Menlo eyes site for parking garage Menlo eyes site for parking garage (November 03, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

Plaza 3, on the north side of Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, is the best choice out of Menlo Park's eight downtown parking lots for building a garage, the City Council agreed on October 26.

As one of the largest lots, the 65,000-square-foot Plaza 3 has the most capacity to add new parking stalls, according to a report by consultant Watry Design Inc. of Redwood City. The council unanimously agreed.

With this direction, Watry Design officials will now continue their $50,000 parking study, developing a variety of design options for parking garages. These will help the council make the big decisions on design, such as how large the garage should be and whether it would be built above or below ground.

Some residents have said a subterranean garage is better because it would be less obtrusive and would open up the above-ground space for other uses, such as restaurants and cafes. Building below ground, though, is generally more costly, Watry officials said.

Bill Frimel, the business manager at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, which neighbors Plaza 3, told the council that he also supports building a structure there because of the church's parking crunch. An average of 4,800 to 4,900 congregants attended weekend services there recently, he said.

Mr. Frimel has said that officials from the Church of Pioneers Foundation, which owns buildings on University Drive that Menlo Park Presbyterian rents for student and children's programs, have talked to city officials about contributing to a garage if it's built on Plaza 3.

Results from the Watry study are expected to return to the council within three months, officials said.

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