for delivering the newsletters!) If you didn’t receive one, or prefer to read it online, you can download the newsletter here.

The newsletter includes a recap of the CTRA’s summer activities from CTRA President Chris Saccheri, as well as reports from Stanford Observer Pria Graves (on the Stanford GUP process) and California Avenue Business District Observer Ann Balin. There is also a piece on sustainability, including a detailed overview of public transportation options available around College Terrace.

Thanks to CTRA Communications Director Jens Jensen for putting the newsletter together and to Susan Wilson for doing the layout.

Finally, the CTRA is looking for volunteers for board positions starting early next year. It isn’t a big time commitment, but it is a fantastic way to serve your neighborhood and community. If you’re interested in carrying on the work that the CTRA does for our neighborhood, please email CTRA president Chris Saccheri.

Events for the Past and Future

Just wanted to highlight a couple events in the coming week that might be of interest to College Terrace residents. The first is a docent-led walking tour of College Terrace, sponsored by Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. The tour will take in some of College Terrace’s oldest and most historic homes. The walk is this Saturday, October 5, at 10am and begins at the corner of College and Harvard, in front of 1181 College Avenue.

For those interested in the College Terrace of today and tomorrow (in other words, all of us!), on Monday night at 6pm, the Palo Alto City Council will be reviewing a workplan to address the Council’s priority around Transportation and Traffic. This topic comes up at every CTRA board meeting and this is an excellent opportunity to see what the city is doing to address it. Read the staff report online to learn more. You can provide your comments at the meeting or write an email to Council at city.council@cityofpaloalto.org.

CTRA Board Meeting Agenda: September 18, 2019

The next CTRA board meeting will be Wednesday, September 18, 2019, at 7:00pm at University Lutheran Church (1611 Stanford Ave at Bowdoin). Topics at this month’s meeting include discussion of progress on our fall newsletter, a recap of the summer picnic and Stanford in College Terrace discussion, updates from our three board observers, and more. Read the agenda here.

All College Terrace residents are encouraged to attend. Hope to see you there!

August Meeting Recap and Thanks

We had an outstanding turnout for this past Wednesday’s CTRA board meeting, which featured a special presentation and discussion on Stanford in College Terrace led by Marisa Kendall of the Mercury News / Bay Area News Group. Thanks to everyone who attended and shared their stories, comments, and questions.

Thanks to Marisa for facilitating an excellent discussion and to her colleagues from KQED, NBC Bay Area, and the Center for Investigative Reporting for sharing some of their research with the community. You can look forward to seeing the fruits of their research and reporting in print, radio, TV, and online in the coming months.

Special thanks to Pastor Greg and University Lutheran Church for allowing us to use their space for the meeting and to Mark Khoury for providing a projector on short notice.

Our next CTRA board meeting is Wednesday, September 18, 2019, at 7pm at University Lutheran Church.

August 21: Stanford in College Terrace Discussion

What impact is Stanford having on College Terrace? How much property does the university really own in our neighborhood? And what’s the deal with all those vacant Stanford houses?

Join your neighbors and a group of local reporters for an in-depth discussion of these topics. Reporters from Bay Area outlets including The Mercury News, NBC Bay Area, KQED, Telemundo, and the Center for Investigative Reporting have spent months analyzing property records from the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office to determine the extent of Stanford’s real estate footprint in Silicon Valley. Come listen to their findings (you’ll likely learn something new!) and share your own insight and experiences.

The discussion will take place at the CTRA’s monthly board meeting on Wednesday, August 21st, at 7pm at University Lutheran Church (1611 Stanford Ave at Bowdoin). This meeting will be on the record, and may be photographed and/or recorded.

For more information, contact Marisa Kendall, Mercury News Housing Reporter at (408) 920-5009 or mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com.