Honorable City Council and Staff of Menlo Park,
Menlo Together envisions a city that is integrated and diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally sustainable. We imagine an accessible and inviting downtown with housing at all affordability levels, less solo driving, and more pedestrian and bike-friendly spaces that produce zero net greenhouse gasses.
We write in strong support of issuing an RFP to build affordable homes downtown that:
- encourages developers to use state density bonus law and the city’s affordable housing overlay,
- takes a realistic and collaborative approach to financing replacement public parking, and
- includes questions about property management that impact resident experience.
We endorse and support the August 24 policy letter submitted by our partners at HLC and wish to remind you of the May 27 letter regarding resident experience (submitted on June 3).
In our outreach to community members about this proposal, we have found that the vast majority decisively support the plan. Their life experience of struggling to afford Menlo Park, losing friends or co-workers to displacement, or being forced to live far from the community in which they work is all the explanation they need.
Please find attached two files. One is this cover letter from Menlo Together and the other is a sign-on letter from 827 community members.
Regards,
The team at Menlo Together
