Published in the Palo Alto Daily Post June 9, 2025
Pitting housing vs. parking (Post article June 4, 2025) misses the mark.
Menlo Park can have both housing and downtown parking but not in the same
location. The issue is polarizing. The arguments on both sides are
compelling. The City needs a vibrant downtown and the City needs to meet
the State’s housing requirements .
There is a solution to this dilemma. Stanford Research Institute (SRI) is
just a stone’s throw from downtown Menlo Park. SRI, a 64 acre site that is
currently undergoing the City’s development permitting process for 5 office
buildings and 800 housing units. The housing advocates and the City Council
need to pivot and do it fast.
Instead of approving SRI’s proposed 5 office buildings when the office
vacancy rates on the Peninsula is at 21%, Menlo Park should demand more
housing. Office projects add to our housing deficit and they increase the
State’s requirement of housing units. It’s called the Jobs/Housing
treadmill.
Petitions and lawsuits could be set aside if the SRI site was a housing
project within walking distance from downtown, Burgess Park and the
Caltrain station. Why threaten the viability of downtown retail for 345
housing units that could be moved to an alternate site nearby. The Council
and SRI need to settle on what’s best for Menlo Park. Let’s keep it simple.
Steve Schmidt
Former Mayor of Menlo Park
