Dear Councilmembers,
My name is Michelle Eakin and I am a longtime Menlo Park resident and
deeply concerned by the City’s continued push to build on our downtown
parking lots. The businesses that make Menlo Park special—our bookstores,
cafés, small restaurants, and family-run shops—simply cannot survive
without convenient parking. These lots are not “empty land.” They are the
lifeblood of downtown. I see it every week when I visit Stacks with my
family for breakfast, or when I drop my child off at Menlo Park Academy of
Dance/Ballet or run in for that last minute gift at Cheeky Monkey and need
a safe, close place to park. These are real, daily routines that would be
disrupted—and possibly erased—if parking disappears.
Beyond the impact on parking itself, the years of construction alone would
drive customers away. Once a beloved small business closes its doors, it
rarely comes back. I don’t want to see our downtown hollowed out in the
name of progress, only to end up with fewer shops, fewer restaurants, and
less community character.
I also don’t understand why, knowing this proposal is destined for a
resident vote, you continue to pour staff time and public funds into a plan
so many of us oppose. To say there are no alternatives is misleading. Civic
Center, SRI, Bohannon—all present opportunities for creative housing
solutions. None are perfect, but they would not irreparably harm our
downtown core.
Menlo Park is not just a zip code—it is a community that values its
small-town feel, its walkable downtown, and its independent businesses.
Please remember that you were elected to serve the residents who live here
now, not just to plan for people who may one day move here. We all support
affordable housing, but this is the wrong location.
I urge you to honor the people who entrusted you with leadership, listen to
the community, and preserve what makes Menlo Park special while still
working toward our shared housing goals.
Respectfully,
Michelle Eakin
592 Hobart Street
310-897-7879
