The City of Menlo Park has opened up applications for the development of three large parking plazas in Downtown Menlo Park. The city plans to build a minimum of 345 units of affordable housing spread across the three sites but has not restricted the addition of more units. The program plans to integrate affordable housing options into the high-resource downtown area.
The three lots north of Santa Cruz Avenue are some of eight identified by the city as having potential for development to help the city meet its regional housing needs allocation. The city hopes to develop them in accordance with the Surplus Land Act, allowing for the densification of the downtown neighborhood.
Downtown Menlo Park Development Sample Proposed Layout, image via Alliant Communities
The proposals are each keeping some parking in the new layout of the site, although they may change the organization, quantity, or other design elements.
So far, seven applications have been submitted from developers including Alliant Communities, Eden Housing, MidPen Housing, Path Ventures, Presidio Bay Ventures, Alta Housing, and The Pacific Companies.
Downtown Menlo Park Development Site 3 Current Parking Plaza, image via Google Street View
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Mountain View next!
Gosh, where will we park in downtown MP??! Now if we could dispense with this “affordable housing” nonsense… It isn’t “affordable”, can’t be in this country; ultimately the market sets the price, taking government free money promoting “affordable” and everything else into account in funding the development, minimizing risk in relation to maximizing profits. And that is what makes America Grate!
This is being forced on all the downtown businesses that were against it. Parking is already difficult in Menlo Park and at the meetings, it was clear that these new buildings do not consider Parking for the new residents coming in. Nor does it allocate for the parking lots they will consume. A considerate idea, not well thought out.
False. Businesses want more customers proximate to them.
MIXED income needed. Not economic segregation.
There is room for over 1000 units if they upped their density goals. Imagine how happy local business owners would be with over 2k new customers right on their doorsteps. That beats a couple hundred parking spaces every day and twice on Sunday! Every smaller downtown in the Bay should have similar plans.
“Affordable” and less parking? The NIMBYS will have their pitchforks ready.