Foothills Park could be renamed as a preserve
The once exclusive Palo Alto area has become popular since it opened to everybody
PALO ALTO >> After just a few months of being open to everyone outside Palo Alto’s borders as well as inside, Foothills Park soon may get a name change and see new fees and restrictions imposed to deal with a surge of visitors.
At a meeting later this month, the Palo Alto City Council is expected to consider renaming the 1,400-acre park Foothills Nature Preserve, as unanimously recommended by the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission on Jan. 26.
And because the park has become so popular — about 4,000 visitors went there between Christmas and New Year’s Eve — the council could establish a $6 vehicle entry fee and cap the number of people allowed at one time to 400, not to exceed 500 people a day. Council members already approved both steps at its Jan. 11 meeting but must formally do so for them to take effect.
According to city staff, the current cap of 750 people at one time — about 280 vehicles — has led to “potentially unsafe conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists” and instances of “people parking and walking in inappropriate locations causing damage to natural areas.”
The more restrictive cap also aims to assuage the concerns of Los Altos Hills residents and park officials who have complained to the council about traffic, illegal parking inside the
preserve and people generally not adhering to park rules.
Less than two weeks ago, the city announced it would be closing the park on weekends and holidays during peak hours while the council considers entry fees and access limits.
The park was once restricted to Palo Alto residents and their escorted guests, but a lawsuit by the NAACP and ACLU of Northern California forced the council to open it up to everyone on Dec. 17.
Since then, the oncequiet park has been transformed into a tourist destination,with its wild ferns, panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and the twisting madrone trees and manzanita bushes drawing hikers and families from throughout the Bay Area
Along with the new fee, the council also could approve an annual pass, recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission, that would cost Palo Alto residents $50 and nonresidents $65. Seniors, lowincome people and active military members or veterans with addresses outside Palo Alto would pay $49 for an annual pass and those who live in the city would pay $38.
If the council adopts the recommendations at its Feb. 22 meeting, the cap on visitors would take effect a month later.
On Feb. 27, rangers would begin collecting the vehicle entry fee on weekends and holidays, including the $6 daily vehicle entry fee and annual pass option. The timeline for charging weekday vehicle entry fees is still undetermined, but likely will come this spring, according to staff.
Vice Mayor Pat Burt said during an interview on Tuesday that the Parks and Recreation Commission’s decision is encouraging. “It seems like we’re getting a consensus” around setting a fee, he said, added that the renaming was “appropriate.”
“It’s principally a nature preserve and not intended for ball fields or active recreation, though there are elements of that,” Burt said. “It more accurately describes what it’s always been. I don’t think it’s altering the name, it’s trying to embody the history.”
Burt joined fellow council members in January when he raised concerns about the number of visitors going to the park. He proposed a cap of 600 people at a time because it’s clear to him that “750 is chaotic.”
Burt said he’ll be keeping an eye on the park to see if the new limit will work.
“We’ll see what we actually witness with those limits,” he said.