Dear Menlo Park city councilmembers,
Im 30 years old and have spent almost my entire life living in and around Menlo Park. This is an extremely expensive place to live, and I have and am considering moving away in large part due to the cost of living. This is a real problem, and it starts with the cost of housing. I am certain that you will find the same, if you ask people who do not currently own their homes or who have only purchased their home recently.
Building more is the first and most important step to fixing this problem. If we do not, then the cost of living will continue to increase and large numbers of non-Big Tech people will continue to be pushed out of the area and of California.
We all benefit when local employees, young families, & teachers can afford to live here. Affordable homes help our community stay housed, reducing local homelessness and allowing more of our children, working families, and seniors to stay here. Local businesses thrive when they have customers and employees living nearby. Older residents living in large homes can downsize, opening new housing options for larger families and allowing the elderly to live in a walkable, disability-accessible location.
Menlo Park can be part of a bigger solution to ensure everyone has a safe, stable place to call home by promoting housing on our downtown parking lots.
Sincerely,
Christopher May
