Alliant Communities, Presidio Bay Ventures, and Related Companies / Alta
Housing,
Thank you for your willingness to present your proposals to the people
of Menlo Park. I am a long-time resident of Menlo Park and am concerned
about how using our downtown parking plazas are going to affect our
community.
I have the following questions regarding your plans:
-- BIG PICTURE --
• DOWNTOWN FUNCTIONALITY: The parking plazas are heavily used for
parking and circulation. What evidence suggests that removing them will
not undermine downtown functionality?
• HOUSING GOALS: The original premise for using the parking plazas was
to provide housing for extremely low-income residents (<50% AMI). How
many such units would your development provide? Will downtown workers be
given priority?
• PROJECT VIABILITY: Given the need to replace public parking and build
within constrained spaces, what assumptions are required for the project
to be financially feasible? What happens if the project stalls midstream?
-- FINANCIAL --
• PARKING REPLACEMENT COSTS: What is the expected cost to replace 556
public parking spaces? Who will pay that? Who would be responsible for
cost overruns?
• CITY TERMS: What are the expected terms with the City regarding rent
and revenue sharing? Will your project generate standard property tax
revenue? Will you pay the same development fees that are typically
required for market-rate projects?
• MARKET DEMAND: With recent reductions in Menlo Park’s employment
market, how have your housing demand projections changed, if at all?
• LABOR COSTS: One proposal indicated that providing replacement parking
may make union labor financially infeasible. How do labor costs affect
your project’s viability?
• INFRASTRUCTURE: What utility and transportation upgrades are required,
and how will those costs be allocated among the developer, future
residents, and the city?
-- PARKING --
• PUBLIC PARKING: Where will the replacement public parking be located?
On average, how much longer will it take downtown customers to reach
their destination? Will the replacement short-term public parking remain
free?
• RESIDENT PARKING: How much parking will you include for residents of
your buildings? What share is allocated to affordable units? Are
residents without a space expected to not have a car?
• LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE: Who is responsible for the safety, maintenance,
and affordability of the public parking garages 10 and 20 years from now?
-- IMPACTS --
• TRAFFIC AND CIRCULATION: What do traffic studies show about peak-hour
impacts, and what mitigation measures are proposed?
• ENVIRONMENTAL RISK: What environmental investigations have been done,
and who is responsible for any needed remediation? Given the history of
nearby dry-cleaning uses, will a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment
be done before any agreement?
• SHADOWS: How tall will your buildings be, and for how much of the day
will they cast shadows on sidewalks, storefronts, and outdoor dining?
• CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: For how long will construction last? Where will
people park during that time?
• SERVICE AND EMERGENCY ACCESS: How will delivery, waste collection, and
emergency vehicles (including fire ladder trucks) operate within these
constrained site layouts?
I appreciate your consideration in responding to my questions.
Best,
June Cancell
