Dear Menlo Park City Council,
Thank you for reading this message. Let me start by stating that Im in favor of affordable housing, and having lived in the area for 30 years, Ive experienced the rising cost of living, and am aware that if we dont make effective changes, our community will suffer greatly when housing is unattainable for many members of our community.
My family and I live in Suburban Park, and Id like to appeal to the Council to consider a second public entrance to the housing development being designed in the vacant lot behind Flood Park. I have several reasons why I think this is a logical decision that the City Council should consider.
1.
Community Collaboration: affordable housing is an effort we should all support as a community. Every one of us depends upon people who work at all levels of income to support our quality of life. When we build affordable housing, no one neighborhood should face increased traffic when there is a perfectly logical solution. The current Flood School housing development is being designed with just one public entrance on the north end, with traffic all flowing through the Suburban Park neighborhood. The responsibility for increased traffic flow should be shared by the neighborhoods on both sides of Flood Park. We are all in this effort together, and we will all benefit if we work together.
2.
Convenience: the residents of this new development (as well as all visitors and delivery people) will naturally be commuting in and out from all directions. It will be very inconvenient for anybody driving from the south, east, or west to have to drive north beyond Flood Park, turn into Suburban Park and then double back south to arrive home. Thats a very illogical route to take when a second entrance on the south end is completely feasible, which would share the traffic flow and make travel time more pleasant and convenient for the new residents.
3.
Infrastructure: its been stated that the south entrance will have a remote gate for emergency vehicles. If thats the case, then it means that there will be a road built that connects the very short space (fewer than 20 yards) between the end of the existing road and the new homes parking lot. If this short extension is going to be built for emergency vehicles and a gate installed, then it really makes no sense to close it off to regular traffic, unless there is some other reason that hasnt been shared. If the entrance and short road for emergency vehicles is NOT going to be built, then the new home development is not being designed for safety for the future residents.
I ask each one of you to look at these three points and decide whether its not clearly illogical to green light this project with just one public entrance. The second entrance is completely feasible, seemingly will be built for emergency vehicles, and would allow both the north and south neighborhoods to share the traffic flow. If anything Ive written is incorrect, I would welcome feedback. I do not believe that it is though, and I hope you will read this and consider this objective viewpoint for yourselves and make the best decision for all of our residents.
Respectfully yours,
-Andrew Cope
339 Hedge Road
