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A decade-long drive to annex a 14-acre area of unincorporated West Menlo Park may finally progress after the Menlo Park City Council decided to keep the neighborhood’s quest alive at its Jan. 13 meeting.
For more than 10 years, homeowners in an unincorporated area bordered by Alameda de Las Pulgas and Santa Cruz Avenue, dubbed the West Menlo Triangle, have asked to join the city of Menlo Park, hoping to tap into city services like policing and public works.
“Honestly, we feel left out. We live here. We shop here. We eat here. But we can’t vote here,” said unincorporated triangle resident Kristen Kassai. “Living in this ‘no man’s land’ between the county and the city is confusing: sidewalks will stop abruptly and when we need help, we are reliant on a sheriff that is two towns over.”
City Councilmember Drew Combs has called the decade-long saga to add around 60 residences “embarrassing” for the city. It is the longest known annexation attempt in San Mateo County history.
Even though the area is tiny, comprising less than 0.2% of the city’s land area, city staff says the annexation process would take significant resources and has implied it could delay projects like the development of housing and parking garages on downtown parking lots.
There are quite a few steps before the neighborhood can officially become part of the city. The annexation needs to go through the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), which is tasked with regulating changes in municipal boundaries.
The city needs to prezone the area and amend its general plan, host at least two public hearings, adopt an ordinance, negotiate with the County of San Mateo about how property tax revenue will be allocated, get the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution and coordinate with LAFCo to host another public meeting and hear any protests.
City staff estimates the total cost would be $60,000. Staff is also concerned there may need to be a review under the California Environmental Quality Act, which would be an additional expense.
Residents have already paid over $10,000 in fees and asked the council for a waiver. Without it, residents would be on the hook for the cost to process the application.
Another resident said that, because it is part of the county, heritage trees are not protected the way they would be under city rules.
While Menlo Park officials previously expressed concerns over the cost of adding sidewalks and infrastructure, San Mateo County recently spent millions of dollars upgrading roads and pedestrian infrastructure along Alameda de Las Pulgas, leaving less for the city to do.
On Jan. 13, the City Council handed the annexation advocates a lifeline, and voted 3-1 to approve a fee waiver with Mayor Betsy Nash dissenting and Councilmember Cecelia Taylor absent.
A long history
West Menlo Triangle residents submitted an application to LAFCo in 2015 and the City Council added a broader annexation policy to its work plan in 2016.
In 2018, the city added the annexation to its work plan again and launched a subcommittee to negotiate with the county on property tax allocation. However, the subcommittee never reported back to the full council, citing staff vacancies.
By 2019, discussions with the county restarted, and a staff report said annexation would go before the City Council in early 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic started, the annexation process appears to have stalled.
City staff says most of the work done to this point will need to be redone, since so much time has passed.
Mayor Nash said that, given the city’s other major projects, she did not want city staff to spend time on it while other projects are delayed. Councilmember Combs countered by saying there will always be a limited amount of resources available and that finally processing annexation would be a way to regain public trust.
“I think it is an indication to people that city government works, because when you see something like this that has dragged on for 10 years … people can use it to say ‘government doesn’t work,’ ‘city government doesn’t work’ and specifically, ‘Menlo Park government doesn’t work,’” Combs said.
“So for me, I think there is a lot of value, aside from what has been shared, for us as a city to show and indicate that, ‘yes, we do work’ and ‘we can do basic things nowadays,’” Combs added.
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Good article. The map previously cited may not capture all of the non- county addresses. The non-county part of this triangle extends from the ‘Y” on Santa Cruz Avenue all the way to Palo Alto Way, perhaps even farther.
Betsy Nash continues to be a complete embarrassment to Menlo Park. This annexation is lower priority than her libtard vanity projects to make Menlo Park a more expensive and worse place to live? I think I’ll go utilize my clean burning natural gas water heater and take an extra long shower before she tries to outlaw natural gas again.
I have three major concerns with the annexation. 1. Will there be an increase in either property taxes or additional city taxes? 2. I am not willing to pay any fees to get this process started and completed. 3. Due to an outdated law in the City of Menlo Park, we would lose overnight parking on the street.
You’re on the right track. If you get annexed you’re not going to believe the regulations you’ll get dinged for. My neighbor has an oak that is literally crushing their foundation. Will the city let them remove it? Nope. And don’t try to ever park on the street overnight. You WILL be ticketed. And as far as additional taxes, I cannot believe you even asked that question.
after further deliberation, this is a recap of what I believe are the pros and cons of the annexation.
West Menlo Triangle Annexation: What It Means
Here’s what residents should know:
Potential Benefits
-Voting Rights: Residents would gain the ability to vote in Menlo Park city elections and have a voice in local governance.
-City Policing: Law enforcement may shift from the County Sheriff to Menlo Park Police, though details are still being finalized.
Drawbacks
-Parking Restrictions: Annexation could bring Menlo Park’s overnight street parking rules, requiring permits and limiting flexibility.
-Higher Costs: While the base property tax rate stays the same, city-specific fees (stormwater, lighting, etc.) could add $200–$600 annually.
What Doesn’t Change
-Access to city parks, libraries, and recreation programs remains the same—you already have full access today.
-Most services (public works, cultural programs) offer little to no new benefit compared to current arrangements.
Bottom Line
Annexation offers representation in city decisions but comes with added costs and stricter regulations. Residents should weigh voting rights against potential inconveniences and expenses.
You missed a few and were wrong about others:
1. “Access to… rec programs” If they become incorporated, they would pay reduced fees for programs and have higher priority on some waitlisted programs.
2. “City policing” it is basically guaranteed they would be served by MPPD. Not “though details are still being finalized”
3. Public services would change, especially public works. Menlo Park has higher standards for drainage, sidewalks and road conditions. While it would take a while, eventually the triangle would get better sidewalks and roads. Think about how long it took for the basic upgrades to the y-intersection.
4. Not only would they be allowed to vote, but they could serve on commissions as well. Also, do not underestimate the benefit of having a city council member representing you.
5. Better building protections: Menlo Park’s quiet hours and permitting rules would apply, which, among other things, means heritage trees would be protected.
6. Many people (to be fair, I don’t) see the parking restrictions as a benefit.
Personally, I think the triangle people should be annexed as a courtesy for waiting so long but after, the city needs to think about annexing the rest of west MP and Menlo Oaks. Of course, those should only happen if residents agree but I think the city could make a few exceptions. For example, the city could say that overnight parking is allowed in the new areas (until at least one election passes).
The reason why annexation is so important for the city is the massive amount of revenue the city would receive. You may think “well cities shouldn’t care about revenue and want about the added cost” My counter is that MP basically already needs to provide services for west MP. Think about the attempted school shooting, MPPD responded even though they do not get any money from west MP. At the very least, I think the county should sign a contract with the city so the sheriff no longer needs to patrol the unincorporated areas and MP will instead. (Maybe Atherton can also agree to help since their officers love the West MP starbucks so much). There was a quote from the meeting that I was very disappointed Mr. Margulis did not include: “The county is not in the business of running a city.” The county is required to take care of Unincorporated West menlo Park, but aside from that, they do not care and in many cases do not want to.
@LLESD Dad I am not sure I understand your comments regarding the recent school situation. MPPD SHOULD have responded because that is part of Menlo Park city. Philip Brooks and La Entrada are not county. I think you are over expanding your definition of West Menlo to support your weak justification for annexation.
How come it didn’t get done the first time???
I get why the triangle residents want to be annexed (increased property values and improved services), I am just not sure how MP residents benefit and why would we do this. It’s not like the triangle is a unique exception as there are larger unincorporated areas directly to the east and west.
They’re residents like the rest of us and deserve to be represented as such. Kudos for finally bringing them into the Menlo Park fold.
As for the overnight street parking, that’s why we have driveways. Additionally, removing overnight parking will ease traffic congestion on that stretch of Alameda, which is sorely needed.
@ Bill R your comment about easing the traffic congestion on the Alameda is now a moot point given the complete redesign and wonderful reconstruction of the entire Y project. Parking on Alameda is now safe and non-intrusive.
I don’t know what the residents of West Menlo Triangle are used to in terms of law enforcement, particularly with respect to traffic violations, but here in Menlo Park, my sense is that we’re used to having none of that.
You see the occasional black-and-white SUV, but they’re always going somewhere else rather than issuing tickets.
MPPD is a bastion of propriety … as it defines propriety. To serve and protect? It’s in their code, no doubt, and the chief is adept at plausible deniability when the serving and the protecting becomes unexpectedly open to question.
Don’t get your hopes up. This department has self interest in spades!
Every time I drive by the intersection of Santa Cruz and the Alameda there are at LEAST 2 Menlo Park police vehicles parked outside of Starbucks, and almost always a county sheriff vehicle as well. That has to be the safest intersection in all of San Mateo County. I don’t see what value these folks get from adding to their property taxes.
I’ve seen the reference to protecting heritage trees. I think people do not fully understand the county’s prescribe of trees. We recently built an ADU and the county had redefined tree protections and they are much more stringent in the past. I love in unincorporated Menlo Park quite close to the triangle, and our family prefers to remain county.
If the City says the annexation would only cost them $60k in admin, and if there are only around 60 parcels to annex, I’m surprised the Triangle homeowners don’t offer to pay $1,000 each to help cover the city’s expenses. Seems like a small price to pay and the neighborly thing to do, if they want to become full citizens of Menlo Park. Just sayin’ 🙂