Please do not designate the downtown parking lots as "surplus land" as
they are not. They are heavily used. Please construct adequate
parking as part of, not separate from, satisfying the demands of state
programs for housing.
I am concerned that the city council is planning to declare downtown
parking lots close to the Chase Bank, Cheeky Monkey Toys, Susie Cakes,
Stacks, Cold Stone, ACE Hardware, and the Menlo Park Academy of Dance,
to name some of the businesses I patronize in downtown Menlo Park, as
"surplus use" so development of housing units can proceed at the
expense of parking for these businesses and without a plan in place to
provide alternatives.
I believe more housing is needed in Menlo Park, and I am not concerned
about high density housing changing the flavor of our downtown. I am
concerned about removing parking killing these businesses, pointing me
and my fellow citizens of Menlo Park towards substituting them with
businesses outside of Menlo Park (such as Cold Stone or ACE Hardware),
or the businesses dying with no near substitution (such as Menlo Park
Academy of Dance).
I am especially troubled that the council would consider these
well-used parking lots instead of much less densely used land, such as
the civic area with the library, police station, and city hall. The
needed replacement parking would be much less, and would be much more
certainly considered (apparently, if city council members are
concerned). And there are other city owned lots within Menlo Park
that could work. Excluding those lots or that less-used land does not
represent the needs and wants of the citizens of Menlo Park well.
I also question the belief that parking for lower income housing will
not increase the need for parking in that area. In every place I have
lived, adequate available parking is much more likely in affluent
areas. However, in every place I have lived, cars are packed tight in
lower-income areas. Comparing the streets of EPA and East Menlo Park
with the streets of Sharon Heights readily demonstrates this.
As I stated before, please do not designate the downtown parking lots
as "surplus land" as they are not. They are heavily used. Please
construct adequate parking as part of, not separate from, satisfying
the demands of state programs for housing.
Sincerely,
Randy Jennings
