The Menlo Park City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday evening to move forward with its proposal to replace certain downtown public parking lots with affordable housing units. The meeting, which began at 6 p.m. and ended after midnight, involved a Council discussion and 103 public comments from community members.
In their decision, councilmembers agreed to release a Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, that solicits housing unit proposals for Menlo Park’s affordable housing plan. They also mandated that developers’ plans include sufficient parking for the public.
The initial agenda sought to reclassify city-owned downtown parking plazas 1, 2, and 3 as exempt surplus land—land not needed for parking—for potential construction of at least 345 affordable housing units while also approving the RFQ to solicit interest from affordable housing developers.
After hearing hours of public input, the Council only passed the RFQ, moving forward with the affordable housing units while tabling the land reclassification to spring, allowing room for further discussion.
If the land is not designated as surplus, no development will be possible. “I would not proceed with this project if I didn’t think this was the right path. I’m very excited to see what we get from the RFQ and what works,” Vice Mayor Betsy Nash said before voting.
The proposed units, located adjacent to Santa Cruz Ave., would be available to very low-income households earning 30% to 50% of San Mateo County’s area median income, or $58,750 to $97,900 annually.
The vote was postponed from the Nov. 19 Council meeting to allow more time for community outreach. The Council mailed thousands of postcards, sent emails, posted flyers, and held office hours.
The state of California requires Menlo Park to build 740 units of very low-income housing by 2031 or face fines between $10,000 and $50,000 per month. The city is also threatened by builder’s remedy, which forces cities without legally sufficient housing plans to approve housing development projects regardless of designated zoning for the land. This could potentially result in a proposal similar to the Willow Park project, a controversial plan to build high-rises that was submitted in July 2024.
In the lead-up to this meeting, petitions circulated online, with 350 signatures in favor and 2,935 in opposition. However, public comments were almost evenly split between both sides. Mayor Drew Combs extended the two-minute speaking time for certain speakers who were interrupted by heckling, mainly from those against the plan.
Parents, teachers, lifelong residents, and downtown business owners crowded the chambers to speak about their feelings on the housing project based on their experiences growing up and raising families in Menlo Park.
“We fear that when we raise a family, it will have to be somewhere else,” longtime Menlo Park resident Gil Bolster, who was in favor of the affordable units, said.
Prior to this meeting, there was no formal plan for installing replacement parking spaces. Combs cited resident concerns by assuring that new developments would contain sufficient parking.
General concerns included downtown’s walkability, high housing prices driving families to move away, workers making long commutes, and varying claims of the amount of parking currently available. Some identified the environmental harm of cars and the convenience of biking or living near a Caltrain station. Business owners from establishments including Draeger’s Market, Ace Hardware, and Menlo Park Academy of Dance expressed worries about decreased customers.
“It’s gonna increase traffic. It’s gonna destroy downtown,” Menlo Park business owner Randy Raphael, who was in opposition of the housing element, said.
Advocacy groups on both sides of the topic have stated interest in suing the city, leading some residents to say that legal challenges are inevitable no matter what the Council does.
Some opposed to the housing plan suggested the affordable housing be built across El Camino Real at the city’s Civic Center, saying it would cause less harm to downtown businesses. When this was previously proposed, a city general housing development plan explained the importance of keeping green and community space.
The RFQ will be released the week of Jan. 20. “It’s important to signal that we are serious about moving forward with the housing element,” councilmember Jeff Schmidt said during Council discussion.
