DOWNTOWN PARKING PLAZAS INITIATIVE
A Once-in-a-Generation Decision Deserves a Vote
Ballot Wording
What The Measure Would Do
The initiative would establish an ordinance prohibiting the City of Menlo Park from selling, leasing, or repurposing any of the eight downtown parking plazas without voter approval.
If the measure passes and the City Council wants to pursue its current plan, voters would have the final say on a later ballot.
What The Measure Would Not Do
IT DOES NOT prohibit housing.
IT DOES NOT require a vote for improvements to parking infrastructure (parking structures, EV charging, better access, etc.)
IT DOES NOT apply anywhere other than the eight downtown public parking plazas.
Why Residents Should Have a Say
PERMANENCE
Building on the downtown parking plazas cannot be undone. Decisions of this magnitude should require voter approval.
SCALE
The proposals under consideration would fundamentally change the character of downtown. Residents deserve a direct voice in decisions of this magnitude.
COST
Developers have indicated that replacement parking could require tens of millions from City taxpayers. The people paying should have a say.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Downtown businesses depend on convenient public parking. Changes that could affect the economic health of downtown should have full support.
COMMUNITY CONSENT
The downtown parking plazas are vital public assets. Their future should be decided by the community they serve.
The Road to November
15% of Menlo Park's registered voters signed the petition to qualify the initiative— well beyond the required 10% — and the City Council voted unanimously to place it on the November 2026 ballot.
But the measure will face organized opposition from outside special interests that do not want the people of Menlo Park to have a say in the future of their downtown.
To pass this ballot measure, the people of Menlo Park will need to show up.
