On January 14, the City Council plans to take the next steps to solicit proposals for affordable housing on city-owned parking lots downtown. This is a opportunity to help local workers, young families, teachers, seniors and others to live affordably in our community.
The downtown location is central in city’s housing plan because it is near jobs, services, and transportation; and because using city-owned land is crucial to providing deeply affordable housing.
New residents will make downtown more lively, with more people walking to local stores and restaurants.
Many local businesses are understandably concerned about making sure that the downtown continues to have convenient parking. The draft request for proposals calls for replacement parking, and the city is conducting a parking study to assess needs for parking and opportunities to make parking more convenient.
Local businesses struggle to retain workers because of the cost of living and the burden of long commutes from places with less expensive housing. Affordable housing downtown can help workers live near their jobs.
Also, keeping the obligations to meet the state’s goals will enable the city to maintain control and influence over developments. We can maintain land use control and avoid more projects like 80 Willow Road that don’t conform with the city’s zoning rules by keeping up with our obligations to the state.
Please sign this petition to support affordable housing downtown.
Here is a flyer in support of downtown housing.
The city’s web page on the downtown housing process is here:
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions:
What’s happening on January 14th? Is City Council finalizing the development?
Not at all. The City Council will vote to solicit ideas from developers on building new homes and replacement parking. There will be tons of opportunities for community input in the months ahead.
Has the city considered other sites?
Yes–tons! As part of a years-long effort, the downtown site was identified as the city’s best opportunity to produce affordable homes because of its central location and because the city owns the land.
How tall will the buildings be?
The city will have final say over the building heights. We don’t know how tall the proposals will be yet because none have actually been made!
Why is the city building housing on the downtown parking lots?
In short, because the city owns the land, and controls what gets built there. In addition, the location is ideal for new homes, because it is walking distance to shops, public transportation, parks and other services such as medical offices. Public land should be used for public good, and there is no higher need than ensuring everyone has a home.
Menlo Park’s plan to build housing on the lots has been in the making for over a decade, but the city formally committed to developing new homes on the site in its state-approved housing element.
The city began working on its housing element in the spring of 2021, for which it held more than 30 community meetings on the topic and sent letters to residents in the downtown area seeking their input. As part of the housing element process, the city identified locations for deeply affordable homes–which requires public subsidy–including publicly owned land. The city evaluated every site it owns and determined that the parking lots provided the best opportunity.
Will parking spaces be replaced?
The city is conducting a downtown parking management study and the results will inform the final requirement. The draft RFQ requires at least 90% replacement parking. The city will have final say over the amount of replacement parking provided.
What about traffic downtown
Alongside this project, we need to update traffic patterns to accommodate our new residents. However, new parking systems should reduce cars circling, searching for parking.
Why is Menlo Park planning for 1166 low and very-low income new homes?
Each California city has an obligation to plan for new homes to meet their “regional housing needs allocation” (or RHNA).
What’s meant by “affordable housing”?
The City’s goal is to provide homes affordable to households earning between 30% and 50% of the average area income, or $59,000-$98,000 for a family of four.
| Income Category | Income Range for an Individualhttps://www.housingchoices.org/what-is-ami | Example (single earner) Job Titleshttps://www.indeed.com/cmp/City-of-SAN-Mateo/salaries?location=US%2FCA%2FSan+Mateo | Income Range for a Family of Fourhttps://www.housingchoices.org/what-is-ami |
| Area Median Income (AMI) | $130,600 | Software Developer, Project Manager | $186,600 |
| Moderate (120% AMI) | $109,700 to 157,750 | Retail Store Manager, Registered Nurse (low end), Teacher | $156,650 to $223,900 |
| Low (80% AMI) | $68,550 to $109,700 | Retail Store Manager, Registered Nurse (low end), Teacher | $97,900 to $156,650 |
| Very Low (50% AMI) | $41,150 to $68,550 | Retail Sales Associate, Home Health Aide, Medical Assistant, Office Clerk | $58,750 to $97,900 |
| Extremely Low (30% AMI) | $19,600 to $41,150 | Retail Sales Associate, Assistant Chef | $28,000 to $58,750 |
| Acutely Low (15% AMI) | Up to $19,600 | Social Security Income, Part Time Jobs | Up to $28,000 |