Dear City Council Members.
I am a 36-year Menlo Park resident. I have only recently learned that the City Council may vote to approve plans to convert certain public parking lots near Oak Grove, and may act to approve up to 450 residential units. This is a dramatic and substantial change to Menlo Park which I believe will have appreciable effects on our citys struggling downtown businesses, as well as already problematic traffic patterns and parking availability.
I oppose City Council voting to move forward at this time. While the plan may be deemed to have merit, it should be fully vetted and considered by Council only after sufficient information about the proposed project is prepared and disseminated to Menlo Parks citizens. This should be done in a very deliberate and transparent way, with citizens having confidence that the City Council has acted only after considering relevant information and reports as to traffic and effects on business. Of course, that same information should also be made available to Menlo Park residents well in advance of any proposed action, and it should be made available in a fashion that reduces the risk that citizens learn about plans only at the 11th hour. Honestly, I feel we get more notice about tree removals and housing remodel projects than the significant project at issue here.
Please respect our desire to learn more about this project before rushing to approve it without adequate due diligence and informed public comment. Thank you.
