Greetings to all 700 of you wonderful people who signed the petition this spring. The City reviewed the official May 24, 2024 petition and found it was lacking fundamental information that is required of every development application.

The essential question is whether the developer understands that his project is not exempt of CEQA review. He may believe and argue that the application is a Builder's Remedy application and his project is not required to undergo an environmental impact review. This position is preposterous based on the height of the buildings, the proximity to the San Francisquito Creek and the shadow the buildings will cast on nearby neighbor in Menlo Park and North Palo Alto, just to mention a few issues.

The City's 92 page response is available at the City of Menlo Park from Senior Planner Calvin Chan  ( cchan@menlopark.gov ).  It makes for a good read. It is a PDF document that I am unable to attach to this update. The Planning department has done a thorough review of the Sunset (80 Willow) project and the developer has 30 days to correct the deficiencies.