Dear members of the Menlo Park City Council,
I support the recommendation in The Almanac blog, by Dana Hendrickson, to re-open the eastbound lane between Crane and Chestnut. My shop is on that block, so I have a front row view.
A) The closure is unnecessary:
- There is only one sit-down restaurant, Galata Bistro, and it has a parklet which provides enough outdoor seating. The extra street seating is serving little purpose.
- People are not using that closed block to gather. If people do want to gather, Fremont Park is a block away.
B) The closure is harmful:
- Kids ride bikes against oncoming traffic in order to bypass the barriers.
- Cars are diverted at the street entrance, and then drive through parking lots to get where they're going.
- The barriers and tents are ugly and reflect badly on Menlo Park.
- Businesses on that block, and the subsequent blocks, lose the exposure and access that is expected from a storefront on a main street.
C) There is a better way:
Look across the street at the vibrancy and success of Roma and Mademoiselle Collette, who have installed attractive, permanent parklets. They are doing much better on the open side of the street than Bistro Galata is doing on the closed side. Let's help all the restaurants create permanent parklets, but open the road so people can easily get to what Menlo Park has to offer.
Thank you,
Teresa Beltramo
Teresa's Antiques
842 Santa Cruz Ave.
