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The Menlo Park Planning Commission postponed Monday a review of a proposal by biotech company CS Bio to build a 120-foot-high, eight-story mixed-use building at 1075 O’Brien Drive. The commission was unable to assemble a quorum to consider the matter because three of the seven commissioners must recuse themselves due to professional ties to the proposal area, and one commissioner was absent.

Commission Chair Drew Combs works for Facebook and Commissioner Susan Goodhue works as a lawyer on Facebook matters. Since the O’Brien Drive property is close to Facebook’s Willow Road site, they are not allowed to participate in the discussions, according to Senior Planner Thomas Rogers.

Commissioner John Onken is employed as the architect on a nearby project at 1010 O’Brien Drive so was also recused from the discussion.

Since commissioner Katherine Strehl was absent, that left only three commissioners – Andrew Barnes, Larry Kahle and Henry Riggs – insufficient for a quorum.

“Katherine had told us in advance that she was going to be absent, but we didn’t think through the implications before scheduling the meeting – our apologies to anyone who might have been inconvenienced,” said Mr. Rogers in an email to the Almanac.

The discussion has been tentatively rescheduled for Monday, Aug. 14.

The proposal by CS Bio would have three stories of parking, four stories of office space, an eighth-story restaurant, a rooftop garden, a ground-floor cafe and an outdoor public access basketball court. The building would not house CS Bio’s facilities for producing peptides and peptide synthesizers, according to city staff.

&bull: Related story: Biotech company plans 8-story building in Menlo Park

A rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 1075 O'Brien Drive. (Image courtesy city of Menlo Park.)
A rendering of the proposed mixed-use building at 1075 O’Brien Drive. (Image courtesy city of Menlo Park.)

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2 Comments

  1. Drew Combs is currently serving as Chair, but he is conflicted because he works for Facebook. Combs should step aside when his term is up on April 30, 2018. There is too much development going on at and near Facebook property. Larry Kahle will bean excellent Chair, and Andrew Barnes should be the new Vice Chair.

  2. It’s interesting that three Planning Commissioners had to recuse themselves but @conflicted only criticized Combs.
    Could it be because Combs is a viable candidate for City Council in 2018? Combs is a good man and hasn’t done anything deserving to be singled out for criticism. He recuses himself when he needs to. There is nothing wrong with that.

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