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More than two years after breaking ground, work on the new Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC) in Menlo Park could wrap up in just a few days.
During a joint meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 28, the city Parks and Recreation and Library commissions heard a brief construction update indicating that the project is tentatively on track to garner a temporary certificate of occupancy on March 8.
That designation would allow Menlo Park to take possession of the site at 100 Terminal Ave., city staff said in a report. Staff would then be able to access the building to make final preparations such as installing furniture, having inspections and training employees, paving the way for BHCC to open to the public possibly before the end of May.
“We’re super excited that this long journey toward building a new community campus in Belle Haven is coming true,” Sean Reinhart, the city’s library and community services director, said during the meeting. “We really have arrived at the point where the project has entered the home stretch and should open in the spring.”
The 37,000-square-foot, two-level project broke ground in late 2021 and replaces the previous Onetta Harris Community Center on the same site.
Parks and Recreation Commission Chairperson Mayrin Bunyagidj told this news organization that the new center will serve all of Menlo Park. But at the same time, she said, BHCC represents Belle Haven’s “values, tradition and history. We’re very excited to see all the programming,” which will be multigenerational, and include youth services and a senior center.
In addition, she said, BHCC still keeps the legacy of late neighborhood activist Onetta Harris alive.
“This is our large home where we can gather,” Bunyagidj said. “We look forward to the new space in honor of Ms. Harris.”
BHCC’s recreation program assumed Harris’ name although a community campaign had lobbied for the whole complex to take it.
Initial programs and classes at BHCC would cover subjects and activities that Belle Haven residents have expressed interest in such as dancing, martial arts, financial literacy and job assistance, staff said.
BHCC, which also includes a library and an aquatics facility, is estimated to cost about $65 million funded by the city and Meta, the Menlo Park-based parent company of Facebook.
According to Menlo Park spokesperson Kendra Calvert, the city spent about $25 million on BHCC’s construction.
Meta contributed about $40 million to the project, according to company spokesperson Tracy Clayton.
“We are proud to have partnered with the city of Menlo Park and the community to make this project a reality,” said Juan Salazar, director of public policy at Meta.
