Welcome to a special edition of the D3 Download. This email is dedicated to the Menlo Park Housing Element Draft that was just released for public review on May 11th. We are now in the midst of a 30 day comment period for this document that ends on Friday, June 10, 2022. One of my top values as a Councilmember is to help residents and stakeholders be better able to engage with local government, so this email provides you with some guidance on how to approach the 708 page (!) Housing Element Draft.
If, at this point, you're asking yourself, "What is the Housing Element?" you may want to catch up on some of my previous emails about this topic (see below). The short of it it is that per State law, every 8 years, the City of Menlo Park (and all cities in California) must update its Housing Element, the chapter of its General Plan that outlines how Menlo Park will meet its existing and projected housing needs.
Jen's Catch-Up Emails/Video about the Housing Element
Assuming you're caught up on all things Housing Element related, you're ready to dive in to the actual draft document (over one year in the making). To help you acquaint yourself with the Housing Element Draft, and figure out how to approach and digest 708 pages of housing data, I have created a video that walks through how I'm thinking about it.
It is my hope and goal that after you've watched the video, you will be able to locate information and find answers regarding the following topics:
What are Menlo Park's Menlo Park's housing conditions and trends, and what are our community's housing challenges and needs?
Why are so many new housing sites required and how have they been selected?
How realistic/likely is it for each site to redevelop into the proposed amount of housing?
What are the polices and programs that Menlo Park will implement to enable the proposed housing?
How can I learn even more about housing in Menlo Park?
Ready to get started?
Click here (or the video image below) to access my video walk through.
Open the Housing Element Draft documenthere to follow along.
A few additional items to note:
Provide your feedback on the Housing Element Draft here. Deadline is June 10, 2022.
Monday, May 16th at 7pm - Joint Planning and Housing Commission meeting about the Housing Element Draft. Review the agenda and staff report here.
TBD - City Council meeting about the Draft Housing Element.
More information about the Housing Element is available on the City's websitehere.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to learn about the Housing Element and to engage in our civic process. Our city is what we make of it.
Warmly,
Jen Walks Through the Housing Element Draft
To access the presentation slides reviewed in the video, click here.
