By: Jim Cogan

Mayor Kirsten Keith is hosting a community meeting to solicit community input on the proposed project and MidPen’s request for funding.  The City has conducted extensive outreach to ensure that residents and stakeholders are aware of the meeting, including mailing 1900 post cards to every address in the Belle Haven Neighborhood, email notifications to the City’s Housing list, outreach through Beechwood School, the Ravenswood School District, social media and the affordable housing stakeholders, who were actively engaged in ConnectMenlo.  The need for additional affordable housing was a recurring theme expressed by community members during the ConnectMenlo process.        

MidPen Housing has requested funding from the City of Menlo Park to help finance the redevelopment of an existing 82-unit affordable housing property at 1317-1385 Willow Road The project could be the first development since the approval of ConnectMenlo, the update to the City’s General plan. The need for additional affordable housing was highlighted by community input throughout the ConnectMenlo process. In addition, residents expressed strong desires for new neighborhood serving retail and public amenities. In response to that input, the project was designed to include additional affordable housing units, and commercial space, which could be used for new retailers or public facilities, such as a library. 

MidPen presented the options for redeveloping the site with 118-140 affordable housing units and up to 8,000 sqft of commercial space to the Belle Haven Neighborhood Association May 3. It was then reviewed by the Housing Commission May 10. The Housing Commission approved a recommendation to the City Council to fund $6.7 million for the project with a preference that MidPen seek more funding from other sources to reduce the need for City subsidy. The report that was heard by the Housing Commission is available.

This is an opportunity for residents to review the proposal and provide feedback. Please share this notice with your friends and neighbors and we look forward to seeing you.

Monday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m.
Menlo Park Senior Center 
110 Terminal Ave. 
Menlo Park, CA 94025