The Ballot Measure
The City must not make irreversible changes to our Downtown without your vote.
Our Citizen’s Initiative would require Menlo Park voter approval before any repurposing of the public parking plazas. The initiative applies only to the 8 publicly-owned downtown parking lots - it does not impact the development process anywhere else.
MENLO PARK RESIDENTS:
To get our measure onto the ballot, we need to collect physical signatures from at least 10% of registered Menlo Park voters. But we want to far exceed that! If you haven’t signed yet, you can do so at any of these downtown locations:
Afterwards, 1159 El Camino Real
Peabody Gallery & Framing, 603 Santa Cruz Ave.
La Migliore Aveda Concept Salon, 644 Santa Cruz Ave.
Stephen Miller Gallery, 800 Santa Cruz Ave.
A Touch of Elegance Nail Care, 1150 Crane St.
Menlo Shirt Laundry, 1115 Chestnut St.
Derby Interiors & Design, 850 Santa Cruz Ave.
Dirty Birds Collective, 1060 Evelyn St.
Signatures must be in person. The online petition does not apply.
What would the initiative do?
The proposed measure would pass the Downtown Parking Plazas Ordinance, which would require a public vote before the City can sell, lease, declare as surplus, or repurpose any of the eight Downtown parking plazas.
Changes that enhance or expand parking would not require a vote, nor would temporary events such as farmers markets. The ordinance would not block housing or anything else. It just puts control of these critical public assets into the hands of the people. If approved, the ordinance would apply retroactively back to May 15, 2025.
Will you help collect signatures?
We will need to collect signatures from 10% of Menlo Park’s registered voters. If you can help, fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you.
Why are we doing this?
Drone footage of parking Lots 1, 2 and 3, going from University Dr. to El Camino on June 5, 2025 (3x speed)
What are people saying?
Van Kouzoujian, Menlo Park Resident
“Downtown Menlo Park works because it’s accessible. The Parking Plazas are the infrastructure that makes that possible. If the City wants to change their use, the community—not just City Hall—should make that decision.”
Richard Draeger, Owner of Draeger’s Market
“Our market depends on customers being able to park nearby—especially older folks and families with kids. Loss of convenient parking poses an existential threat to businesses such as ours.”
Alex Beltramo, Menlo Park Resident
“This initiative simply says that any plan to diminish public parking Downtown should go to the voters. The plazas are public assets, and the public deserves a say before they’re lost forever.”
Vasile Oros, Owner of Menlo Park Ace Hardware
“People don’t just stumble into our store—they plan a visit. If they expect that parking will be difficult, they’ll go somewhere else. This initiative gives power to the people, so they can keep shopping in Menlo Park.”
Caitlin Darke, Menlo Park Resident
“As a real estate developer myself, I’m excited about ways Menlo Park can create more housing. But using the Downtown parking lots is a terrible idea. It would devastate our businesses.”
Mary Seaton, Woodside Resident
“Our family comes Downtown for everything—errands, lunch, grocery shopping, and church. I don’t want the City making irreversible changes without first asking the people of Menlo Park. That’s why I support this initiative.”
On May 15, 2025
We filed the Notice of Intent to Circulate a Petition with the City Clerk. 40+ supporters in attendance.