Alliant Communities, Presidio Bay Ventures, and Related Companies / Alta
Housing,
Thank you for your willingness to present your proposals to the people of
Menlo Park.
I have the following questions regarding your plans:
-- BIG PICTURE --
• DOWNTOWN FUNCTIONALITY: The parking plazas are heavily used for parking
and circulation. What evidence suggests that removing them will not
undermine downtown functionality?
• HOUSING GOALS: The original premise for using the parking plazas was to
provide housing for extremely low-income residents (<50% AMI). How many
such units would your development provide? Will downtown workers be given
priority?
• PROJECT VIABILITY: Given the need to replace public parking and build
within constrained spaces, what assumptions are required for the project to
be financially feasible? What happens if the project stalls midstream?
-- FINANCIAL --
• PARKING REPLACEMENT COSTS: What is the expected cost to replace 556
public parking spaces? Who will pay that? Who would be responsible for cost
overruns?
• CITY TERMS: What are the expected terms with the City regarding rent and
revenue sharing? Will your project generate standard property tax revenue?
Will you pay the same development fees that are typically required for
market-rate projects?
• MARKET DEMAND: With recent reductions in Menlo Park’s employment market,
how have your housing demand projections changed, if at all?
• LABOR COSTS: One proposal indicated that providing replacement parking
may make union labor financially infeasible. How do labor costs affect your
project’s viability?
• INFRASTRUCTURE: What utility and transportation upgrades are required,
and how will those costs be allocated among the developer, future
residents, and the city?
-- PARKING --
• PUBLIC PARKING: Where will the replacement public parking be located? On
average, how much longer will it take downtown customers to reach their
destination? Will the replacement short-term public parking remain free?
• RESIDENT PARKING: How much parking will you include for residents of your
buildings? What share is allocated to affordable units? Are residents
without a space expected to not have a car?
• LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE: Who is responsible for the safety, maintenance,
and affordability of the public parking garages 10 and 20 years from now?
-- IMPACTS --
• TRAFFIC AND CIRCULATION: What do traffic studies show about peak-hour
impacts, and what mitigation measures are proposed?
• ENVIRONMENTAL RISK: What environmental investigations have been done, and
who is responsible for any needed remediation? Given the history of nearby
dry-cleaning uses, will a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment be done
before any agreement?
• SHADOWS: How tall will your buildings be, and for how much of the day
will they cast shadows on sidewalks, storefronts, and outdoor dining?
• CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: For how long will construction last? Where will
people park during that time?
• SERVICE AND EMERGENCY ACCESS: How will delivery, waste collection, and
emergency vehicles (including fire ladder trucks) operate within these
constrained site layouts?
I appreciate your consideration in responding to my questions.
