What comes after Measure P (either way)
Whichever way the vote goes, downtown needs the same four things, and we need to stop fighting with our neighbors. Here is a plan to reduce the Housing Element liability we face irrespective of the Measure P vote and to get more deeply affordable homes actually built.
Four things downtown needs, whatever happens in November
Fix what is broken.
Downtown’s infrastructure is crumbling. Repair the broken sidewalks, replant the planters, refurbish the lighting and the street furniture, and build a real plaza where people can gather (this can happen with the road open or closed to cars). Spring cleaning that says, “this is a place that is cared for.”
Support the businesses here and the ones arriving.
Vacancies are down and filling. A yoga studio, a family activity center, and a wellness gym are already working toward opening following July’s overdue permitted-use changes. Keep bringing in businesses that serve the people who live here. And keep making policy decisions that allow those businesses to thrive.
Treat the cause of the vacancies.
Some storefronts have sat empty for years while the blocks around them filled. Consider a commercial vacancy tax, and enforce storefront standards on buildings that sit dark.
Work with the people already bringing downtown back.
Business owners, neighbors, and philanthropists are doing the work now. We have new traditions like Fourth Fridays bringing live music downtown in collaboration with downtown businesses. Let’s support more progress like that, with the City as a partner.
All four point the same way: thoughtful mixed-use, mixed-income development, with enough parking for people to come work and live downtown.
The amendment we need
Menlo Park is on track with its certified Housing Element, per the City’s July staff report. The downtown parking-plaza program is a notable exception. On that program, we have missed the interim deadlines already and will also not meet the program deadline coming in 2027. The City no longer needs this program and should amend it out before it becomes a liability. I drafted the amendment, and priced the alternative that gets us more real affordable homes sooner.
Most of Menlo Park is not on either side of the Measure P fight. You want a downtown that works, affordable housing that gets built, and a council that makes decisions that make sense. That’s Team Menlo Park.
About Team Menlo Park