The original item was published from September 20, 2015 11:23 pm to September 20, 2015 11:36 pm
The Downtown El Camino Specific Plan, identified the south side of the intersection of Chestnut Street and Santa Cruz Avenue as a location for a downtown paseo. These types of public spaces have been used for events, pop-up retail, as well as planned and spontaneous public gatherings. In order to assess community support for future permanent improvements at the location, the City of Menlo Park installed a temporary pop-up park. This installation was first used in conjunction with the 2015 Family Fitness Extravaganza to house a 60 foot inflatable obstacle course for children. It has enhanced the experience of movie goers for the September Friday night Menlo Movie Series, and created a downtown attraction, where residents have played, attended a meeting or event or simply lounged in an Adirondack chair under the shade of an umbrella. A number of businesses have utilized the pop-up park for yoga, group exercise or simply as a place to stretch after a run. In fact, there is still time to join one of Fleet Feet's groups or check out Cinderella on the big screen Friday, Sept. 25th.
But as with all good things, the installation will come to an end. The City will remove the installation at the end of September and engage in a public input process that will likely include a survey of residents and businesses as well as City Commission and City Council meetings to determine if and how the City might move forward with this pilot or permanent public space enhancements downtown. Information on this process will be made well in advance on the City website, social media and through outreach to Menlo Park's media outlets.
