On Tuesday, May 21, Menlo Park City Council responded favorably to an updated proposal for a mixed use development at the centrally located SRI site. The new proposal increases the number of homes from 450 to 800–in a location convenient to downtown, public transit, parks, and open space.
Affordability of these new homes will range from market-rate to rents that are affordable to people with extremely low incomes (lower than 30% of the median income in our area). Overall, 31% of the homes will be rented at below market rate, and up to 154 will be affordable to people with extremely low, very low, and low incomes through partnership with a non-profit housing provider.
There were dozens of public comments, in person and in writing, a large majority in support of the project including the additional homes overall and greater number of affordable homes.
City Council’s comments focused on interest in including affordable homes earlier in the timeline if possible, strengthening transportation demand management to reduce the share of driving, attention to the details of pedestrian and bicycle circulation and community spaces.
As next steps, the draft Environmental Impact Report will be published in June, the Planning Commission will review the EIR within a 45 day review period, and the City Council is expected to make a decision about the development this coming Winter.
In addition to including more homes and deeper levels of affordability, the new design provides for 46 townhomes, adding to the diversity of housing types. The new design improves street safety for bicyclists and pedestrians by limiting how cars can access the development from Laurel. Project amenities include walking and bike paths, open space, trees, and a dog park; for more information, see the project description and detailed plans at the city website.