Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
As you approach your final scheduled meeting (tonight) before the November
3 election, I am renewing two requests for Council action.
1. Housing Element Amendment. Will Council initiate an amendment to
replace the downtown parking plaza housing sites with realistic, buildable
alternatives? I first urged Council to pursue this approach in November
2025. I renewed that request in September 2026, following the City’s
Strategic Economics assessment, and provided a complete proposed Housing
Element amendment for your consideration. I have attached that proposed
amendment again here.
2. Replacement Parking Funding. Will Council act on Supervisor Ray
Mueller’s October 13 letter to Council requesting a resolution committing
the City to contribute the funding shortfall required to construct
replacement parking for the downtown lots, with the possible funding
sources identified?
Either action would give voters what they have been missing on Measure P: a
funded plan, or a replacement for one.
With ballots already in voters’ hands and Council approaching its final
scheduled meeting before November 3, I ask you to state publicly whether
you intend to pursue either of these actions, and on what timeline.
These questions remain consequential for Menlo Park regardless of the
election outcome. We need a realistic path to building the housing we’ve
promised, protecting downtown businesses, and meeting our obligations to
the state.
Sincerely,
Laura Melahn
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Attachment: Proposed Housing Element Amendment (
https://teammenlopark.com/amendment) Financial model:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18lgX_oYkQhO4Ka92D80t0IeCPSRfY06dtsfonfX9xtM/edit?gid=1299974299#gid=1299974299
