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A proposal to redevelop a 23,500-square-foot site in the heart of Menlo Park’s downtown into a three-story mixed-use building is scheduled for review by the Planning Commission at its meeting tonight (Sept. 17).
The proposal by owner Vasile Oros, who also owns Menlo Park Hardware, is to replace 706-716 Santa Cruz Ave. – now occupied by Union Bank, Juban Yakiniku House and a computer repair store – with a three-story building that has underground parking, retail on the first floor, office space on the second floor and condominiums on the third. In all, Oros seeks to build 23,454 square feet of office space, 12,035 square feet of retail space, four housing units and 65 parking spaces. The housing units would be three-bedroom for-sale units that range from 2,127 to 2,472 square feet. The proposal would comply with the downtown height limit of 38 feet, according to a staff report.
In August 2017, the Housing Commission agreed unanimously that the developer would be permitted to pay $311,000 in fees to meet the city’s below-market-rate housing requirement.
In December, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposal and had many questions about how to address safety concerns on Chestnut Lane, located behind the building, and suggestions to improve the proposed building’s appearance.
Since then, Oros hired a new architect, San Francisco-based Form 4 Architecture, Inc., to redesign the project. The new design has a different architectural style, a relocated garage, an added second level of underground parking, and an increase in office space with a decrease in residential space, though the same number of units is planned.
The Planning Commission is scheduled only to host a “study session” on the proposal; it will give feedback on the project, not vote on whether to approve it.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the Menlo Park City Council chambers at 701 Laurel St. in the Civic Center. Watch the meeting here or access the agenda here.
Previous coverage:
● January 2017: Menlo Park: 3-story, mixed-use building may arise downtown
● August 2017: Menlo Park: Three-story downtown building proposal clears another hurdle
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Check your facts. Union Bank moved out last month.
What was the result?
The DSP and Vision process stated clearly the community preference for retaining the feeling of a “small town” while also rejuvenating what is there and filling empty lots on El Camino.
How in the world would the aesthetics of this ever fit that description? The exterior looks like it belongs in an office park or big urban city.