Author: menlotogether_qywmpb

Menlo Park City Council voted unanimously to take an important first step toward allowing new affordable homes downtown on city-owned parking lots on Tuesday, in a long meeting with over 100 public comments, split 50/50 between supporters and opponents.

On Tuesday night, Council directed staff to release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), inviting affordable and private housing developers to propose creative solutions for building affordable homes and replacement parking on Lots 1, 2 and 3 (between Santa Cruz and Oak Grove).  For more, read the Almanac’s coverage here. 

As next steps City will release the RFQ by the end of January, and developers will have 60 days to respond. Staff will analyze the responses and present them to the City Council at a public meeting in the spring.

Community organizing and turnout in support of housing. 

Menlo Together and allies had been organizing to support the affordable housing downtown, to provide homes for people of all ages and incomes, enabling more people to live near where they work, in an area with services and public transportation.

So far, Council has heard from over 570 supporters, including: 

• 50 people who made powerful supportive public comments during the meeting. 
• More than 185 who emailed City Council members
• Over 400 who signed the most recent HLC/Menlo Together and Peninsula for Everyone petitions

You can still sign the petition if you haven’t already – the number of people taking action sends a powerful signal of community support.

You can read more coverage of the decision here:

• Construcción de viviendas asequibles genera controversia en Menlo Park – Telemundo
• Menlo Park council gives go-ahead to seek developer input on downtown parking lots – The Almanac
• Residents organize to support council’s plan for affordable housing downtown – The Almanac
• Council Proceeds with Downtown Affordable Housing Plan – M-A Chronicle

Delivering on the city’s housing plan

The affordable housing on the downtown parking lots were a key part of the city’s state-required Housing Element plan that was approved in 2024. Housing on leased publicly-owned land is an important strategy to make more deeply affordable housing financially feasible, since a nonprofit affordable housing developer would not need to purchase the land.

The city needs to keep up with its Housing Element commitments in order to retain influence on housing and land use.  If the city falls behind in producing housing, projects are streamlined with fewer meetings.  If the city falls out of compliance with its Housing Element commitment, city land becomes eligible for Builders Remedy projects where developers don’t need to follow the city’s zoning rules.

This blog post has more answers to frequently asked questions about the downtown affordable housing plan and process.

We will keep you posted on more opportunities to learn about housing, about strategies to manage parking and improve access to downtown, and more actions to take.

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

On September 30, at the Belle Haven Community Campus, residents from Belle Haven and nearby communities in East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks and Redwood City gathered to make the voices of people who depend on transit to be heard in the development of the region’s Transit 2050+ transportation plan.

Developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in partnership with transit agencies, the plan for the first time history focused on creating a connected network of transit service (previous plans were collections of capital projects submitted by counties and agencies).

The event in Belle Haven was held in English and Spanish, was convened by Belle Haven Empowered and Climate Resilient Communities, Belle Haven Climate Change Community Team and El Comite. It was part of a series of 7 workshops organized by Seamless Bay Area, in partnership with over 20 community based organizations with over 260 people participating across the region. 

A number of shared themes emerged. Participants consistently cited improvements such as increasing transit frequency, faster trip times including better transfers, filling gaps in the regional transit network, more affordable and convenient payment options,  safer and cleaner waiting areas, longer hours of service, more shelters and benches at bus stops, better non-English language support, and more. 

The comments reinforce the importance of a plan focusing on frequent, fast, reliable, convenient, affordable service and hopefully will motivate leaders to advance funding and implementation to make the plans a reality.

Caption: The San Mateo County Transit 2050+ Community Workshop at the Belle Haven Community Campus. This workshop was entirely in Spanish, with about 50 attendees. 

Comments from the Belle Haven workshop included:

• Espera Perez: I have had to wait two hours for the 110 and service is late or lacking on the weekend
• Bruce: “Schedules are not very well coordinated. In the past, for me, there have been significant waits at the transit center in Redwood City. I think that turns a lot of people off from taking public transit if they can’t get there with a relatively short wait of 5 to 10 minutes.”
• Evelyn Garcia: “I use the bus and the train for my work and I always spend a lot of time at the train station waiting for the bus, then it is delayed for more than 30 minutes and I have to keep waiting or take another bus because that one never arrived”. 
• Gaby: “More frequently because sometimes the wait for transit is very long and tiresome.”
• Irene Chavez: It is very important for the Red Plus bus service to improve service during the hours with the most congestion because it is impossible to get service. 
• Buses often don’t arrive on time and are perceived as unreliable. They should come every 10-15 minutes to meet demand.
• Many people work non-traditional hours and require transit at all times of the day.
• Elizabeth: More routes should run later at night, even if they are not as frequent, for people who work the graveyard shift.

Reliability of the Dumbarton Express

• Marlene lives in Menlo Park and frequently uses public transportation, particularly for trips to the East Bay. There is a need for transit improvements on the Dumbarton and San Mateo Bridges. The Dumbarton service has been inconsistent and often late. There’s confusion between DB and DB1 regarding directions, leading to difficulties in determining the correct bus. Sometimes the bus signs are incorrect, necessitating inquiries to the driver.
• Multiple residents wanted to see the Dumbarton bus to run on the weekend.

Fares and affordability

• Irene Chavez: “I like the idea of ​​transporting ourselves with a single pass for different lines of public transit. It seems very good to be able to travel more and use the train service with the same pass.”
• Rosa: “My husband bought the day pass and when he boarded another bus, they did not accept it because it was a different company. So it would be great if all of the bus passes would work for all the buses.”
• David Ramirez: Why does buying a ticket in San Mateo County not also serve in Santa Clara County?
• Nora: It would be convenient to be able to scan the clipper card for more than one passenger, perhaps to be able to pay for the trip for the entire family with the same card.
• Evelyn Garcia: “The use of an application that the whole family can use, to access the same funds in the account. One day I had to pay $50.00 cash when we took the train with my family because I was not able to scan the clipper card for each member or my family. The pass was not valid for the whole family even if I had credit.
• Transit costs are too high, particularly for seniors, youth, and college students.
• Introduction of day passes or season passes to make travel more economical.
• The Dumbarton Bridge bus fare of $6 for an individual is excessive for many people.
• Implementation of Apple Pay or credit card/Visa payment options for bus fares is needed, as many riders do not carry enough change. Cash machines on buses sometimes malfunction, causing delays.

Transit connections

• David Ramirez. Why do they not combine service between San Mateo and Santa Clara County? 
• Francesca: “Some people are not able to get to Caltrain and BART for higher frequency connections because they don’t have a way to get to the station.”
• Leticia M: “East Palo Alto needs the best route from Palo Alto to East Palo Alto.”  
• Mary: “Lines that connect the different means of transport, and more frequently. Sometimes we must walk too far to take public transport”.
• Current routes do not adequately connect to essential locations such as hospitals, malls, and grocery stores (e.g., Walmart, Target).
• There is a need for buses that can cross county lines to improve accessibility.
• Traveling from East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks to San Mateo Hospital often requires taking three buses, which can result in late arrivals. A direct bus route to hospitals is essential.

Rider Experience

• Espera Perez: I need a shelter to protect from the sun and rain.  
• From a workshop with primarily Spanish-speaking South San Mateo County  residents: Need more bus shelters. In Belle Haven, elderly people have to sit on the curb.
• Mary: “It would be great to make the bus stops adequate so that people can wait, with benches, lights, and protection from the rain and sun”.
• The transit environment feels unsafe; there are concerns about inappropriate behavior and unsuitability for children. The current transit system is not safe for children; many parents said they would not send kids alone.

For an overview and link to the full report, see this blog post on the Seamless Bay Area website.

Menlo Together coordinating committee has endorsements for local and state measures that impact our vision and values.

Local Measures

YES on Menlo Park Measure CC

Menlo Park faces long term fiscal challenges due to loss of ongoing revenue from state and local sources.  To partially fill the gap, Measure CC will increase our Transient Occupancy Tax (the “hotel tax”) which will help the city sustain important public services.

YES on East Palo Alto Measure JJ

Measure JJ codifies the expressed intent of a 2.5% gross receipts tax on landlords doing business in EPA to direct funds towards housing, anti-displacement and anti-homelessness programs.  

YES on Palo Alto Measure D

Improve access to the Palo Alto transit hub to reduce bus travel time and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, including improvements to access from Menlo Park. Voter approval is required to redesignate a sliver of land currently designated as parkland.  Measure D is endorsed by partners at Palo Alto Forward and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. More detailed analysis here.

State Ballot Propositions:

YES on Prop 4 to Prevent Wildfires, Provide Clean, Safe Drinking Water

The CA State Legislature asks voters to approve a $10 billion bond to invest in proven strategies to detect, prevent and reduce intensity and spread of fires in every region, upgrade our water infrastructure to protect us from droughts and water pollution, and protect our iconic forests, mountains, rivers and coast. 

YES on Prop 5 for Safe Affordable Communities

Prop 5 empowers local voters to approve bonds for affordable housing, critical public infrastructure, and emergency response in our communities with a 55% vote – if those bonds have strict accountability and oversight. Prop 5 shifts power about policy and spending priorities away from state government and into the hands of local voters and taxpayers. 

YES on State Proposition 6 to End Slavery

Prop 6 enhances public safety and prioritizes rehabilitation by prohibiting all forms of slavery in California, abolishing an exception allowing forced labor in prisons. Abolishing this exception supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of incarcerated people by allowing them to choose meaningful educational and rehabilitative programs over forced labor. 

NO on State Proposition 36 to Stop Prison Spending

Prop 36 reverses criminal justice reforms that reduce mass incarceration and promote rehabilitation. Prop 36 imposes stricter sentences for minor offenses such as drug possession and retail theft, cuts funding from mental health and rehabilitation programs that help ensure people getting out of jail or prison are less likely to offend, and uses that money to build and expand state prisons. New laws have already been passed for retail theft prosecution and fentanyl trafficking.

Endorsement recommendations are prepared by the Menlo Together active participants who work on our committees and events. To get more involved, sign up here.

On Tuesday, Menlo Park City Council will hold a study session on Tuesday evening August 27 focusing on one of the key policies of the city’s Housing Element – building affordable housing on city-owned parking lots downtown.   The meeting starts at 6pm and the study session will be near the start of the meeting.

Building deeply affordable homes on city-owned parking lots downtown has long been encouraged by Menlo Together and other housing supporters.  The central location is walking distance from many stores and public transportation. Using land owned by the city is a powerful strategy to enable more deeply affordable housing since there is no need to purchase the land. 

Based on a new feasibility study, city staff recommend a phased plan starting on lots 1, 2, and 3, on the northwest side of Santa Cruz.    

These lots could enable about 483 homes at the Specific Plan bonus level of development, and potentially more using other available incentives.  

One question will be how to continue convenient access to downtown while using parking lot space for housing. The city is already conducting a parking management study to assess parking utilization, and strategies to manage parking and improve access.  In one nearby example, the City of Palo Alto established a Transportation Management Association serving its downtown areas, which successfully shifted well over 200 low-income service workers from car commuting and deferred the need to build a parking garage.

Letters from Together and partners at Housing Leadership Council recommend:

• Providing the highest number of homes using the available incentives in city and state law, at deep levels of affordability
• Evaluating downtown parking needs and access strategies, using a current parking management study to plan to maintain convenient downtown access
• Focusing community amenities on increasing affordability and helping residents drive less with bike parking, public transit support and car share infrastructure.

Here’s how to share your thoughts:

• Send your own letter to city.council@menlopark.gov
• Attend the meeting in person, on Tuesday, August 27 6pm, at City Council Chambers, 751 Laurel Street and make a public comment. 
• Dial-in by zoom or phone and comment. 
  • Zoom Link: Zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 832 1285 7140
  • Dial-in: (669) 900-6833  Meeting ID: 832 1285 7140 Press *9 to raise hand to speak 
• In your comments, share your personal thoughts about affordable housing on downtown parking lots, including stories from your life and community, and how this benefits the city, plus some points listed above and in the letters.

To dig into the details, here is the meeting agenda and staff report, Menlo Together’s letter to city council, and the letter submitted by our partner, HLC (Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County).

.

. 

On Tuesday June 18, starting at 5:30pm, Menlo Park City Council hold a study session on an updated draft of the new Environmental Justice/Safety Element of the General Plan.  Menlo Park is following a new state law requiring an Environmental Justice element of the city’s General Plan to create policies and investments to address our history of environmental injustice and to create the plan with leadership from communities impacted by environmental injustice. The Belle Haven Empowered project of Menlo Together hosted an gathering last week to discuss Environmental Justice and the new draft plan. The meeting had a background of the history of environmental injustices in Menlo Park, the work that has been done over the last 2 and a half years to gather community feedback and community recommendations, and the process going forward. You can check out the video recording and presentation slides from the meeting.

And share your views to the City Council meeting to support an equitable and sustainable city The agenda is here. Physical locations City Council Chambers,  751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025Belle Haven Community Campus, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025 Zoom  https://zoom.us/j/83212857140 Or submit written comments to city.council@menlopark.gov.

On Tuesday, May 21, Menlo Park City Council responded favorably to an updated proposal for a mixed use development at the centrally located SRI site. The new proposal increases the number of homes from 450 to 800–in a location convenient to downtown, public transit, parks, and open space.

Affordability of these new homes will range from market-rate to rents that are affordable to people with extremely low incomes (lower than 30% of the median income in our area).  Overall, 31% of the homes will be rented at below market rate, and up to 154 will be affordable to people with extremely low, very low, and low incomes through partnership with a non-profit housing provider. 

There were dozens of public comments, in person and in writing, a large majority in support of the project including the additional homes overall and greater number of affordable homes.

City Council’s comments focused on interest in including affordable homes earlier in the timeline if possible, strengthening transportation demand management to reduce the share of driving, attention to the details of pedestrian and bicycle circulation and community spaces.

As next steps, the draft Environmental Impact Report will be published in June, the Planning Commission will review the EIR within a 45 day review period, and the City Council is expected to make a decision about the development this coming Winter. 

In addition to including more homes and deeper levels of affordability, the new design provides for 46 townhomes, adding to the diversity of housing types. The new design improves street safety for bicyclists and pedestrians by limiting how cars can access the development from Laurel.  Project amenities include walking and bike paths, open space, trees, and a dog park; for more information, see the project description and detailed plans at the city website.

The City of Menlo Park has rescheduled its Priority Setting Workshop to Saturday, March 12, starting at 5pm. The meeting will be held in person at City Hall and online via Zoom. 

Tuesday, March 12, starting at 5pm
In Person: City Council Chambers, 751 Laurel St., Menlo Park
Via Zoom: https://zoom.us/join – ID# 832 1285 7140

In the coming year there are important opportunities to turn the city’s plans into action.  

In recent years, Menlo Together has supported the city developing plans for affordable housing, environmental justice, and safe and sustainable transportation, to advance a vision of a city that is diverse, sustainable, and equitable.

Key opportunities for action in the coming year include:

• Implementing the Housing Element, including adding affordable housing on the city’s downtown parking lots, adjusting the guidelines so that affordable housing serves the needs of more low-income residents, implementing tenant protections, and streamlining projects that meet city guidelines so needed housing is built faster
  
• Completing the city’s Environmental Justice and Safety Element and getting started on implementation, including hiring outreach workers to connect residents in underserved communities with resources and encourage participation in decisions; creating an urban forest master plan with a focus on increasing tree cover in underserved communities, and pursuing funding to implement the plan.

• Continue the Council priority to support citywide efforts to create a network of safe, accessible and appealing pedestrian and bicycle facilities, by implementing the city’s Transportation Master Plan, with special priority on investments in underserved communities
  
• Pursue economic development of local services for the Bayfront area that were called for years ago in the Connect Menlo Plan enabling people to live, work, play and shop in the area.  The city should prioritize implementation of local services in the Bayfront that has been lagging. 

Menlo Together submitted a letter to Council with these recommendations.

What do you think?   Come join the workshop on March 12 to share your input on what Menlo Park should prioritize for the 2024-25 fiscal year.  Or send your thoughts by email to city.council@menlopark.gov

On December 20, the Menlo Park’s Housing Element – ​​a state-required plan to allow 3,000 homes at different levels of affordability and affirmatively further fair housing across the community – was conditionally approved by the State pending some minor edits.

The state approval follows closely after the recent major milestone when City Council approved zoning to legalize more housing, especially affordable housing on city-owned parking lots downtown, as well as more housing in mixed-income developments across the city. Importantly, the housing sites in the new plan are outside of District 1 (the Bayfront area that includes the Belle Haven neighborhood), which has accommodated a disproportionate share of development in recent years.

This “upzoning” is a major step forward, advancing the vision that Menlo Together started with in 2018: To support “a city that is integrated and diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally sustainable. We envision an accessible and inviting downtown Menlo Park, with housing at all affordability levels, much less solo driving, and with pedestrian and bike-friendly spaces.”

The City Council made the decision after receiving petitions from over 150 residents, including personal stories from people young and old. A few examples of the comments that City Council heard:

A young man who was visibly distraught about the personal impact of the affordable housing crisis: “As rents have soared over the last 10 years, I’ve seen more and more of my friends being priced out of the area.” 

An older gentleman–a 5th generation Bay Area native–said that his apartment has some serious problems, but he puts up with it because he can’t afford to move. Once he retires, he won’t be able to afford to stay in the area, and he doesn’t know what he will do.

An immigrant woman who moved to Menlo Park from New York City is stressed about having to find a new home near her job because of a landlord renovation/move-in. She’s having a harder time finding housing in Menlo Park than the entirety of her time spent in New York City. 

More homes, including deeply affordable homes in centrally located areas near transit will provide more people with opportunities to live with easy access to jobs, schools, and services. 

Of course, people live in homes, not in zoning documents.   It will require the collective encouragement of community members to ensure that homes including deeply affordable homes–get built.  And it will take more encouragement to ensure that the city updates its Below Market Rate (BMR) Housing policy so  that homes are affordable to more people, and that tenant protections are strengthened so the city protects more residents from being displaced. 

Thanks to everyone who spoke up at community and City Council meetings to help achieve this milestone. Your ongoing participation is vital to ensuring that Menlo Together’s vision becomes reality.

Join friends and allies to hear from Just Action co-authors Richard Rothstein and daughter Leah Rothstein about the sequel to the powerful Color of Law , a book that uncovered the hidden history of segregation.

Just Action discusses what we can do to challenge the segregation enacted under The Color of Law and help remedy the profoundly unjust policies and conditions in our community and more broadly.

Thursday, October 26, 7 – 9pm
Congressional Church of San Mateo, 225 Tilton Ave, San Mateo
Register now to hear Richard and Leah Rothstein in San Mateo on Oct. 26

Just Action Book Club – October 22

In anticipation of the big Just Action event in San Mateo, we will be partnering with our friends at Palo Alto Forward for a small book club gathering to discuss what we’re learning from the book and actions to take. To get the most from this interactive discussion, it will be helpful to have read/skimmed the book ahead of time, or to listen to one of the many book tour interviews with Leah and/or Richard Rothstein.

Sunday, October 22, 11:30-1pm
RSVP here or drop by Cafe Zoe, 1929 Menalto Ave, Menlo Park