I am a frequent visitor to Menlo Park and customer of the downtown. One of the main reasons I prefer Menlo Park to other cities like Palo Alto is the convenience of the parking. I almost never go to Palo Alto because it is so hard to park.
Parking garages are an alternative, but they are not as pleasant to use as open lots. Because they are very expensive, the spaces are packed in as close as possible, making it hard to park without dents and scrapes from other cars or from the pillars holding up the lot.
Parking garages can also be frightening spaces at night. There is one under the Sequoia Station next to the Redwood City Caltrain. I have never been in the garage because of its bad reputation for safety.
If the parking lots are removed, even if they are later replaced by less pleasant garages after years of construction, downtown will suffer significantly. One of its key advantages over neighboring towns (convenient and pleasant parking) will be lost.
Bill Lipa
Emerald Hills
