Hello city council members,

I am writing today as a concerned member of the community.

Both of my daughters are patrons of Dancworks, Inc. (115 Buckthorn Way). They have been taking classes from Danceworks instructors (including its proprietor, Angelique Shepherd) for the past two years and it is a very special, important part of their week. I was distressed recently to learn that, due to re-zoning plans, Danceworks was asked to vacate their premises on very short notice, without regard to their lease. As I understand it, the other businesses in the building were also instructed to evacuate on extremely short notice.

In my opinion, this is a terrible way to treat businesses residing in Menlo Park. It takes no time at all to spread the word that Menlo Park is an unfriendly place for small businesses. This is NOT the reputation we want. We cannot afford to lose these businesses - from a cultural or a financial perspective.

Danceworks provides a terrific service for children of all ages in our community and I would be sad and angry to see them have to leave. My 4-year-old daughter, Jane, has literally been asking daily about her dance class and when it will resume. When I received word from Angelique Shepherd that she is going to have to close her business, it broke my heart - not just for Jane, but more importantly, for Angelique and for the instructors that have dedicated their professional careers, time and energy to our community. To turn around and ask them to quickly pack up and leave is unacceptable.

We need business like Danceworks to feel welcome in our community. They provide important, enriching services that make our city special and successful.

On a related note, I have a friend looking to open a fitness studio in Menlo Park or Palo Alto. The feedback she has given me from her pursuit so far is that, due to archaic commercial zoning and high rents, opening in Menlo Park is far less desirable than opening a business in Palo Alto. When I heard the news from Danceworks, I had to turn around and immediately warn my friend looking to open her business - this type of fickle behavior wreaks havoc on businesses, their owners and their patrons.

PLEASE reconsider moving Danceworks from their current location at 115 Buckthorn Way. Or, if it is too late, you must help them find an alternative, suitable, same-price location in Menlo Park so that they may continue offering the fun, enriching, culturally-imperative services they have been successfully providing and which have been so well-received in our community.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Jenny Beeler
301 Yale Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025 Received on Thu Jun 12 00:13:50 2008