Join the Campaign for a Safer Cubberley and a Stronger Palo Alto
It's time!
Cubberley is a highly-used, community space.
The City of Palo Alto has leased the Cubberley site since the city began using it as a community center in 1990. It has become a critical community hub with programming in education, health, child care, dance, and music instruction across all ages.
Upgrades and investments are needed for a functional and safe Cubberley.
Because the city has leased Cubberley from PAUSD for decades, neither the city nor PAUSD has been able to justify significant capital investment in its buildings. The result has been accumulated neglect and blight. Utility infrastructure (plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical) is severely outmoded and dysfunctional. The lease model must be abandoned. It doesn’t work. The city cannot and should not make significant capital investment in property it does not own.
The site is aging.
The site is not up to current safety and accessibility standards.
What Cubberley Could Be
An updated community center will be a safe, modern space for our community to gather. All the community services and programming that we currently enjoy at Cubberley can be expanded and added to, including a new performing arts center, fitness center, cafe, lots of greenspace, increased parking and transportation access, classrooms, studios, and event spaces. The structures will have new or repaired infrastructure that meets modern earthquake, safety, and accessibility standards.
It’s time.
Many local non-profits have stepped up to say they want to be a part of the future of Cubberley and contribute to funding the capital investments needed to upgrade and expand the space. TheatreWorks, Avenidas, HeartFit for Life and Palo Alto Community Child Care, and Maker Nexus have begun partnerships with the city for Cubberley with the drafting of letters of intent. The Friends of the Recreation Wellness Center recently formalized the terms of their partnership with the city, including to fundraise 100% of the costs to design and construct the Recreation Wellness Center, estimated at $40 million.
The Conceptual Master Plan outlines plans for expanded indoor space so that current tenants can continue to use space at Cubberley and new programming and partners added. If Measure J is passed, PAUSD would vacate their current spaces at Cubberley, allowing for flexible space to accommodate users during renovations.
The Agreement
The City Council and School District reached an agreement in 2024 where the city would buy 7 acres of land from the school district, contingent on voter approval of a measure for funding. PAUSD has determined they permanently will not need the seven acres the city plans to purchase, but will retain ownership of other portions of the site.
PAUSD and the city of Palo Alto are two separate entities and there are thousands of residents and voters in PAUSD who do not live in the city of Palo Alto (Los Altos Hills, Stanford). The council and school board are entrusted with stewarding resources responsibly for each entity and its mission. It's responsible for PAUSD to want a fair trade for 7 acres of land in Palo Alto.
The agreement passed unanimously by both City Council and PAUSD.
The Measure
Measure J was placed on the ballot unanimously by the Palo Alto City Council and the ballot language, spending guidelines, and ballot argument are available on the city website. The ballot argument supporting the measure was signed by Joe Penko, Palo Alto Professional Firefighters; Mora Oommen, Youth Community Service; Georgiana Kuhlmann, Palo Alto Community Child Care; Zareen Khan, Zareen’s; Kathleen Foley-Hughes, Ada’s Cafe.
A YES vote on Measure J will allow the city to:
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acquire the land from the district
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begin renovations and construction to provide the needed infrastructure and safety upgrades
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unlock millions of dollars in partner investment to help fund this project