When it comes to planning for development in the city's so-called "light industrial" area, Menlo Park has decided it can't afford to wait any longer.

The city will begin working with three major property owners clustered near the intersection of Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway to develop a coordinated plan for a 130-acre area, per a 4-1 vote of the City Council at its March 31 meeting.

The property owners have said they want to get moving on developing vacant land and re-tooling their facilities to accommodate businesses in emerging fields, such as clean technology and life sciences. And the city is eager to accommodate companies that might produce sales tax revenue for Menlo Park, and provide jobs for residents in the nearby Belle Haven neighborhood.

The effort might preclude the city from accepting funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to design a transit hub. With plans to run commuter trains across the Dumbarton Bridge under-funded and on the back burner for now, council members said a new approach was required.

"It's clear that Dumbarton Rail, as a (functioning rail line), isn't going to happen any time soon, and I think we need to be prepared to act accordingly," said Mayor Heyward Robinson. Negotiations with MTC to fund the city's study have also stalled, though council members remained hopeful that the city would still have access to MTC money.

A transit station could be incorporated into the new coordinated development plan for the area, council members said.


Coordinated approach
The study approved by the council might include an evaluation of zoning amendments to allow for increased development, and the possible deployment of redevelopment funds by the city.

The owners involved General Motors, AMB Properties, and the Tarlton family have agreed to share the $800,000 bill for the study, which would take at least two years.

While saying they weren't interested in undertaking an exhaustive community-based planning effort, similar to the downtown/El Camino visioning/planning process, council members said they might like to add more of a community outreach aspect to the plan when they finalize the details at a later meeting.

Under the existing general plan and zoning ordinance, the three properties are allowed about 3.1 million square feet of development among them, with about 2.1 million of that already filled.

The coordinated approach to planning would allow the city to study possible impacts on traffic and the surrounding environment all at once, instead of in a piecemeal fashion, according to Community Development Director Arlinda Heineck.

Councilman John Boyle dissented in the vote, saying he would have voted to approve the study had he been assured that MTC would not withdraw funding for the transit study. In thinking they would be able to proceed with both studies, council members were trying to have their cake and eat it too, he said.


Housing
The city would also evaluate the need for new housing through the process. The state has asked Menlo Park to plan for the addition of 1,800 housing units through its housing element, a requirement that essentially has no teeth. MTC had said the city would need to add around 1,500 units near the transit station, but seemed to back off that requirement in a letter sent hours before the March 31 council meeting.

AMB has said it might be amenable to accommodating a transit station and housing development on its property, in exchange for zoning concessions from the city. But council members seemed conflicted about the idea of filling up valuable space in the city's revenue-generating "breadbasket" with housing.

Two of the city's housing commissioners, Elizabeth Lasensky and Patricia Boyle, spoke at the meeting to urge the council to consider the need for housing in the planning process.

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