As plans to convert a senior home into a Marriott Residence Inn move forward, the Menlo Park Planning Commission will take a look at the project's architectural design Monday (March 4) and provide input on the proposed parking strategy. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in council chambers at the Civic Center at 701 Laurel St.

Sand Hill Property Co. is under contract to buy Casa de Peninsula, a 125-unit senior residential property at 555 Glenwood Ave., and convert it to a 138-room hotel, according to representative Reed Moulds. Of the 80 seniors who lived there when the sale was proposed, 57 had moved, while the remainder are waiting to see whether the City Council signs off on the project.

Branded as a Marriott Residence Inn, the hotel would provide extended-stay accommodations, with about one-quarter of the guests projected to stay more than a month. Analyses by the city and the applicant estimate the hotel would add an estimated $669,000 to Menlo Park's annual revenue, with approximately $616,000 to $656,000 contributed by the 12 percent transient occupancy tax approved by voters in November.

The city's new downtown specific plan requires 173 off-street parking spaces for a hotel of this size. However, the applicant proposes 113 spaces – 74 on site and 39 spaces on Garwood Way currently used by the senior home, but within the public right-of-way.

Although the City Council in October urged the applicant to consider partnering with the new owners of nearby 1300 El Camino Real, as well as Zip Car and Caltrain, to mitigate the amount of parking needed, Sand Hill Property said they think that's unnecessary at this time, according to the planning staff's report. The council has yet to vote on the project, but will have the final say on its fate some time after the Planning Commission review.


Click here to review the associated staff report.

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