Excellent, thank you!
Sylvia
On Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 3:33 PM Dan Myers > wrote:
Dear Mayor Drew Combs, Vice Mayor Betsy Nash, and City Councilmembers Jen Wolosin, Ray Mueller, and Cecilia Taylor,
Dear Housing Commision Chair Karen Grove, Housing Vice Chair Rachel Horst, and Housing Commissioners Lauren Bigelow, Heather Leitch, Nevada Merriman, Chelsea Nguyen, John Pimentel,
Attached please find a petition containing almost 1,600 signatures opposing the use of city parks for housing development.
The request is clear and simple:
- Please do not use city parks for housing development.
- There are not enough parks in Menlo Park and the conversion of parkland to housing is an irreversible step that we should not take.
A partial text of the petition is here:
A real life case of déjà vu. Sharon Park is back on the chopping block for development after we fought and won in 2012. While we all are in
agreement that our beloved town is in a housing crisis and the need for affordable housing is crucial, who speaks for the trees? At what point
do we gobble up all of our natural resources until there is nowhere for our children to experience nature without paying admission? Please
sign the petition and add your personal comment of why our parks should be permanently preserved from development. Every signature
counts. Please share this petition widely on your social media.
The City of Menlo Park has a mandate to zone for almost 3,000 additional housing units. This represents an increase of almost 24% on the
current housing stock of 12,347 units (according to the 2010 U. S. Census). In order to help accomplish this goal, some have proposed
converting the two acres of wooded open space on the west end of Sharon Park to high‐density housing units. Burgess Park has also been
proposed as a housing development site.
Please sign the 2021 petition. Please note that this is not the first time that we have had to petition the city about this green space. A similar
proposal was made to to develop Sharon Park was proposed in 2012. That proposal was defeated as we hope this one will be as well.
Please join us in opposing the use of this green space for housing:
‐ Most of the 3,000 additional units that will be added into Menlo Park will not have recreational or green spaces immediately around
them. These new residents need access to green spaces such as the west end of Sharon Park. Using this green space for development will
adversely impact public health and degrade the quality of life for current and future residents.
‐ Using this park for housing is anti‐green. Developing this space will remove this park as a carbon dioxide reducing asset in the city of Menlo
Park.
‐ Using this park for housing is anti mental health. Many people use this open space to decompress from the stress of daily life or to meditate
or reconnect with nature.
‐ This location is far from services and transportation which is a strong requirement for this development.
‐ This location is a vital resource for those who live in the many multi‐family housing units and apartments located in the Sharon Heights
neighborhood.
‐ Sharon Park is not solely a Sharon Heights nor a Menlo Park resource. It is used by hundreds of people from nearby towns. It is routinely
used for picnics, birthday parties, dog walks, playful exploration, wedding photos, senior photos, and quinceañera photos by non‐Menlo Park
residents.
‐ Sharon Heights is a very thoughtfully planned development. The density profile runs from highest density to lowest density proceeding along
Sharon Park Drive starting at Sand Hill Road and proceeding westward. Putting medium or high density development at the west end of
Sharon Park dishonors this extremely thoughtful plan which we have all benefited from.
‐ In 2012, The City Attorney ruled that Sharon Park was “dedicated” as a park. The following is an extract from that ruling: “Although the land
in question was not explicitly dedicated to the City for solely park use, the City Attorney has determined that by designating the land as
parkland in a City’s General Plan and on various city maps and by operating the land as a park for an extended number of years, the land would
be considered “dedicated” by the City as parkland.” Reversing this ruling contradicts the prior ruling and dishonors the thoughtful analysis and
discussion of the previous process.
‐ Sharon Park's open space is home to Cooper's hawks, Red‐tailed hawks and many other species that nest among the heritage trees. It is also
a transit area for white and blue herons and Canada geese. Removing this wildlife space is an irreversible step that we should not take.
Our Beliefs:
Menlo Park needs well planned growth that accommodates for the needs of current and future residents.
Menlo Park needs to add more affordable housing units across the city.
Our Solution:
‐ Consider up‐zoning the Sharon Heights Shopping Plaza to allow for substantial renovation and expansion. This plaza is tired and
underutilized. In addition, it is close to transportation and services. Development here is consistent with the current density profile of Sharon Heights.
‐ Consider up‐zoning one of the many existing multi‐family developments already in Sharon Heights such as Sharon Green Apartments, Sand Hill
Place, Seven Oaks, Sharon Grove or Country Sharon (to name a few). Most of these developments are also tired and underutilized. They are also close
to transportation and services. Development here is consistent with the current density profile of Sharon Heights.
‐ Consider using one of the many parking lots in downtown Menlo Park for multi‐use development. The wide open asphalt spaces are functional but
unattractive. Development here is consistent with the density profile of Menlo Park.
‐ To protect Sharon Park, Burgess Park and other parks located throughout the City, the City Council should adopt Councilmember Mueller’s
proposed Park Preservation Ordinance, and place a Measure on the ballot that would require a vote of Menlo Park residents to rezone park land.
Read more about the proposal here: https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2021/08/31/menlo-park-voter-ban-on-building-housing-at-city-parks-proposed
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Please preserve the green spaces in Menlo Park
https://www.change.org/p/menlo-park-housing-commission-preserve-menlo-park-s-green-spaces
https://www.facebook.com/groups/savemenloparks/
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