Well... we just lost a couple more businesses downtown. Pharmaca is closing. Liquidating now and will be gone by 2/25. Walgreens was the highest bidder on the buyout. The lady who owned Kicks (ladies retail store) unfortunately passed away. I think the City of MP needs to implement some kind of system where if bldgs. sit empty too long the owners need to pay some kind of fine. I think I have heard of another city doing that somewhere. What on earth are the property owners in downtown MP doing in order to get their properties rented?? Nothing?? They obviously don't need the money when they sit empty for years! Empty bldgs. do not attract renters or homebuyers to this area. The downtown still looks like a depressing ghost town. So many rug stores and second hand clothing shops. Doesn't Menlo Park deserve better? Who's job is it to turn this town into a vibrant, thriving and enjoyable town again?

Menlo Cyclist:

Most of the buildings downtown are owned by absentee landlords that have owned the property for many years. Due to prop 13 they pay very little property tax. And because they have been owned so long they have no mortgage. The owners don't care if they sit empty. It costs them very little. They demand ridiculous rents and if they don't get them, they don't care, they'll wait until they do. A fine for buildings sitting unrented for too long is about the only way you'll get these landlords to lower their rent.