Comments pertaining to Study Session G1. Study session for a master plan to redevelop the SRI Campus with a residential, office, research and development, and retail mixed-use project located at 333 Ravenswood Avenue
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From: Katherine Dumont >
Date: Tue, May 10, 2022 at 3:37 PM
Subject: Parkline project - thumbs up!
To: >
Dear Council Members,
My husband and I live on Waverley Street in Menlo Park, within 0.5 miles of SRI and the proposed Parkline project. We are baby boomers, nearing retirement. We are renters, and we have lived on the Peninsula for more than 30 years. Given the scarcity of affordable housing, we will likely have to leave Menlo Park – and perhaps even California, my native state – within the next few years.
We’ve watched as friends and family–regular, working-class folks–have been forced to move far away from the neighborhoods where they were born and raised–away from homes in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties.
We support the building of affordable housing on this site, and we would like to see an even greater percentage of local housing allocated to low income and very low income individuals and families. We value diversity in the community, and we would like to see the City take this step toward housing equity, undoing some of the damage from the years of redlining and other discriminatory housing practices.
We feel fortunate to live in this area just east of El Camino, where we have easy access to shops and restaurants in both Menlo Park and Palo Alto. We are happy to support local businesses, and we often do our errands on foot or by bicycle. It’s convenient, generally safe, and it’s a great way to avoid the stress of driving. We also appreciate the convenience of taking Caltrain, which we can access using either Palo Alto or Menlo Park train station.
Residents of the proposed Parkline site will be able to enjoy the same conveniences we do. Creating high density housing close to transit, shopping, parks, and other community resources is a step in the right direction: it’s an opportunity to create desperately needed housing and simultaneously reduce the climate impact of solo driving.
Concerns about traffic and parking should not derail the housing discussion. We can make streets safer for walking and biking. We can incentivize transportation alternatives. It’s the 21st century–time to move away from the post-war, car-centric model of suburban America. Many modern countries have already done this–we are behind the curve.
Stable, affordable housing is a basic human need. Those who want to ‘protect and preserve’ Menlo Park as it is today–or even roll back the clock to ‘the good old days’ will not welcome affordable housing, much less the extremely affordable housing that is so sorely lacking in our area. But theirs should not be the only voices in this discussion! You will not hear from those who, through no fault of their own, have been priced out of the area or who couldn’t afford to live here in the first place.
The Parkline project provides an opportunity to dedicate land to affordable and deeply affordable housing. The City should seize this opportunity to move toward a more walkable, bikeable, and diverse community, and help Menlo Park grow into a more desirable place to live for future generations.
Best regards,
Katherine Dumont
Dennis Irwin
