Eager to rebuild and expand the wastewater treatment plant on Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto leaders are preparing to buy two properties next to the aged facility.

The City Council will consider on Monday, Aug. 21, a proposal from the Department of Public Works to buy land just west of the Regional Wastewater Quality Control Plant at 2501 Embarcadero Way.

The plant was constructed in 1934 and currently serves Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford University and the East Palo Alto Sanitary District. The two properties up for sale are at 1900 and 2415 Embarcadero Way, just west of the plant.

Palo Alto is also eying a third property at 2425 Embarcadero Way, though the prospects for purchasing that one aren't as bright as for the other two, according to a new report from Public Works Director Brad Eggleston.

The new proposal comes at a time when the city and its partners are already investing a small fortune into rebuilding parts of the plant.

The plan is to further purify wastewater to both make it more suitable for irrigation and to reduce the amount of nitrogen going into the Bay. The more than $400 million in upgrades are being paid by the six partner agencies.

A new laboratory will be constructed to consolidate operations that are currently scattered in multiple locations. Plans are also include relining an old joint intercepting sewer, constructing a new headworks facility and adding a new outfall pipe.

In making the case for the land purchase, Public Works is pointing to the recent changes and emerging needs in the complex world of wastewater processing.

Water agencies around the state are increasingly looking at ways to use recycled water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reuse the biosolids that result from plant processes.

"To do this, more space will be needed for many kinds of facilities, including laboratory space, new wastewater treatment processes, advanced electrical delivery and control systems, construction lay-down areas, ingress and egress, emergency spare parts storage, and sea level rise adaptation," the report states.

"Fifty years ago, these needs were not fully foreseen, and insufficient acreage was set aside for facility modification and expansion."

A good time to buy

In adding space, the city may benefit from the recent cooling of the commercial market. The city's appraiser has advised the city that "these are uncertain times in the commercial real estate market, and investors should not expect large gains soon," the report states.

The city has been eying the two properties for more than 20 years, according to the report, and staff believe that conditions are now particularly ripe for the purchase.

Both parcels have changed hands over the past two years, with the firm BioScience Property Investments buying the property at 1900 Embarcadero Way and, more recently, Redco Development purchasing the one at 2415 Embarcadero Way.

The third property, which houses a California Public Storage Facility, is less suitable for use by the wastewater plant, though staff is also recommending that the city discuss a possible purchase with the property owner.

While the city does not yet have a plan for how the land would be used, Public Works staff believe it would come in handy for both housing new facilities and for creating a staging area for construction workers as they undertake the approved projects in the coming years.

"Even when old facilities are simply being replaced, more space is needed because today's building standards dictate larger footprints, and because old facilities must continue to be used while new ones are built, in the 24/7 world on wastewater treatment," Eggleston's report states.

In addition to upgrading the wastewater plant, the city is also working with the Santa Clara Valley Water District (now known as Valley Water) on another colossal project near the Baylands: the construction of an advanced water purification plant on San Antonio Road. That project, which is spearheaded by Valley Water, aims to bring wastewater to drinking standards.