Incorrect email! Apologies!
PS. Im sure youve all seen the article!
----- Forwarded Message -----From: Dnahom To: City Council Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 11:01:45 PM PDTSubject: 80 Willow Road
Dear Mayor Nash and MP City Council members,
Youll get many emails with the bullet points below, starting with What Im asking the Council to do now.
I know firsthand what its been like as a resident living on Willow Road for the last 34 years. Weve dodged cars speeding 10 mph over the limit while crossing the street, cars harassing us by tailgating for going the speed limit, and cars passing on both sides of the road, which includes the bike lane.
We are not opposed to low-income housing and the need for more housing; Every human being deserves a roof over their head and basic dignity.
What N17 Developers is proposing is not feasible. And its not only the traffic, but the plan itself. The gross monstrosity of these buildings is absolutely horrendous. A hotel? A city within a city? Has anyone from the City Council even seen what Willow Road looks like at 2pm where its already in rush hour mode? Weve only seen the traffic become worse, and it will become unbearable.
There is a big picture to view here. The city has an obligation via RHNA, but unnecessary high-rises in earthquake cities do not solve the problem. N17 Development is here to make money.
- Between 80 Willow Road and SRI development, we may potentially have over 1k more drivers. This idea is so overwhelming; its hard to wrap my head around the imagery.
- Middlefield and Willow Road is already congested with traffic; having commercial offices and two too many high-rise buildings only exacerbates the problem.
- Where are we with the Historic Society making 80 Willow Road a historic site?
- Who will financially assist our public schools to hire more teachers and fund classrooms for the influx of students?
- Why is the area east of El Camino targeted to expand housing?
- Has the city explored other areas of Menlo Park?
If transportation is the issue, the county will need to set up new routes for buses.
If we build it, they will come.What if the need is not as great as one thought? What if a significant percentage remains unoccupied?You cant tear down what has already been built.
On a different note:We are still waiting for two crosswalks at Blackburn and Nash, where there are bus stops for commuters and students.
Respectfully,Alice Hom247 Willow Road
What Im asking the Council to do now
- Do not approve this project without a completed Environmental Impact Report. Residents deserve a full, independent accounting of the risks to the creek, public safety, and surrounding neighborhoods before any final vote — not after.
- Formally rebut the Attorney Generals letter where the Citys legal position is sound. Dont concede points by default. If the Citys original analysis holds up, defend it.
- Reject the developers October 27 deadline as a basis for rushing this decision. A deadline set unilaterally by the developer should not dictate the Councils timeline or process.
- Hold a public hearing before any final decision is made. Two closed sessions with no public statement are not an acceptable level of transparency on a decision this consequential.
- Commit publicly, before November 3, to how the Council will proceed. Residents are voting on three Council seats one week after this deadline — they deserve to know where their representatives stand before they vote, not after.
- Stand firm against pressure from both the State and the developer. Neither a warning letter from Sacramento nor a lawsuit threat from N17 is a legal requirement to approve this project. The Council should make its decision on the merits, not under duress.
Why I’m opposed to this project
- I oppose N17s proposal for a multi-tower mini-city planned for 80 Willow Road. With three towers measuring a staggering 39, 33, and 18 stories tall, the proposed development is wildly out of scale for Menlo Park, and is grossly misaligned with our state-approved housing plan that City leaders worked diligently to pass. It is totally inappropriate for our communities and would have significant, detrimental impacts on Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Atherton, and East Palo Alto.
- A comprehensive Environmental Impact Review by independent technical experts must be conducted to thoroughly evaluate the potential adverse impacts on public health and safety as well as environmental risks to the San Francisquito Creek and surrounding communities.
- New housing should be equitably distributed throughout the city, as required by Menlo Parks approved housing plan. A disproportionate amount of new construction in Menlo Park is currently planned for District 3. The SRI/Parkline development is expected to bring 1,082 residential units along with extensive commercial space, located just ½ mile from 80 Willow Rd. Additionally, the USGS development will bring 670 residential units plus extensive commercial space. Lastly, 68 Willow Road will bring 90 units. The combination of these developments would bring unmanageable density to a small area of our community.
- The 80 Willow Rd development would add 665 new residential units to our housing supply. However, by simultaneously creating 3,100 jobs — more than 3x the number of employed residents these homes could house — it would further strain the jobs/housing imbalance and worsen our existing housing deficit, defying the spirit of the Builders Remedy law.
- The former Sunset site has poor access to public transportation. The developers plan includes only 1,443 (17%) of the 8,357 parking spaces required per code, pushing up to 7,000 parked cars into nearby neighborhoods.
- The proposed project will worsen already untenable traffic and safety issues for Menlo Park and surrounding towns. The addition of an estimated 7,000 new car trips each day will delay and strain ambulance and rescue efforts. The entire area — from Marsh Road to Embarcadero Road, from El Camino Real to the Bay — will be impacted.
