I'm still smiling thinking about the fun time I had at the Menlo Park 4th of July Parade and Celebration (see pics below)! It was such an uplifting event and it was wonderful to see so many community members of all ages and backgrounds enjoying themselves. A huge thanks to our city staff members who spent their holiday providing us residents with a great time.
More fun at Fremont park is planned this coming week as the City kicks off the Summer Concert Series on Wednesday, July 12th at 6pm with Luv Bomb. For all the details about the weekly concerts to come, click here.
Speaking of fun and festive, I had the great pleasure of dining at Canteen (part of the Springline development on Oak Grove and El Camino Real) the other night with a friend. Chef Greg Kuzia-Carmel, of Camper fame, and his staff treated us like family and their lavender lemon drop cocktail rivaled that of Flea Street Cafe (another one of my local favorites!). I highly recommend checking it out (and all of our local eateries)!
And now...onto the serious stuff...we have a packed agenda on Tuesday (7/11) night. This is the Council's last meeting prior to a summer break (our first one in years!). After Tuesday, our next regularly scheduled Council meeting isn't until August 15th. Unless something big happens, you won't be hearing again from me until the weekend before the next meeting...fingers crossed!
Wishing you all a wonderful month filled with good weather and even better times!
Warmly,
City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 11th at 5:30pm Closed Session will begin at 5:30pm, Open Session will Directly Follow
The meeting agenda includes:
Staff reports for each item
Login/call-in information
How to weigh in on the issues being discussed
Agenda items include (Please note that only a few of the many agenda items are featured below. For all items, please refer to the agenda.):
As the City gets closer to the Middle Avenue Bike and Pedestrian Crossing becoming a reality, necessary design modifications have surfaced. Agenda Item J1 outlines updates to the previous Council-adopted preferred design. The design changes are a result of two constraints that Caltrain is now imposing on the project. The new requirements, and associated design changes needed, are:
Constraint #1: A construction method that does not disrupt train service.
Impact: The depth of the tunnel will need to be lowered by three feet to allow a construction method that enables the train to remain in operation. This also impacts the location of the ramp and extends the length of the ramp on the Alma side of the tracks.
Constraint #2: The need for the ramps that access the tunnel to be located outside the Caltrain right of way.
Impact: The original design assumed that the Caltrain right of way could be used and included a tunnel length of 62 feet with the ramp starting at that point. The new requirement means that the ramp must be located outside the Caltrain right of way, which is 90 feet, 28 feet longer than the original length and even beyond the current fence line. In order to increase the amount of natural light into the tunnel, staff is continuing to work with Caltrain to see if the tunnel itself can remain 62 feet, with the additional 28 feet being an open area prior to the ramp. If allowed, the City would need to commit to installing a structural covering over the additional 28 feet if/when the right of way is required for Caltrain's rail needs.
The staff report for this item also contains an updated price estimate for the project of between $24 and $28 million, of which the City has secured $21.8 million in funding to date.
On June 13th and Jun 27th the City Council reviewed and then adopted the budget, and also discussed the five-year forecast for the City's General Fund. The picture painted of the City's long term fiscal health was not pretty, with expenditures outpacing revenues over the next five years and reserves being needed to balance future budgets (up to $20 million over the coming 5-year period).
In order to address the ongoing structural deficit (caused by the loss of the City's Users Utilities Tax [UUT] and increases to costs of providing high level services to residents), at the June meetings the Council directed staff to bring back potential revenue generating measures to consider. Agenda Item J2 is a study session to review and discuss the various staff-generated options, including:
Increase the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), aka Hotel Tax
Increase the Sales Tax
Increase the Business License Tax
New Utility Users Tax (UUT)
New General Obligation Bonds (GO)
New Parcel Tax
New Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFDs)
New Assessment Districts (ADs)
The staff report provides information about the level of taxes in neighboring communities, the voter approval thresholds required for each type and some analysis about the various options. As stated in the staff report, "A successful measure [possibly put on the November 2024 ballot] could provide the City time to implement a suite of budget strategies in early years of the forecast that better align expenditures and revenues, and preserve reserves over a longer time period. Successful revenue generation could also help the City avoid revisions to existing service levels that better align costs of service delivery with existing revenue sources."
In November 2022, State Senator Josh Becker presented a $4.5 million ceremonial check to the City of Menlo Park (see photo above). The funds were originally requested by Menlo Spark through Senator Becker's office to support low-income whole home electrification funds in the Belle Haven neighborhood. In March of this year, the California Energy Commission (CEC) informed the City that it could begin the process of claiming the money and a final agreement was provided by the CEC in late June. This agenda item provides signing authority to the city manager to allow acceptance of the funds. The staff will return to the City Council in August or September to determine the scope of work for expending the funds.
As part of the ConnectMenlo General Plan update in 2016, regulations were created to allow bonus level development (increased floor area ratio, density and/or height), in certain zoning districts in Menlo Park located in District 1. In exchange for extra development intensity, an applicant is required to contribute to community amenities in the area between Hwy 101 and the San Francisco Bay. The required value of the community amenity is 50% of the fair market value of the additional (bonus) gross floor area above the base allowable gross floor area for a parcel or project site. The applicant can choose to provide an amenity from a adopted list of community amenities, or can provide a payment in the amount of 110% of the community amenities value.
Amend sections of various zoning ordinances to clarify the process for determining the appraised value of bonus level developments and the required community amenities value for bonus level developments.
Update the previously adopted community amenities list for bonus level developments in the Bayfront Area.
The staff report contains both the wording of the ordinances to be updated, and the original, and proposed modified lists of desired community amenities. The proposed updated community amenities list was created by a City Council subcommittee made up of Vice Mayor Cecilia Taylor and Councilmember Betsy Nash and was informed by meetings with residents, developers and staff in informal discussions, as well as City Council and Planning Commission public meetings. The updated list generally covers four topic areas (outlined in greater detail in the staff report and exhibits):
Carbon-free transit and enhanced transportation
Community-serving retail
Energy, technology, utilities, and communication infrastructure in the Belle Haven neighborhood
Enhanced quality of life
In addition to Tuesday's item on this topic, staff is continuing to work on updated appraisal instructions that would further clarify the criteria for appraisals of bonus level development. These upcoming regulations are intended to clarify the appraisal review process, utilizing objective standards and ensuring that the community amenity value is identified earlier in the development review process. Those specifications are scheduled to return to Council on August 15th.
San Mateo County adopted an ordinance requiring the safe storage of fire arms in February 2019, and is encouraging all San Mateo County cities to adopt similar ordinances. Agenda M1 introduces an ordinance to the Menlo Park Municipal Code requiring that firearms in residences be stored in a locked container or be disabled with a trigger lock (note: the ordinance contains an exception for firearms carried on a person inside the house). A violation of the ordinance would be subject to enforcement through criminal prosecution and/or civil penalties.
This agenda item ratifies a three-year successor agreement between the City of Menlo Park and the Service Employees International Union Local 521 (SEIU). SEIU represents non-supervisory personnel across all city departments, a total of 136 current staff members. The staff report outlines the terms of the labor agreement, which results in an increase of $425,274 over the budgeted amount for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The average annual cost of the three-year agreement is approximately $1,071,150. As stated, "The terms of the successor agreement are an important component of recruiting and retaining quality employees. Competition for top talent is significant. Providing a compensation package that maintains the City's market position and provides incentive for promoting within the City supports retention of highly qualified and experienced staff."
Agenda Item N2 is an informational item, which means that no City Council action or extensive discussion will take place. The staff report describes steps that the City can take to reduce speed limits and it outlines upcoming actions related to speed reduction, including:
Bringing an ordinance to the City Council in early 2024 to reduce speeds on the following streets:
Bay Road (Marsh to Ringwood, Ringwood to Willow)
Middle Avenue (Olive to University)
Olive Street (Santa Cruz to Middle)
Ravenswood Avenue (Laurel to Middlefield)
Santa Cruz Avenue (City Limit to Avy/Orang)
Van Buren Road (Bay to terminus past Iris)
Bringing an ordinance to reduce the downtown speed limit to 20mph as part of the new proposed streetaries program
Exploring signs at entry points to Menlo Park indicating that the speed limit is 25mph unless otherwise posted (Palo Alto has these)
To illustrate the importance of slowing down vehicle speeds, below is a graph from the National Association of Transportation Officials (NACTO) that shows the exponential increase in likelihood of fatality as vehicle speeds increase.
Other Items of Interest
Below are additional items of interest.
Willow and Alma Quick Build Design Pilot at Complete Streets Commission Meeting on
Wednesday, July 12th at 6:30pm
The Complete Streets Commission will consider Agenda Item F1 on Wednesday night (July 12th) which involves the intersection of Willow Road and Alma in District 3. Over the last few years, staff has received feedback about near misses between fast turning southbound left turn vehicles (from Alma) and pedestrians/bicyclists crossing Willow Road. Staff is proposes a "quick build" pilot to test infrastructure changes at that location to improve safety for all road users. The pilot will use paint, flexible posts and other easily removed materials. Depending on the performance of the changes, staff could incorporate permanent improvements into future repaving projects in the area.
Learn About Heat Pump Water Heaters
Monday, July 17th at 7pm
Wondering what’s so great about heat pump water heaters and why many people are converting from polluting gas-powered devices? The Menlo Park Community Collaboration Sessions continue on Monday, July 17th at 7pm with a webinar to learn about the many benefits of this tried and true technology, and how to affordably get one installed at your home. This program is offered free of charge in collaboration with Menlo Spark and the 350 Silicon Valley Menlo Park Climate Team. For more information and to register to attend, click here. You can learn more about the Community Collaboration Sessions and view past events here.
