CITY OF EAST PALO ALTO
November 10, 2022
Mayor Nash and Menlo Park City Councilmembers
City of Menlo Park
701 Lauren Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Subject: Willow Village Project
Dear Mayor Nash:
This correspondence is being sent at the direction of the East Palo Alto City Council.
The City of East Palo Alto has delivered three letters to the City of Menlo Park regarding the Willow Village project (Project). Previous correspondence focused primarily on project elements related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as part of the Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Project. We commend your staff and consultants for their work incorporating the City’s CEQA-related comments into the Project’s Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).
The purpose of this letter is to express, in the strongest possible terms, our deep concerns about the potential unintended consequences for residents of East Palo Alto that may result from the approval and eventual construction of this Project. To address these concerns, the East Palo Alto City Council requests that the Menlo Park City Council consider opportunities to offset these potential impacts and require that the developer (Meta/Facebook) provide tangible mitigations as a condition of Project approval.
Since its incorporation in 1983, the City of East Palo Alto has struggled to achieve economic growth and financial sustainability, especially in comparison to other nearby communities. To address this reality, the City’s leadership has ensured a strong focus on actions that strengthen the City’s economic profile, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives and enhancing the well-being of East Palo Alto residents.
As the new Project progressed through design, East Palo Alto staff and City Council have conveyed these overarching concerns, as well as the following specific areas of interest:
• The Project may result in unintended financial consequences for the City of East Palo Alto. For example, it is expected that the Project will include a large grocery store, which is a beneficial amenity for the Belle Haven neighborhood and Menlo Park as a whole, but it is unclear how this store will benefit East Palo Alto. If a significant number of residents frequent this new store, the few smaller grocery stores in East Palo Alto may experience negative impacts to their businesses, and the City will receive decreased sales tax revenues. In addition, increased traffic created by East Palo Alto residents traveling to the new store will only worsen current traffic concerns.
• The East Palo Alto Police Department could be impacted by an increase in calls for service, which would require the City of East Palo Alto to fund more police officers during a time when the City has a significant budget deficit. • The Facebook/Meta expansion is located in close proximity to the Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School, which already experiences traffic congestion during common drop-off and pick-up hours. Facebook/Meta and the City of Menlo Park should ensure that the Project does not impact the students, staff, and other community members connected to the middle school campus. • Traffic and air quality, resulting from increased vehicle traffic through East Palo Alto to access to future Project, are perhaps the greatest concerns. These realities should be acknowledged and City of East Palo Alto should be engaged as a partner to consider necessary infrastructure projects that may be of mutual benefit.
• The City of East Palo Alto has a critical need for emergency-access water storage locations. If water storage may be included in the Project’s design, this would offer support to East Palo Alto residents during a potential emergency.
In accordance with the above considerations, the City Council of East Palo Alto asks that the Menlo Park City Council defer action on the Project until the City of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and/or Meta/Facebook have the opportunity to meet to discuss the City’s concerns.
In conclusion, the City of East Palo Alto values its relationship with the City of Menlo Park and Facebook/Meta, yet we are aware that, unless mitigated, many aspects of the Project may negatively impact the residents of East Palo Alto and the City’s ability to achieve our goals. An effective partnership between the City of Menlo Park, Facebook/Meta, and the City of East Palo Alto may successfully address these concerns, thus ensuring that all three entities thrive in the future. The City would be eager to engage in these discussions.
Sincerely,
Ruben Abrica
Mayor