Attend the Fire Board Meeting
TONIGHT - Tuesday, 7pm, Feb. 18 @ 300 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park
Join your neighbors to urge the Fire Department to assess the downtown housing plan.
Imagine what would have happened if the building below had been in the middle of our downtown.
Typically the Fire Department does not assess a development until after a developer has submitted a specific proposal. But in the case of the downtown housing plan, there would be no such proposals until AFTER the City has chosen a developer and declared the parking lots to be surplus land. At that point, there will be immense pressure to go forward with the development, and warnings from the fire department might be ignored. It is therefore critical that city planners have the input of the fire department BEFORE considering the developer RFQ submissions.
There are several reasons why apartment buildings in our downtown parking lots would pose a particularly high dangerous fire risk. Here are just two:
They would be surrounded by wood-frame, commercial buildings which would provide fuel for a fire.
Access to the parking lots is difficult, and the narrow space between the housing and the adjacent businesses would inhibit the ability for fire trucks to go where they are needed.
At the Tuesday meeting, members of the public will be speaking about this issue. Having a lot of people in attendance, even just watching, will make a strong impression (normally very few people normally attend fire board meetings!). So please attend to show the City how important this issue is to you. Add to your calendar here.
For the meeting agenda, zoom info, and information on speaking, click here.
Public comment is at the beginning, so arrive early to support your neighbors who are speaking.