Dear Menlo Park City Council,
Please strongly consider granting permission to the development group that wishes to rebuild the Guild theater as a social and
music venue. Menlo Park desperately needs a social venue downtown to attract more people to local restaurants, and other
businesses.
Downtown Redwood City has the city Square as well as the Fox and Little Fox. These venues attract numerous musical, comedy and
other acts. When there are events happening at the venues, the downtown area is bustling with people looking to eat, socialize,
and be entertained. Although the Guild site is not very large, that's OK. The limited size of the venue will limit the crowd in
Menlo Park, and help avoid parking issues. And having the train station just across the street would be a very convenient aspect.
Downtown Palo Alto doesn't have any venues like this any longer, and adding one to the El Camino corridor would help make downtown
Menlo Park a destination like Palo Alto and Redwood City. I believe this would bring a buzz of activity, revenue for local
businesses, as well as a multi-use venue that can be utilized in many different ways. Entertainment, education, social functions,
etc;
As a resident of Menlo Park I often wish there were a local venue to see live music, comedy, and a venue for companies to rent for
meetings, parties, talks and other events. If I could go to downtown Menlo Park and have dinner, then walk to a local show, that
would be phenomenal! There are very few places between San Jose and San Francisco to see live music in a smaller setting. I
believe turning the Guild into one such venue would benefit the local businesses, as well as the community culture.
Please consider this to improve our local downtown.
Thank You
-Andrew Freeman
