After weeks of speculation, it’s been confirmed that Whole Foods Market is considering setting up shop at the site of Menlo Park’s abandoned Cadillac dealership.
What else could be built on the site, whether it’s office space or apartments, is still up in the air.
Jeff Warmoth of the San Mateo-based Sand Hill Development Co. announced at the council’s Aug. 28 meeting that his company is in talks with Whole Foods Market to build a store at the former auto lot at 1300 El Camino Real. The developer has built Whole Foods Market stores in Los Altos, Cupertino, and has several others planned for the Bay Area.
Mr. Warmoth said Whole Foods Market has not yet agreed to move to the site, but is the only grocer being considered. He said that if Whole Foods does not fill the space, the area will become some combination of general retail use and a restaurant.
Sand Hill Property’s current proposal, which is set to undergo environmental review in late September, includes plans for building a 58,850 square-foot grocery store and a two-story office building at the 3.45-acre site.
The plans also call for a 322-space underground parking garage, 98 at-grade parking spaces, and an 8,000-square-foot patio for outdoor dining.
Housing above store?
During council discussion of the Cadillac site, Mayor Kelly Fergusson resurrected the controversial idea of building housing at the former Cadillac site.Mr. Warmoth previously proposed building 135 apartments and 81,000 square feet of commercial space in buildings up to 60 feet tall at the site — a project praised by past council members, but not the current council.
Following the November election, councilmen Richard Cline, Andy Cohen and Heyward Robinson said the project, which called for 40 homes per acre, was too dense. At a March study session, they said the city should not consider projects greater than the maximum 18.5 units per acre permitted under the current zoning until a comprehensive plan for El Camino Real is in place.
After the feedback, Mr. Warmoth withdrew the project, and submitted his new proposal, which conforms to the city’s existing zoning.
But council members have struggled creating a plan for El Camino Real, and with regional groups pushing Menlo Park to build more housing, Ms. Fergusson urged Mr. Warmoth to include some kind of housing component to the project. She floated the idea of putting his previous, high-density housing proposal back on the table, and comparing the two projects in a study session — a concept Mr. Warmoth agreed to.
Mr. Warmoth said whether it’s a commercial and office project, or a condo-commercial project, Whole Foods Market could potentially fill the commercial space.
The council will discuss whether or not to hold such a study session at a future meeting.
The idea of revisiting plans for high-density housing at the Cadillac site drew immediate criticism from Morris Brown, head of Menlo Park Tomorrow, the residents group that led a referendum against the Derry project last fall.
“If you’re going to stack housing on top of commercial property, you’re going to get opposition,” he told the council.
Councilman Heyward Robinson encouraged Mr. Warmoth to include some housing in the project, but at a lesser density, similar to the Menlo Square development at Oak Grove Avenue and Merrill Street.
