Dear City Council,
I am writing to add my voice in support of a bold and inclusive housing element.
Menlo Park is a wonderful place to live and more people should be allowed to share in the benefits of living here.
If we want Menlo Park to continue to be a place where we can shop and dine locally, we need to make it possible for the people who work in these businesses to live nearby. Our community will suffer without the existence of a service-sector workforce. It is not sustainable to continue to expect people to commute hours to serve us.
Moreover, the climate emergency requires that we provide living opportunities near workplaces. We should work to eliminate long commutes by solo drivers.
I believe that we have a major inequality problem in our area in which wealthy elites get to live in the nicest neighborhoods and near the best amenities while lower income and even middle income people are forced to live in less safe places, farther from jobs and without good schools and beautiful parks. Justice requires that we attempt to redress historical inequities that have helped create the situation that we are in now.
More housing will mean more people. That is a fact. It will likely mean more traffic as well but we can ameliorate that effect by placing homes near transit and improving public transportation infrastructure overall. More people will mean more users of our public spaces and services but it also means more taxes to pay for these things.
More people will create a more vibrant and diverse community. Some people would prefer that Menlo Park stay exactly as it is now but, not only is that unsustainable, it is unfair. Change is inevitable and we should embrace the chance to shape the future of Menlo Park. We should be willing to share some of what we have with others even if it means a little less for ourselves.
I hope that new housing will include truly affordable options for the very low income, the disabled and seniors living on fixed incomes, in addition to "below market rate" units which, in general, are still quite expensive.
Thank you.
Leah Elkins
Sent from my iPhone
