October 13, 2025
Dear Mayor Combs, City Council and Housing Commission:
I have not given up on your coming around to make the right moral and
ethical decision regarding the City of Menlo Park parking lots. Save
downtown members and residents do not feel heard by you and overall have
given up trying.
Some of our very astute residents have researched *alternative choices* and
have found the following housing opportunities:
*1. **Bohannon Industrial Park, 24 acres (re: December 6, 2022 letter
to MP City Council from Mr. Bohannon)*
*2. **1283 Willow Road, .66 acres*
*3. **2400 Branner Drive, 2.9 acres*
*4. **333 Burgess Drive, 2.35 acres*
*5. **SRI/Parkline, increase housing and decrease office area*
The Bohannon Industrial Park was presented to you in 2022 for housing,
please revisit this very viable option. The location is perfect for those
needing to travel the highway to tech jobs as well as other jobs.
https://www.savedowntownmenlo.org/alternativesites?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=68a9e45af1ab47650e3ee1e9&ss_email_id=68a9ecd9e2f0fd7669f17bc3&ss_campaign_name=Alternative+Sites+Page+%2B+City+Council+Meeting+Tuesday&ss_campaign_sent_date=2025-08-23T16%3A35%3A54Z
Other than the above options you also have *USGS (17 acres) as well as:*
*Pipeline Sites (APPROVED)*
*Site / Project*
*Status*
*Approximate # of Units*
**BMR*
*Per City of MP Website*
111 Independence Drive
Approved
105
18
14 mix of very low, low, moderate
123 Independence Drive
Approved
432
66
low-income
Willow Village
Approved
1730
312
260 inclusionary / 52 citys commercial linkage fee/unit equivalency
201 El Camino Real & 612 Cambridge Ave
Approved
14
2
multifamily residential & multifamily residential building
320 Sheridan Drive
Approved
88
88
3 three-story residential apartment
3705 Haven Ave
Approved
112
14
10 very low/ 4 moderate
Menlo Flats
Approved
158
41
minimum of 15% of the units (21 units of the 138 max units for the 15
bonus units) be affordable. Also includes 20 additional market-rate units
included in the total 158 units)
*2639*
*541*
*Total estimated units as of August 2, 2025 per City of Menlo Park website*
These options and those in the pipeline make it totally unnecessary to
attack the City Parking lots. Building any of the proposed housing
developments will wreak havoc on the downtown businesses. Most will be
forced to close down and many long-time employees will lose their jobs.
Your persistence in attempting to build housing in the city parking lots
will result in a number of lawsuits, major delays in construction, and
wasteful use of city funds that taxpayers will not support or be happy
with.
Additionally, it seems developers targeting the Downtown parking lots
expect the residents to pickup the cost for a “parking structure.” This is
NOT going to go over well with Menlo Park residents.
You can easily meet the state’s housing requirements by integrating the
required units between the various developments referenced in the above.
To reiterate, State mandate for Menlo Park’s Regional Housing Needs
Allocation (RHNA) for 2023 – 2031 cycle is 2,946 housing units. The unit
breakdown for income consideration is:
· 740 very low;
· 426 low;
· 496 moderate; and
· 1,284 above moderate.
Your attention to this matter with an open ear to Menlo Park business
owners and Menlo Park residents will be much appreciated.
Rubye
30-year resident and City of Menlo Park tax payer
