Congratulations to all of the graduates out there!
While schools are winding down with the imminent arrival of summer, City business is as busy as ever. June brings an upcoming submission to the State of California of Menlo Park's Housing Element Draft for an initial 90-day review period, and the adoption of the annual budget (the Menlo Park fiscal year runs July 1st to June 30th). The City is also seeking feedback via surveys (see below) on a number of important issues (Environmental Justice/Safety Elements, Gas Leaf Blowers and Coleman/Ringwood Traffic & Safety). Please consider engaging on these key topics before you disconnect for summer (if you're lucky enough to do so!).
Also, don't forget to vote in Tuesday's Primary Election (info below) and please consider wearing a mask indoors while COVID rates are high.
My sweet dog, Skye, and I have have been hard at work reading and digesting the 708 (!) page Housing Element Draft. Monday (June 6th) night's Study Session will provide an (additional) opportunity for the public to comment on the document and for the City Council to give feedback prior to the City's Housing Element submittal to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). As a reminder, the City is in the midst of a 30-day comment review period which ends Friday, June 10th.
As outlined in the staff report, with consideration of State law, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements, and guidance by the Menlo Park community, including the Housing Commission, Planning Commission, and City Council, direction being sought by Staff from the City Council includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Do the goals, policies and programs of the draft Housing Element reflect an appropriate plan for housing in Menlo Park between 2023 and 2031?
Are the implementation timeframes and sequencing for proposed housing programs appropriate?
Does the site inventory represent an appropriate inventory of land suitable for residential development to meet the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirements?
Are there particular potential housing opportunity sites that should be added to, removed from or modified (such as a modification to increase or decrease density) on the proposed site inventory list?
Following Monday's meeting, Staff will evaluate feedback and incorporate appropriate revisions to the Housing Element Draft. The document will then be submitted to HCD for a 90-day initial review period. As the staff report states, "concurrent with the 90-day review period, staff will continue to move forward with updates to the Safety Element and development of the City’s first Environmental Justice Element. Both of these efforts relate to the Housing Element update process and will need to be considered collectively. Preparation of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Fiscal Impact Analysis (FIA) are also underway. These documents are anticipated to be released during the summer, and the Planning Commission will conduct a meeting to receive comments on the EIR during its 45-day public review period. Additional public outreach meetings will occur over the summer, with formal adoption hearings occurring in the latter part of 2022."
Menlo Park Budget Workshop Tuesday, June 7th at 6pm
On Tuesday (June 7th) night at 6pm the City will hold a budget workshop in order for residents and stakeholders to hear an overview of what is included in the City's annual spending plan and the five-year capital improvement plan. Community members will also have the opportunity to share feedback on how to allocate resources as the City Council considers the proposed budget. The zoom link and other information bout the workshop can be found here.
During the workshop, City Staff will discuss topics such as:
Overview of services provided by department
Baseline service levels and proposed service level enhancements
Budget changes and latest projections
The workshop will be followed by a June 14th City Council agenda item on the budget. The 2022-2023 budget must be adopted by June 30th, prior to the July 1st start of the new fiscal year.
Survey: Environmental Justice and Safety Elements
The City of Menlo Park is updating its required General Plan Safety Element and preparing a new Environmental Justice Element. These efforts are part of the Housing Element Update project.
You are invited to participate in a survey to help inform action on environmental justice (addressing the disproportionate exposure of marginalized communities to environmental harms) and safety (protecting everyone from natural hazards) in Menlo Park. The survey is available online from May 20 to June 30, in both English and Spanish. Three $100 gift cards will be raffled to survey participants. Click here to access the survey.
Survey: Gas Leaf Blowers and other Landscaping Equipment
Noise and air pollution from gas-powered leaf blowers concern Menlo Park community members. In 2024, California will ban the sale of new small off-road combustion engines (e.g., lawn mowers, string trimmers, chain saws and leaf blowers). Before then, Menlo Park is considering a ban on using gas-powered landscaping equipment.
While many in the community support banning the use of gas-powered landscaping equipment, the City wants direct input from landscaping and gardening professionals, specifically feedback about the potential effects on landscaping/gardening businesses. Any ban should be effective, fair and provide adequate transition time.
Not a landscaping or gardening professional working in Menlo Park? Please consider sharing this survey with those you know. The survey is available online from May 23 to June 20 and can be found here.
Survey: Coleman and Ringwood Traffic and Safety
The San Mateo County Office of Sustainability is preparing a study about Coleman and Ringwood traffic and safety. The goal of this study is to identify a conceptual street design developed with community input and engagement for Ringwood and Coleman Avenues that improves transportation, safety, and mobility for all roadway users.
As part of the study, the County is conducting a survey to better understand how community members use these streets to inform development of potential improvements. To take the survey visit https://tooledesign.github.io/ColemanRingwood/.
In Case You Missed It:
Reimagining Public Safety Town Hall Meeting on June 1st
On Tuesday, June 1st, the City held a Reimagining Public Safety Town Hall meeting to discuss learnings from district-based safe space meetings. In case you missed it, you can find a recording of this meeting here.
Election Day - Tuesday, June 7th
Primary Day is June 7, 2022. Menlo Park Vote Centers open at 9 a.m., Sat., June 4. Other ways to vote include:
