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Honorable Menlo Park City Council,
I support building new affordable homes downtown and I urge you to do the same on January 14th.
I know Ive already written to you about this, but as Ive learned more about the issue, I want to make a few more points. When Ive talked to people who oppose the development, the things Ive heard are: "We cant get rid of parking lots" (even though the
development proposals will include replacement parking), "We dont want people like that here," "Even if we bring more people in, it wont revitalize downtown because business leases are too expensive," "How will they choose who gets those apartments out of
all the people who want them?", and "New housing needs to be 100% affordable, and I dont think this plan will do that." Most of these talking points are either ill-informed about the issue, or they point to larger problems that will be helped by building
this housing, even if the housing wont solve the whole problem.
Finally, a personal note: the first few years I lived in Menlo Park, we rented an apartment on Oak Grove and Hoover, very close to the proposed developments. We were completely new to the area, but for us, Menlo Park was a walkable city. We walked to Menlo
Hardware and Trader Joes and Peets Coffee. We walked to the farmers market. We walked to Refuge (sadly closed). I rented a viola from Bridgepoint Music before it closed down. We became Keplers members. During COVID lockdown, we got takeout from Amicis
and Mama Cocos and La Stanza, and La Stanza ended up catering our wedding. We dont live as centrally anymore, and I no longer feel like my ties to Menlo Park are as close, but my preference is still to go to Menlo Park if we go out to dinner or run errands.
This is what happens if people live centrally; they build ties to the city and they support its businesses. Menlo Park desperately needs that. We need businesses that cater to the people who live here, and we need people to patronize those businesses. This
development proposal makes me feel actually hopeful that that will happen.
Please vote "yes" to new affordable homes downtown on January 14th.
Sincerely,
Emma
Emma
California
