Menlo Park City Council Members, I applaud your efforts to review the MP Downtown Specific Plan and, perhaps, put the brakes on the unending development. As a resident of Menlo Park since 1972 and a current resident of Park Forest, I request that you do now allow a Public Benefit Bonus(PBB) for the 1704 ECR Project (aka Hampton Inn). I strongly oppose this PBB for several reasons: 1. There is no benefit to the surrounding neighborhoods which are primarily residential. 2. Awarding a PBB means that the developer can make the project more dense (in this case 70 rooms instead of 50). However, the Specific Plan calls for this area to be low density. How can low density possibly be construed as more dense? 3. This property doesn't even front on ECR. It is connected by an easement and well set back from ECR. How was it even included in the Specific Plan? 4. It is not downtown. 5. At the last Planning Commission 3 of the 5 commissioners present voted not to approve the PBB. Only some last minute maneuver by the chairman prevented the vote from becoming official. 6. It will further complicate traffic patterns, because drivers exiting this property can only turn right or north on ECR. People wanting to drive south on ECR will have to travel north and find a U turn. 7. It is too massive for the neighborhood. 8. Property owners (voters) in the neighborhood oppose this project. I sincerely hope that you will take this as an opportunity to better define what constitutes a public benefit and to enforce the low density mandate for this part of the Specific Plan. Respectfully yours, John David Forter 151 Forest Lane Menlo Park, CA 94025 Received on Mon Jul 15 2019 - 15:48:15 PDT