DT: 3.12.07
FR: Martin Engel
TO: Menlo Park City Council
RE: El Camino Developments

Honorable Members of the Menlo Park City Council:

The Derry project, 1300 El Camino and most other development projects
proposed for El Camino (and the rest of Menlo Park, for that matter),
request zoning variances and General Plan amendments. Many projects, at
various stages in the pipeline, have been encumbered with such
accommodations in order to be more profitable for the developers and are
the subject of much conflict and debate within the Council and the rest
of the citizens of our city.

While the Council is reluctant to impose a development moratorium and
finds itself in the difficult position of having to confront and debate
each project as it appears on the agenda, there is an alternative
solution to this dilemma.

What if the Council stated that no development project on El Camino
would be given a zoning or General Plan modification or exception? The
existing code and laws would be enforced. Period. Furthermore, the
Council would direct staff and the Planning Commission that this is,
henceforth, Council policy. The prior Council majority put forth the
opposite policy; i.e., encouraging zoning variance and General Plan
amendment requests. This Council can and should unburden itself from
that constraint. It's time to move forward!

This policy would be stated publicly. Developers are free to submit
whatever plans they wish so long as they complied with present zoning
and the General Plan. Menlo Square, 1600 El Camino and the Beltramo
plan are examples of attractive projects that are in code compliance
without requiring variances or GP changes.

Requesting exceptions would automatically trigger rejection. This is to
say, the Council and citizens of Menlo Park are not opposed to
development. We are, however, opposed to exceptions to existing law. At
the same time, the Council is proceeding to conduct a major review and
re-conception of El Camino which may well lead to substantive changes in
the zoning ordinance and General Plan. Developers are free to choose
not to wait and therefore submit proposals in compliance, or they may
wait, anticipating possible changes in the future.

Respectfully,

Martin Engel

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