Projects planned off El Camino Real in Menlo Park are approaching key checkpoints.
The Planning Commission has set a public hearing for July 24 on a proposal by the San Mateo-based O’Brien Group to build 135 apartments and 22,500 square feet of commercial space near the intersection of Oak Grove Avenue and Derry Lane. The hearing is set to start at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.
The final environmental impact report (EIR) for the project is scheduled to be available for public comment July 14-24.
The EIR will be on file at the main library and the first floor of the administration building at the Civic Center. Send comments to mefisher@menlopark.org.
Another proposal — one by developer John Beltramo to build a 26,800-square-foot office building and 16 townhouses near Valparaiso Avenue — was scheduled to be considered by the Planning Commission on Monday, July 10, after the Almanac’s deadline.
Check AlmanacNews.com for a news update.
If approved, the proposal is tentatively scheduled to go before the City Council at its August 1 meeting.
Merging dispatch centers now up to Menlo Park
Menlo Park and San Carlos police dispatchers may need to acquaint themselves with each others’ cities.The San Carlos City Council voted 4-0 on June 26 to approve a five-year contract that would transfer its four dispatchers to Menlo Park.
The dispatchers would become employees of Menlo Park, and dispatchers from both cities would be cross-trained, as they would take calls from both cities.
The Menlo Park City Council is expected to vote on the contract in the next two months, said City Manager David Boesch.
If the contract is approved, Menlo Park would receive $574,713 a year from San Carlos — a figure that would increase 5 percent annually.
The payment will cover the salary and benefits of the new dispatchers, and there will be no net cost to Menlo Park, Mr. Boesch said.
If the deal is approved, Menlo Park would have three, instead of two, dispatchers on each 12-hour shift, which would “increase the city’s backup capability,” he said.
Commissioners reappointed
The Menlo Park City Council’s June 27 meeting was a good night for commissioners seeking reappointment.
Transportation commissioners Rhoda Alexander and Eric Doyle were reappointed to terms that are scheduled to expire July 2010. The council voted 4-0-1 to appoint Ms. Alexander and Mr. Doyle. Councilman Andy Cohen abstained.
The council unanimously reappointed Thomas McDonough and Anna Zara to the Library Commission. Both terms are scheduled to expire July 2010.
Jeff Jahnke, a new applicant, was unanimously appointed to the Environmental Quality Commission. His term expires in August 2010.
