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The Menlo Park City Council is currently setting its top strategic priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. Since our five-person city leadership includes three new members, it’s especially important that this round they hear the views and preferences of a wide cross-section of residents and local businesses, way more than the small percentage of voters who attended a recent public workshop.
I encourage you to not only treat this blog post as an additional opportunity to share your ideas with others but also email them directly to the city council at city.council@menlopark.org.
What are your recommendations and the reasons for them?
I will start the ball rolling by offering mine.
My Recommendations
1. Grade Separations – complete a study of fully elevated grade separations, select a final grade separation alternative and apply for county and state funding.
2. Transportation Master Plan – Complete this planning cycle.
3. Downtown Parking – Investigate and approve one or more alternative solutions.
4. El Camino Real/ Downtown Specific Plan – Measure actual progress on proposed civic improvements and establish a 5-year timetable for completing outstanding ones. Review and update building regulations.
5. Train Station Area Civic Plaza – Complete a design study of the public plaza proposed in the Specific Plan (coordinate with grade separation planning)
6. Comprehensive Bike Network Plan – Update existing (2004), set priorities and establish a 5-year implementation schedule
NOTE:
You can view the status of each of the existing city strategic priorities as of December 2018 here.
1. Transportation Master Plan
2. Citywide Safe Routes to School Program (non-infrastructure)
3. Implement El Camino Real/ Downtown Specific Plan
4. Downtown Parking Structure
5. The Guild Theatre – Land Use Entitlement Approval
6. District Elections
Establishing quiet zones to get rid of the train horn. Would provide significant improvement in quality of life for so many residents near the train tracks. And very easy (and relatively low cost) to implement. Atherton has already done it!