A controversial referendum drive against a recently-approved condo-commercial project in downtown Menlo Park has until Oct. 12 to gather 1,850 signatures.
About 50 people associated with Menlo Park Tomorrow, the residents’ group leading the referendum campaign, are working to get signatures against the City Council-approved Derry project, said Morris Brown, a spokesperson for the group.
If the group collects the required 1,850 signatures — 10 percent of the city’s registered voters — the council will be forced to rescind approval of the project or put it to the voters in a special election.
Mr. Brown would not disclose how many signatures have been collected, but estimated the group has spent “$5,000 to $10,000” toward the referendum campaign.
Some of the funds were previously raised by Menlo Park Tomorrow, and Mr. Brown said he has contributed additional funds. The group has opposed past development projects planned for the city.
The council voted 4-1 at its Aug. 29 meeting to amend the city’s general plan to approve the 135 condominiums and 22,525 square feet of commercial space proposed for a 3.4-acre site between El Camino Real and the train station.
The council gave the project final approval and officially changed the city’s zoning map by the same vote Sept. 13, greenlighting a ratio of 40 homes per acre and increasing the maximum building height for the site from 30 feet to 50 feet.
Too dense?
Referendum proponents argue that the council rezoning allows too many homes per acre, as previous zoning called for a maximum of 18.5 homes per acre.The council’s approval of the Derry project also included a general plan amendment and change to the zoning code for the former Cadillac dealership on the adjacent site at 1300 El Camino Real.
Although the 3.45-acre site hasn’t been rezoned like the Derry property, a proposal to develop the site with an equally high density would be consistent with the general plan. A mixed-use project with apartments and commercial space for the site is currently in early stages of environmental review.
Referendum proponents say that combined, the projects will lead to “the Manhattanization of Menlo Park.”
Mr. Brown said the residents’ group is willing to reach into its collective pockets to prevent the high-density development. “We may have to get really crazy if we have to,” he said.
Menlo Park Tomorrow has contracted for services with a petitioning group to help with the campaign, but Mr. Brown said outside petitioners were used only “temporarily” to gauge support for the referendum.
He said he’s unsure if he will ask the outside petition gatherers to provide further help. He would not identify the specific group used to help gather signatures.
‘Politically motivated’
Council members Lee Duboc and Mickie Winkler have labeled the referendum campaign “politically motivated,” citing a lack of public opposition to the project until it went before the council in August.“Nobody stood up to contest [the Derry project], and to me, that suggests it is politically motivated,” Ms. Winkler said. She noted the project was reviewed by multiple city commissions and the environmental impact report was available for public review.
Ms. Winkler and Ms. Duboc are running for re-election on a slate with Transportation Commissioner John Boyle. The three candidates oppose the referendum campaign, but their opponents — Vincent Bressler, Richard Cline and Heyward Robinson — support it.
Andy Cohen, the only council member to vote against the project, said he supports the referendum.
The project is proposed by the Foster City-based O’Brien Group. The group is working with the Derry family, which owns the land.
“We’re doing our best to be sure residents understand the facts before they decide whether or not to sign the petition,” said Jim Pollart, vice president of land acquisition and planning for the Foster City-based O’Brien Group . He noted that the O’Brien Group and Derry family have run advertisements in the Almanac, written letters to the editors of local newspapers, and asked volunteers to distribute fliers in favor of the project.
According to Chuck Bernstein, a member of Menlo Park Tomorrow, people assisting the O’Brien Group are “harassing” residents trying to collect signatures in support of the referendum. In a letter to the Almanac, Mr. Bernstein said he has been confronted by supporters of the Derry project, and at one point, an argument escalated into a shouting match.
Mr. Pollart said he had no comment on Mr. Bernstein’s letter.
