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Letter: Downtown property owners thank Councilman Cohen

As downtown property owners, we want to thank City council member Andy Cohen, the only voice on the council who not only heard and respected the concerns of downtown businesses, but also was bold enough to offer a suggestion that could have brought all parties together.

Sadly, the other council members chose not to follow Councilman Cohen's lead.

We (the downtown property owners) were once branded as "nay-sayers" back in 1988, after the failed attempt to create four downtown parking structures. A separate Downtown Study Group of property owners then formed to develop a realistic vision plan to create a thriving downtown business community.

As a result of its work, the residents of Menlo Park now enjoy Santa Cruz Avenue as an inviting, upscale shopping street, with shade trees in the median strips, safer traffic flow and additional parking on the avenue. Those same "nay-sayers" established the Sunday Farmers Market, which has since become a community institution.

Our hope is that the residents of Menlo Park will wisely evaluate all aspects of the Downtown Plan on the merits and consider the impact of decisions that are being made on their behalf. We appreciate the fact that at least one council member did that.

Above all, we hope that residents will not be swayed by ad hominem name calling but rather recognize that all of us have an important stake in our downtown.

Nancy Couperus and Mark Flegel

(The authors are members of the Downtown Property and Business Owners Vision Group.)