Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
Thank you for adopting a resolution for the transfer and sale of the vacated alley this past Tuesday evening to facilitate the redevelopment of our Gateway property. This is an important element to our site plan and will facilitate requirements for emergency access, a vehicular gate, and safe pedestrian access. With your approval, we are now working to obtain the County Oversight Board's approval, which we expect will uphold the Council's unanimous support.
I am also extremely pleased to share that our Gateway project was awarded competitive tax credits and bond financing from the State last month, and will start construction in June 2021 with an estimated completion in March 2023. We are very excited at this opportunity to rebuild new, high quality affordable apartments while adding an additional 58 affordable apartments for families at this location, and thank the City for the visionary actions that made this possible.
As you may be aware, the 82 families currently living at Menlo Gateway Apartments will need to move during the construction period. Each household will receive relocation benefits and assistance as mandated by law. Most households have indicated their interest in moving to an apartment in the area during construction and then returning once the new building is complete. MidPen's team, including property management and resident services, and Autotemp (a third-party relocation specialist) will be working to verify the needs of each family over the next few months. The demolition of the existing building is projected for August 2021, and we expect the majority of the families to move over the summer and be settled in their apartment before the school year begins. Our goals are to minimize disruption for our residents and to make the moving process as smooth as possible. We will continue to provide property management and services to our families while they live off-site during construction as we did for the residents of Sequoia Belle Haven. We welcome any additional ideas you may have on how to support our residents during this period.
Finally, I wanted to provide an update on the lease-up preferences for the new units. Our team worked closely with City Staff, Rhonda Coffman and Cara Silver, who have provided input over the last few months on implementing the preferences advocated for by the community. I am pleased that we will be able to implement preferences that address historic and current displacement in the Belle Haven neighborhood. The preference order included below was previously approved by the Council:
1. Existing residents of Menlo Gateway
2. Those who have been displaced from Belle Haven
3. Those who live or work in Belle Haven
4. Those who have been displaced from Menlo Park
5. Those who live or work in Menlo Park
6. Those who are homeless in the Ravenswood School District
The preferences will be incorporated into the regulatory and leasing agreements. We also plan to reach out to community leaders and advocates to share our plan for implementing the lease-up and preferences and to make sure that all stakeholders and residents are aware of the preferences and have every opportunity to apply.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, please feel free to call me directly at (650) 465-9864. I hope to see you at a groundbreaking celebration in 2021!
Thank you so much for your continued support for this important project,
Jan Lindenthal
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Jan M. Lindenthal | Chief Real Estate Development Officer
MidPen Housing
303 Vintage Park Drive, Suite 250, Foster City, CA 94404
t. 650.356.2919 c. 650.465.9864
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NOTE: In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, MidPen offices are closed until March 31, 2021. During this time, all MidPen Development staff are working remotely from home. MidPen continues to provide essential services at all of our communities to support our residents. Please stay healthy and safe!
