Honorable members of the Menlo Park City Council:

It would seem that the Councils of other cities are able to "put their
foot down" at some point regarding overly aggressive housing density
development. It was the impression of a voting majority in our city
that the recent election was about a fundamental change of direction
regarding such excessively high density housing development. We were
reassured by candidates for council that they represented a change of
direction and were opposed to the prior Council's willingness to give
away our city to any and all developers for their, and not our, benefit.
Park space (Green Zones) is required from the developers in Mountain
View. This suggests a serious commitment to the quality of the
environment. In short, Mountain View Council takes a firm view
regarding uncontrolled urban density and at the same time requires
serious compensatory contributions from any development to the benefit
of the city. I strongly urge the Menlo Park Council to emulate the
Mountain View Council's commitment to the well-being of their city.

Respectfully,

Martin Engel
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Published Friday, March 2, 2007, by the Mountain View Voice

Council tears into Mayfield project

New members call for more park space, less density; developer says
changes may kill project

By Daniel DeBolt

Council-watchers were shocked Tuesday night by a City Council openly
critical of the Mayfield project, with some members saying its eight
large condo buildings would look like "fortresses" and that the
developer should increase park space and reduce the number of units.

In return, sharp words also came from developer Toll Brothers,
which spent more than two years getting the 26-acre site re-zoned
for a high-density, 530-home project in the face of significant
neighborhood opposition.

"It is not clear that there is a majority of the council in favor of
the project without major changes," said city manager Kevin Duggan to
everyone in the chambers at the end of Tuesday's study session,
assembled to discuss the recently submitted master plan for Mayfield.

Council members who spoke in clear opposition to the master plan were
Mayor Laura Macias and newly elected members Jac Siegel, Ronit Bryant
and Margaret Abe-Koga, who called for more park space, more heritage
trees and fewer units than the proposed 519. (The remaining 11 units
would be inside Palo Alto's borders.)

Toll Brothers spokesperson Kelly Snider repeated a cautionary message
about the financial viability of the project several times, saying
that fewer units or more park space would "push us towards the
tipping point of non-viability," and make it "difficult to move the
project forward."

Siegel shot back.

"I think it's an absurd project as it's proposed," he said, after
declaring he had "no baggage" connected to the project as a new
council member. "It's going to hurt the entire area." He added that
if Toll Brothers needed more than 500 units the developer "should
look in a different area."

Siegel invoked an image of grid-locked streets when he talked about
San Antonio Road, Central Expressway and nearby Rengstorff Avenue as
already having some of the worst traffic in the city. He said he
preferred that the site remain office space.

Bryant and Macias criticized the large four- and five-story buildings
near the corner of Central Expressway and San Antonio Road, saying
they looked like "fortresses," and Macias said she preferred the row
houses closer to the project's border with the Monta Loma
neighborhood.

Abe-Koga may provide the anticipated swing vote to move the project
forward or stop it altogether.

"Overall the plan looks good, but when you start adding the new
streets, things change," she said. Several new streets were expected
to connect, but didn't in the master plan. She said she had always
believed the maximum of 530 homes was too high, and that it was

doubtful the proposed 519 on the Mountain View side would fit.

She added that the project offered a rare opportunity for more park

space in a neighborhood famously lacking parks, and that the city's
$5 million in park funds could help with that goal.

Member Nick Galiotto reminded the council that if the city were to
pay for more park space it would mean less space for homes and, in
turn, less park space would be required from developers.

Council member Matt Pear responded to criticism from Siegel, Bryant
and Macias that the project was not "smart growth." They said people
would have to get in their cars to go most places, but Pear countered
that Safeway and San Antonio Center were only blocks away, not to
mention the San Antonio train station.

Elna Tymes, who lead the Monta Loma Neighborhood Association last
year against the project, was cheered by Tuesday's meeting.

"This is evidence of the new slower-growth council," she said. "We
were not expecting this, but I think there were smiles all over as
the council proceeded to tell Toll Brothers there was not enough park
space, not enough trees and too much traffic, all the things we've
been saying for over a year. I do think it represents a significant
shift."

City staff said Toll Brothers planned to retain 108 of the site's 243
heritage trees, but only 69 would be unmoved. Toll Brothers said it
planned to spend $1 million relocating trees, but Macias and Siegel
said they didn't believe trees could be saved that way. However, a
majority on the council favored saving 29 additional trees.

Toll Brothers hopes to have a more complete master plan approved in
the fall. Homes on the Monta Loma border, representing the first of
several phases, were the only ones covered in detail Tuesday.

-- 
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Martin Engel
1621 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650:323-1670
martinengel@earthlink.net
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