Dear Honorable Council Members- As a commercial property owner in Menlo Park, I am writing to request you not approve the emergency order or regulation that would close streets in Menlo Park. Our tenants, who like to support the businesses in the downtown area, have expressed growing frustration with their inability to come to Santa Cruz Ave to easily access the shops and restaurants. The chief complaints are the lack of parking and restricted traffic flow. The proposal you are considering today to close streets, will greatly limit someone’s ability to move from the North side of downtown to the South side and between stores, while further eliminating much needed parking spaces. The result will be less business for our shops and restaurants and not more. There is a constituency that would like to turn Menlo Park into an urban center. Unfortunately, Menlo Park does not have the density to support this concept. Additionally, I doubt it matches the will and desires of its residents. Menlo Park is a spread-out suburban community with no public transportation options and not enough nearby density to support the businesses. Businesses really do rely on customers from Menlo Park and nearby communities to arrive via their car. Blocking off streets would only hurt our businesses further. As an alternative, I would suggest that when permission is provided to reopen the businesses on a more normal basis, the city watch and evaluate the demand for the shops and restaurants. If there is more demand than supply of seats, then the city can, in conjunction with a committee of affected business, develop some alternatives to assist them. This may or may not include the closing of streets or areas of the parking plazas in a much more limited fashion. Thank you for rejecting this poorly considered emergency measure. Sincerely, Rod Shepard ??????????????????? Rod Shepard Shepard Land Company 1600 El Camino Real, #165 Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 325-1600 (650) 325-1611 (fax) rod_at_(domainremoved) ??????????????????? Received on Tue May 12 2020 - 11:51:50 PDT
