Dear Mr. Passmann, I live across the creek from BootUp Ventures and have suffered needlessly for over three years from noise and chaos made from loud parties and events thrown by BootUp. The office complex is not zoned for events as the buildings are surrounded by single family residences in Menlo Park and Palo Alto. The area along the San Francisquito Creek is a designated park, and has always been very peaceful until BootUp arrived. The events are raucous fraternity-like parties (think Animal House!) with over 100 people along with amplified sound, music, outdoor flame patio heaters, multi-colored lights, disco balls, etc. They serve food and alcohol until late in the evening. I've personally witnessed their games with Vodka shots and yelling. The attendees also hang out on the benches along the creek speaking drunkenly while smoking cigarettes and marijuana. I've even heard someone vomiting along the bank of the creek from being over served alcohol. Cars can be heard coming and going along with hundreds of car doors opening and closing including honking throughout the evening. The parking spills over into neighboring areas. Catering trucks and rental equipment companies then come to break down tables and chairs and clean up the mess. This routinely lasts past midnight. Every home within earshot of BootUp can hear the events as if they were in the own backyard due to the echo that the creek produces. During the summer when we like to sleep with our windows open, it is impossible to sleep due to the noise. Despite hundreds of calls to the police over the years, Menlo Park has not enforced their own zoning rules. On one occasion in the late evening, I even called one of the owners of BootUp, Marco ten Vaanholt, to tell him of the ongoing disturbance and asked him to do something about it. He cussed me out for waking him up and then hung up the phone. The neighbors have suffered so much over the years and the BootUp owners don't care because they don't have to put up with it. BootUp has ignored the cease and desist letter that was sent by the City of Menlo Park in October 2018. The fact that they are now asking for a use permit is ironic and way too late to be taken seriously. The permit should be denied as they have already shown that they are poor neighbors and can't be trusted. The onsite startup companies should be allowed to conduct their business at BootUp during the daytime, but the millennials working at their offices need to find another, more appropriate, venue to let off their steam after work. If a permanent use permit is awarded, it will devalue the property values of nearby homes. No one wants to live next to such a club-like environment. In December 2017, I came to the Menlo Park City Council and presented my case with my attorney, Robin Kennedy. The City of Menlo Park did not do anything to rectify the issue at the time. I will have no option but to pursue litigation against the City of Menlo Park for the devaluation of my home if this permit is awarded. I beg you for all involved parties to please deny this permit. Thank you for your consideration. Michael Harbour, MD, MPH Palo Alto Avenue Received on Sun May 19 2019 - 20:56:16 PDT
