SRI plans to construct office buildings, 800 homes, parks, and a network of new bike and pedestrian paths around Ravenswood Avenue.
The site belongs to SRI, a Silicon Valley-based non-profit research organization responsible for major technological innovations, including ARPANET—the predecessor to the internet—and solar energy. After 80 years of operation, the site has become partially vacant and the organization no longer needs all the land it owns. SRI has teamed up with Lane Partners, a Bay Area real estate developer that created Oakland’s Uptown Station, to develop Project Parkline. They plan to tear down six of SRI’s office buildings, leaving three still standing. SRI will occupy a number of the new office buildings, and the rest will be marketed to commercial tenants.
This plan has been in the works for many years, with SRI first planning to redevelop in 2013 before finding Lane Partners in 2019. Though the project is still evolving, SRI and Lane Partners aim to achieve final approval in February 2025 and start construction in 2027.
The first iteration of the project, proposed in October 2021, called for the construction of 400 new homes. That number doubled as community members advocated for more housing in accordance with state requirements. These units will be a combination of about 552 market-rate units and 248 affordable rental units.
“We want to have housing for teachers and firefighters,” said Jennifer Schindler, Vice Chair of the Menlo Park Planning Commission.
Despite the recognized need for more affordable housing in Menlo Park, some residents are worried about the potential disruption to the neighborhood’s aesthetics, which mostly consists of one- and two-story homes.
“This project really is more of an art than a science, but in development, we knew the community would want to see some real housing here. On the other hand, if you have six or seven story buildings, it can turn the tide and make people really oppose the project. Our biggest challenge on this whole project has definitely been finding that balance in the housing. What’s the right amount where you’re getting the impact and also the affordability?” said Mark Murray, head of Lane Partners.
Other residents are concerned about possible traffic congestion resulting from over 800 new residents, especially given the site’s proximity to Middlefield Road and M-A. However, much of the housing is adjacent to the Caltrain station. The project’s proponents hope the accessibility of public transportation will reduce the strain on traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.
“One of the reasons this development is so fantastic for our cities is that it’s happening so close to the train station,” said Schindler. Schindler noted other ways to mitigate traffic impacts, including bike racks, carpool incentives, and electric chargers, and free train passes. “That hasn’t been negotiated, but those are the kinds of things that they can do to help mitigate the traffic impact,” she said.
Lane Partners will reportedly decommission a natural gas cogeneration plant, also known as a power plant, responsible for 10% of Menlo Park’s carbon emissions annually on the site, replacing it with cleaner and more efficient electric power. The high housing density will reduce sprawl and create more open space.
In addition to constructing a network of bike and pedestrian paths across Menlo Park and near M-A, SRI and Lane Partners plan to add class four bike lanes on Laurel Street, meaning there will be a physical barrier separating cars and bikes. Project leaders hope this will encourage residents to reduce their car usage.
“For M-A students, it’s not just being able to bike through the site, but also having a really nice environment to spend time at,” Murray said. “If you’re going to school or coming home, this will be a really nice environment and also a new neighborhood in the city.”
Schindler hopes that by attracting new residents to Menlo Park, especially young ones, the project will revitalize the downtown area. Many retail spaces along Santa Cruz remain vacant after businesses shut down during the pandemic.
“We just need to bring in people of different backgrounds. You shouldn’t have to be ridiculously wealthy to live in Menlo Park, which is the norm,” Schindler said.
