In advance of the City Council meeting tomorrow evening, I would like to submit this letter for the record, attached and below.
This is in regards to item Item G-2 : Approve the commitment of $600,000 from the BMR Housing Fund to Alliant Strategic Development.
Dear Menlo Park City Councilmembers,
At the Menlo Park Housing Commission meeting on November 6, Alliant Strategic Development presented their project and asked the Commission to recommend they receive a $600k BMR Funding Grant. At that meeting, the Housing Commission confirmed that they are not able to consider any changes or modifications to the project as it is out of their scope of responsibility, but that it is within the scope of Planning Commission and City Council review and approval of the BMR grant.
The developer presented their timeline, which indicated a plan to present to the Planning Commission in early December 2024 for their recommendation and approval of the BMR funds, and then to MP City Council in January 2025 for final approval of the funds. I am not sure if I missed a Planning Commision meeting here, but it seems this approval is being fast-tracked directly to City Council without the review or input of the Planning Commission, and on short notice with little opportunity for residents to present their concerns and input for improving the project. If this is indeed a shortcut to approval of funds, then I would like to present my concerns and proposals for a better solution here for your consideration.
As you consider awarding Alliant Strategic Development $600K of Menlo Park BMR Funds, I ask that you review and discuss the improvements to safety, traffic and the environment that a second entrance to the 88 unit residential development at 320 Sheridan Drive would provide. I believe a second vehicle entrance/exit to this property will mitigate many of the impacts to safety, traffic and the environment, improve the quality of life for the residents of this new development (Ravenswood school district educators and employees) and the surrounding neighborhoods. Therefore, it should be requirement of the project if the developer is going to receive taxpayer dollars in the form of BMR funding for this project. I believe the project will be greatly enhanced by a second entrance for the following reasons:
1. Fire Safety and Emergency Egress improvements
As currently designed, the Sheridan Drive project allows only one (1) vehicle entrance/exit onto Sheridan Road, as the emergency entrance on Van Buren is intended for emergency vehicles only. This means that during a fire or natural disaster (such as an earthquake), the only emergency EXIT will be the choke point to Sheridan Drive. If emergency vehicles approach from Sheridan Drive, or need to fight a fire from that side of the property due to prevailing winds, the residents trying to flee could impede the emergency equipment and endanger themselves and the emergency responders as they contend for the single entrance/exit. In addition, Alliant’s current plan relies on inside sprinklers and a locked gate to safeguard this community in the event of emergencies. We do not think that is safe enough, given the prevailing winds in that area that can rapidly increase a fire once ignited.
Menlo Park Fire Protection District Director Rob Silano is very concerned about the public safety aspects of this project. As he notes “Our community experienced an (8) alarm apartment fire in the Fairoaks neighborhood earlier this year. They had 4 egresses and were able to fight the fire effectively, with no injuries or loss of life. Even though according to current legislation, they were only required to build one egress (108 units, under the 200 unit limitation). More than one egress is safer.”
I believe relying on one entrance/exit presents a serious problem for emergency and fire response access to the planned apartment buildings, as well as to the Suburban Park neighborhood.
2. Traffic Mitigation
2.1 Existing Conditions
All of the residents of this area are “landlocked” with Bay Road as the only access road to our neighborhood - north and south via 101, and west toward downtown Menlo Park. Bay Road becomes congested with “cut-through” traffic whenever there is an incident or blockage on Highway 101, making the congestion worse, particularly during morning commute and school drop-off. As currently designed, the Sheridan Drive development will result in 100% of the traffic flowing through Suburban Park, and out to Bay Road, further impacting this already busy corridor.
The City of Menlo Park Planning Commission and City Council recently adopted the Environmental Justice Element , which is part of our new required general plan and Housing Element updates. The report clearly shows that the part of town where the Sheridan Drive project is located has a traffic burden rating of 95, which is 34.7 points higher than city average- making it the highest traffic burden across the city.
Making traffic even worse, the town of Atherton recently rezoned 4 parcels along Bay Road near the intersection of Ringwood Avenue for higher density, multi-family development, in order to meet their own Housing Element Update. This will add up to 36 new housing units and potentially 70 or more vehicles that must enter and exit onto Bay Road. Atherton was required to conduct a traffic study to comply with CEQA for their rezoning plan, and the study determined that the section of Bay Road between Greenwood Avenue and Ringwood avenue is ALREADY considered a “high impact” corridor (with VMT over 13), and as a result any new developments on this corridor will require traffic mitigation by the developers.
Moreover, the second entrance at Van Buren will balance traffic from the development, and reduce the impact on Bay Road which is a “safe route to school” that is used by dozens of children and teenagers who bike to Laurel lower school, Encinal school and Menlo Atherton high school. Asking the new residents of 320 Sheridan Drive - most of whom will be teachers and school officials - to put Menlo Park students at more risk during commute hours feels particularly cruel.
2.2 Public Transit Options
The site for the proposed development is not well-served by public transit. As such, the information provided in the developers funding application is misleading.
For example, in Attachment A of the Funding Availability Application, under Neighborhood off-site amenities, the applicant identifies SamTrans Bus routes 82, 83, and 281 as “neighborhood public transit options” with walkable access from the project site. However, SanTrans bus routes 82 and 83 are limited service morning/afternoon shuttles for Encinal and Hillview students only, and not available to the general public. Bus Route 281 runs through the Belle Haven neighborhood and requires that Sheridan Drive residents walk 1/2 mile and cross over the 101 pedestrian overpass at Ringwood ave in order to access the bus route. With limited access to public transit, this development will drive up the vehicle miles and create even worse traffic in an area that already has the highest traffic burden.
2.3 Better commute options for residents
A second entrance would be much safer and more convenient for the new anticipated residents - Ravenswood school district faculty and staff - to access their workplaces in Belle Haven via Van Buren Road and Willow Road. We believe teachers are entitled to live in a safe community easily reached by emergency vehicles. Alliant’s plan does not address the unique requirements for large development located at the end of a cul-de-sac. Alliant has never built projects like this using only one exit, and it is not clear why they have ignored this obvious improvement to the safety and convenience of the future residents of the development.
2.4 Community Feedback
In May of 2024, Alliant hosted community engagement events for the Flood Triangle and Suburban Park residents. Approximately 40 to 50 residents attended these events to learn more about the proposal, to ask questions and to share their thoughts. A wide range of comments were received including concerns over added traffic being the most common concern.
The project was introduced to the City’s Housing Commission on August 7, 2024 and received questions, comments and encouraging feedback from the Commissioners and majority of the nine residents in attendance. However, the funding application makes no mention of (1) a petition that was circulated and signed by over 300 nearby residents and (2) more than 50 emails submitted to both Menlo Park Planning Commission and City Council, all requesting a “Second Egress”.
If housing is added in this area, there should be a requirement to reduce as many vehicular miles traveled on Bay Road as possible in order to minimize the increase to the traffic index- a good thing for the residents of the project and for the surrounding community, and for all commuters and students that use this corridor. This can be achieved by adding a second entrance that allows the residents to minimize their vehicular miles travelled to and from work, school and downtown.
3. Pollution Mitigation:
The recently adopted Environmental Justice Element Report also shows that the Sheridan Drive project is located in the "Lorelei Manor-Suburban Park-Flood Triangle”, which already experiences a "pollution burden" of 71, which is 15.2 points above city average. As noted above, the traffic pattern created by the Sheridan Drive development, in addition to the multifamily housing that will be added by Atherton to Bay Road, will cause even longer backups along Bay Road during the busy morning commute and school drop-off times. The backup today (pre-development) is already significant, as indicated by both the Atherton traffic study, and the Environment Justice Element mentioned above. As the only exit from these additional developments, adding more vehicles to Bay Road will further contribute to exhaust pollution from idling vehicles and bumper-to-bumper traffic waiting for the 4-way stop at Ringwood Ave.
If housing is added here, there should be a requirement to mitigate as many vehicular miles traveled as possible in order to add as little to the already high air pollution index in the area with the highest traffic index. This can be achieved through multiple ingress egress points to allow the residents to minimize their vehicular miles travelled.
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In Summary, a second entrance/exit east of the project to connect with Van Buren will significantly improve the project for residents, and mitigate a number of negative impacts of the project to neighboring Menlo Park residents. A second entrance will:
1. Increase firefighter’s ability to fight a multistory blaze by entering via Sheridan using the prevailing wind at their backs. The Menlo Park Fire Chief, Mark Lorenzen agrees that a second exit will accomplish this and would be safer.
2. Increase fire safety for teachers and residents in surrounding areas by facilitating an additional fire escape route by using Van Buren and thereby avoiding approaching tiller trucks that may need to enter via Sheridan Drive.
3. Provide a second option for residents (Ravenswood teachers and staff) to access areas closer to Willow Road, rather than having to circle north through the Suburban Park neighborhood and then south on Bay Road, an already highly impacted corridor.
4. Shorten commutes by auto, increasing safety for alternative modes of travel such as cycling and walking, and reducing traffic and pollution in an already high-impact area of our city.
The Solution - a safe and inexpensive second entrance to the property:
Research conducted by residents with professional input suggests a safe second access road could be built linking the 320 Sheridan project connecting to Van Buren Road via an unused CalTrans right of way. The proposed second exit would use 180 feet of CalTrans right of way adjacent to the HWY 101 sound wall. It would not require moving the sound wall. This project would be relatively inexpensive and a responsible and logical addition by the developer. An estimate by a local union construction company put the cost at under $120,000, a relatively small investment compared with the benefits gained.
In conclusion, there are many compelling reasons to create an easily accessed second exit from 320 Sheridan Drive to Van Buren Road . We encourage the City Council to recommend that Alliant work with the landowner and CalTrans in order to create a second entrance, and mitigate the impacts of this and other developments, in order to provide a safe connection for residents to our community.
Sincerely
Skip Hilton
skiphilton@gmail.com
