Menlo Watch: Decision planned on future of city's home-building rules Menlo Watch: Decision planned on future of city's home-building rules (May 12, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

After months of delay, the Menlo Park City Council is scheduled to make a decision Tuesday, May 11, on the fate of a contentious set of home-building rules that has sparked heated debate and deeply divided many residents.

Because a referendum petition against the rules was successful, the council must either repeal them or have the voters decide on the November ballot whether to do so. The petition was certified at the end of February, but a divided council opted to put off the decision on the rules' future, also choosing not to put the matter on a special ballot.

After meeting with residents, Mayor Lee Duboc now says she believes residents want to vote on the matter. Not everyone agrees, though. Councilman Chuck Kinney, for one, says he wants the rules rescinded.

The council approved the rules on a 3-2 vote earlier this year, with Ms. Duboc, Mickie Winkler and Nicholas Jellins voting yes and Mr. Kinney and Paul Collacchi voting no.

Putting the matter on the ballot could cost the city $22,000, city officials estimate. If the rules are repealed, by state law a significantly similar plan can not be re-enacted for a year.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 801 Laurel St.

Hardware store, social hall up for council vote

Should a joint plan to fill the old Menlo Park Hardware building on Santa Cruz Avenue with a smaller hardware store in front and a church meeting room in back be approved? That's up to the Menlo Park City Council on Tuesday, May 11.

The plan, proposed by the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, which is seeking more space for its overflow congregation, won a squeaker of a victory at the Planning Commission in March. Councilman Paul Collacchi, though, quickly appealed the decision to the council, saying that allowing a non-retail use in the prime downtown area is a choice that should be made by the council.

The hardware store is a permitted use in the retail-zoned area, but a social hall requires a use permit. The plan would have the hardware store fill the front 3,000 square feet of the 8,255-square-foot site at 700 Santa Cruz Ave.

Several residents and officials, including some planning commissioners and the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, say the meeting room could worsen parking and traffic troubles and be a less-desirable use of a retail space because it wouldn't bring in sales tax. Church officials, though, say teens and young adults using the meeting room would bring in business to local restaurants and cafes, and the church would pay an in-lieu fee to cover lost sales-tax revenue.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 801 Laurel St.

Don't close Glenwood, Encinal, staff says

Menlo Park city staff say it would not be practical to close Encinal and Glenwood avenues at the train tracks, a possibility some have supported in hopes of reducing the size of a proposed massive "grade separation" project.

Under the project, Menlo Park's four railroad crossings -- at Encinal, Glenwood, Ravenswood and Oak Grove avenues -- would be revamped to allow for faster and more frequent trains. The city staff's recommendation is to raise the tracks and lower the roads.

In an informational report being presented to the Menlo Park City Council on Tuesday, May 11, city transportation manager Jamal Rahimi wrote that closing the Encinal and Glenwood crossings would shift about 11,000 vehicle trips daily to the other crossings. This could snarl traffic and limit emergency vehicle access, he wrote.

The staff also advised against the "deep underpass" option for the crossings, saying that having the tracks remain at grade and the roads go deep below would require high retaining walls and remove access to private property.

With the recommended "split-level" option, further study has shown that the tracks only need to be raised about 7 feet, not 10 feet as previously thought, Mr. Rahimi wrote.

Public outreach on the plan is being conducted and more detailed renderings of the projects will be prepared, Mr. Rahimi wrote. Study sessions will be scheduled later this year at the Planning Commission and council.

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