Dear Menlo Park City Council,

Im writing to encourage you to issue the RFQ to developers for affordable housing on the downtown parking plazas 1/2/3 during your Council meeting tomorrow.

Issuing the RFQ is an elemental, early-stage effort to *begin* exploring which developers *might* be qualified to partner with the city to build affordable housing (and parking) downtown.

We have a duty from the state to meet our Housing Element goals, and HCD has asked the city to prioritize the development of the downtown parking lots. This is not if; it is when -- and the "when" is now.

The RFQ process is an early step that will help us move into more productive, directional conversations as a community. Assessing potential developers and getting project mock-ups will provide an invaluable canvas for the Council and the public to sort out specific concerns that have been raised.

For the RFQ, please ensure the following are included as broad goals:

* Developers must have demonstrated experience effectively engaging with residents and businesses (early on in the scoping and proposal design)
* Ensure that replacement parking and improved downtown circulation are top priorities

Successfully developing more housing downtown will require a thoughtful, holistic approach.
In addition to the specific projects on Parking Lots 1/2/3, the City can make plans to update its multimodal transportation plans for getting to/around/through downtown, consider how new affordable housing can support our anti-displacement strategies, and find ways to drive economic vitality and support businesses as we go through this transition together. Please ensure that these holistic and aligned efforts move in lockstep with the affordable housing development.

I feel confident that the city can do this, and do it well.

Thank you for your service! Best wishes for the conversation tomorrow.

Warm regards,
Maria

Maria Doerr
District 5 resident
Renter
Menlo Park resident who makes under the average median income