Cubberley Community Center — A November Ballot Gamble
active• paloalto
Palo Alto's most consequential civic vote in years will come this November, when the City Council plans to ask residents to fund the redevelopment of Cubberley Community Center. The city's pollster FM3 has recommended that Palo Alto wait until 2028 to levy a tax on residents, after a January 2026 poll showed only 48% of voters would support either a parcel tax or a sales tax — well below the two-thirds supermajority required for a parcel tax and precariously close to the 50% threshold for a sales tax. But waiting carries its own risk: the memorandum of understanding with the Palo Alto Unified School District to sell seven acres of Cubberley to the city for $65.5 million is contingent on a ballot measure going before voters in 2026, and a delay could require an entirely new agreement. Phase 1 of the master plan — which includes a new two-story theater, recreation space with a pool, tennis courts, and flexible community spaces — is estimated to cost between $300 and $400 million.
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Related cause: Development & Neighborhoods
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