Posted by Pat, a resident of the Menlo Park: Linfield Oaks neighborhood, on May 30, 2012 at 12:35 am

I've heard $15 million being talked about as a great deal for Menlo Park, and then I hear that it is $15 million over 14 years. That's only ~$1 million a year--always supposing that FB is still around in 14 years.

Posted by Peter Carpenter, a resident of the Atherton: Lindenwood neighborhood, on May 30, 2012 at 7:31 am
Peter Carpenter is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online

Given Menlo Park's total failure as the Lead Agency for the EIR on the Facebook expansion project the current situation was totally predicted and completely preventible.

Why didn't the City of MenloPark call an open meeting with ALL of the impacted jurisdictions at the very beginning of this effort to insure that everyone's issues would be on the table so that there would be an equitable mechanism for dealing with those issues - as is required by CEQA?

Posted by Menlo Park, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on May 30, 2012 at 10:22 am

Good question Peter.

Answer: incompetence, arrogance or a mixture of both.

Posted by WhoRUpeople, a resident of another community, on May 30, 2012 at 10:24 am

Anyone who attended or watch the MP CC meeting last night and listened to Chip Taylor's very clear and detailed presentation of Atherton's issue regarding Marsh Road now knows that what they want is for someone else to pay for an existing condition on Marsh that they want to change. The issue was raised on two previous recent projects during their EIRs, and in both instances, the EIR discounted the issue as a pre-existing condition and therefore not the responsibility of the project owners under CQUA. The FB EIR now makes three times. Three strikes and your out Atherton, if you want to make the changes on Marsh, pay for it yourself; including an EIR to make sure the change does not negatively impact any of your neighboring jurisdictions and that you fully mitigate destroying the heritage trees involved.

Posted by Peter Carpenter, a resident of the Atherton: Lindenwood neighborhood, on May 30, 2012 at 11:32 am
Peter Carpenter is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online

Wrong - the 'existing condition' works for the existing traffic.

Existing Peak Hour Volumes

7. Marsh Rd and Middlefield Rd AM Peak 22.6 LOS C PM Peak LOS 28.3 C

2018 projected

7. Marsh Rd and Middlefield Rd AM Peak 31.8 LOS C PM Peak 45.4 LOS D

2025 projected

7. Marsh Rd and Middlefield Rd AM Peak 36.1 LOS D PM Peak 55.0 LOS E

Facts are often just too painful for some people to acknowledge.

The Facebook project, as clearly noted in the EIR, will significantly change the traffic conditions at this location and that change is what must be mitigated.

Posted by WhoRUpeople, a resident of another community, on May 30, 2012 at 1:34 pm

So why have three separate EIR's in the past few years, most recently Gateway and FB, concluded this is an existing condition, and therefore exempt from CQUA mitigation requirements? Not being argumentative, just seeking to understand all views.

Posted by Peter Carpenter, a resident of the Atherton: Lindenwood neighborhood, on May 30, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Peter Carpenter is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online

The Facebook EIR DOES call for mitigation.

"7. Marsh Rd and

Middlefield Rd

Town of

Atherton

D LOS becomes E or F or 4.0 second increase to critical worst

approach if LOS is currently E or F"

"The proposed mitigation measures for the intersection of Marsh Road and

Middlefield Road include an additional southbound left turn lane and restriping

an additional eastbound receiving lane. The improvements would require

potential additional right of way, widening the edge of pavement for the

southbound direction of traffic into the existing landscape buffer, signing and

striping improvements, and relocation of utility poles and traffic signal poles

along the west side of Middlefield Road.

Prior to the Development Agreement approval, the Project Sponsor shall

prepare an updated construction cost estimate for the proposed mitigation

measures at the intersection of Marsh Road and Middlefield Road for review

and approval of the Public Works Director. Within 90 days of the effective

date of the Development Agreement for the East Campus, the Project Sponsor

shall provide a bond for the improvements in the amount equal to the Project’s

fair share contribution of the estimated construction cost for the intersection

improvements plus a 30 percent contingency. The Project’s fair share

contribution is estimated to be 30.4 percent."

The Gateway EIR also noted an impact which the City of Menlo Park simply ignored.

Posted by GOLLY, a resident of another community, on Jun 3, 2012 at 2:49 pm

How come people think Facebook has any chance of being around for even five years? I thank them for making me a ton of money shorting the stock.