These are upsetting times. We have seen democracy under attack at home, and now, abroad. I am grateful that I am able to participate in my country’s democracy and my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine. May peace prevail.
Warmly,
Jen
P.S. The picture on the right was taken in District 3.
City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 1st at 5:30pm
(Note: The meeting will begin with a 30 minute closed session.)
The City’s BMR housing program is intended to increase the housing supply for households that have extremely low, very low, low and moderate incomes compared to the median income for San Mateo County. The BMR guidelines govern the administrative practices of the BMR housing program in multiple areas including, but not limited to, development requirements, in-lieu fees, unit standards, interest list procedures, etc. This agenda item proposes several updates to the guidelines, including:
Accessible unit preference - expanding the preference of accessible units beyond only those in wheelchairs.
Live and/or work preference - eliminating the durational requirement that an individual has lived or worked in the City for a defined period of time and expanding the definition of worker to include paid and unpaid workers.
Displacement preference - expanding the displacement preference to all displaced persons and households that have lived within incorporated Menlo Park for at least three years or more, regardless of the exact date they resided in the City.
A second stage of BMR guideline edits related to commercial linkage fees, inclusionary requirement standards and in-lieu fees specific to inclusionary residential requirements is anticipated to come to Council in approximately six to eight months (subject to change) as part of the Housing Element process.
For more information about the City's BMR Guidelines, please read this item's staff report here.
Menlo Park Municipal Water supplies water to roughly half of the City, including parts of District 3. Per the Menlo Park Municipal Code, the City must enforce any drought regulations adopted by the State Water Board, or drought-related actions imposed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Given the level of drought, the following seven measures are prohibited statewide:
Applying water to outdoor landscapes that cause more than incidental runoff (e.g., excessive application, negligence, intentional overflow.)
Washing vehicles without an automatic shut-off nozzle.
Washing impervious areas unless it addresses an immediate health and safety need.
Irrigating turf and ornamental landscapes within 48 hours of measurable rainfall (1/4” of rainfall) - does not apply to trees.
Using/filling/topping off decorative fountains, lakes, or ponds with potable water unless pumps recirculate water.
Irrigating turf on public medians.
Using potable water for street cleaning or construction site preparation purposes unless no other method is available (e.g., mixing concrete) or as needed to protect the health and safety of the public.
In addition, the City's declaration of a drought Stage 1 triggers a corresponding drought surcharge (if a drought surcharge is not implemented, the water fund may not meet target reserves and cover operating maintenance and capital expenditures). City Staff will be working over the next few months to educate water customers about the upcoming drought surcharge and conservation actions that should be taken.
For more information on this topic, please read the staff report here.
The Utility User Tax (UUT) was approved by a majority of voters at the General Election on November 7, 2006. The UUT imposed a communication users tax at a rate of 2.5%, an electricity tax at a rate of 3.5%, a gas tax at a rate of 3.5%, and a water users tax at a rate of 3.5%.
The proposed resolution outlined in the staff report confirms the following:
The Utility Users Tax (UUT) for fiscal year 2020-21 and fiscal year 2021-22 was and is necessary for the financial health of the City of Menlo Park.
The City is only able to maintain its City Council adopted reserve levels with the additional revenue from the UUT. Without the UUT, the City would be required to fund operations with additional transfers from fund balances or a further reduction in City services levels.
With the nearing completion of Stanford's Middle Plaza at 500 El Camino Real, Staff is proposing various safety improvements along El Camino Real between Middle Avenue and the Palo Alto border. In order to allow space for a concrete median between travel directions, that also enables a pedestrian refuge for those crossing El Camino Real, parking removal along certain stretches of the road is recommended. The parking removal will also make space for bike lanes to ultimately be added to El Camino Real (not part of the current scope of this item).
The staff report details the modifications proposed for El Camino Real, the number and location of parking spots recommended to be removed and the public and private parking alternatives in the area. Included in the staff recommendation is also a plan to implement one-hour time limited parking on College Avenue to provide alternative parking less than a block away for the four small businesses that primarily rely on the El Camino Real street parking.
Residents have raised concerns about inadequate lines of sight for drivers turning onto University Drive from Millie Avenue and Rose Avenue. Due to parked vehicles on the west side of University Drive immediately adjacent to these T intersections, drivers are forced to encroach beyond the stop bar onto University Drive before they can clearly see approaching vehicles from both directions. In order to achieve stopping sigh distances in each direction that follow transportation safety best practices, the Complete Streets Commission agreed with staff recommendations and on January 12, 2022, unanimously voted to remove a total of six parking spots along University Avenue.
This item is to hear an appeal of the Complete Streets Commission approval of the removal of the parking spaces. More information is in the staff report here.
Other Items of Interest
Below are some additional items of interest:
Middle Avenue Safe Streets Community Meeting
at Nealon Park (with Virtual Option) on Thursday, March 3rd at 6pm
The Middle Avenue Complete Street project proposes bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements along the entire length of Middle Avenue between El Camino Real and Olive Street. This project is of significant value to D3 because in conjunction with the Middle Avenue Bike/Ped Undercrossing, there will be a direct route across town to improve connectivity to schools, parks, grocery stores, downtown and residential neighborhoods.
To learn about the project, provide input before design begins, get answers to your questions and see local traffic calming examples, please attend a meeting on Thursday, March 3rd at 6pm. This is a hybrid meeting and community members can join via zoom or phone, or in person at Nealon Park (recommended, if possible). For more information, visit https://beta.menlopark.org/Citywide-calendar/Public-meetings/20220303-Middle-Avenue-Complete-Street-project-meeting.
Get Involved in Menlo Park's Redistricting Process
Final Maps must be Adopted by April 17, 2022
The Menlo Park Independent Redistricting Commission is seeking resident involvement in the redistrictng process. Residents are invited to use an online mapping tool to create and submit district maps with updated census data. If you like puzzles, this exercise is perfect for you. And even if puzzles aren't your thing, this process and your civic involvement is fundamental to democracy. To get started drawing maps visit https://districtr.org/event/MP-Maps. To learn more about the redistricting process, including information about upcoming Independent Redistricting Commission meetings (including one on March 3rd at 6pm), visit https://beta.menlopark.org/Government/Departments/City-Managers-Office/City-Clerk/Redistricting/Redistricting-process-and-FAQs.
Apply to Serve on a City of Menlo Park Commission
(Deadline April 13th)
Menlo Park welcomes and encourages residents' active participation through serving on a city commission. Advisory commissions examine issues of community interest and make recommendations to the City Council on policy matters. Applications are now being accepted for the following commission openings:
Have you joined the Wordle craze? Below is an incredible video created by an even more incredible D3 resident. In it, my neighbor and puzzle enthusiast, Jacob Cohen, solves seven Wordles in 25 seconds (70.02 game clock)! Learn how Jacob did it in his blog. You can also sign up to receive Jacob's homemade puzzles (he also authored a puzzle book) at Puzzles for Progress (he uses his talent to raise money for Malaria nets). Happy puzzling!
Video of Jacob Cohen solving seven Wordles in 25 seconds.
The Guild Theatre Reopens as a Live Music Venue
We have a running joke in my house. At night, when someone leaves the room, and another family member asks where that person is going, the reply is often "Going out dancing" (the person is often headed to put on PJ's...). Now, with the reopening of the Guild Theatre as a live music venue, we may very well be going out dancing, or at least listening to music.
One D3 resident texted me about Friday night's (2/25) show, "The Guild last night was amazing. The diverse crowd was alive, friendly and happy. My husband and I kept having to pinch ourselves that we were actually in Menlo Park - we walked there and got home around 11." Take that, early evening PJ's!
Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks Getting Rebuilt/Redesigned
For those of you who travel on Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks, you will soon be seeing some major changes/upgrades to the street. The County of San Mateo is embarking on a project that aims to create a vibrant downtown area for residents, merchants and visitors, and a rebuilt corridor with “smart” technology. While I'm most excited about the addition of bike lanes along the stretch, check out this County press release to learn all about the changes.
