Menlo Park City Officials:
Thank you for all that you do for our community. I know its a lot of work, and very hard to get it all right.
As a 29-year resident, Im very interested in the success of our programs and decisions, and the housing one is an important one to get right. It has obviously also been extremely divisive, as many are concerned with maintaining our parking and others are ok to give it up. Why do we have to choose?
Have we considered doing what San Carlos did on the parking lots behind Laurel Street...ie the first 2 or so floors are parking and the upper floors are housing? This seems so obvious to me. What am I missing?
Building housing AND maintaining parking IS an option, and it seems ridiculous that we would build housing at the expense of parking, especially when additional housing will add pressure for even more parking.
I really urge Menlo Park to be thoughtful in this one. I feel as if there have been many times where the community has not been satisfied with the decisions of city management ( like the islands on Santa Cruz, which people are still talking about).
I think we all agree that we can make our downtown better and I really hope we can do right by our current and future residents, by having the best of both worlds.
Thank you,
Linda
Sharon Heights
Linda Itskovitz
litskovitz@gmail.com
On Sat, May 24, 2025, 11:18 AM Betsy Nash > wrote:
Upcoming agenda items and other announcements (week of 5/25/25)
Hi Neighbors,
On Tuesday 5/27 the City Council will hold a study session on the terms of the Parkline (SRI) draft development agreement (see below).
On Tuesday 6/3 the City Council will review responses to the downtown housing RFQ and discuss the eastbound 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue. Staff reports are scheduled to be released on 5/29.
________________________________
City Meetings
Tuesday 5/27 (5:30pm) – City Council, including:
* Closed Session
* C1. Conference with real property negotiators pursuant to Government Code §54956.8 Property location: 1215 Chrysler Dr., Menlo Park
* Parkline (SRI) – study session
* K1. Review and provide guidance on the draft development agreement terms for the Parkline masterplan development project located at 201, 301 and 333 Ravenswood Ave. and 555 and 565 Middlefield Rd. (Staff Report #25-081-CC)
* Home Preservation Program – regular business
* L1. Review and consider modifications to the Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco Home Preservation Program and authorize the city manager to execute a first amendment to the community funding agreement (Staff Report #25-080-CC)
* Community Funding Program – regular business
* L2. Consider and adopt a resolution amending City Council Policy CC-01-1996 Community Funding Program and make appointments to a City Council subcommittee (Staff Report #25-083-CC)
* Labor agreement – regular business
* L3. Consider and adopt a resolution to approve the successor agreement between the City of Menlo Park and the Menlo Park Police Sergeants’ Association expiring Oct. 31, 2027 (Staff Report #25-075-CC)
* Zero emission landscaping equipment – informational item
* M2. Update on implementation of the zero emission landscaping equipment ordinance (Staff Report #25-078-CC)
* Communitywide electrification – informational item
* M3. Communitywide electrification program: Home Upgrade Services progress report (Staff Report #25-079-CC)
Wednesday 5/28 (6:30pm) – Joint Library and Parks & Rec Commission, including:
* C1. Overview of City of Menlo Park fiscal year 2025-26 proposed budget – Library and Community Services department (Staff Report PRC-2025-011 / LC-2025-020)
* C2. Preview the results of the library, recreation, and parks community survey 2025 (Staff Report PRC-2025-012 / LC-2025-021)
* D1. Library and Community Services department statistics and recent activities (Staff Report PRC-2025-013 / LC-2025-022)
Thursday 5/29 (5:30pm) – Public Budget Workshop
Tuesday 6/3 (5:30pm) - City Council
Wednesday 6/4 (6:30pm) - Housing Commission
Monday 6/9 (7pm) - Planning Commission
Tuesday 6/10 (6pm) - City Council
Wednesday 6/11 (6:30pm) - Complete Streets Commission
Monday 6/16 (6:30pm) - Library Commission
Wednesday 6/18 (6pm) - Environmental Quality Commission
Monday 6/23 (7pm) - Planning Commission
Tuesday 6/24 (6pm) - City Council
Wednesday 6/25 (6:30pm) - Parks and Recreation Commission
________________________________
Other City Items
* News and Information
* Join the May 27 City Council Meeting to Discuss Parkline Development
* Participate in the City’s Budget Workshop May 29
* Apply for E-Bike Vouchers for Income-Qualified Californians – May 29
* Nealon Park parking lot pilot feedback by June 4
* Share Your Input at the SFCJPA Reach 2 Meeting June 5
* Save the date 6/14 for the City’s Juneteenth celebration (observed)
* Solid waste and water discount program extended through June 30
* Summer jobs! Now hiring part-time Recreation Specialists
* Weekly Digest for May 19, 2025
* Continued from last week:
* Downtown Development Update 5/15/25 - Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition Filed with City Clerk
* Update 5/12/25 on Willow Park (80 Willow Road) Development Application
* Help guide housing policies and programs. Take our Anti-Displacement Survey by 5/26
* Sign up for the summer reading game and earn prizes for reading - 6/1 to 8/31
* Lets do lunch at Menlo Park Senior Center
* Spring is here – Go outside!
* Safe Routes to School Update - May 2025
* Public notices (archive of public notices for applications received)
* Calendar
* 5/26 deadline: Take the Citys Anti-Displacement Survey
* 5/26: City Holiday – Administrative Offices Closed for Memorial Day
* 5/27: Alzheimer’s: Building Foundations of Caregiving
* 5/31 deadline: Menlo Park Bike Rack Survey (En Espanol)
* 6/1: Silly Sunday Singalong
* 6/2: Butterflies: Saving the Western Monarchs
* 6/4: Garden Talk: Herbs in Your Garden (in-person and online)
* 6/4 deadline: Nealon Park Parking and Blake Street Closure Pilots survey
* 6/6: Stuffed Animal Sleepover Storytime (Burgess)
* 6/6: Stuffed Animal Sleepover Storytime (Belle Haven)
* 6/7: Music with Los Panaderos
* 6/9: Summer Puppetry Festival: Author Appearance
* 6/11: Transgender Youth: Supporting Friends, Neighbors, and Family
* 6/12: Children’s Music Concert with Rosemarie Austin
* 6/13 deadline: Apply to serve on the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
* 6/14: Summer Flavorings and Herbs in Your Garden
* 6/14: Juneteenth Celebration (observed)
* 6/15: The Science Wizard
* 6/20: Sensory-Friendly Film Screening: Frozen
* 6/29: Summer Puppetry Festival: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
* Ongoing
* Athletic Field Closures
* City Council and Commission agendas and minutes
* City Council email log (CCIN)
* Citywide Calendar
* Citywide feedback, comments, complaints, and suggestions, including ACT Menlo Park to report non-emergency issues
* Community resources
* Development Projects, including
* the Projects Under Review webpage,
* the Builder’s Remedy webpage with the 80 Willow Road project webpage,
* the Development on Downtown Parking Lots webpage
* the Parkline (SRI campus) webpage
* Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
* Environmental Justice (EJ) Element webpage
* Job Openings
* Menlo Park Public Engagement Portal - subscribe to City topics of interest
* Social media and mobile apps, including Official Instagram page
* Street Sweeping Schedule - Interactive Map
* Sustainability
* Weekly Construction News Update
________________________________
Miscellaneous
* San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA) Board meeting, including Study Session – Presentation of and discussion regarding Conceptual Reach 2 Project Alternatives
* May 28 – East Palo Alto
* Applications are now open for the Summer 2025 cohort of Acterra’s Student Ambassador Program (ASAP)
* May 28 deadline
* Family-friendly Introduction to E-Bikes class (Commute.org TA C/CAG)
* June 1 – Atherton
* San Francisquito Creek Reach 2 Flood Risk Reduction Project Community Meetings
* June 5 – Menlo Park and online
* Bair Island Volunteer Workday
* June 7 – Redwood City
* More Trees, Please! Schools: The Lungs of Our Communities
* June 12 – online
* Applications for the Alternate Public Member of the San Mateo Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) are now being accepted
* June 30 deadline
* Ongoing: Menlo Park Fire District – Calendar of Upcoming Community Training Events
* Movies on the Square 2025: Every Thursday evening for 12 weeks starting June 6, Courthouse Square becomes an open-air theater with free double features for all ages. (Redwood City)
* Why you should clean your outdoor heat pump unit—and how to do it
Take care,
Betsy
Betsy Nash
Vice Mayor
City Hall - 2nd Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-380-3986
menlopark.gov
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