Hello:
I appreciate Councils decision to extend the vote on the Surplus Land related to the very low-income affordable housing proposal until the January 14, 2025 meeting.
While there was significant opposition to the proposed downtown project on November 19th, as noted there was arguably more frustration with the Citys perceived lack of meaningful outreach and communication following the August 27th Council meeting which put forth the recommendation to turn City lots 1, 2, & 3 into affordable housing. I commend City Council for ultimately recognizing this frustration from residents, business owners, and property owners and delaying the vote until January.
I am not sure if this question is best suited for City Council or Principal Planner Smith or Community Development Director Chow, but my question is this: what specific outreach and communications will the City complete before the January 14th Council meeting to better Inform their residents, downtown businesses, and property owners of the planned proposal to convert the three (3) lots into upwards of 483 units of very low income affordable housing? To date, I have only received one auto-update from the City from a website I originally had to provide my email for future update. What are doing for people that did not sign up for this website? I am concerned about how the potential +/- 95%+ of Menlo Park residents who still do not know about the Citys intentions to drastically alter the future of downtown.
It is appropriate for the City to mail a notification to every Menlo Park resident, property owner, and downtown business owner to ensure they are aware of the Councils plans that would go into effect in a few short months. Its also very appropriate for the City to post multiple large signs in Public Parking lots 1,2, & 3 regarding your plans and the January 14th Council vote. The daily Menlo Park customers, employees, and retailers that use these specific lots should be notified with large signage of the Citys proposed plans and the impending surplus lands vote.
Please confirm what specific outreach and communications activities the City intends to complete, to whom, and what date the City will complete these activities by? With the holiday season and New Years rapidly approaching, if the City does not get mailers out or posters up soon, it defeats having a City Council meeting on January 14th if people barely get any time to absorb this information. It may be more appropriate to hold this vote at the January 28th City Council meeting if the City cannot commit to 1) what specific communications the City will perform and 2) when these outreach and communication efforts will be completed.
I very much look forward to your response on this important subject. I hope you and your families have an enjoyable Thanksgiving week.
Regards,
Kevin Cunningham
Cell: 650-283-9546
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