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The Menlo Park City Council is planning to review new zoning measures that could raise the allowable building density in some areas of the city to 150 units per acre at its Tuesday, Nov. 28 council meeting.
The discussion on changing city zoning conversation is part of the housing element update process that Menlo Park has undergone for the past year and a half. The original deadline to submit a housing element acceptable to California officials was Jan. 31, and its failure to get state approval has left the city open to penalties such as so-called builder’s remedy projects — like the high-rise proposal at the former Sunset Magazine headquarters on Willow Road — that can bypass the city’s development rules. Since Menlo Park still doesn’t have an approved housing element, if the council doesn’t pass zoning changes by Jan. 31 of next year, Menlo Park is exposed to further state penalties.
On the agenda at Tuesday night’s meeting are updates to the Affordable Housing Overlay, which allows developers to increase the density of a project if a certain amount of units are affordable. With the potential zoning changes the council will review, housing developments of up to 150 units per acre could become allowable in Menlo Park.
Other potential zoning changes include changing existing retail and non-residential districts to mixed-use zoning, which would open the door for residential development in areas it wasn’t previously allowed. The City Council is also reviewing increased density in areas zoned for apartments in Menlo Park, with one notable exception. The site of the former Flood School at 321 Sheridan Drive, a location that came under heavy scrutiny from neighbors who objected to the size of its plan for up to 80 units of teacher housing, will remain at the maximum density of 20 units per acre. That’s less than the 30 units per acre maximum proposed at other so-called opportunity sites for housing development. The Flood School campus also would not be eligible for the Affordable Housing Overlay.
The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County launched a petition to upzone downtown Menlo Park, which had 52 signatures as of 9 a.m. Nov. 28. The petition closes at noon today.
The Menlo Park City Council will review the potential zoning changes at the Nov. 28 meeting, starting at 6 p.m. Interested people can attend and comment in person at the City Council Chambers at 751 Laurel St. or via Zoom with the meeting ID 814 7839 7160.
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