New Parking Garage in Downtown Sparks Outrage

By: Cedric Chen

Courtesy of City of Palo Alto and Watry Design, Inc.

On September 14th, 2026, the Palo Alto City Council unanimously approved the plan to build a new 6-story parking garage. This will replace the current parking lot that is located at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street. Despite many residents complaining that the building is too unpleasant to look at, the city seems to have decided to go ahead with the plan.

First proposed in the city's 2014 Council Infrastructure Plan, the garage has been in the works for over a decade. The city put the project on hold in 2019 due to the high cost and concern about the environmental consequences, but started to reconsider the project in late 2024 following a lawsuit. According to the City of Palo Alto, the new parking garage will feature 274 parking spaces, compared to the 86 spaces in the current lot. They say that it will be well-lit and feature cameras ensuring the security and safety of residents and their vehicles. Also, it will be straightforward to navigate with a clear layout.

Since 1995, the city has been collecting money from developers constructing new buildings in downtown, who must pay fees if they do not build parking in their projects. They have gathered $12.5 million to build the new garage. According to multiple sources, the estimated cost of this new parking garage is $41 million. Since it was recently approved, it is not known when construction will start yet.

This is supposed to handle the parking problems in downtown by adding additional spaces. They are also planning to build an apartment complex for “affordable housing” near the garage, reinforcing the need for the extra spaces. While this project is praised by council members, residents are not as enthusiastic about it. Even though many acknowledge the need for more parking in downtown, they believe that the building mockups, which were designed by Watry Design, Inc., are simply too ugly. Even though Vice Mayor Greer Stone has said that the garage will be “beautiful” compared to others, it seems as though the residents do not completely agree. The large, rectangular, block-shaped building is not appealing to them. When speaking at the council meeting, Mike Asher, a Palo Alto resident, talked about how “the end result, my gosh, that would be such an eyesore in that area.”

This is just one example of how people have different opinions and perspectives on public issues. Both sides agree that the parking situation in downtown must be fixed, but they disagree on how to fix it. Although some say that the parking garage will be beautiful, others believe that it will be ugly and stick out.