Author: Marlene Santoyo

On June 18th the City Council held a study session on the Environmental Justice Element and Safety Element of the General Plan. Menlo Park is following a new state law requiring an Environmental Justice element of the city’s General Plan to create policies and investments to address our history of environmental injustice and to create the plan with leadership from communities impacted by environmental injustice.

During the study session, the Council provided vital feedback to the draft element that included: strengthening language and commitments to action, anti-displacement strategies to secure safe and stable housing for renters, access for residents to resources at the Belle Haven Community Campus, and improving indoor and outdoor air quality. Significantly, Council approved $1 million towards Environmental Justice implementation in the budget.

Next steps: 

• Project team will revise Environmental Justice and Safety Elements based on the feedback and prepare for an adoption hearing tentatively scheduled for Fall 2024
• What we’ll be looking for in the revised document:
  • Strengthened Language and Commitment – Emphasized accountability, prioritization, and accessibility in the action plan with clear timelines and metrics to achieve intended goals. 
  • Timely and actionable programs to advance the top three community priorities: safe, sanitary and stable housing, reducing pollution exposure and improving air quality, and access to high quality and affordable food
  • Consolidated Document – Consolidated version of the goals, policies, programs, timeline, and action items, all in one dual table that can also be accessed online will allow transparency and accountability. 
  • Elevated and accelerated Anti-Displacement Actions 
  • Strengthened programs and actions based on the top 3 community priorities that include providing safe, sanitary and stable homes, reducing pollution exposure and improving air quality, and promoting access to high quality and affordable food.  

Below is the full list of feedback that council provided on the draft Safety and EJ Element. 

Safety Element:

• Add a program to evaluate the earthquake risk of “soft story buildings” in which the residence is above an open parking garage,  Hold a study session on existing regulations around bio science lab space.  Connect sea level rise and climate change with the safety element using local Hazard mitigation plan data.
• Include business districts in disaster and emergency preparation plans
• Clarify property owner responsibility for soil remediation 
• Focus on specific updates now and plan for a broader update during the San Mateo County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

Environmental Justice Element: 

1. Strengthen Language and Commitment: 
   • Emphasize accountability, prioritization, and accessibility in the action plan with clear timelines and metrics.
   • Clarification on terms like “should” and “must” to balance commitment without over-committing. For example, the suggestion to add bathrooms to parks may not be feasible for every location.
2. Anti-Displacement Strategy:
   • Elevate legal counsel representation and tenant protections.
   • Incorporate community-based organizations in the work.
3. Concierge at Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC):
   • Dedicated personnel located at BHCC to connect residents with city, county, state and federal assistance.
   • Support a satellite viewing at the BHCC and make public city meetings more accessible.
4. Consolidated Document:
   • Consolidated version of the goals, policies, programs, and action items, all in one dual table that will be accessible online.
5. Budgeting:
   • Support the use of the Bayfront mitigation Fund ($1 million) for initial EJ element action items.
6. Additional Items: 
   • Enhance access to healthcare, higher education, and Wi-Fi
   • Expand on indoor and outdoor air quality
   • Explore no-smoking policy in downtown 
   • Provide information on cooling centers and community resources for extreme heat

Sunday, September 18th at 4:00 pm

Hybrid: Belle Haven Library and Zoom

Join us and Belle Haven Empowered for a chat this Sunday on the history of education in the Ravenswood City School District (RSCD) and Sequoia Union High School District (SUHS). We will discuss the impacts of segregation on the RCSD and decisions made that affected the district’s funding. We will also discuss SUHD’s decisions that segregated our high schools and their impact. 

The Belle Haven Empowered initiative hosts a series of conversations (chats) throughout the year designed to bring Belle Haven neighbors together to share information and discuss topics important to the community. By increasing community involvement in the city’s decision-making and working together for common goals, we can strengthen our voices and representation. 

Please invite your family and friends interested in learning more about the history of Belle Haven and the educational systems to register for this event.  We look forward to seeing you there.

More informational updates and events to be discussed during the chat include:

• Belle Haven Community Development Fund 
• Resource Fair
• Climate topics and events highlighting Environmental Justice
• New JobTrain Digital Literacy courses 

Join: Pam D Jones and Juanita Croft at the Belle Haven Library or on Zoom. 

When: Sunday, September 18th, 2022 at 4:00 pm

REGISTER HERE After registering, you will receive an email with information about how to join this Kitchen Table Chat.

Are you Invested in creating 100% affordable homes for veterans and their families in your community? 

Join your neighbors this upcoming Monday July 18, 2022 from 6:30 – 7:00 PM to chat with MidPen Housing Corp about the new Veterans Affairs affordable housing proposal! 

Veterans Affairs have selected MidPen Housing to create affordable, multi family homes on their Palo Alto Health Care System Campus (view map below). This is your opportunity to learn about the proposal and provide your feedback! 

This proposal will provide 61 of much needed affordable and supportive homes for Veterans and their families who are unhoused or at-risk in your community. The homes will be available to households earning 30-50% of the Area Median Income ($55,900-$93,200 for a family of four). The homes will be a part of a 2-3 story building – consisting of 54 one-bedroom, 4 two-bedroom, and 2 three-bedroom homes; an additional two-bedroom will be set aside for an on-site manager. The larger homes will be for Veterans with families and/or their in-home caregivers. 

We had our first in-person General Meeting, at Flood Park. It was great to spend the time on a beautiful day, hearing about important housing, transportation, and environmental justice challenges in the context of our local history. 

We heard from decades long Belle Haven residents and community leaders, Juanita Croft and Pam Jones, who shared their first-hand experience with, and analysis of, our local history and the legacy of residential segregation and environmental injustice.

We also heard from Cade Cannedy of Climate Resilient Communities and Marlene Santoyo of Menlo Together and Menlo Spark, about environmental justice and how we achieve it.

Folks were very interested in discussing the Housing Element and Environmental Justice Element process which is ongoing in our city right now, as well as ways to support new affordable housing at the former Flood School Site and the SRI Site Parkline Project.

Engage with us and our partners!

• Environmental Justice & Safety Element 
  • View the Environmental Justice and Safety Element slide deck
  • Soon to come – resources into Belle Haven’s history as presented by Juanita Croft and Pam D. Jones.
  • Learn more about Climate Resilient Communities and sign up for the newsletter
• Housing Element – Use Your Voice to Advocate for Equity:
  • Review our May 26th Draft Housing Element Workshop by viewing the Slide Deck or Video
  • Share our petition with family and friends: 
    • Supporting more affordable homes at SRI Parkline
    • We support affordable homes for teachers and staff at the Flood School site
  • Sign up to receive email updates from Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
  • For more background on the Housing Element process, read our blog post  here 
• Learn more about the original inhabitants of Menlo Park, the Ramaytush Ohlone 

On May 26 we held a Zoom workshop about Menlo Park’s draft Housing Element: a planning process required by the state every eight years in order for cities and other municipalities to plan for homes at all income levels.  

The purpose of the workshop was to share context and information to advocate for a Housing Element that supports our vision of an equitable, integrated, diverse, multi-generational, accessible and environmentally sustainable city.

We reviewed the draft Housing Element and discussed opportunities to advocate to the City Council at their June 6 meeting. Participation is critical – by both homeowners and renters. We must use our voices to ensure future housing that meets the needs of our community, now and over the next decade.

Thanks to everyone who attended the workshop and to those who wrote letters, made phone calls, or provided public comment at the City Council meeting.

Here are some helpful resources from the workshop:

• Presentation slide deck and video
• Our comments on the Housing Element site strategy and policies and programs 
• Draft Housing Element (pro-tip: if you’re interested in, for example, housing for large families, use “ctrl-f” to find “large families” in the document)
• June 6 draft Housing Element staff report and meeting video

The City of Menlo Park is pursuing a state grant through the Active Transportation Program (ATP) to fund pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements along Willow Road between Bayfront Expressway and Highway 101. This project includes a new pedestrian crossing at O’Brien Street and separated bikeways on both sides of Willow Road. For more information, visit the City’s Willow Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements project page.

Menlo Together supports the city’s mission to improve transportation alternatives, enhance safety for bikers and pedestrians, and eliminate gaps in the walking and biking network. Read our full letter of support. 

We welcome you to take this short online survey to provide input on improvements the city can make to this plan. 

Join Peninsula For Everyone, Menlo Together, Housing Leadership Council, Silicon Valley Bike Coalition and other housing advocates to see where Menlo Park is planning to build new homes. This event is part of Affordable Housing Month.

An expert group of speakers will be there, including:

• State Senator Josh Becker
• Affordable housing providers Alta Housing and MidPen Housing
• Menlo Park Vice Mayor Jen Wolosin
• San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley

The tour includes several “priority sites” for the next eight years. You can bicycle the route, or follow in a car. We’ll have scheduled stops for those who want to drive or do not wish to do the bike route.

More Information

• What is a Housing Element? Check out our introduction to the Housing Element blog post.
• Event Hosts:
  • Peninsula For Everyone is a group that works to create a more inclusive and sustainable Peninsula by advocating for building more housing, better transportation, and protecting renters.
  • Menlo Together is a group of Menlo Park and Peninsula residents who envision a city that is integrated and diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally sustainable. We advocate for an accessible and inviting downtown Menlo Park with housing at all affordability levels, and with pedestrian and bike-friendly spaces, developed to be carbon-free.
  • Housing Leadership Council works with communities and their leaders to create and preserve quality affordable homes. HLC envisions a San Mateo County that works together to build inclusive, equitable, and healthy communities where all people can access safe, affordable homes and the resources needed for their families to thrive.
  • Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s purpose is to create a healthy community, environment, and economy through bicycling for people who live, work, or play in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. We envision a community that values, includes, and encourages bicycling for all purposes for all people.

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The Ravenswood City School District is proposing to produce affordable housing on their property at the former Flood School Site (321 Sheridan Drive in Menlo Park). District staff would have first priority to live there.

In addition to producing much-needed affordable housing for education staff, the project would generate sustainable revenue for the district on the order of 1-2% of their current budget. Read the school district’s proposal .

Menlo Park, like all Bay Area cities, is currently drafting its Housing Element — the plan for where and how affordable homes can be built over an 8-year period. The City has identified the former Flood School site as having the opportunity to produce some of the 1,500 affordable homes required by the state for this cycle.

On Tuesday, May 3 at 7pm, the City of Menlo Park will hold a public input meeting about the project.

Here are ways you can support affordable housing for teachers and school staff:

• Attend the meeting and make public comment.
• Write a letter of support to Housing Element Project Planner Calvin Chan with the subject line, “Housing Element Update – Support for RCSD Housing Project at Flood School Site.”
• Add your name and affiliation to this letter of support.