City of Menlo Park
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I am co-owner of property in the Menlo Park downtown. Please include this email in the public record regarding Downtown parking lots Surplus Land Act Hearing January 14, 2025
The Council will be hearing from many residents, attorneys, business, and property owners opposed to the designation of three downtown parking lots to be “Surplus Land” or proceeding with RFPs. We are not opposed to affordable housing, just a bad location choice.
Please realize that most people do not follow the procedures and nuances of general plans, housing elements, state laws and other details of local governance. People only get involved when they are properly informed of specific action a city proposes to take.
For about two years staff has been working on modifications to the General Plan, Housing Element and addressing the Surplus land Act. We note from the studies many interested groups were involved, most with specific agendas. But this outreach was seriously flawed as the community at large was not notified and was completely unaware of these efforts.
It was not until the eleventh-hour meeting in November that city staff informed the community that about 50% of the downtown parking lots were proposed to be converted to affordable housing. This outreach to the community should have been made in 2022.
It is noted that the Surplus Land Act guidelines state that affordable housing should be considered for “unused or underutilized public land”. The provisions of the Act do not take from the city its sovereign authority to decide which parcels should be chosen
As to any land to be considered, the cost/benefits and compliance with the General Plan must be considered. As to these parking lots, General Plan GOAL LU-5 is to make downtown a “vital and competitive shopping area”. Is eliminating 47% of heavily used parking lots consistent with this goal?
Replacement parking is mentioned in the studies, but it is not addressed in any specific detail or as to timing. When and where will it be built and who will pay for it? Will this drastic parking reduction combined with construction cause multiple business closures? Is there not a need to acknowledge these critical issues up-front? Some people have said that the downtown parking lots are especially suitable for affordable housing because they are “FREE”. The exact opposite is true. The city will incur a financial obligation that could easily exceed fifty million dollars to address parking and damage to the downtown shopping area.
We are very appreciative that the Council decided not to proceed with a vote last December. There is more than enough time to thoroughly relook at all the issues and avoid needless and prolonged litigation and conflict. As a residential developer, my company has provided hundreds of qualified Affordable Housing units in the Bay Area. Starting with this conflict is counterproductive.
These decisions will have a lasting impact on the community. We are confident that the downtown businesses, employees, property owners and the community at large will get fully engaged in this task. Many sites were identified for affordable housing that have no negative impacts, The entire community will be supportive.
Sincerely,
John Filice 1149 Chestnut Ave MP
