Menlo Park: Public to weigh in on garage design ideas (December 08, 2004)

A range of design concepts for a parking garage in downtown Menlo Park, of different heights and sizes, will be discussed at a public meeting set for Thursday, December 9.

The City Council has chosen Plaza 3, on the north side of Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, as the best location for a garage. Consultants at Watry Design Inc. of Redwood City are working with city officials and residents to come up with the optimal design.

At the meeting, consultants will present a myriad of possibilities for a garage: above and below ground, with different numbers of stories and parking spaces, and with and without space for businesses built in, Watry Design principal Michelle Wendler said. Costs will vary by design.

While building below ground is typically more costly, some residents favor it because the garage would be less obtrusive and because the parking-plaza space would then be opened up for other uses.

The council chose the 65,000-square-foot Plaza 3 over the other seven downtown lots partly because it's one of the largest and thus is said to have the most capacity to add more parking stalls.

The December 9 meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at 701 Laurel St. For more information, call city transportation manager Jamal Rahimi at 330-6771.

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