Dear City Council Members,
When discussing whether to pursue a parking garage and if so, what to bundle with it, please think towards the future rather than
plan for the past.
TransportationThe future of transportation is fewer single occupancy vehicle trips. There is no other option. The Peninsula has a
limited amount of space and there are is not sufficient land to build enough street lanes, parking garages and car capacity to
accommodate our solo driving habits (let alone future needs). To address our shift from a fantasy "village" to our reality of
being in the center of an urban landscape, we as a society, will need to invest more in multi-modal transportation that includes
increased transit use, more bike and ped, and additional active and alternative modes of transportation. In an era where exciting
new technologies involving autonomous shuttles are currently being piloted, does it make sense now to invest tens of millions of
dollars in an antiquated solution? Instead of racing to build, first consider adopting many of the solutions proposed by the
Complete Streets Commission - a TMA, paid parking, etc. See how those go and then make a data-driven (not anecdotal decision).
EntertainmentThe latest edition of The Atlantic has an interesting article titled, "Will Disney Kill Off the Movie Theater?" I
encourage you to read it. Disney is at work on creating their own Netflix-type streaming service that could alter the way movies
are released in the near future. To quote the article, "This is a future, in other words, where the movie industry as we know it
ceases to exist...Diehards might still fork over $20 to see the new Star Wars film on a big screen surrounded by thunderous sound
effects and fellow fans dressed up as Kylo Ren. But many families would begin to regard movie tickets the way today's cable-TV
subscribers regard tickets to a baseball game: an expensive way to communally experience an event already available at home at no
additional cost." I have no doubt that Menlo Park residents may very well be willing to pay a premium to have a large, communal
movie experience...but the way the movie theater is being pitched, like the tiny, small-screen venue in Northstar (2 screens, one
that seats less than 30 and one that seats less than 100), doesn't even fulfill that purpose.
It can be hard to imagine a future that's different from what we experience today. But, we live in the Silicon Valley and thinking
forward is part of our culture. The future could be one in which autonomous electric shuttles pick up seniors from their homes and
bring them downtown. Employees from the Stanford development at Middle could bike to lunch on Santa Cruz on shared bikes and lock
them in ample bike parking spots while dining. Instead of seeing movies in old movie theaters we watch streaming films together on
an outdoor park right downtown.
And finally, IF you choose to move forward with the parking garage; housing units, not movie theaters make sense.
Apartments/condos do not run the risk of being outdated relics. We need more affordable housing near transit and we have some BMR
funds. Please fulfill a need, not a want.
Thank you for your consideration,
Jen--
Jen WolosinParents for Safe Routeswww.parents4saferoutes.org [http://www.parents4saferoutes.org]jen@parents4saferoutes.org
[jen@parents4saferoutes.org]415.710.5838[https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B5BGvPHdC67QVENja3JKVVJqZHc&export=download]
