Dear developers and City council,
Im one of a few residents thats excited about changing downtown Menlo
Park, but there are some concerns I have with the plan that I would like to
hear addressed.
First: introducing low income residents is needed for diversity, and I
support that initiative. If these new residents dont have access to long
term services that allow them to stay, I question the long term viability
for these apartments if there arent considerations on access to services
(unless the unspoken plan is to "provide" for low income and then they
move out because they cant afford to stay and they get resold at market
value).
Menlo Park is a very expensive place to live, these residents will likely
prefer to shop in Redwood City for lower prices. Parcel 1 would allow for
a short walk to access buses along El Camino (please consider the bus stop
locations and sizes for increased usage).
What is the plan for the increased loading on the local school districts?
What is the plan for funding these schools, as they current survive with a
parent donation of $1k per child, per year. I doubt these low income
residents have those funds, so this should be factored into cost of long
term maintenance by developers (which could show up at fees for
parking/services).
Traffic suggestion: Oak Grove and Menlo Ave are narrow streets and not wide
enough for street parking, two direction traffic, and bike lanes. Please
consider a large change for them become one way streets from El Camino to
University Ave. changing the lights to roundabouts would increase
continuous traffic flow, creating slow and steady movement for cross
traffic in these areas.
I appreciate your consideration in responding to my questions.
Stephen
650.799.8227
