Thank you, to everyone involved.
It is great to see Menlo Park resisting the States transgressions.
Paul
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: City of Menlo Park
Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Subject: City Response to Attorney Generals Notice regarding 80 Willow Road
To:
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City Response to Attorney Generals Notice regarding 80 Willow Road
On Oct. 1, 2026, the City of Menlo Park responded to the California
Attorney General’s written notice
that asserted it had violated state housing laws in its processing of the 80
Willow Road project
.
In its response letter
,
the City refutes the Attorney General’s assertions that the City violated
State housing laws. The City explained that the Project remains ineligible
for processing under the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022
(AB 2011). The City also reaffirmed its position that the Project is not
entitled to approval under the Builder’s Remedy and explained that the
Attorney General’s conclusions are based on an incomplete and incorrect
assessment of the Project’s application history and applicable law.
Finally, the City explained that its recovery of costs incurred in
reviewing the Project from the applicant is lawful and does not constitute
a violation of State housing law.
The following is excerpted from the City’s response letter:
The City was extremely surprised that the Notice was issued without your
office having discussed the Project and the Application history in any
detail with representatives of the City. Just the day before the Notice was
issued, representatives of your office met with City staff and attorneys
from the City Attorney’s office for the first time for just one hour, asked
no questions about the attributes of the Project itself, and did not ask to
review any documents. The next day, the Notice, which unlocks potentially
catastrophic financial penalties against the City, was issued. Had the City
been afforded the opportunity to provide critical factual information to
you, which directly and materially impacts the analyses contained in the
Notice, we have no doubt that your office would have reached different
conclusions about this Project’s eligibility for AB 2011 and the City’s
compliance with state law.
Additionally, and crucially, the City takes very seriously the concerns
raised by Congressmember Sam T. Liccardo is his September 23, 2026, letter
to U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent regarding the Project. That letter is
provided as *Attachment A*. Representative Liccardo has requested that the
United States Government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control immediately
review the source of funding for this Project, given that the property
owner, a Russian citizen, has documented ties to the Russian government and
to individuals linked to organized crime. . .
The property’s ownership raises alarms on the City’s part. Further, this
information has been in the public record for some time, ever since the
2019 purchase of the property by the current owner. The City would like to
know whether your office was aware of, and had investigated, these concerns
prior to issuing the Notice.
The Notice couches its conclusions as support for a Project that meets
California’s housing needs. But with the exception of the 100 required
units of affordable housing, it is primarily a commercial project with
luxury housing. As described in the attached feasibility study, buildings
as high as proposed have the highest construction costs. To even approach
feasibility, the projected rents and condominium prices for the market-rate
housing units must exceed any recent Menlo Park sales or comparables, with
rents averaging $9,592 per month for two-bedroom apartments and condominium
prices averaging $2,422,000.
To read the full response to the Attorney General and for additional
details about the project, please visit menlopark.gov/80willow
.
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Sent by the City of Menlo Park
701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-330-6600 <(650)%20330-6600> phone | 650-679-7022 <(650)%20679-7022> text
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paul charrette : paulcharrette@gmail.com : 650.922.2703