Mayor Nash and Menlo Park Council Members:
I sent the email below to you on 8/27/26 and now wish to express my deepest gratitude to you for standing up to the Attorney General and opposing approval of the 80 Willow project under the terms of his letter. I know there are many battles ahead, but I also know you cant win a fight unless you begin to fight. Thank you so much for standing up for our community. I will do everything possible to support your efforts.
With appreciation and gratitude -
Steve Seleznow
459 Claremont Way
(Linfield Oaks)
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C O P Y
Mayor Betsy Nash and Councilmembers
Menlo Park City Council
701 Laurel Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025
8/27/2026
Dear Mayor Nash and Councilmembers:
As a resident of Menlo Park (Linfield Oaks neighborhood), I am registering my strong and unequivocal opposition to the proposed 80 Willow complex under review and consideration. Moreover, I fully endorse, in its entirety, the August 19, 2026, letter you received from Menlo Forward, signed by Mark R. Wolfe.
The enormity and grossly out of scale nature of the proposed development, given the hundreds of single and multi- family homes that have surrounded the Willow/Middlefield intersection for decades, and stretch for blocks across Menlo Park, Atherton and Palo Alto, defies common sense and basic decency. The project is an anathema to the sensibilities of the residents, communities, and families that have made this area attractive, livable, and sustainable for generations. 80 Willow simply cannot violate the standards and norms that have stood for so long, making this community exceptional for so many.
While numerous and sound arguments are being made in opposition, such as those articulated above and in the Menlo Forward letter, I want to raise two more.
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Stand at the corner of 80 Willow during school and rush hours in the morning and late afternoon/early evening and observe the flow of children in strollers, neighbors walking dogs, families on bicycles, and cars, trucks and buses all trying to navigate this intersection safely. Traffic at these times is already significantly congested, with vehicles backing up in every direction along Willow (especially) and Middlefield. Danger exists for children riding bikes anywhere; but this proposed project will make that deadly, and end for many children in the community a tradition that in Menlo Park you can still safely ride your bike to school, or the market. Imagine just how bad traffic becomes with ~7000 more cars added to that already congested space? Would any reasonable person find this proposed development reasonable?
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80 Willow is not an affordable housing project. To call it such is dishonest. Yes, there are some affordable housing units buried deep into this project, but to categorize this project as having anything to do with affordable housing defies reasonableness. A real affordable housing development matching the scale and aesthetics of the existing neighborhoods would be desirable and welcome. This project is anything but that.
Had I wanted to live amidst 39 story, 33 story and 19 story skyscrapers, Id be living in San Francisco, San Jose, LA or San Diego, not Menlo Park. What reasonable person would want a project of such outsized and monumental scale in a neighborhood like ours?
How tragic it would be to see the symbol of Menlo Park -- the stately oak tree -- replaced by the silhouette of 3 skyscrapers.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Steven G. Seleznow
459 Claremont Way
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Sseleznow@yahoo.com
