Limiting watering to night hours and limiting the amount of lawn seem like good ideas. Let's hope the lawn size applies equally to all sfr - for example 3,000 sq ft whether you have a 7,000 sq ft or a 40,000 sq ft property.

While we're on the subject of yards how about revisiting banning the use of leaf blowers - it's not just the pollution from the motors but the awful noise and all the dust and pollen blown into the air and on our homes. The ban should apply to all residential areas whether nits single family, apartment or planned unit development.

Thirsty --- you must be a newcomer to Menlo Park. Yes, leaf blowers should have been banned long ago -- the Collacchi/ Borak / Schmidt made an attempt but couldn't face down hundreds of those opposed, mainly gardeners and hardware manufacturers trying to protect their incomes.

Our present city council is going down as one of the very worst -- they are certain to be voted out of office this fall as they have fallen victim to listening to the present City Manager, who has been on an empire building scheme since his arrival and preaches nothing but "let's build it bigger and higher, to hell with the traffic, school impacts and how they affect us and neighboring cities".

In addition to trying to use the City's reserve funds to cover over his deficit spending, he has eliminated summary minutes for council meetings, thus making it difficult to know what is going on in town, and right now he is engaged in the old practice of holding the very important meetings regarding the Downtown specific plan during the holiday season, when he knows full well the public is engaged elsewhere with holiday tasks, and will not attend. Shame on you Mr. Rojas. Also beware of his advancing scheme to build a parking garage in joint cooperation with the Presbyterian church, of which he is a member.

He represents the worst and the present council is following along like puppy dogs. Especially irritating is the attitude of ex-Mayor Robinson, who talks forever, echos the City Manager's dogma. I just listened to the last council meeting, which was written up in the PA Daily News. Robinson, states a Nancy Couperus, who has gathered over 1000 signatures opposing some of the proposed downtown plan, is passing out lies and she is getting support and the City can't stop her. Robinson, deems he knows all, yet he does nothing put support the Bohannon project and its outrageous height , density and will result in grid lock if it ever gets approved and built. Present Mayor, Cline seems to be following along with Robinson these days, and his attitude at last Tuesday's meeting was disgraceful.

No, the present council is hopeless. We need a new council, we need a new City manager.

We don't need more silly restrictions, like worrying about water conservation, when Menlo Park already conserves very well.

Recall flags and referendum start ups are in the works. Its only 11 months until the next election cycle. Boyle, Cline and Robinson, should either all be recalled, if we can't wait that long, or at the next election all three removed from office.

Good luck with that recall old timer. The days of old rich property owners making decisions in dark rooms is over. And you with it.

If you think the Bohannon project was not made in back rooms you don't know anything. He has been promising the City the world and has engineer the project of the Century here in Menlo Park. The downtown visioning process only seems transparent; the consultant has ignored input and fashioned their ideas of what our City should become. They was us to join the "Smart Growth" crowd with buzz words like TOD and "vibrancy". What they mean is build it high and build it big. Totally in line with the present City manager's views. Look at the population history of Chino, the City from where he came.

Mention made at Tuesday's council meeting of the rest of the M2 wanting change; they all want change. Change to developers is more density and height. Some even want the Willow Road expressway. Look for the possibility of Steve Schmidt joining that crowd, with his first just give us a bike path there, then we can expand to a full 4 lane expressway.

Time for the voters to wake up and stuff both of these items where the sun doesn't shine.

If anyone is watching, it only takes 2 or 3 postings before the angry and ugly get whipped up. Big property owners, whether they be in the Downtown or on Willow Road, need to calm down. There is just a handful of you old timers left and there's never been a minute that you are satisfied. The sky is falling in. The farmer's Market is threatened. The bicycle tunnel will become a 4-lane high way. He who owns high density apartment buildings should appreciate what he has and lighten up. She who owns retail buildings in the downtown should collect her rent receipts, give us a break and take a trip - travel to Europe. You are in the minority now. A younger and more current crowd has gotten active, thankfully.

For Heaven's Sake, some long time residents grow old gracefully, imparting a sense of stewardship to preserve local traditions and a sense of place for future generations.
Some rootless transplants have a self righteous sense of manifest destiny, destroying carefully cultivated native treasures in the name of "progress".
Sort of like, taking a leak in your neighbor's backyard and denying the yellow stain.

If you are talking about Old Timer, this fellow probably hasn't had a graceful moment in the past 20 years. These old guys are obstructive and actually threatening to any development proposed in the city. Two million extortion payments from the Derry Project owners and new driveway and windows from the Summerhill project on Willow Road. If the motive is to preserve "local traditions for future generations", this group might consider that new families that have bought expensive homes in the city don't want their traditions.

"Rootless Transplants" ? Who ARE you people. I'll bet my property taxes are three times what yours are and I do want to see improvements on El Camino Real, not blight. I do want high speed rail. I do want housing downtown mixed in with retail and I do want dense housing near transit. I want all this for myself and for my children. Please, stop getting in the way.

Another unenforecable 'Greenwashing' ordinance to make Kelly and Heyward feel green.

Someone above is right: It's time for City Manager Rojas to move on. Total lack of leadership in his denial to voluntarily take a pay cut.

Interesting how a thread on watering your lawn turned into the same old tug-of-war over development in town!

Oh, and also somehow being a referendum on our City Manager!

Don't forget ordinaces have to be enforced by expensive staff. Our unsustainable budget is the problem, not our water usage.

Never a dull moment in Menlo Park.

My goodness................with your mythic tastes, the idea of having fake grass to replace the real thing, must be repugnant to you Menlo Parkers........first, trains, now this.
File a harrassment suit.
And I remember growing up in SF that Menlo Park was just a small little town for would be businessmen and a place for their kids to go to Menlo JC because they didn't have grades for Stanford.

Please no more unenforceable nanny-state ordinances.

Development is related to water. More development means more water used. Our water supply is finite. More development means less water for each household and business. Restricting new landscapes is just a start.