With a close vote expected on Measure J, Palo Alto and its school district have released new details about how they arrived at the price the city would pay for land at Cubberley Community Center.
Measure J would raise Palo Alto's sales tax by half a cent, bringing in an estimated $15.6 million a year. It is a general tax, but the City Council adopted a resolution pledging the money to Cubberley: buying 7 acres of the 35-acre campus at 4000 Middlefield Road from Palo Alto Unified, combining it with the 8 acres the city already owns, and starting a renovation that would include new theaters and a gym. The measure needs a simple majority.
Asking price versus appraisal
According to a joint city-district statement reported by Palo Alto Weekly, the district first asked $90 million for the parcel, based on what outside groups, possibly including a private school, might pay under a long-term lease. The city's opening offer leaned on a 2024 appraisal that valued the land between $43.6 million and $60.2 million. The statement said valuing the site is imprecise because there are few comparable properties, and noted that the land is zoned for public use and state law gives public agencies priority as buyers.
The two sides settled on $60.65 million in 2024 dollars, which equals the $65.5 million price the city would pay in 2027. That is slightly above the top of the appraisal range.
The appraisal is still under wraps
The city has not released the appraisal itself, calling it confidential real estate negotiation material. The Palo Alto Daily Post reported that the city rejected its public records request for the document in July. Opponents, including former Mayor Lydia Kou, resident Jeanne Fleming and the Silicon Valley Taxpayer Association, made the secrecy a central point of their ballot argument. Mayor Vicki Veenker thanked council and school board members for supporting the partial disclosure, saying transparency matters to voters. A city poll in May showed support just over 50%.
Two tenants line up
The council also approved letters of intent with two nonprofit Cubberley tenants. Avenidas, the city's main provider of services for older adults, wants expanded space there, and HeartFit for Life, a cardiac rehabilitation group that has rented at Cubberley for 23 years, is seeking long-term dedicated space. Both would help raise money for the improvements through philanthropy and grants.