---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Cal-Interiors
Date: Sat, Nov 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: Rebuttal to 9212 Report
Menlo Park residents deserve honest, unbiased analysis about the future of
our downtown, but the recently released 9212 report fails to provide it.
The city spent $165,000 on a report produced by the same consulting group
(the M-Group) that drafted the Housing Element placing the downtown parking
plazas on the development list in the first place. That is not an
independent review. It’s the consultants evaluating, and defending, their
own earlier decisions.
The report is built on assumptions rather than evidence. It claims
businesses won’t suffer from the loss of parking, yet includes no surveys,
no sales data, and no foot-traffic analysis. It suggests new housing would
“likely” increase downtown vitality, but again offers no measurable
support. And it asserts parking could be replaced without identifying
where, how, or at what cost. These are not findings. They are guesses.
Even more concerning is what the report ignores: the essential role these
lots play for seniors, families, and local businesses; the years of
disruption construction would cause; the lack of realistic replacement
parking options; and the availability of more suitable housing sites
elsewhere in the city.
Downtown parking plazas are vital economic infrastructure, not
“underutilized land,” not “surplus land”, nor do they have the future
potential to become vacant or underutilized (Cal Gov Code 65583.2).
Residents asked for an objective analysis. Instead, we received a
conflicted, assumption-driven report that does little to inform voters.
This is why tax paying residents need to make the decision at the ballot
box.
Thank you,
Mary Seaton
MP homeowner
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>> 1300 El Camino Real, Belmont Ca 94002
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