Dear Mayor Nash and Members of the Menlo Park City Council,
As a resident of the Willows neighborhood, I am writing to strongly support
the perspective of Menlo Forward and urge the City Council to use every
legal tool at its disposal to stop N17 Development’s massive "Willow Park"
project proposed at 80 Willow Road.
While our neighborhood deeply understands the critical need for affordable
housing, this hyper-dense, skyscraper-heavy proposal exploits state laws to
worsen—rather than solve—our local housing and infrastructure crisis. As
neighbors living directly alongside this corridor, we urge you to reject
this project based on the severe impacts it will bring to our immediate
community:
Gridlock on Willow Road: Willow Road is already a heavily congested,
critical artery connecting our neighborhood to Highway 101 and the
Dumbarton Bridge. Adding over 7,000 daily car trips, an office complex, and
a 130-room luxury hotel will completely paralyze traffic, trap residents in
their neighborhoods, and severely compromise emergency vehicle access.
Worsening the Housing-Jobs Imbalance: While the developer highlights 133
affordable units, the inclusion of over 324,000 square feet of office space
will bring thousands of new corporate commuters into our backyard. This
commercial expansion drives up regional housing demand, completely wiping
out any benefits of the residential units.
Environmental Risks to San Francisquito Creek: Our neighborhood is acutely
aware of the flood and environmental risks tied to San Francisquito Creek.
Erecting massive towers reaching up to 458 feet in a known creek
liquefaction zone poses significant structural, environmental, and public
safety hazards to the surrounding watershed and homes.
Destruction of a Historic Landmark: The project plans to bulldoze the
iconic, low-slung, modernist former Sunset Magazine campus. Replacing this
beautiful, culturally significant site with a dense wall of high-rises will
permanently alter the character of the Peninsula and obliterate a piece of
our local history.
We appreciate the immense pressure the City Council is facing from state
housing accountability mandates and the California Attorney Generals
office. However, as the community that will directly bear the brunt of this
development, we ask you to hold firm. Please strictly enforce all
environmental, safety, and health regulations under CEQA to protect our
community from this developers overreach.
Thank you for your time, leadership, and continued defense of the Willows
and the broader Menlo Park community.
Sincerely,
Sarah Wang
Emma ln, Menlo Park
