Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Councilmembers and City Staff,
I urge Council and Staff to stay the course on this vital housing project as set forth in the citys 2023-2031 Housing Element. The concept for affordable housing on city-owned parking lots dates back over a decade, and Im thrilled that Council and Staff are taking the necessary steps to turn this vision into a reality.
I am a senior and a renter. I like living in Menlo Park, but Im very concerned about the shortage of affordable housing. I support as many affordable homes as possible to be built on surplus downtown parking lots.
Menlo Park can take inspiration from nearby cities that have turned (or are in planning to turn) city-owned parking lots into affordable housing: Palo Alto, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, Santa Clara, to name a few.
Adding residents downtown will benefit Menlo Park businesses. Restructuring parking to reduce excess sprawl is an easy tradeoff, in my mind, for a downtown in need of revitalization.
And, when housing replaces parking on the proposed lots, I will continue to support downtown establishments, including:
Draegers
Cheeky Monkey
Dolma
SusieCakes
Ace Hardware
Peets
Fleet Feet
Trader Joes
Feldmans Books
Tilak
Walgreens
Menlo Park Farmers Market
Bon Marche
Left Bank
Mademoiselle Colette
Gould-Jacobson Dermatology
Mid-Peninsula Ophthalmology
US Post Office
I look forward to supporting the new businesses that will spring up to serve our new neighbors in downtown housing!
Best,
Katherine Dumont
Linfield Oaks
