Plan to restore Baylands site as parkland divides environmentalists
The most disputed parkland in Palo Alto isn’t known for its sports courts, playgrounds or sweeping vistas. Located next to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, the 10-acre parcel commonly known as the “Measure E” site is best known as a place of opportunity. In 2011, Palo Alto residents voted to “undedicate” the parkland and make it available for a waste-to-energy plant that would treat local organic waste, but that the project never materialized. Now, the city is looking to rededicate the 10 acres as parkland, a move that is once again fomenting division within the city’s environmental community.