Dear Mr. Rojas -  

I am the owner of some commercial properties on Santa Cruz Avenue, which house multiple retail stores.  

I am also one of the original founders of the Menlo Park Farmers Market and have remained active in the running and management since its inception some 17 years ago. It was established originally with the mission to create vitality in the downtown area on Sundays. I have volunteered every week at the Farmers Market since its founding, and as a result, maintain a close relationship with a number of people active in the local business community.  

I read with great concern the July 29th article in the Daily Post about Menlo Park's plans to build parking garages in the central business district. This is an issue I am very familiar with - having worked in 1988 to put a stop to a similar proposal from going through. The reasons are simple.  

Construction of parking garages on our surface parking plazas will destroy small businesses. A recent and local example is cited in the Daily Post July 25-26. Disruption due to gas main work on El Camino has crippled neighboring businesses in Palo Alto and caused some owners to question if they can continue. This is an example of a relatively short-term project. A more extensive project (that history tells us will span well over a year) will be devastating - not only for businesses immediately next to the project, but also for those impacted by the inevitable required staging areas that will have to be nearby.  

The current decrease in construction costs is cited as a justification for tackling this project now. But it is this very state of the current fragile economy that renders such a project doubly devastating for downtown retail that is already hanging by a hair. Especially now is when they would least be able to survive this extra blow.   

I sincerely hope that the City will reconsider and will recognize that times are difficult for most of our small businesses in the downtown -- that adding further stress to these businesses is unwise. I am told that there are currently 10 vacancies in the CBD. We don't need to exacerbate this trend even more.

Nancy Couperus
650-941-4808 Received on Sun Aug 02 2009 - 23:05:48 PDT