To my elected officials and public servants involved in the development proposal for 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park,
The proposed development at 80 Willow Road is very concerning, and I realize you all are under a lot of pressure from the developer "N17" to give it the go ahead... Right Now! Please step back for a moment and acknowledge that we dont have to try to solve the entire citys housing requirements with ONE development, in ONE year! A project with this scope, this degree of misalignment with its surrounding environs, and this amount of detrimental effect upon residents, commuters, and quality of life, should be vetted very carefully.
A full Environmental Impact report needs to be done. Building a set of three buildings of this height on the banks of a narrow creek with almost vertical sides is a very tenuous concept. And, where will parking garages or spaces be built for all the tenants? Underground by this creek? That does not sound very seismically safe or realistic to me! And all the traffic that will be added to the already backed up traffic at commute hours, which will definitely be a hazard for first responders and other safety considerations ... has this been fully studied?
Speaking of your being our elected representatives in government, if there is a time limitation, it would be the November 6 election. I would like to see what you all really think about this project, and how you are facing the challenge. Putting time pressure on you to OK the project completely by the end of October, aside from being an unrealistic time frame for all the work that needs to be done vetting this project, is an established tactic to force sloppy work and sloppy decision-making, and I trust that is NOT what you want your legacy or track record to be! This tactic is also a bullying tactic from an individual and organization that have no personal familiarity with and investment in the locale, and I would hope that your responses will not be fear-based. We have enough of that already in the current political climate, and do not need more elected officials making decisions based on fear and misinformation.
With hope and appreciation of your best efforts to create a development that contributes to housing in Menlo Park, as required by the state mandate, AND fits into the area more appropriately; a solution that is a win-win for all involved!
Thank you,
Anita Lusebrink
426-428 Ruthven Avenue
North Palo Alto
