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On Thursday, Nov. 14, the city of Menlo Park deemed the application for the controversial “builder’s remedy” project at the 6.7-acre site of the former Sunset Magazine headquarters complete, according to an email update from Menlo Park. The project will now be reviewed by city staff for compliance with all applicable city and state development standards. Menlo Park staff have also begun the California Environmental Quality Act environmental review process.
The developer of the controversial project at 80 Willow Road, N17, has been going back and forth with the city since May 24, 2024 when the first formal application for the project was submitted. The city deemed the project incomplete several times, and the developer resubmitted plans several times until it was finally deemed complete.
This determination of completeness does not mean that the project will necessarily go forward as proposed, it simply means that “all application materials have been submitted,” according to the city webpage on the project. Like all projects, this project will now be reviewed by city staff for consistency with all applicable development standards, as well as all applicable environmental standards under CEQA. Builder’s remedy projects, though exempt from certain local development standards, are not exempt from environmental review.
Renderings made public by the developer show that the project, dubbed “Willow Park,” would consist of three towers that contain 665 housing units if approved as proposed. There would also be more than 350,000 square feet of office space, a Montessori school, a 130-room hotel and nearly 40,000 square feet of retail space.
Plans show that the tallest tower would reach heights of 37 stories, or 446 feet tall, which would make it the tallest building in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco if built as proposed. Plans show that the second tower would reach 33 stories, and the third tower 18 stories.
The proposal for the large development has drawn much ire from neighbors in surrounding communities due to its scale.
The site at 80 Willow Road is now owned by a company controlled by Vitaly Yusufov, who is the son of former Russian energy minister Igor Yusufov, according to the Wall Street Journal. The ownership of the site by Yusufov has also raised concern among neighbors.
Community member Brielle Johnck circulated a petition against the development that sported 724 signatures as of Friday morning, Nov. 15. Additionally, a new community advocacy group called Menlo Forward formed in October, specifically to tackle the development at 80 Willow Road.
Johnck and her husband, former Menlo Park mayor Steve Schmidt, say that the Willow Park project will only add to the city’s housing burden.
“This project will add to the housing crisis Menlo Park and the region is experiencing. The office portion is too large and the housing portion is too small,” said Schmidt in an email to this news organization. “These builder’s remedy projects violate the fundamental goals of the State’s housing advocates. We need simple bills that require housing but without (the) office buildings that are always included. Housing yes; office no.”
Plans for the large development were submitted under California’s builder’s remedy provision, which grants a streamlined process to developers in cities that do not have state-approved housing plans. This allows developers to bypass certain local zoning rules that dictate things such as height and density; developers are then able to create projects that they could not build otherwise.
The state certified Menlo Park’s most recent housing element on March 21, 2024. However, the state’s certification does not nullify builder’s remedy proposals submitted to the city before the housing element was fully compliant. N17 submitted an initial proposal in July 2023, before Menlo Park had a compliant housing element.
This news organization has reached out to Oisín Heneghan, founder of N17, as well as Menlo Park city staff for comment.
Learn more about plans for Willow Park at the developer’s website, willowpark.life.
Now the hard work starts…: MP residents interested to oppose should have organize and immediately engage a CEQA attorney like Camas Steinmetz to review all MP CEQA city reports 1/Historical review that could be debated and go all the way to CA supreme court for final determination 2/ Native American artifacts found near the property along San Francisquito Creek Menlo Park residents should engage Indian tribes and sick support 3/ San Francisquito Creek impact/underground parking will be reviewed by San Mateo County 3/ Water, Sewer Capacity, Traffic and Wildlife Studies. Prepare for years of battles. I agree that housing is needed and should be created on site while following CEQA determinations but not with those ugly out of place buildings that has a lot of office space that nobody needs that will look in everybody’s backyard all around. No privacy.