Hello, City Council!
I’m writing to voice my support for the plan to develop housing downtown on current parking lots and building one or more parking garages.
Thank you for creating the page at https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensive-planning/Development-on-downtown-parking-lots which answers many questions that people may now be asking.
I understand some people would rather have the city build on current green space where the historic Gatehouse now sits, building housing much closer to the SRI housing development, on the same side of El Camino and Alma as SRI. This is not a better option. We should distribute new housing developments, not put them all in the same place. I also have heard people express concern about the height of the buildings. Having tall buildings in a downtown does not seem like a problem to me. It seems like that’s where tall buildings should be.
I look forward to there being more potential customers and employees making a more vibrant and thriving downtown.
I also look forward to the ease of parking in a multi-story parking garage, like those in Palo Alto, rather than the current dimly lit, puddle-ridden lots, where drivers seem to be unable to find the lines that theoretically direct them as to where exactly, their car should come to a rest. It appears to me from an aerial view that about half of the surface area in downtown Menlo Park is taken by car parking. I think we can use land more efficiently.
John Donald
