Supporters of a proposed ballot initiative aimed at revising Menlo Park’s El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan have officially submitted to the City the petitions they have been circulating toward placing the measure on the ballot.

City Clerk Pamela Aguilar accepted the petitions, and will take the next step of determining if a sufficient number of signatures has been submitted. In order to place the initiative on the November 2014 ballot, petition sponsors need to gather signatures from 10% of Menlo Park’s approximately 17,800 registered voters.

The City Clerk will count the signatures and if the minimum number has been submitted, she will then forward the petitions to the San Mateo County Elections Office for signature verification. A valid petition signature is the signature of a registered voter living within the Menlo Park city limits. The County Elections office has up to 30 days to verify the signatures.

“The initiative process is an essential right of the voters, and the City will do its part as promptly as possible.” said Menlo Park Mayor Ray Mueller. “At the same time, it is my expectation the City’s consultant will carry out an objective analysis of the effects of this proposed ballot measure as compared to the Specific Plan. A thorough, fact-based, independent review will provide critical information for the community and the City so that we can all fully understand any impacts.”

The independent review of the proposed measure’s effects is expected to be completed in July. The City is also unveiling an informational web page about the proposed ballot measure and its intended changes to the Specific Plan. This page summarizes the ballot measure’s primary elements, and clarifies how the Specific Plan currently addresses key issues of community importance. It provides information on the currently-proposed developments, and offers a review of the Specific Plan and the public process through which it was developed. That informational web page is accessible from www.menlopark.org/ProposedInitiative, and also from the City Clerk’s Elections page at www.menlopark.org/Elections.

The Menlo Park El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan represents a blueprint for the future development of the El Camino Real/Downtown corridor.  It was the result of a five-year, $1.6 million community visioning and engagement process including detailed analysis, thorough public discussion, compromise, and revision. More information about the approved Final El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan can be found online at www.menlopark.org/specificplan.