Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
I am concerned about the February Housing Element Update’s proposal to put nearly all the increased housing density in and around our business district. Doing this will swamp Santa Cruz Avenue with people using it as their backyard. That’s fine for the coffee and sandwich shops, but the majority of our businesses depend on people who came to shop, not people lounging about.
Our business district provides services for all of Menlo Park as well as surrounding communities. We have a wide selection of businesses on Santa Cruz Ave. precisely because the downtown can draw people from far away. But if our business district becomes congested with residents, it will become too difficult to access, and people will no longer use our downtown as a shopping destination. We will lose our unique businesses, and our historic downtown will become a glorified food court.
So I hope that the City decides to distribute the increased density more evenly. But regardless, if we are going to increase the density of the residential neighborhoods surrounding the downtown, then please let those areas be mixed-use with cafes, salons, cleaners, mini-plazas, etc. to provide for the day-to-day needs of the residents. This will take some of the load off of Santa Cruz Ave. so that it can remain a viable home for unique, destination businesses capable of attracting people from miles away.
And please do not convert the parking lots of our business district into housing. A parking structure with garden roof deck and coffee bar – yes, please! Apartments along Santa Cruz Avenue – no, thank you.
Sincerely,
Alex Beltramo
