Menlo Park City Council Members,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to converting the downtown parking plazas to high density housing. As a Menlo Park property owner, business owner and tenant occupant of commercial space on Crane Street in downtown Menlo Park, I have a strong vested interest in this issue. My business is located on Crane Street between Oak Grove and Santa Cruz Avenue and our clients already complain about the limited parking when they come to our business. Many times they are 10-15+ minutes late for a meeting because they cant find parking and are circling the lots.
While I know every municipality is struggling to find locations to add additional housing units, doing so in downtown Menlo Park is a poor idea. The high density housing would create traffic and parking congestion that would dramatically change the fabric of our downtown corridor. School children congregate downtown after school hours, retirees walk and enjoy the various restaurants and coffee shops and I fear there would be significant safety concerns given the increase in traffic that would accompany these housing units. The streets and infrastructure of downtown Menlo Park are not equipped for this and would forever be changed for the worse.
In addition, Santa Cruz Avenue is now just starting to turn the corner and to have some degree of vibrancy. There are multiple restaurants under development and other establishments that will improve the quality of Santa Cruz Avenue. It would be a colossal mistake to dramatically change the landscape of downtown just as these businesses are about to open. The limited parking would impact these new establishments and diminish their chances for success thereby risking the entire future of downtown if new businesses are reluctant to be in the downtown corridor.
I am strongly opposed to this proposal and if the city approves this project, I will be relocating my business elsewhere as will many other downtown Menlo Park business owners.
Sincerely,
Billy McNair
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Billy McNair | McNair Group
#1 Small Team in California | #3 in North America (2023 Coldwell Banker)
Broker Associate | Attorney | MBA
650.862.3266 | billy@mcnairgroup.com | www.mcnairgroup.com
@billymcnair | DRE 01343603
Coldwell Banker Global Luxury | Menlo Park, CA
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