Dear City Council members and Staff,
Please find attached and below a letter of support for the Parkline proposal to redevelop the SRI campus, from Menlo Together. Huge thanks to all involved for working so hard to make our community one in which people of all ages, incomes and abilities can thrive.
Thank you, Karen Grove
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September 28, 2025
Dear Menlo Park City Council members and Staff,
Menlo Together envisions a city that is integrated and diverse, multigenerational and environmentally sustainable. We believe that our city can and must build more homes across all levels of affordability, especially near transit and downtown services, for a variety of household sizes and for people of all abilities. We encourage all electric buildings, and greater bike and pedestrian access.
To that end, we encourage you to approve the proposed Parkline redevelopment of the SRI Campus without delay.
We celebrate the plan to add homes for all incomes and abilities and family sizes in the high-resource center of Menlo Park, near parks, public transit, shops and services and award-winning public schools. The proposal includes 800 new homes, of which up to 154 will be affordable to all incomes and abilities through a land dedication to a nonprofit affordable housing developer. We recognize and appreciate the significant increase in number and diversity of homes that was achieved alongside other changes informed by inclusive public outreach.
Most recently, community and council concerns about jobs/housing imbalance have been addressed by reducing the square footage of non-residential space and establishing a path to develop additional residential units. Over and above reducing the commercial footprint and establishing a streamlined path to develop additional new homes, this update allows for the dedication of 2.6 acres to the city for a future public park.
We value the opening up of the campus for recreation, relaxation and pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. We appreciate the incorporation of sustainable building practices, along with the commitment to using union labor for nonresidential construction and encouraging union and best-in-class labor practices for residential construction.
The community engagement for this proposal has been extensive and exemplary. Lane Partners and SRI have been attentive, responsive, resourceful and creative. At every step of the way, community input - even when faced with competing demands - has been incorporated into the proposal. At every step, this proposal has improved.
Thank you - community members, city council members, staff, planning commissioners, Lane Partners and SRI - for working so hard on this proposal to make our community one in which people of all ages, incomes and abilities can thrive.
Regards,
Menlo Together
