In 2017, my kids' summer sleepaway camp burned down in the Tubbs Fire. Due to the fire and COVID, they haven't been back to their beloved camp site in years. Now the camp has been rebuilt, and this summer, with COVID precautions, they will return. This Earth Day, let us find resilience and inspiration, for us, our children and future generations.
City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 13th at 5pm
Tuesday (4/20/21) night's City Council's agenda is here. Like all City Council meeting agendas, it includes links to staff reports for each item, login/call-in information and ways to weigh in on the issues being discussed.
Below are just a few of the many agenda items coming before Council on Tuesday:
D1. Provide direction on the City's paving program and use of rubberized asphalt versus hot mix asphalt for future street resurfacing projects. Staff is seeking guidance on when to consider the use of a special repaving product that could reduce travel noise. The staff report outlines the costs/benefits of using the current paving material, hot mix asphalt (HMA), vs. rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC), and also outlines criteria (type of street, timing of project, etc.), that Council may want to consider when determining whether to use RAC over HMA.
D2. ConnectMenlo community amenities. In 2016 the City Council updated its General Plan with ConnectMenlo, which primarily rezoned the former industrial Bayfront area of the city. Part of the zoning allowed for "bonus" level development, which grants a project a greater level of intensity with an increased floor area ratio, density and/or increased height. In exchange for this "bonus", a community amenity would need to be provided to the community by the developer. This agenda item includes a recommendation by a City Council subcommittee on this topic, which involves revising the community amenities list, adopting an in-lieu fee, creating a "gatekeeper" application process and establishing a community amenities working group.
E2. Adopt Resolution No. 6621 to amend the 2030 climate action plan to include scope of work for 2021 implementation. At the April 6th meeting, the City Council provided direction to staff on work to perform in 2021 on the Climate Action Plan's (CAP) six actions. This item translates the April 6th direction into a resolution to include a scope of work for this year's CAP implementation activities. You can read about the direction given in The Almanac's coverage of the item here, or see pages E-2.12 & E-2.13 of the staff report here.
F1. Approve City Council 2021 work plan and identify top priorities. This agenda item contains Attachment A which is a list of projects the Council would like to make progress on this year. The staff report also contains a schedule of next steps, mostly related to the budget (projects that are prioritized still need to be funded!). For those of you following along on this process, May and June are key budget development months, with final budget adoption scheduled for June 22nd (note: the city's fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th). Thanks to those of you who have engaged in this process!
UPDATE from Recent City Council Meeting
Below are a few updates from the April 13th City Council Meeting:
K4: DIRECTION GIVEN, INCLUDING ESTABLISHING SEPARATE FUND FOR STIMULUS DOLLARS TO TRACK USAGE, CREATING AN INITIAL BUDGET WITHOUT USAGE OF FUNDS AND POSSIBLE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ABOUT HOW TO USE FUNDS. Approve framework for use of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
L4: COUNCIL EXPRESSED INTEREST IN A COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE (WITH ME AND MAYOR DREW COMBS). Housing element advisory committee formation update. (NOTE: APPLICATIONS FOR RESIDENTS TO SERVE ON COMMITTEE AVAILABLE ON CITY WEBSITE HERE.)
Other Items of Interest
Below are a handful of additional items that may be of interest.
City Advisory Body Recruitment Deadline Extended to May 7th*: Have you ever wanted to get more involved in local government? Now is your chance! Below is the list of upcoming vacancies* for various Menlo Park commission and committees. Deadline to apply is May 7th*. Information is here. *Note: A brand new committee is being formed: The Housing Element Community Engagement and Outreach Committee. The deadline to apply for this committee is May 12th.
Menlo Park Safe Routes to School Survey to Identify Safety Concerns - Deadline May 10th. The city is seeking feedback about safety issues around local schools. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey, which includes a map to identify any problematic locations. You can even upload pictures to show areas of concern. More information and the survey can be found here.
