Portola Valley safety panel unanimously agrees to cosign Open Space Committee letter opposing MidPen parking plan

The Portola Valley Bicycle, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee voted unanimously to cosign a letter from the town's Open Space Committee urging alternatives to the Midpeninsula Open Space Trust's draft access-and-parking plans for the Hawthorns/Woods property.

Chair Ed proposed the endorsement after committee discussion of plans that committee members said would add a roughly 50-space parking lot, remove trees and reconfigure the Portola/Alpine intersection. "They're putting in a parking lot with 50 cars with berms and walls and roadways and all tree removal," said a committee member, arguing the work would fundamentally change the character of the site.

Betsy Morgenthaler, invited to speak by the committee, said MidPen had not engaged in sale discussions with the town and emphasized that MidPen staff have been slow to adopt off-site or alternative proposals put forward by local committees. "Midpen is not engaged in conversations with the town. Midpen has not expressed interest in selling," she said, and noted MidPen had scheduled a special study session on the Hawthorns for May 6 at 5 p.m.

Committee members raised both environmental and financial concerns. One member noted the town's tight finances and questioned whether the town should take on costs for intersection changes or buy the property; another urged exploring enlarging existing parking at Windy Hill as mitigation rather than creating a new lot at the Hawthorns.

Chair Ed moved that the committee support the Open Space Committee letter and agree to be a cosigner; the motion was seconded and carried by a show of hands. The chair said he would notify town staff and the council liaison and would send a formal cosigned letter to MidPen and town staff.

The decision is procedural support from the BPTS committee; it does not itself change MidPen's project approvals. Betsy encouraged committee members and residents to attend MidPen's upcoming meetings and to submit comments to that public process.