Friends of Downtown Menlo Park,

Most of us believe that massive apartment buildings in our downtown parking lots will impede traffic and devastate our businesses.

But our City officials do not share these concerns. In recent memory, our City has shown little regard for traffic circulation and has repeatedly ignored the needs of our businesses.

A perfect example is the east-bound road closure on Santa Cruz Avenue. There is plenty of space for outdoor dining in the parklets without needing to expand into the road. Nonetheless, the City has kept the road closed, forcing drivers to dangerously cut through parking lots or use alternate routes that are already congested. The result is that fewer people come downtown, which has led to a loss in vibrancy and business vitality.

Thankfully, at tomorrow’s Feb. 11th Council Meeting, Mayor Combs will be proposing that a the topic of the road closure be added to an upcoming council meeting. 

We hope Council will respect the stores and restaurants along Santa Cruz Ave., nearly all of whom strongly want the road to be reopened, as this survey shows.

But if our City Council is like prior Councils, they will downplay the importance of businesses. They will instead listen to a vocal minority who simply don’t want to see cars on the road.

So if you care about the drivability, and thus vibrancy, of our downtown, please speak up about reopening the road. Email city.council@menlopark.gov, contact your council member, or attend the meeting. Council needs to hear from residents, not just businesses.

The closed block on Santa Cruz Avenue has been referred to as a "foothold". It is part of an effort to push us towards a downtown where cars are not welcome. They want roads you can’t drive on, and parking lots you can’t park in. 

It’s time to push back. The silent majority must not stay silent.

Good luck,
SaveDowntownMenlo.org