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East Palo Alto City Council has denied a staff proposal to restrict parking on Woodland Avenue along the San Francisquito Creek, siding with residents who expressed concerns over limited parking at a Tuesday council meeting.
City staff suggested that removing the some 50 parking spaces between University Avenue and West Bayshore Road could potentially discourage illegal dumping and homeless encampments along the creek, while limiting safety hazards for drivers and pedestrians, according to city documents.
The item was passed by the Public Works and Transportation Committee in April 2025, and it was originally meant to be approved on the council consent calendar, which is reserved for routine items that warrant minimum discussion. Council members declined to advance the idea and suggested that city staff provide a more detailed presentation about parking options for nearby residents at a later meeting.
“They need these cars to go to work,” Council member Carlos Romero said. “That is part of their livelihood.”
Over the years, city staff have received “many” complaints about trash, encampments, improper parking and narrow roadways on Woodland Avenue, according to city documents. Combined with a purported lack of parking signage, city staff said that reducing parking along the west side of the road could help prepare for future improvements to the area.
The city recently received funding to begin a Woodland Avenue improvement project, which would entail repairing the road, installing sidewalks, ensuring ADA accessibility, constructing traffic calming measures and improving signage and stormwater infrastructure. It was not clear what the project timeline would be.
The city of Palo Alto is also spearheading the Newell Bridge replacement, which is expected to create significant roadway impacts this year.
“In many circumstances, the parked vehicles create safety hazards due to the limited road right-of-way,” East Palo Alto staff wrote in a report.
While East Palo Alto staff had hoped to clear out traffic along the winding road, the City Council expressed confusion and concern over the proposed project. Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica said that tying illegal dumping to resident parking was “insulting,” and asked the city to more thoroughly engage with the public.
“I’m fine with the staff coming back, but I don’t want to see simplistic solutions,” Abrica said.
One survey was distributed to residents in 2025, and 64% of the 45 people who responded said they generally supported parking restrictions, according to city documents. Public commenters disagreed with this conclusion, with more than a dozen residents protesting the restrictions.
Many local residents said that nearby apartments only provide one parking space, despite offering two- and three-bedroom units.
“This proposal will victimize the residents of East Palo Alto that are just out here trying to survive,” said 43-year resident Chester Best.
Various residents, many of whom voluntarily clean up the nearby trash that doesn’t belong to them, offered to continue to clear out the creek and meet with city officials to create alternative solutions. Some speakers suggested city staff consider adding parking markings on wider parts of the road to maximize space.
Mayor Webster Lincoln, who abstained from the vote, said residents had enough opportunities to engage with the subject at past public works meetings and suggested that the proposed restrictions were due to abandoned vehicles and illegal parking.
“We’ve proposed parking permit programs that equitably allocate parking for people who actually live in our community, and prevent a lot of out-of-towners and commercial vehicles from occupying spots actually used by people who are living in those apartments,” Lincoln said.
Correction: The prior version of the story failed to state that Mayor Webster Lincoln abstained from the vote.
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