Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to express my support for the affordable housing that is planned for the downtown parking lots. Given the variety of RFQs that were received, I hope that the council will be able to identify a viable developer with whom to partner, so that the project can move forward.
Affordable housing projects like these are important, and could affect a number of our friends’ lives for the better. For example, without affordable housing, our daughter’s beloved teacher would not be able to live and work in Menlo Park—the very city she grew up in herself. And we know many friends and community members who work in Menlo Park, but live outside the city (as far as East Bay, and San Jose) because housing is simply unaffordable here.
This is an opportunity to transform crumbling, decrepit parking lots into something more—and to address the housing crisis that affects us all. While I hope you will take downtown business owners’ concerns into consideration, I also hope that the council will take action and move the project forward. Respectfully, I urge you to prioritize the approval and development of these homes—homes that will house folks and their families who help make Menlo Park the vibrant city that it is.
Sincerely,
Hannah Gilbert
Central Menlo
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Hannah Gilbert
