City should urge Draegers to continue mediation City should urge Draegers to continue mediation (April 25, 2001)

The Draeger's family grocery store in downtown Menlo Park , long a landmark for upscale shoppers, is in a pickle. The store's loading dock at the corner of Menlo Avenue and Evelyn Street sits on property not owned by the Draegers, and the lease has run out.

The property's landlords are demanding a triple-digit rent increase that the Draegers evidently believe is excessive. And while the two parties' lawyers have continued to negotiate, ultimatums, including eviction notices, have been filed, including one that expires Monday, April 23, after this edition of the Almanac goes to press.

Unless an arrangement is made, the owners of the loading zone property could begin eviction proceedings against the Draegers this week, forcing the store to find alternative ways to bring in supplies and a new location to store garbage and recycling bins.

The answer for the Draegers was in a plan the company brought to the Planning Commission last week, which would drastically alter the parking and traffic flow around the busy corner of Menlo Avenue and University Drive, as well as at the rear of the store, on Evelyn Street.

To make it work, the store would move its garbage and recycling bins across Menlo Avenue to a parking lot, wiping out eight or nine parking spaces. Some trucks would continue to park on Evelyn Street as well, to gain access to existing service doors and a roll-up door that would be punched in the side of the store's brick faÁade fronting Menlo Avenue.

At the Planning Commission meeting, residents who live near the store understandably objected to the plan, citing the loss of parking and the likelihood that the area around the trash and recycling containers would not be kept clean. Commissioners also indicated they were concerned about the noise and traffic congestion the plan would create. The matter was continued for more than a month.

That time should be put to use by the Draegers and the owners of the loading-zone property to resolve the issue through mediation. Anyone who has faced a major rent increase can sympathize with the Draegers, who could see rent for the loading-dock parcel more than double, from $5,000 to $11,500 a month the first year, to $17,500 or $18,000 a month at the end of the five-year lease.

These appear to be exorbitant increases for a parcel that has few uses except to serve as the Draeger's loading dock. However, it is not up to the city to provide Draeger's a way out of this predicament, at least not yet. We agree with the Planning Commission that this dispute should be given more time to settle.

The ball is in the court of the property owners, Charles Troglio and Gloria Walker, and the Draegers. We urge both sides to continue mediation and get the issue resolved. Otherwise, the city may have to step in, and that might not make anyone happy.