Hello,
Below is the email that I sent to the individual City Council members on Tuesday September 8th.
Im now sending city.council@menlopark.gov to ensure proper capture of my email.
Thanks,William Evans275 Santa Margarita AveMenlo Park, CA 94025
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Bill Evans To: jdschmidt@menlopark.gov ; bnash@menlopark.gov ; jnwise@menlopark.gov ; dcombs@menlopark.gov ; cttaylor@menlopark.gov Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 02:41:00 PM PDTSubject: 80 Willow Road Project -> concerns from a Menlo Park District 3 resident
Hello,
My name is William Evans and my wife and I reside at 275 SantaMargarita Ave in Menlo Park and have lived in Menlo Park and raised our familyhere since 1992.
I am writing regarding the proposed development at 80 WillowRoad.
I implore the Menlo Park City Council to not rush into theproject approval. I would like to see the City Council continue its careful, diligentlegal review of the entire project. I realize the California Attorney Generalhas provided a written opinion on the project; however, that guidance shouldnot force a premature decision for the Menlo Park community.
I have multiple concerns about this project.
First, I believe that a comprehensive Environmental ImpactReview by independent technical experts must be completed in advance of any approval.I frequently walk and bike across the Willow Place bridge across San FrancisquitoCreek between Menlo Park and Palo Alto. The Creek is a treasure to our communityand host to much wildlife and greenery. The placement of such a vast project directlyadjacent and along the Creek must be stringently evaluated. I cannot imaginehow the Creek ecosystem would not be harmed by the construction and placementof the large numbers of buildings and associated workers and equipment. From myperspective, the Creek water flow, Creekside plants, and animals that comprisethe ecosystem would be irreparably harmed by this project. The completion of anEIR should be an immutable goal during the evaluation of this project.
Second, the scale of this project will bring significanttraffic flows to the Willow Road / Middlefield corridor. The Willow Roadcorridor is already very congested during commute hours as the road is a 1-lanefeeder toward the Dumbarton Bridge. Living in this area, I see traffic backed-uponto Middlefield on a regular, daily basis. Adding 665 housing units, a hotel,and capacity for over 3000 new jobs will strain the traffic capacity in ways thatwill lead to gridlock, air pollution, and impact to the surrounding streets andresidents in the community. Further, the project contains insufficient parking,specifically 1,443 (17%) of the 8,357 spaces required by code. This will push parkingonto the neighborhood streets. Lastly, emergency vehicles already face challengesnavigating Willow traffic during congested hours. Overall, the traffic componentof this project requires a diligent analysis and plan to solve.
Third, and finally, new housing should be distributed evenlythroughout the city. Currently, District 3 contains a disproportionate load ofthis new housing, when the SRI/Parkline and USGS developments are underway and completed.Menlo Park should find ways to balance the housing requirements across MenloPark as per the Menlo Park approved housing plan.
Again, I implore the City Council to fully analyze this projectand all its impacts before approval.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my comments on this project.
Also, I am sending this letter to all the members of the MenloPark City Council.
Thanks again,William Evans275 Santa Margarita AveMenlo Park, CA 94025
