Why We Need a Citizens’ Initiative

Our City leaders believe these parking lots are “underutilized.”

Drone footage of parking Lots 1, 2 and 3, going from El Camino to University Dr. on June 5, 2025 (2x speed)

They want to declare the lots to be “surplus land” and lease them to housing developers for a dollar a year.

Drone footage of parking Lots 1, 2 and 3, going from University Dr. to El Camino on June 5, 2025 (3x speed)

The City is asking developers to squeeze a minimum of 345 apartments on the 3 parking lots. The buildings could be up to 10 stories tall.

Developers say the replacement public parking would be relocated to a large parking garage or would require validation tickets.

And there are no requirements to provide parking for the new residents. Proposals call for a mere 1/2 space per unit. So hundreds of residents will be competing with customers for the public parking.

Parking Lot 3 as seen from the current link on Google Earth

Menlo Park’s downtown businesses depend on customers coming from miles away. If it’s not easy to park, people will shop elsewhere - and we will lose the businesses we love and depend on.

Parking Lot 3 as seen KPIX story.

Yet plans keep moving forward despite OVERWHELMING OPPOSTION from the people of Menlo Park and surrounding communities.

And so the people of Menlo Park have been left with no choice but to do a Citizens Initiative. If passed, any change in use of the downtown parking lots would have to first be approved by Menlo Park voters.

This is not about what. It’s about where. There are nearby sites that would be much more suitable for housing, such as the Civic Center parking lots or the SRI site …

New housing should have access to the downtown without obstructing the downtown.

WE CAN DO BETTER.