Honey Bee Heaven at 127

Last autumn we remodeled one of our properties and came across a sweet surprise, literally. What we uncovered was a long history of honey bees that had called 127 First Street their home.

Unusual Housemates

Sometime before 1980 a man named Walter Andrews built his second story home and first floor business The Los Altos Glass Company at 127 First Street in downtown Los Altos. Alan Pickett a few years later opened his own company, California Automotive Services, just two doors down.

On March 27th I met with Alan and asked him what he knew about Walter and a rumored honey-collection-contraption. Alan said that Walter did in fact have an unusual setup in his living room that allowed him to harvest honey from the walls. Apparently Walter had never fully finished constructing the building and plywood was the only material that covered the facade. On the back of Walter's second story apartment was a hole in the plywood where the bees made their home in his living room walls. Walter must have heard the constant humming and decided to take advantage of his freeloading housemates. Alan explained that Walter constructed metal troughs with glass jars at the bottom to collect the oozing honey from the living room walls.

Not long after Walter passed away in 1990s, his son Walter Andrews Junior sold the 127 First Street property along with the adjacent lot (now Stylers Floor Covering). Plans to completely renovate the building into a restaurant were unanimously approved by City Council on June 11, 1996. It was not long into the remodeling process when construction workers encountered the honey bees. Alan recalls that several workers were stung and a bee specialist was called in to relocate the queen and her hive. Remarkably this was not the last of the 127 First Street bees.

Delicious Reward

Last October we began remodeling our 127 First Street property. The construction crew had just started repairing the facade when they uncovered a fully developed, three year old bee hive. In the Bay Area it is not uncommon to come across hives during remodeling projects. An easy alternative to extermination is relocation. For this project we worked with Pete Moffat Construction and Dal Allan of San Jose Bee Removal to relocate the hive.

I spoke with Dal on April 12th and asked him about the details of the hive removal. Dal said that when he arrived at 127 First Street several of the workers were frustrated about uncovering the angry hive. Dal explained that during the fall bees are more likely to be feisty because they are intent on protecting their honey in order to survive the winter. Yellow Jackets and other bee colonies are known for ganging up on an exposed hive (like the 127 First Street hive) and stealing the honey.

Dal waited to remove the hive until mid-afternoon to make sure that most of the bees had made it back home. He used a "bee-vac" to safely suck up the colony and dropped them into a capture basket. He then cut out the brode comb (the home for baby bees) and placed them on frames to be easily transfered to their new hive. A cache of over 40 pounds of honey was later divided up between the construction crew--a sweet reward for their earlier troubles.

Dal's Home Sweet Home

Dal brought the hive back to his home in Saratoga where it took the bees only two days to adjust. All of the previously cut edges of the comb had been tidied and the bees were back to business as usual. I asked Dal if he ever sells his bees. He said that several families and orchard owners have purchased his hives and he visits them each year to make sure that the hives are healthy. Dal also sells his honey at the Butter Paddle in Los Gatos. All proceeds go to EMQ FamiliesFirst, a nonprofit that helps children and families in crisis. His honey can also be purchased online at the Local Harvest food cooperative.

Bike To Work Day 2012

At 6:15am yesterday morning in a blue pre-dawn haze, hundreds of neon-clad cyclists gathered at the 24th Street BART station in the Mission District of San Francisco.  Some had coffee in hand staring blankly into space, others were chatting with friends excitedly, and all were sporting canvas tote bags labeled "Bike To Work Day 2012" given out by friendly San Francisco Bicycle Coalition volunteers. This was my third year participating in Bike To Work Day, and I've been hooked ever since that first 45-mile ride from San Francisco (my home) to  Los Altos (my job) in 2010.  Yes, you may call us crazy, those of us who somehow think that bicycling for 2-3 hours before beginning a work day is a great idea. I thought so too - until I tried it.  The ride is organized by SF2G, a group of cyclists loosely affiliated with Google but open to anyone.  Their tag line is, "Skip the traffic. Skip the gym. Add joy" and boy is that joy part accurate.  Picture it: you're gliding silently along the edge of the San Francisco Bay, the sun rising blood-orange above the East Bay hills and casting a rosy glimmer over glassy water, shorebirds softly calling and swooping around you, the sweet salty smell of marshland, and dew sparkling on the grasses. You've got friends around you, you're getting incredible exercise, and by the time you've reached the office you'll have had this amazing sensory adventure to prime your work day. It's pretty hard to be grumpy on bike-to-work days.

To aid cyclists on Bike To Work Day, cities, counties, and local cycling groups sponsored Energizer Stations along major bike routes, providing juice, bagels, coffee, the complimentary tote bags, and other goodies that varied by location.  In Los Altos there were several Energizer Stations: at Main and Foothill in Downtown Los Altos, at Loyola Corners, along the Stevens Creek Trail, and at the Whole Foods on El Camino.  This year, Passerelle donated 100 blinking red bicycle lights to the Los Altos Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) as one of the tote bag goodies with which bike-to-workers were rewarded for their commitment to cycling.  The lights read, "I (bike) Los Altos" and apparently were a big hit.

For more information on Bike To Work Day, visit youcanbikethere.com so you can participate next year!  If you're interested in learning more about how to safely (and scenically!) bicycle up and down the peninsula along the San Francisco Bay, contact Brooke Ray at brookeray@passerelleinvestments.com and she'd be glad to give you her route recommendations.

Re-Connecting Public Spaces Across Roadway Barriers: San Francisco’s Presidio Parkway Project

Anyone who remembers the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway along San Francisco’s waterfront in 1991, and the area’s subsequent renaissance as a popular destination for both locals and tourists, will be excited to learn about San Francisco’s latest major roadway infrastructure project: the creation of the Presidio Parkway. On Friday April 20, Taylor and I attended a “once-in-a-lifetime” tour of the in-progress reconfiguration of Doyle Drive, the strip of Route 101 that runs through San Francisco’s Presidio and up to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Doyle Drive is an elevated freeway built in 1936 that has been both an eyesore and an increasing seismic and structural safety hazard for years.  It divides the Presidio from the recently restored Crissy Field waterfront recreation area, much as the Embarcadero Freeway used to divide San Francisco’s Financial District from the Ferry Building and waterfront.

The plan entails replacing the outdated Doyle Drive with a new route, called the Presidio Parkway, that will run partially underground to improve connectivity between the Presidio and Crissy Field.  Importantly, once Doyle Drive is removed, spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio, once obstructed by the roadway, will one day be visible.  If the success of the Embarcadero project is any indication, we can’t wait to see how this Presidio Parkway turns out!

 

Calls for Doyle Drive’s removal date back to the 1950s when San Franciscans revolted against the Federal Highway Administration’s plan to criss-cross most major cities in the US with freeways (for more on this, check out the San Francisco Freeway Revolt).  In the 1990s, the City of San Francisco formed a task force to begin analyzing Doyle Drive’s reconstruction.  The scheme of undergrounding part of the roadway can be credited to landscape architect Michael Painter, who came up with the idea while working at the nearby Exploratium.

 

Our tour of the construction site, organized by the Urban Land Institute, was quite timely as we learned that this Friday, April 27 at 8pm, the elevated roadway we were walking on will be demolished over the course of 57 hours.  We got a sneak peek at what will be the new southbound traffic route, walking through one of two tunnels that will when completed allow people to walk or bike over top seamlessly between the Presidio and Chrissy Field.  As we moved through the tunnel construction zone, it was pretty amazing to think that in one week this tunnel will be packed with cars for the next 50+ years!

 

One aspect of the project that particularly struck both Taylor and I was its fairly universal support: from the City, community, transportation agencies, and even environmental and interest groups.  Our tour guides said the proposal had received unanimous approval from the City, and that the environmental review and entitlement process went relatively smoothly.  This can be somewhat unusual with an infrastructure project this large, and in an area this densely populated not to mention ecologically and historically sensitive.  One potential reason for such widespread support is that the project is indeed a “win-win” for all parties, providing: a new seismically and structurally sound route that still passes vehicular traffic through to and from the Golden Gate Bridge; improved pedestrian and bicycle access between the Presidio and Crissy Field; more green space for recreation, ecological habitat, and stormwater management; and a significantly more attractive open space destination that will attract locals and tourists alike.  Importantly, the lack of opposition also speaks to the effectiveness of the inter-agency coordination and collaboration that were required.  The design team, the many regulatory groups, the citizens, and interest groups were all able to recognize the big picture merits of the project, and were able to work together to see it through to construction and soon completion.

 

As an urban planner, it is inspiring to see agencies cooperating to meet the needs and desires of a city and its residents.  It is also highly inspiring to see successful examples of “big-picture” urban vision, in this case of transforming a major liability (failing and unattractive infrastructure) into an opportunity to provide not only the functional necessities like transportation throughput but also additional recreation, ecological, and aesthetic benefits that can be enjoyed by all San Franciscans and their visitors for years to come.  The Presidio Parkway project shows that with a long-term perspective and a can-do attitude, anything is possible.

 

 

For more information: A good diagram of the future Presidio Parkway can be found here, and be sure not to miss this awesome fly-through visualisation video.  If you happen to be up in San Francisco this coming weekend (April 28-29), it might be pretty interesting to watch the demolition of Doyle Drive.  Imagine: a deteriorated and unsightly mass of concrete and rebar being razed, revealing new views of the Golden Gate Bridge, sparkly blue water, marshes, and the iconic Presidio buildings previously obscured!

 

 

Also check out the Urban Land Institute's recap of this tour.

Earth Day 2012 - Honoring Peter MacKenzie AIA: August 30, 1961 – March 21, 2012

On Earth Day this year we are honoring Peter MacKenzie.  He will be missed as a champion for the underserved and the planet, and  as a friend.  May people like Peter inspire us all. An Excerpt from David Baker + Partners blog below.  Read more HERE.

Peter began a student internship in 1983 with David Baker FAIA, leading to his position as the firm's third employee. Peter spent his full career at this firm. He earned his architectural license in 1988 and was made Partner of the firm, now known as David Baker + Partners, in early 2001. Peter designed more than 2,500 new homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The projects he headed garnered more than 60 local and national design awards. In total his built work exceeds $500M in construction value. Peter took quiet pride in the firm's selection as the 2012 Distinguished Practice by the AIA California Council.

His most recent completed project, Richardson Apartments, providing 120 green homes for formerly homeless residents in SF, just received a 2012 National AIA Housing Award. Peter valued his trusted long-term relationships with partners David Baker FAIA and Kevin Wilcock AIA as well as clients, such as Holliday Development, BRIDGE Housing, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Co, MidPen Housing and Mercy Housing California. Many of his clients grew into his close friends.

Peter MacKenzie AIA: August 30, 1961 – March 21, 2012

Why Bicyclists Are Better Customers Than Drivers for Local Business

Do you want to know one of the secrets to boosting downtown commerce? According to a recent article in the DC Streets blog written by Tanya Snyder the answer is to create a bicycle friendly business district. Cities such as Long Beach have already taken notice on the positive impact that cyclists can have on the local economy. Can Long Beach Prove that Bikes Are Good for Business?

Everyone knows that cyclists travel at a slower pace than drivers. But what you may not realize is that their slow pace makes cyclists more likely to notice a new store downtown or a sale sign. Cyclists are also more likely to shop locally since most of them live nearby. Merchants in Long Beach have found a way to capture this clientele by offering discounts to cyclists on Saturdays.

Another reason cyclists are better customers than drivers is because they have extra cash that is not spent on car expenses. April Economides, Long Beach's Bike Friendly Business District coordinator, explains that being car-free gives cyclists an extra $6,000 to spend when cruising downtown. AAA suggests that the savings are even higher--$8,776. In Snyder's article she also points out that "only 16% of household car expenses stay within the local economy".

Take a look at some other surprising figures found in Snyder's article on the positive impact that cyclists have on the local economy:

  • The opening of the Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville, Colorado led to a 19% increase in sales tax revenues, helping the city recover from a mine closure in 1999.
  • The 45-mile long Washington & Old Dominion Trail in the D.C. suburbs brings an estimated $7 million into the northern Virginia economy, nearly a quarter of that from out-of-towners.
  • Downtown Dunedin, Florida was suffering a 35% storefront vacancy rate until an abandoned CSX railroad track became the Pinellas Trail. Storefront occupancy is now 100%.
  • Properties near bike paths increase in value 11%, said Economides. Realtors and homebuilders consistently find that access and proximity to walking and biking facilities, especially greenways, makes homes easier to sell.
To learn more about Long Beach's Bike Friendly Business District check out our previous blog posting.

 

Bus Roots

You might have seen gardens on rooftops, but have you ever seen gardens on buses? I hadn't either until I saw Wake Up World's article on Marco Antonio Castro Cosio's NYU thesis project called Bus Roots.

Marco states that the purpose of this project is to "reclaim forgotten space, increase quality of life and grow the amount of green spaces in the city." His prototype has been installed on the BioBus, which is a roaming science lab based in New York.

A vision of the project is to have New York's Metropolitan Transit Agency utilize Marco's roof gardens on its 4,500 buses. Ultimately this could create 35 new acres of nomadic urban agriculture in the New York area.

sustainable design, green design, green transportation, bus planter, green roofed bus, bus roots, marco castro cosio, gardening

This new green space would have significant environmental benefits including:

  • reduced greenhouse gases
  • restoration of natural habitat for plants and insects
  • mitigation of the heat island effect
  • carbon dioxide absorption
  • stormwater management

 

Passerelle Unveils its Mission: Developers Focused on Quality Projects

Written by Town Crier Report   
WEDNESDAY, 04 APRIL 2012
Elliott Burr/Town Crier

Photo Elliott Burr/Town Crier

Taylor Robinson, left, and Amanda Tevis, co-directors of Pas-serelle Investment Co., visit Skateworks on State Street, one of six new businesses Passerelle has brought to town.

Since its arrival in 2009, Passerelle Investment Co. has quietly made a major impact on downtown Los Altos.

Passerelle owns six buildings on First and State streets, totaling approximately 65,000 square feet. The company has attracted six new businesses to downtown – Evolve Yoga & Pilates, Skateworks, Bumble, 359 State Street (the bike shop), Play! Los Altos and a startup company, Indigo-I. In addition, the company has renovated the facades of the Peet’s Coffee & Tea building, Passerelle’s office at 108 First St., 127 First St., Bumble (formerly Cottage Green) and the new Linden Tree Children’s Books at 265 State St.

The Town Crier recently conducted an email interview with Passerelle co-founder Amanda Tevis, who shed some light on the investment company and its unique mission.

Q: Tell us a little about Passerelle Investment Co.

A: “Passerelle” is a French word meaning “footbridge” for pedestrians and bicycles. It spoke to our desire to bridge the community to their downtown in an environmental way.

Taylor Robinson and I started Passerelle in 2009 with some local partners who share our vision and who are like-minded about the importance of a vibrant downtown that truly anchors its entire multigenerational community.

Q: From an investment perspective, why Los Altos?

A: When we formed Passerelle, Los Altos was a logical place to start. We felt strongly that the issues facing downtown Los Altos could be effectively addressed by our particular brand of experience and talent, and from our very long-term perspective of real estate investment/development.

In other words, with patient capital, creative deal structures and deep revitalization experience, we could attract top-drawer retailers and restaurants and cultivate the downtown into a place that would finally be what the community has wanted for years and years.

Q: You’ve referred to Passerelle as a “preservation-minded” investment/development company. What does that mean?

A: We would like our projects to both preserve and enhance the “livability” of Los Altos. We preserved and rebuilt 145 First St., a 1910 cottage that was originally the town librarian’s house. It’s now our tenant Bumble, which serves organic farm-to-table food in a friendly, permissive atmosphere where families and friends spend time together while their children play. That is exactly the kind of project we believe in.

Last year, we bought and renovated 265 State St. for Linden Tree Children’s Books. If anything enhances a downtown, it’s a first-rate local bookstore.

With the city, we carved out a fun, unexpected social gathering space by building a seat-wall/planter at the corner of First and State Streets. With the narrowing of First Street, the seat/planter is a nice safety buffer from the cars.

Q: What is your business background?

A: I started in retail brokerage and development as an intern with Terranomics, the largest retail brokerage company on the West Coast, during college in 1984. I saw how real estate revitalization through retail, restaurants, office and hotels was really about civic renewal and community building.

I left Terranomics in 1999 to start my own consulting practice and did projects such as Santana Row in San Jose and Town & Country Village in Palo Alto.

I have been a partner in Intrinsic Ventures, a real estate development company that focuses on investments in the Bay Area and Portland, Ore., since 1995.

Q: Can you tell us about the members of Passerelle?

A: Taylor is my co-founding partner. Her background and expertise is in sustainable construction and real estate management. She lives in Los Altos with her husband and son. We have phenomenally symbiotic skill sets, as I have conviction about what to build and she has knowledge and conviction about how to build it right.

Brooke Ray Smith is our in-house urban planner. Her diverse areas of expertise range from LEED certification to zoning codes and parking policy.

Joan Zhao and Brooke Randall are our project associates, Grant Bowen is our green construction management guru and Katie Stern works on many and various research and development projects.

Q: What are some of your goals?

What I’ve observed, in every community in every country I’ve been to, is that the marketplace, in our case this downtown, is where community is built – where people socialize and kids play, where values are shared, ideas are exchanged and where creativity is expressed.

We see “gathering spaces” as critical to an energetic downtown and look forward to collaborating with the city to create a plaza behind the Peet’s building. We would like to contribute to the city council’s commendable effort to find a comprehensive parking solution that protects the convenience and charm of the downtown. Like most Los Altans, we are concerned about vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle safety. We are looking into ways to make the various crossings over Foothill and San Antonio more safe and hospitable to pedestrians and cyclists. And in our spare time, we canvas the Bay Area and beyond to find great tenants to bring to the downtown. We love to idea-exchange and welcome input at takesavillage@passerelleinvestments.com.

Pop-Ups Popping Up: Unique Retail Shops Prove Efficient Way to Fill Vacant Storefronts

Click for PDF version of "Living in Los Altos" Spring/Summer 2012

For full article with pictures see below:

Pop-ups could be part of growing trend: Temporary downtown retail arrangements benefit merchants and landlords
By Elliott Burr
Staff Writer/elliottb@latc.com
Some new business owners in downtown Los Altos discover that, at first, pitching a tent is more suitable than pouring concrete. Figuratively speaking of course.
A wave of new retailers in the downtown triangle that city officials have labeled "very different" from the typical downtown merchant have rushed in with minimal cash and at times token inventory to fill vacant storefronts.
Popping up around town
They are called "pop-up shops," and they could be around for mere months or maybe years - depending on how their owners and landlords see it. The two most prominent and recent examples downtown are the bike shop 359 State and Skateworks, a purveyor of skateboards and magnet for the occasional youth-laced crowd gathered outside Feet's Coffee and Tea next door.
A faltering economy can spell p-e-s-s-i-m-i-s-m for prospective tenants mulling a long-term lease. What if they don't make it through the first year and they're on the hook for another six? But the unique arrangements of pop-up retail, which can provide shorter contract terms and fewer tenant improvements and merchandising requirements, supply a four-way win for tenants, landlords, the community and city alike, and are a major reason it's a growing trend in town and across the country.
To boot, The Sock Shop, a spinoff of European Cobblery at the intersection of State and First streets, opened approximately seven months ago as a pop-up, although an employee said the shop would eventually be more permanent.
And on the horizon is Play! Los Altos, Bumble proprietor Mary Heffernan's Gymboree.-esque venture, slated to occupy the old Linden Tree spot on State Street, according to Los Altos Economic Development Manager Kathy Kleinbaum.
"I've always thought pop-ups were a great way to fill vacancies and incubate new businesses," said Kleinbaum, who signed on with Los Altos late last year after a stint at Oakland's redevelopment agency. ''As part of the economic downturn, people are looking for more inexpensive ways to get a foothold into starting a business."
In Los Altos, there are two types of pop-up, according to Community Development Director James Walgren: those that conform to downtown zoning laws, i.e., retail or restaurants, and those that don't (think service-related businesses). The former can operate just as any retail store as long as it and the landlord agree, but the latter must secure a nonconforming-use permit from the city. That's no daunting task, but it usually means the store would be operating only for a very short time, perhaps three months.
"The zoning rules for State and Main are so strict, but maybe there's a use (for the vacancy) that can bring visitors downtown," Walgren said. "The provision is for a short-term temporary use permit ... no more than 12 months."
Play! Los Altos' stay will likely be temporary, as its use doesn't comply with downtown zoning. But because it will function as a pop-up shop, it provides Heffernan with an opportunity to test the market before fully committing. Kleinbaum added that it's much more attractive to an on-the-fence tenant "if you can get into a storefront with minimal improvements to test out a business model without investing lots of money."
A wait-and-see approach
The jovial owner of 359 State, Jeff Selzer, said he didn't choose to go pop-up because he was looking for a cheap way to start his business. But the terms offered by Passerelle Investment Co., which owns several buildings near the corner of State and First streets, didn't hurt.
With his crosstown shop Palo Alto Bicycle consistently proving a cash cow, Selzer said, it's not as if he were a rookie entrepreneur sniffing around for a deal to get started. Passerelle's courtship proved a "great opportunity", and Selzer opened in November.
"It was a way to explore the downtown district for a business opportunity," he said, noting that when his lease expires in October, be will evaluate whether to stay. "Anytime you can do that relatively affordably, it's a good thing to do .... It was also a great opportunity to help enliven the downtown community."
Business is a bit tepid currently, but Selzer attributes that to the poor bike-buying season right now. Apparently not everyone rides rain or shine.
The "View" from the landlord
Passerelle bas been the trailblazer for pop-ups downtown. In addition to the aforementioned wheel-based ventures, the company's slate includes the Kilgoris Project Marketplace, a collection spot for a non-profit group that benefits economic development in Kenya. It was housed for a few days late last year in the old Linden Tree locale.
The investment company's co-founder, Taylor Robinson, said the Kilgoris venture bad "evoked a negative reaction'' after it closed, because observers figured it bad gone out of business.
"Not turning into a permanent tenant is not always a sign of failure," she noted. "Sometimes tenants deliberately commit to a short term."
Robinson noted that pop-up arrangements can lead to elimination of "dead zones" downtown as well as allowing prospective tenants time to test concepts.
"Pop-ups benefit the landlord and tenant alike by allowing both to test a concept in a market prior to engaging in a long-term business commitment:' she wrote in an email to the Town Crier, adding that they make "the streets more walkable and engaging for all."
A prudent path
Jason Strubing, Skateworks' owner, said he recently signed a longer-term-lease with Passerelle after starting as a pop-up shop in summer 2011.
For Strubing, the thought was: Why get all wet before testing the waters? Especially in a town like Los Altos, not widely known for its skater culture.
Strubing debated whether or not to set up shop, choosing the path of prudence.
"I had just come out of a long-term lease and wasn't looking to jump into anything serious," he said. "I would've never come here on a long-term lease."
But after waiting for a bit and realizing that a venture like his could be successful in downtown Los Altos, Strubing decided to take root.
"What pop-up gave us was a chance to see if the community can get behind us and support a store like ours," he said. "It gave us enough time to adjust our product mix to tailor it to the community.''
The easygoing manager said that after entering a more permanent arrangement he thought could prove fruitful, a variety of possibilities have opened up. Now he can justify making tenant improvements and expanding his inventory to an ever-growing customer base.
First on his list - after physically stripping the pop-up sticker from his front window, Strubing had a 3.5-foot-by-16-foot half-pipe built inside the store - introducing what Robinson said was the Peninsula's only indoor training facility.
With no skate park near town, why not make your own?
Looking forward
Walgren said the arrival of pop-ups in town has created a significant buzz, one he said could attract further foot traffic and catalyze a downtown revitalization.
And besides, does anyone consider the view into an empty store appealing?
"It's better to have something there," Walgren said. "Perhaps it's bringing schoolchildren - at least it's bringing people downtown."
Although pop-up retail has become a "hot trend," according to Kleinbaum, she implored city officials and landlords to uphold rigorous standards for the types of businesses that are allowed to operate in Los Altos.
''You have to choose the right one." she said.

Los Altos Rail History

  The following is adapted from Don McDonald's book, Early Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, available from the Los Altos History Museum.

In 1904 the Southern Pacific Railroad had the vision of connecting a San Jose-Los Gatos line to Palo Alto and San Francisco by electric trolley. The company bought the San Jose-Los Gatos Interurban Railway and formulated a plan to create the Mayfield-Los Gatos Cut-off, connecting Palo Alto to San Jose. The creation of this extension was impossible without the cooperation of Sarah Winchester. In 1888 Sarah Winchester bought 165 acres of ranch land in present-day Los Altos and named it El Sueño ("The Daydream"). Southern Pacific President, Oliver A. Hale, convinced Sarah Winchester to sell her entire ranch in order to procure a right-of-way for the Mayfield line. Fortunately the new route followed existing county roads and no other right-of-way was needed.

Laying the foundation for a railroad in the Los Altos countryside was no easy task. It involved horses, mules, steam shovels, and manpower. Actual construction on the Mayfield-Los Gatos Cut-off began in 1907. Paul Shoup, who worked at the Southern Pacific Company and was President in 1929, had a vision for the prime land located along the rail line. In 1907 with the help of Walter A. Clark and other friends, Paul Shoup established the town of Los Altos.

Steam train service in Los Altos began in 1908 and electric trolley service followed on February 26, 1910. This created parallel railroad tracks along present-day Foothill Expressway. Train number 2476 (featured in the first image above) was one of several steam trains purchased in the 1920s by the Southern Pacific. It provided rail service for both passengers and freight until the late 1950s. Trolley service reached its peak in 1915 and steadily declined during the Great Depression. Bus services along the same route eventually substituted the trolley. The Peninsular Railway Trolley stopped its services in March 1933.

After World War II  Los Altos, along with other peninsula towns, experienced a population boom. Los Altos was no longer home to only orchards and sleepy farm houses. Developers built houses and new schools, and automobiles flooded into Los Altos. The Southern Pacific, the catalyst for Los Altos' establishment, was no longer the favored mode of transportation. Eventually Los Altos had only once-a-day rail service to and from San Francisco and in 1958 the Southern Pacific stopped for good. Only four years later, Foothill Expressway was constructed along the same route.

 

References

McDonald, Don and The Los Altos History Museum. Early Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

Nyberg, Paul D. Los Altos: Portrait of A Community. Los Altos: Select Books, 2000.

 

Photos reproduced with permission from the Los Altos History Museum.

Los Altos Easter Egg Hunt

The Los Altos Village Association is putting on an Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday from 10 AM to Noon. There will be over 3,000 eggs filled with candy and other prizes. State Street and Second Street will be closed for crafts and face painting. Bring the whole family and enjoy an exciting day in downtown Los Altos!  

For more information about this wonderful Los Altos Village Association event please visit their website or see their details listed below.

Fred Kent Placemaking Presentation

Last night the Los Altos Town Crier and Los Altos Forward hosted Fred Kent, President and Founder of Project for Public Spaces, at 359 State Street. Over 50 individuals from the local community came to learn from one of the leading experts on placemaking.

Kent explained that placemaking is common sense and that people naturally want to live, work, and play in areas with activities. He suggested that great places are produced not through design, but instead by relying on the community as the collective expert. Here are Fred's "Eleven Prinicples for Creating Great Community Places":

  1. The Community is the Expert
  2. Create a Place, Not a Design
  3. Look for Partners
  4. You Can See a Lot Just by Observing
  5. Have a Vision
  6. Start with the Petunias: Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper
  7. Triangulate
  8. They Always Say "It Can't Be Done"
  9. Form Supports Function
  10. Money is Not the Issue
  11. You are Never Finished
For more information on placemaking or Fred Kent, please visit the Project for Public Spaces website.

Photos Courtesy of Andrea Eaton

 

Fun Faucets for World Water Day

Happy World Water Day! Enjoy this awesome water-friendly posts by Treehugger. Here are 5 faucets that help you reduce your water consumption by displaying in one way or another the amount of water used the moment you turn on that tap.

Faucet Buddy by Baek Uyeol

Yanko Design/via

This little device can be attached to most existing faucets. It tells you the water's temperature as well as the liters that flow out through the tap. More information: Yanko Design

Roca's Digital Drain

© Roca

Similar to Faucet Buddy, Roca's (the company behind the w+w toilet-with.sink) digital meter measures all the water that goes down the drain. The large digital numbers make it easy to read and in a way it makes more sense to measure what you waste than what you use. More information: is-arquitectura

1ℓimit Faucet by Yonggu Do, Dohyung Kim & Sewon Oh

Yank Design/via

The One Liter Limited is a beautiful tap with a glass tube that holds exactly one liter. The challenge is to wash your hands using only one liter, instead of six which is the average for a quick hand wash. Once the liter is used up, you need to turn off the tap and wait until another liter fills up the tube. More information:Yanko Design

Hego's Flower Basin

© Hego

This is a more poetic approach. When the tap is turned on, the water flows out from a vase; if you use it all up, the flowers are left without... More information on Hego Water design

Poor Little Fish by Yan Lu

© Yan Lu

Poor Little Fish takes the Flower basin one step further and replaces the flowers with fish! This installation aims to make water consumption tangible by playing with the consumer's emotions and thus, making him or her think about saving water. While opening the tap, the level of water in the bowl gradually falls but does not actually drain out. Then it goes back to the same level once the water stops running.

© Yan Lu

Placemaking in Los Altos with Fred Kent

Written by Town Crier Report Los Altos Forward and the Town Crier have scheduled a forum on making the most of public spaces 5:30-7:15 p.m. Thursday at 359 State St., Los Altos.

Fred Kent, founder and president of Project for Public Spaces, will discuss how to transform public spaces in downtown Los Altos into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs.

Kent, an authority on revitalizing city spaces, advocates livability and smart growth.

Project for Public Spaces is a non-profit planning, design and educational organization whose mission is to help people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Founded in 1975, Project for Public spaces has completed projects in more than 2,500 communities in 40 countries and all 50 states.

For more information, visit Los Altos Forward.

On Your Mark - St. Patrick's Day Fun Run

Lace up your running shoes because this weekend is On Your Mark's free St. Patrick's Day Fun Run! Explore the beautiful Los Altos Hills' pathway system during the 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) run. Get there early because the first 50 people will receive a free ASICS Fun Run tee and a pair of Balega socks! Stick around after for a breakfast of green eggs and ham at the First and Main Sports Lounge.

 

 

Dutch Kids Pedal Their Own Bus to School

Dutch Kids Pedal Their Own Bus To School The snazziest way to get to school these day is by bicycle bus! The Dutch company Tolkamp Metaalspecials is the brains behind this environmentally friendly vehicle along with the Beerbikes that were popular a few years ago. These bicycle buses cost $15,000 and 25 have already been sold by the De Cafe Racer bike company. If you aren't keen on the school-bus-yellow you can choose from other standard colors such as green, blue, purple, grey, and red. Each bicycle bus comes equip with an awning for rainy/snowy days, sound system, 12 seats (2 for free loaders), and a small electric motor for hills. And parents, you don't need to worry about your kids taking the bicycle bus for a joy ride because all vehicles must be operated by an adult.