Hello Council, City Manager and Staff,
Below are a few comments on the revised HE:
1. Promote AFFH
a. Up-zone City owned downtown parking lots with a minimum of 60 du/acre will demonstrate Menlo Park is serious about addressing AFFH.
* b. Increase required BMRs from 15% to 20%.
c. Strong anti-displacement policy.
d. Include target numbers/tangible goals to determine quality of programs.
e. Increasing Housing Equity Programs refined or improved programs have no measurement. Program H5.I should specifically state promotional opportunities that will build organizational capacity within the city.
f. Need to define “refined.” What is the action?
g. Page 4-3 states “Additional equity topics are addressed in the Environmental Justice Element.” This implies there is an adopted Environmental Justice Element. Every reference to the Environmental Justice Element must state draft.
h. “… annually evaluate potential funding through the use of community amenities funds...” is based on community amenities funds from “bonus level development” that may not be forthcoming. The City needs to make a tangible commitment to addressing the Environmental Justice Element programs identified by the community and in the process of being revised.
Respectfully,
Pam D Jones
Forgetting history is the path to re-writing history.
The impossible dissipates when I becomes WE.
PamÉlla
