The Atherton City Council will review a Rail Committee recommendation to expand Caltrain service in town and explore how transit-oriented housing measures could affect the town at its Wednesday (Feb. 20) meeting.
The Rail Committee voted 4-3, with two abstentions and one absence, at a Feb. 5 meeting to recommend that Caltrain restore weekday train service in town. Caltrain suspended weekday stops in the town in 2005 due to low ridership. The train now stops at the Atherton station only on the weekends.
The town is examining the issue as Caltrain reviews and plans its service schedules in preparation of rail service electrification from San Francisco to San Jose. Caltrain has indicated that rather than adding a stop in the overall train schedule, it might eliminate a stop in either Redwood City or Menlo Park to accommodate an Atherton stop, according to a staff report. Caltrain has the final say on the schedule.
In the fall, the committee recommended that the council restore full weekday train stops in Atherton, but it backpedaled on the recommendation at a Jan. 9 joint council and committee meeting before going back to its original recommendation. The concern: SB 50, a bill introduced in December by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. The bill would require cities to allow new apartment buildings in any place that is within a half-mile of a rail transit station, within a quarter-mile of a high-frequency bus stop, or within a "job-rich" neighborhood.
The bill comes as state housing officials estimate that 180,000 homes need to be built each year to keep base with population growth, according to a League of California Cities report cited in a town staff report. Over the last decade, on average, fewer than half that number have been constructed annually, according to the report.
At the Feb. 20 meeting the council will review the committee's recommended amendment to the town rail policy and could adopt the recommendation, according to the staff report.
The council will also vote on establishing an ad hoc subcommittee on transit-oriented development.
Staff notes in its report that it may be beneficial to designate two council members to take the lead with staff on discussing housing issues, concerns and solutions with elected officials from neighboring jurisdictions and within the region, as well as county supervisors and state representatives.
“These discussions would allow the town to better understand the needs and positions of our neighbors and work to advocate for solutions that consider the needs of the local communities,” the report states. “Such advocacy could include an emphasis on bottom-up rather than top-down solutions and encouraging communities to balance job growth with housing growth within their boundaries.”
The council will also discuss meeting with Caltrain representatives about the future of the Atherton station, according to the report.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at 94 Ashfield Road.
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Comments
Atherton: other
on Feb 20, 2019 at 2:42 pm
on Feb 20, 2019 at 2:42 pm
It is nice to catch the train after a Giant's game or an evening in the City and have it drop me just a little ways from home.
Menlo Park: Suburban Park/Lorelei Manor/Flood Park Triangle
on Feb 25, 2019 at 9:32 am
on Feb 25, 2019 at 9:32 am
While you’re at it, how about planning for some garde separations. When CalTrain increases its frequency of service the tracks will be busy and fewer cars will be able to cross. Raising the tracks partway and dropping the streets partway is a reasonable approach.
Check Menlo Park’s option C plan.