As currently conceived, the Downtown Affordable Housing Project would irrevocably harm Menlo Park.
Strategic Downtown Impact: Using three parking lots (4.8 acres) for 300 to 400 units of housing would prevent this public land from ever being developed for purposes that benefit the entire Menlo Park community (13,000 households).
For example, parking in at least one plaza could be moved underground and surface land dedicated to public amenities, e.g., plazas, public gardens, pathways with seating, performance stage, bocce courts, playgrounds for parents with young children, areas for casual “pop-up” food businesses, game tables. The possibilities are “endless”. Some surface parking could be retained for customers of adjacent businesses, and underground parking could be dedicated to paid weekday permit users who work downtown. (Note: Before the pandemic, 500 daily parking permits were issued to office workers and employees who paid a very affordable $500 annual fee for this service. The underground spaces could be used for them.) .
Construction Impacts: The proposed housing project will take at least three years to build. During that time, downtown traffic will be negatively impacted; public parking will be significantly limited; and loud noise, dirty conditions and poor air quality will discourage customers from visiting Downtown and using its currently popular outdoor dining areas. Also, expect many existing businesses to either fail or leave, new ones not replace them, and more vacant storefronts. .
Post-Construction Downtown: It is difficult to forecast the economic and physical condition of Downtown by 2030 but easy to imagine it will have severely declined. Downtown could have been a vibrant, multi-purpose place for residents, visitors, businesses and workers. But that possibility was lost.
Menlo Park Housing Element – Preferred Land Use Scenario (October 26, 2021) NEW! An excellent document for understanding how the affordable housing sites were selected for the 2023-2031 Menlo Park Housing Element. Note that Downtown parking lots were a primary focus. .
