Statement from 130+ Downtown Businesses
Some city officials have suggested that converting the parking plazas to housing would benefit downtown businesses through increased foot traffic. But that claim wildly underestimates the importance of easy car access for the larger community.
The following group statement makes it clear how the businesses feel: their livelihoods depend on the parking plazas.
It’s too bad no one asked them in the first place.
According to the 2022 Market Study, downtown Menlo Park serves the 380,000 people who live within a 20 minute drive.
Statement from 130+ Downtown Businesses
Dear Menlo Park City Council,
We, as downtown businesses, oppose the use of parking lots for high-density housing because it would impede our ability to serve the community. We hope you will consider alternative locations for affordable housing. Our businesses depend on it.
Respectfully,
360 Fitness Superstore - Daniel Duran
A Touch of Elegance - Hanh Ly
Abbey Carpet & Floor - Nancy A Stanton
Accent on Eyewear - Charles Martin
Aesthetx - Sydney Lehman
Afterwards - Katie Hanson
Aida Makeup Design Studio - Aida Morano
Alok Arora, DMD - Alo Arora
Alys Grace - Tiger Bachler
Andrea Yaley, DDS - Andrea Yaley
Angela Boutique - Vanneza Sandoval
Anthem - Julie Laub
Arthur Sharif and Associates - Arthur Sharif
Avant Optometry - Dr. Spencer Lau
Bagel Street Cafe - Kien Ly
Baskin Robbins - Seng Kaing
Belcan Architects & Engineers - Zoran Milenkovic
Better Hearing Center of Menlo Park - Mark Sanford
Bijoux Bijoux - Margie Klapper
Brean Capital LLC - Philip Johnston
Broadreach Capital Partners - Andrew Lam
Bow Wow Meow - Mitchell Bearg
Camino Coin Company - Adriana Reed
Care Indeed - Danielle Pryce
Chestnut Lane Hair Stylist - JK Gondara
Coffeebar - Greg Buchheister
Cold Stone Creamery - Shyam Venkatesan
Compass - Ron Gable
Dahl Dental Practice of Trishal Lamba DDS - Trishal Lamba
Derby Interiors & Design - Diana Deggelman
Design Matters - Julie Cavanaugh
Dirty Birds Collective - Johanna Goshorn
DH Medical Nail Services - Debbie Holloway
DJ's Hair Design - Erik Mollegaard
Douglas F. Kirkwood, CPA - Douglas Kirkwood
Draeger's Market - Anthony Draeger
Elizabeth’s Skincare Studio - Elizabeth Walter
Farmers Insurance - Charlie Porter
Feldman’s Books - Jack Feldman
Fleet Feet - Jim Gothers
Flegel’s - Brian Flegel
Foreviva Medical Clinique - Joelle Oshias
Fundamental Research Labs - Nico Christie
Gallery House - Peter Koltai
Gerry's Cakes - Sohrab Molavi
Gitane - Malika Parker
Giuntoli Accountancy Corp. - Remo Giuntoli
Gould-Jacobson Dermatology - Christine Ru
Grace Acupuncture - Christine Chen
Gray's Paint - Mark Rutherford
The Hagman Group Architecture - William Hagman
The Hair Mill - David Kiemish
Healthy Horizons - Sheila Janakos
Human IQ Salon - Human Avij
Hunter Douglas Gallery by Rebarts Interiors - Rebecca San Diego
Inspiration Day Spa - Mahin Shafai
The Industry Hair Artists - Dee Wallis
Innovations 4 Learning - Desiree Camarda
J.Hilburn - Trish Mitchell
K.C. Bradford, CPA - Kerry Bradford
Kendra's Spa - Kendra Dinh-Nhung
Kikim Media - Kiki Kapany
La Honda Advisors - Julie Levenson
La Migliore Salon - Showa Sahle
La Stanza Cucina Italiana - Angelo Cucco
Law Office of Arthur S Weil - Arthur S. Weil
Law Office of Peter C. Suhr - Peter Suhr
Law Offices Brian W. Newcomb - Brian W. Newcomb
Left Bank Brasserie - Kyle Murrell
LeVant Dessert - Maya Fezzani
Lorist Franz W - Franz Lorist
Lotus Restaurant - Phil Lam
Luminaire - Ann Vinayak
Luxuriant Realty – Tim Proschold
Mademoiselle Colette - Barbara Pinon
The Main Gallery - Fred Aron
McNair Group - Billy McNair
Medical Aesthetics - Gita Razani
Menlo Art Cleaners - Mike Wong
Menlo Asset Management - Clayton VandenBossche
Menlo Atherton Reweavers - Inocencia Smyrniotis
Menlo Cafe – Elvia Franco
Menlo Flooring - Eugene Perez
Menlo Joe's Shoe Repair - HK Lee
Menlo Oaks Capital - Patrick White
Menlo Optical - Mark Schmidt
Menlo Park Academy Of Dance - Sarah-Jane Measor
Menlo Park Ace Hardware - Vasile Oros
Menlo Shirt Laundry - Debbie Cho
Menlo Suite - Frances Claude
Mental Research Institute - Sophie Suberville
Mike's Camera - Matt Todd
Mish International - Robert Mish
Mountain Mike’s Pizza - Brian Moscini
MPX Strength Studio - Leigh Ann Quill
Mr Green Bubble - Jinghua Chen
Mrs. Khan Uyghur Cuisine - Kalbinur Tursunjan
Neil Dahl Jewelers - Neil Lamba
Oak Grove Chiropractic - Jo English
Oakwood Medical - Freba Hadaf
Old World Designs - Linda Mendenhall
The Oriental Carpet - Jeremy Dulewski
Pacific Peninsula Group - Brad Smith
Park Avenue Salon - Calvin Diep
Peabody Gallery - Elisa Spurlin
Peninou French Laundry & Cleaners - Karen O'Connell
Peterson Learning - Katherine Peterson
Piccola Bella Hair Design - Carolyn Rice Bissell
Playsteps for Developing Kids - Theresa Baumert
Posh Bagel - Ricky Lee
R. Glenn Kitasoe, DDS - R Glenn Kitasoe
Red Lantern Cycles - Matt Barkley
Repeter - Millie Talledo
Ristorante Carpaccio - Sandra Ferer
Rococo & Taupe - Keith Quiggins
Rollins Realty & Management - Rich Rollins
Roma - Emilio Demirkol
Royal Nails Salon - Skip Hogg
Ruby Living Design - James Littrell
Sah Orthopaedic Associates - Alexander Sah
Shypulski & Associates - Robert Shypulski
SJ Wiggins + Company, PC - Joanne Wiggins-Barros
Sky Nails Salon - Hung Xuan Dang
Soft Reboot Wellness - Sara Herman MD
Soluna Skin Care - Yelena Burstein
Speachy Learning Center - Mayra Cramer
Stacks Menlo Park - Andres Hernandez
Stephen Miller Gallery - Stephen Miller
Subway - Sardool Samra
Sullivan Design Studio - Linda Sullivan
Sultana Mediterranean - Matt Karucuban
Tavarez Orthodontics - Ray Tavarez
Techloop - Letif Mijiti Abudulietipu
Tilak Indian Cuisine - Dipesh Washi
Wellings & Co. - Bruce Wellings
Yves Delorme - Marika Karam
A Better Path for our Downtown
We all want a vibrant, modern downtown. But we don’t have to choose between new housing and a healthy local economy. Instead of converting the parking plazas to housing, the City should focus on:
Smart Housing Placement: Build housing in locations where new residents have access to the downtown without degrading access for everyone else.
End Vacancies through Flexible Zoning: The restrictive "retail-only" zoning is what keeps many storefronts empty. We can loosen these rules to allow a broader variety of businesses to move in, creating a more resilient and diverse downtown.
Maintenance & Beautification: Refresh signage, resurface pavement, add planters & shade, native landscaping, shaded seating, etc. - address the fundamentals which have been so long neglected.
These simple, practical steps will enhance the downtown experience and strengthen our local businesses. Stronger businesses will attract further investment, and our downtown will flourish.