Dear city council members,
Im a downtown Menlo Park resident and Im writing in support of developing affordable housing (and replacement parking) on city-owned land downtown (i.e., current parking lots) as well as in support of contributing funds to support the 87 affordable homes for teachers and school staff.
Affordable housing is necessary to keep a thriving community -- for example, my wonderful neighbors are about to have a baby and cant stay in their tiny apartment but also cant afford anything bigger in town despite having college educations and full time jobs, so they are looking to leave. About a year ago, my other neighbors -- one of whom owns a local business and the other of whom has a masters degree and works at Stanford -- had to move because they cant afford an apartment in Menlo for their growing family. People who grow up in Menlo often cant stay or return as adults because they are priced out. Many people who work in our community cant afford to live here. It is also difficult to maintain the needs of our community (e.g., basic services, restaurants, stores) when its only affordable for people with high incomes. We also have so many vacancies downtown; if people could afford to live nearby, it would help bring some life back.
In terms of parking concerns, there are ways to re-envision our downtown parking. I hope you will consider Menlo Parks parking analysis to think carefully about replacement parking -- I urge you to prioritize housing over parking, and to find more efficient and creative ways to address parking needs.
Additionally, Im writing to support the city of Menlo Park contributing funds for 87 affordable homes for teachers and school staff. I dont want to live in a city where the people teaching, feeding, and coaching our children and helping them grow and develop as humans are priced out of the community. I hope you will approve the funding recommendation for these homes.
Thank you so much for considering,
Sarah Zollweg
