Betsy Nash and Council Members,
"Meta halts massive mixed-use development in Menlo Park".
(Almanac News 5/1/2026)
This is a "Big Red Flag". It is telling you to abandon the parking lot idea and look elsewhere for "State Mandated Low Cost Apartments". (ASAP)
Free Enterprise MARKET demands will dictate when, where and how much housing is needed in Menlo Park, NOT SACRAMENTO politicians!
That is why META stopped!
Quotes from Almanac News:
“The Willow Village development is being placed on hold due to shifting real estate market conditions and evolution in space requirements,”
“After careful evaluation, it was determined that the environment does not support advancing a project of this type and scale at this time.”
Therefore:
In addition to the shifting real estate market conditions (that stopped META developers):
Your downtown parking lot deal is probably going to be cancelled too!
BECAUSE:
1) The ballot measure will probably succeed
2) The Lawsuit will probably succeed
3) The economic conditions will probably make the downtown parking lot apartments unworkable
4) Fire safety and infrastructure issues are probable obstacles.
Therefore:
PLEASE Abandon the idea of using our parking lots for "State Mandated Low Cost Apartments ".
Start looking elsewhere, NOW!
Thank you,
Michael C. DeMoss
Commercial Real Estate Attorney
Former Menlo Park Finance & Audit Commission Member
Almanac News: May 1, 2026
Sent from my iPhone
