Traffic is terrible and getting worse. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission just released a report (find it at tinyurl.com/BA-congest17) that shows traffic has increased by 80 percent since 2010. And it is no wonder. Between 2010 and 2015, a reported 72,800 new jobs were created in San Mateo County, while only 3,844 new housing units were built, or 19 jobs for every home.
According to new Census data, over 500 new residents moved to Menlo Park between 2015 and 2016. Rents went up throughout the city, and in the same time period, the median income for renters went down.
Housing continues to be hard to find and even harder to afford in Menlo Park. Because we have created a wealth of jobs here in San Mateo County, there will always be people driving into our town to get to work. It may seem counterintuitive, but traffic congestion will not get better until we build more housing, especially affordable housing.
Menlo Park has contributed to the countywide jobs-housing imbalance, but we can also be part of the solution. Right now, there is an opportunity to build affordable housing in a prime location — close to downtown, and the Caltrain station. We should build affordable housing over the new Alma Street library. Or at least consider it.
John Arrillaga has generously offered to contribute $25 million to the library renovation. This is a wonderful opportunity, but let’s not miss out on the bigger opportunity. Libraries should be more than books. They should be community hubs, where families can gather and communities can come together. If we build affordable housing above the Alma Street library, we can create a truly inclusive community.
I respectfully ask the Menlo Park City Council to study the Alma Street library site, a public resource, for its housing capacity. Let’s see how many people we can house, using our current resources.
Menlo Park is a community with innovative and smart residents. Let’s work together to make our community stronger.
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