Dear Council,
I support adding affordable homes to the parking lots downtown. The cost of living here gets tougher by the year for much of our workforce, and I think workforce housing downtown (and the foot traffic it brings) is an important part of keeping the city vibrant and viable.
I live in District 3 and we walk to downtown often. When I do drive, I’ve never had a problem finding a spot quickly in one of our many lots, or even on the street. However, the lots are rundown and frustrating to navigate because of their poor condition.
Redeveloping some of the lots will add much-needed affordable housing for our workforce, and revitalized replacement parking would be a large improvement over what we have currently. When we drive to neighboring downtowns, we use their garages, and they work well. The same thing can work in Menlo Park.
I understand that the city risks penalties from delaying this decision further — including the risk of more builders remedy projects. I’d like to urge you to move quickly to avoid these risks and help people find homes.
Best,
Dale Taylor
