With the holidays behind us, life seems to be rolling ahead full steam. I hope you are able to take some time to be good to yourself and enjoy the beautiful weather.
This week's City Council meeting will begin with a proclamation honoring Black History Month. I've included information at the bottom of this newsletter about a exhibit in Redwood City titled, "Black History is American History."
Agenda items include (Please note that only a handful of the many agenda items are featured below. For all items, please refer to the agenda.):
NEW TO REVISED NEWSLETTER: G3. Receive the annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.
City management is responsible for preparing annual financial statements which are subsequently audited by an independent auditor. This agenda item contains documents required by California State law, bond covenants, granting agencies and generally accepted accounting principles.
As stated in the Staff Report, "considering impacts of the novel coronavirus and its mutation (Delta variant) during the fiscal year 2020- 2021, the City of Menlo Park presents in good financial position. The City’s government-wide net position, as of June 30, 2021, is $501.76 million, up 0.3 percent when compared to the prior year." Many more details about the financial health of Menlo Park are covered in this item.
Climate Action Plan Measure #1: Explore policy/program options to convert 95% of existing buildings to all-electric by 2030
2022 Housing Element and related zoning code updates and documents
ConnectMenlo community amenities list update
Menlo Park Community Campus buidling
Reimagining Downtown
Caltrain rail corridor quiet zone analysis
Climate Action Plan Measure #4: Middle Avenue rail crossing and complete street
Note that the process of setting priorities is an annual one, and that the 2022 Council priority/work plan/goal setting process will likely be taking place in the next few months. Stay tuned.
How much do you think about the size of signs on buildings? Well, the Planning Commission thinks about it a lot. Three recent Planning Commission meetings have had agenda items on this topic, and now their recommendations are coming to City Council. This item is about how large signs should be in relation to a project's frontage.
Team Sheeper, Inc. currently operates the swimming pools at Burgess Park, and did so in Belle Haven prior the construction beginning of the new community campus (anticipated to open in 2023 with new pools). In this staff report, staff is recommending that Team Sheeper, Inc. continue to operate the Burgess pools for another year, while at the same time the City issues a RFP for an aquatics operator for both the Burgess pools and new Menlo Park Community Campus pools in Belle Haven, going forward. Note that the current provider, Team Sheeper, Inc., will be invited and encouraged to respond to the RFP.
At Tuesday night's meeting there will be two items related to how much water a new development will require (one for Willow Village and one for 1350 Adams Court), and how much that water represents of the water that Menlo Park Municipal Water (MPMW) is guaranteed to be supplied from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Regional Water System.
MPMW provides water to approximately half of the City. While MPMW has an individual supply guarantee of 1,630 million gallons per year (MG/yr), over the last five years it has only been purchasing between 52% and 66% of this amount.
The Willow Village project is anticipated to have a total increase in water demand on MPMW of 85 MG/yr, and 1350 Adams Court will have an increase of 4.8 MG/yr.
The staff reports for I2 (Willow Village) and I3 (1350 Adams Court) discuss the reliability issues of the MPMW water supply and how it is highly dependent on the potential implementation of the 2018 Bay-Delta Plan Amendment. The staff reports also outline the implications on the water supply in possible dry years and actions that would required to respond to potential shortfalls, with and without the Bay-Delta Plan.
Per the Staff Report, over the past several months, the City’s economic development consultants, HdL, have been preparing a Downtown Market Study. This staff report transmits the Downtown Market Study report and presentation to the City Council and the public. Staff and HdL intend to return to an upcoming City Council meeting to give the presentation providing an overview of the report’s findings and recommendations.
Other Items of Interest
Below are some additional items of interest:
The ABCs of ADUs - A Virtual Tour of In-Law Units - Monday, February 7th at 5:30pm. Register here.
Menlo Park Independent Redistricting Commission Meeting - Thursday, February 10th at 6pm. Meeting details here.
101 Express Lanes (from The San Mateo County/Santa Clara County line to Whipple Avenue in Redwood City) open on Friday, February 11th. The Express Lanes will operate 5am to 8pm, Monday through Friday. The lanes are open to all vehicles during all other times. FasTrak® is required to use the Express Lanes. To learn more about how to use the Express Lanes in San Mateo County, click here.
Menlo Park Housing Element Update Community Meeting about Goals and Policies - Saturday, February 12th at 10am. Zoom link here.
Running for Office: How and Why featuring San Mateo Councilmember Amourence Lee and East Palo Alto Councilmember Antonio Lopez - Tuesday, February 22nd at 2pm. More info here.
"Black History is American History" exhibit in Downtown Redwood City from February 5th to February 27th (closed Mondays) from 11am to 5pm at 890 Jefferson Avenue (Formerly Cost Plus World Market). For more information visit https://hoskinsblackhistorymuseum.org/.
San Mateo County Clerk Extends Hours for Weddings on February 14 (Valentine's Day ) and February 22 (022222). A marriage license for a wedding service and ceremony reservations are required, including the officiant for the ceremony. More info here.
Menlo Fire Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has announced upcoming trainings in February and March that are open to the community. All classes are free and require registration. Learn more about the disaster preparedness and first aid trainings by visiting the City of Menlo Park's webpage, or the Menlo Fire CERT site.
Menlo Park biotech company, Avellino Lab, is offering drive thru PCR swab tests seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The site is located by the office's west parking lot at 4300 Bohannon Drive. An appointment isn't required, but patients will need to register on site and will be asked for ID and health insurance (those without insurance can be tested through the CARES act). For more information, check out The Almanac's article about this.
New Stanford study published about methane leaks from gas powered stoves when they are ignited, and even when they're turned off. Check out the New York Times article about it titled, "Did I Turn Off the Stove? Yes, but Maybe Not the Gas."
City Council Meeting Schedule Change: The February 22nd City Council meeting is being rescheduled to March 1st (there will be 3 City Council meetings in March!). Therefore, you likely won't hear from me again for a few weeks. If any D3 news breaks in the meantime, I'll let you know!
