Mayor Combs and City Council,
I enthusiastically support the Downtown Parking Plazas Citizens’
Initiative, wholeheartedly disapprove of the plans to install housing
projects in the middle of downtown. There are multiple better locations
where these buildings can be built which wont completely spoil my
downtown, wont ruin commerce, wont gut businesses. Your justification for
taking away critical vehicle parking, then, is invalid. What are your
actual motives for choosing that parking lot? I suspect corruption.
Menlo Park’s downtown, quite simply, depends on the access provided by the
parking plazas. A decision to repurpose those lots should be made by the
residents who use them - not by outside consultants. Look at San Francisco.
Between bus lanes, bike lanes, lockdown-era parklets, a trip to San
Francisco comes with a $12 to $40+ dollar bill for access to a parking
structure. Like it or not, lack of vehicle parking is a massive deterrent
to visitors and to locals. Dont "San Francisco" my Menlo Park.
Whether Council adopts the ordinance outright, places it on the November
ballot, or calls a special election, it will be a great day for democracy
in Menlo Park. But, as I mentioned earlier, if the parking lot is blown
away, if you dont drop this housing in one of the other locations, my
conclusion will be that you are getting financial kickbacks, that you are
corrupt.
Thank you,
Andrew Ronstadt
Santa Cruz Avenue
