I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year I am grateful for my health, friends and family, and wonderful community.
This week's theme is "continuation." Two big meetings this week are continuations of topics that were too extensive to be tackled in single sittings. On Wednesday night (tomorrow!) the Council will continue its deliberation on Willow Village that it began on November 15th, and on Thursday night, the Planning Commission will continue its discussion on the Housing Element that it began on November 14th. Note that both of these meetings are not at their regularly scheduled times, rather special meetings needed to be called.
This is a continuation of the November 15th Willow Village agenda item. At that meeting, the Council received staff and applicant presentations, heard public comment and then discussed the project for many hours. The meeting was continued around 1am to due to the late hour and to give the Council an opportunity to digest new information presented at the meeting. You can read The Almanac's coverage of the November 15th meeting here, and/or access the recording of the meeting here.
The staff report for Wednesday's meeting includes updates incorporated into the planning documents since the Council discussion on November 15th and further applicant project concessions that came out of that meeting. As outlined in detail in the staff report, these include:
Additional annual subsidy for grocery store through year five
Bayfront shuttle would be electric, if feasible, coordinated with other owners/users, and at 17 years City and applicant would meet and confer to discuss future operation and funding
Phasing plan modifications to frontload housing and amenities by moving up the start of residential buildings RS2 and RS6
Provide a longer term for the gap payment to offset fiscal impacts to the City if hotel is not built through a one-time payment at end of gap payment term or the end of the DA
Address on-site and off-site bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the CDP and/or map conditions
Increase funding for affordable housing with an offer of an additional $1M from the applicant and two payments instead of four payments
Include low carbon or electric alternatives to the proposed diesel generators if commercial available at time of purchase
Include a City project manager to facilitate project implementation and review
Allow for City and community use of the event space at the Meeting and Collaboration Space (MCS)
Include a financial penalty of 120 percent of the full cost of the Elevated Park segment over Willow Road if that portion is not constructed
Modify job training to include five job fairs in case of a hiring freeze
Include provisions for Elevated Park to address concerns about balloons and trash in the wetlands
Thank you to all community members who have written in to City Council, made public comment and participated in this planning process.
On November 17th, City Councilmember Mueller submitted a notice of resignation to Mayor Nash and the City Council. The notice of resignation specifies that City Councilmember Mueller’s resignation shall be effective upon appointment of his successor, but no later than January 1, 2023. The City Council has two options to fill a vacancy: either fill the vacancy by appointment or call a special election. This agenda item contains timing information for both options, and seeks Council direction on which option to pursue.
Other Items of Interest
Below are some additional items of interest:
Continued from November 14th
Housing Element Draft Environmental Impact Report & Study Session on Potential Zoning Ordinance and Amendments to the
Downtown Specific Plan at the Planning Commission
Thursday, December 1st at 7pm
On Thursday (December 1st), the Planning Commission will continue two items from its November 14th meeting related to the Housing Element: a public hearing on the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) and a study session on potential zoning changes in the Downtown Specific Plan area. The City is in the midst of a 45-day comment period for the DEIR that began November 4th and ends Monday, December 19th. Information about how to attend the meeting is on page one of the agenda here.
Light Up the Season Community Event at Fremont Park December 2nd at 5:30pm
The City of Menlo Park will host the Light up the Season community event at Fremont Park on Friday, Dec. 2, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. This free “winter wonderland” themed event will feature family-friendly entertainment, performances by Menlo Park youth (including my daughter and her dance group), wintry photo opportunities, free hot cocoa, and the annual lighting of the big evergreen tree. Join in the festivities rain or shine.
Upcoming Caltrain Grade Crossing Work
December 4th to December 22nd
From December 4th to December 22nd, Caltrain will be performing signal installation and testing at the Encinal, Glenwood, Oak Grove, and Ravenswood railroad crossings in Menlo Park. During testing, flaggers will be present to stop vehicular and pedestrian traffic as trains approach the crossing. Traffic may be stopped up to 5 minutes as crews test the crossing gates. Temporary signage will be installed to provide advance warning of flaggers at the crossings. Residents may hear additional train horns during testing hours.
To read more about the extent of the impacts, including work hours and Caltrain service levels, click here.
