1255 Sherman Avenue
Menlo Park CA 94025
June 9, 2025
Dear Menlo Park City Council:
We are writing in support of maintaining the partial closure of the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue.
We are aware of the loss of parking and the inconvenience to vehicular traffic of the current configuration.
But we suggest benefits of the closure outweigh the inconvenience:
· The bike lane provides unprecedented security for school-age riders.
· The picnic tables provide a much-needed gathering place, for youngsters and seniors alike.
· The outdoor dining tables at Left Bank and Vida Bistro are immensely popular.
· The area brings a sense of community and camaraderie to downtown Menlo Park.
· Bon Marché brought local products to downtown during the week. (We hope it will return!)
· And local merchants have invested their own resources to promote the area. We do not consider this a “sense of entitlement,” as expressed by a Los Altos resident.
We have invested most of our lives in Menlo Park.
We have resided at a Menlo Park address since 1962.
Our careers were at Menlo College and Stanford and affiliates, respectively.
Our children attended Los Lomitas, La Entrada, Menlo School, and Menlo-Atherton High.
Thank you for your attention to our concerns.
Royal E. “Gene” and F. Kathleen “Kathy” Bales
