The Palo Alto City Council directed staff to concentrate the next phase of analysis for the South Palo Alto bike/ped connectivity project on Alternative A with a stated preference for the A2 variant, which would place a grade‑separated crossing beneath both the Caltrain tracks and Alma Street near El Dorado Avenue.

Charlie Cole, senior transportation planner, presented eight preliminary conceptual alternatives and a quantitative evaluation that balanced walking/biking demand forecasts, parcel impacts, and constructability. Committee reviewers favored Alternative A because it showed limited parcel impacts compared with several other options that would have required partial or full takings of residential parcels. The rail committee recommended advancing Alternative A (with the A2 variant under Alma) for further study.

Public testimony was split: many residents and Safe Routes advocates backed A2 as the best long‑term school route connection and as a way to link new housing in the NVCap area to Midtown and the ballpark path; some South Palo Alto neighbors warned that El Dorado is a narrow street with safety and parking challenges and urged exploring other east‑side connections (El Carmelo, Loma Verde) or stormwater right‑of‑way options to avoid impacts to homes.

Council members emphasized property‑impact considerations. The motion from Council Member Burt (seconded by Vice Mayor Venker) directs staff to prioritize work on Alternative A and to return with 15% designs, a comparison between A1 and A2 (costs, parcel impacts and constructability), and options for east‑side connections. The motion carried 5‑1‑1 (Council Member Rekdal recused; one member absent). Council reiterated that public engagement will continue throughout engineering and that advancing a single preferred location will help focus technical work ahead of the grade‑separation work planned elsewhere in the city.