Dear Council,
The city council, planning commission and citizens have put 3+ years of energy and decision-making into the HCD-approved Housing Element that includes the current Downtown Plan, to develop 3 parking lots as low-income and possibly market rate housing in addition to requisite new parking and replacement parking. There no reason to delay that development. Downtown merchants and some residents have wisely raised the questions why the downtown parking was chosen as Opportunity Sites over Burgess / Civic Center parking, but that question has already been asked and answered by staff:
* Substantial resident concern about using park land for housing - a petition garnering thousands of votes and a stream of city actions to preserve Sharon and Burgess Park areas
* The Burgess civic center being an undivided, single parcel, with possible deed complications - rendering it impossible to develop per the way suggested by downtown merchants and others.
* Any change will require HCD re-certification, a painful off-cycle process.
All three of these issues will take substantial time and cost, plus community input to resolve. If the downtown merchants and others want to see a subdivided Burgess / civic center developed as replacement or supplement for downtown, they need to apply their energy and financial muscle into helping the city prepare for this future development. In the meantime, the city must continue expeditiously with the downtown plan in order to steer clear of possible Builders Remedy implications (SB423).
Kevin and Kathryn Kranen
35 Elmwood Place, Menlo Park
