Around the Terrace: September 28, 2019

County Sets Hearing in Palo Alto on Stanford GUP
The final phase of the approval process for Stanford’s General Use Permit is getting underway and will include a hearing at Palo Alto City Hall on October 22nd at 6pm. There will also be a study session on October 8 and another hearing on November 5, both at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chamber in San Jose. For more information, check the County’s website.

Gryphon Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary Sunday
For half a century, Palo Alto’s Gryphon Stringed Instruments has been a hub for acoustic music lovers. This Sunday from noon to 5pm, Gryphon is celebrating its 50th anniversary with live music, cake, giveaways, and more. If you’re a local music lover and have never been to their shop (just a stone’s throw away at the corner of Park and Lambert), this is the perfect time to check it out.

Mayfield: The Town That Wouldn’t Go Away
Join the Palo Alto Historical Association on October 6 for a program with author Raye Ringholz on her new book about the town of Mayfield. Mayfield encompassed the area that is now College Terrace and the California Avenue business district, and in addition to its many saloons, it was a hub for local lumber, farming and ranching businesses.

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.

Sending Summer Off in Style

Thank you to everyone who came out to the CTRA’s Back-to-School BBQ and Ice Cream Social this past Saturday at Werry Park! Special thanks to Nancy Cassidy for her wonderful performance and to Eileen Stolee (CTRA social chair) and the rest of the CTRA board for organizing this event.

If you would like to see more great neighborhood events like this in the future, please consider making a small donation to the CTRA.

  • Nancy Cassidy performing
  • Neighbors mingling
  • Face painting in action
  • A face-painted penguin
  • Taylor the drillmaster
  • Eileen serving ice cream
  • Werry Park during the BBQ
  • A very popular bounce house