Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the smoke and poor air quality is back. Coupled with the rise of the Delta variant, this is a time of great stress for many. I urge you to rest when you need to, and to be kind to yourself and others. And when ready, to find meaning in these challenges and motivation to take action that will improve the health and welfare of all in our community.
Photo of a gas water heater being replaced in Menlo Park District 3.
Tuesday night's Study Session on existing building electrification is expected to include three presentations, one from city staff, one from consultants explaining the results of an electrification cost effectiveness study, and one from the EQC (a City Council-appointed advisory body tasked with providing guidance on issues related to the environment) with policy recommendations. After the presentations, residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to make a public comment (up to 3 minutes long, subject to change). Once members of the public have spoken, the City Council will then ask questions, make comments and provide direction to city staff on next steps. Note: Due to the number of other items on the agenda, the current amount of time for this topic is 90 minutes. There is a chance that the item will need to be continued to a future date to allow for further discussion. Also note that Council study sessions do not include any votes. No official action will be taken on this item, other than providing general direction to city staff on next steps.
For those of you interested in/concerned about this item, I strongly suggest your read the staff report here, that includes the staff analysis, a memo from the EQC and the consultant's cost effectiveness report and underlying data. I would also recommend that you read "Gassed Out: How Building Electrification Now Means a Healthy, and Prosperous Menlo Park," developed by Menlo Spark, a local non-profit working to make Menlo Park carbon neutral.
Please refer to the full agenda here, to find out ways to share your thoughts on this important issue.
Menlo Uptown is a residential project located in the Bayfront area. It consists of 483 multifamily dwelling units comprised of 441 rental units and 42 for-sale condominium units and approximately 2,940 square feet of commercial space proposed to be used as an urgent care center, as part of the applicant's community amenity proposal. The project was approved by the Planning Commission on June 21st, but subsequently two letters of appeal were submitted to the City; one from City Councilmember Taylor and the other by Sequoia Union High School District. This agenda item will consider both appeals and determine whether or not the project receives final City approval.
The staff report contains extensive information about the project, the environmental impact study and other areas analyzed, and the appeal letters (including responses from City staff). The staff report also includes information about the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330) and explains the limitations the City has in its ability to deny and/or limit housing projects.
The 76 Gas Station, located at 710 Willow Road would like to modify its operations to allow the sale of beer and wine during limited hours (6am to 2am the following day), and to change their regular store hours to be open 24/7. These changes require a Use Permit from the City of Menlo Park. The Use Permit application was considered by the Planning Commission in March 2020, and both requests (to sell beer and wine, and to be open 24/7) were denied. The applicant has appealed this ruling to the City Council, who will make a final determination.
In 2018, Menlo Park transitioned from "At-Large" to "By District" elections. As part of this transition, a 5-District map was established (see above). Now, due to the new census numbers, all jurisdictions around the country must redraw their district lines (even though Menlo Park just went through this process in 2018). On June 29th, a study session was held on Redistricting, and Council gave staff direction to come back with a resolution to establish an Independent Redistricting Commission to develop and adopt district maps. Tuesday's agenda item will be to review commission criteria, potentially modify and then adopt the resolution. Once the resolution is adopted, stay tuned for information about the recruitment of commissioners to serve on this important body.
As I outlined in a previous newsletter, Menlo Park is in the midst of a process to update its Housing Element, the chapter in the city's General Plan that covers how and where Menlo Park will add housing over the next decade. This agenda item is a review of outreach efforts that have taken place up to now, and what is planned for the coming months.
According to the Staff Report, a community meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 9th to gather input on where housing should be added in Menlo Park. Note that the report includes a statement that, "much of the focus for additional housing sites will be located around the City and outside of District 1."
Residents are also encouraged to complete a short survey about housing in Menlo Park. The deadline to take this survey is TODAY, August 29th. The survey can be found here: https://publicinput.com/HousingElement.
Below are some additional items that may be of interest.
USGS Site Reported to Be Sold/Redeveloped Soon
Local news outlets have recently reported that the 17-acre USGS site, located on Middlefield and currently owned by the federal government, will be sold to the highest bidder in an upcoming online auction. To learn more visit the news stories from The Almanac and/or The Mercury News.
I will keep you posted as more information becomes available about the sale and/or plans for redevelopment. Stay tuned.
Menlo Park Residents Sought for
Finance & Audit Committee and Library Commission
Menlo Park currently has one vacancy each on the Finance & Audit Committee and Library Commission. Interested applicants must be a Menlo Park resident and at least 18 years of age. Applications and more information can be found here and the deadline to apply for these two current openings is September 15th at 5pm.
Don't Forget to Vote in the Gubernatorial Recall Election
Deadline to Vote is September 14th
Every vote counts. Please don't forget to turn in your ballot by September 14th. Also be careful to submit the official ballot, not the sample ballot (both arrived in the same enveolope and this is causing some confusion). For more information about this important election (aren't they all important?), visit https://www.smcacre.org/elections.
Caltrain Launching Biggest Service Expansion Ever - August 30th
In case you haven’t heard, Caltrain will implement a new, 104-train schedule with more trains than ever before and offer 50% off all tickets and passes for September. Hop on board with the return of the Baby Bullet express train and check out our coordinated BART transfer at Millbrae. Whether going to work, school or traveling for fun, check out what's going on at Caltrain!
For more details, visit www.Caltrain.com/AllAboard.
