Letter to City Council - November 25, 2025
Regarding Deliberations on Citizens Initiative

Dear Mayor and Council Members,

We would like to offer some context that we hope will inform your deliberations regarding the Downtown Parking Plazas Ordinance Initiative.

We believe this initiative can play a constructive role in the housing process by creating an opportunity for broader community engagement on decisions that will fundamentally shape our downtown.

What the Initiative Does

The initiative does not prohibit housing on the downtown parking lots. It simply requires voter approval before the lots can be repurposed, ensuring that any redevelopment of this critical downtown infrastructure has broad community support.

Equally important, the initiative process has revealed widespread community concerns that were not adequately addressed in the original Housing Element planning, including economic impacts, fire safety and emergency access, livability for future residents, and infrastructure capacity. These are practical reasons the City should avoid over-reliance on the parking lots and begin thoroughly exploring other options now, regardless of the initiative's timing.

Revising Housing Elements Is Common Practice

State law explicitly allows cities to revise their Housing Element as needed. In fact, the City of San Mateo submitted amendments just last month after determining that several sites—including parking lots—could not be relied on. This is a routine part of Housing Element implementation.

Menlo Park can similarly add additional opportunity sites to increase flexibility and reduce dependence on any single location. Adding sites now would speed things up down the road should the parking plazas not prove viable.

It is also important to remember that the 2031 deadline is for planning capacity, not completed construction — a point that is often misstated.

Menlo Park Has Better Options

Menlo Park has multiple city-owned parcels as well as private development opportunities that were not fully explored in the initial Housing Element process. These sites were passed over largely because of an early preference for the downtown parking lots, without full comparative analysis of impacts or feasibility.

We have also heard suggestions that these alternative sites should be "saved" for the 7th cycle. However, the City's obligation is to plan for the 6th cycle. Reserving feasible sites for future cycles — thereby creating an artificial shortage in the current one — would be inconsistent with state Housing Element law and HCD guidance.

A Path to Better Community Engagement

Housing Elements are intended to evolve with broad public input. Unfortunately, meaningful community dialogue did not occur around the decision to use the downtown parking plazas — a decision that will fundamentally reshape our downtown and affect thousands of residents, businesses, and visitors.

We believe this Citizens Initiative can provide a framework for more inclusive engagement going forward.

Whether the measure is adopted outright, placed on the November 2026 ballot, or decided with a special election, we hope the Council will view the Citizens Initiative as an opportunity — not an obstacle — for deeper dialogue and wider participation by the people of Menlo Park in this important process.

Respectfully,
Save Downtown Menlo