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The Menlo Park Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Monday night, April 22, on proposed changes to the housing element of the general plan. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 701 Laurel St.
The commission will consider making recommendations to the City Council on several components, including:
■ Changing the land-use designation of four sites (1200 and 1300 blocks of Willow Road, 700-800 blocks of Hamilton Avenue, and 3600 block of Haven Avenue) for higher density housing.
■ Creating a new zoning district and design standards for higher density housing on key sites that could result in up to a net increase of 894 dwelling units.
■ Creating an affordable housing overlay zone for key sites and the El Camino Real/downtown specific plan area to establish density bonuses and other incentives for affordable housing.
■ Adopting incentives such as increases to density in exchange for structured parking.
■ Modifying the R-3 zoning district to provide greater opportunities for infill housing in designated areas around the El Camino Real/downtown specific plan area by increasing the maximum density to 30 dwelling units per acre on lots of 10,000 square feet or greater.
■ Modifying the secondary dwelling unit development standards for single-family residential lots of 6,000 square feet or greater to encourage the creation of more units.
Click here to see the meeting agenda, and here to see the staff report. Both are PDF documents.
This lets a second 2-bedroom home be built within 5-10 feet of the property line, even in singlefamily neighborhoods. How can this be?
shocked:
just how did you think low income housing worked? Land has value. The more housing you pack on a particular parcel, the less each housing unit will cost. Now do you understand why many are against the whole idea of low income or BMR housing?
I didn’t expect that our city would force us to accept more homes in single-family neighborhoods. Many of us scraped to be able to live here, having lived in far less expensive towns so we could save up and then move when we could afford it. We didn’t choose urban cities. We didn’t choose neighborhoods dominated by multi=family dwellings. So why is someone else forcing our neighborhoods to change this way?
With college-age children, I am sensitive to the challenge of them being able to live here. But we couldn’t afford to at their age, either.
“So why is someone else forcing our neighborhoods to change this way? ”
Because it’s mandated by the state. As wrong headed as it may be.
Personally, I think if all cities simply told the state to fly a kite the state wouldn’t do anything. There’d be too many cities to sue.
The state is requiring cities to allow 2 bedroom 1,000 SF 2nd units in single family neighborhoods? Or is that Menlo Park’s interpretation?
One of the best-hidden secrets is that this is all part of a comprehensive Plan Bay Area that focuses on the more affluent communities and endeavors to cram in as much “stack & pack” housing as possible.
I don’t know whether the forces behind this plan are well-intended social engineers or development interests that stand to profit tremendously, but I do know that this plan will result in a community that is very different from Menlo Park today. And as long as housing prices stay high, there will be incentive for build as many houses as they can.
Interestingly enough, Plan Bay Area doesn’t care about schools, recreational facilities, parks, retail, or any of the other amenities that improve the quality of life.
If this concerns you at all, please google “Plan Bay Area.” The effort to overbuild our city is coming from outside our boundaries, and we need to address it at its roots.