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On October 15, 2021, Lane Partners LLC, submitted an application on behalf of SRI International to update SRI’s research campus and create a new transit-oriented, mixed-use district adjacent to the City’s Downtown Area and Caltrain Station.

The Proposed Project would comprehensively redevelop the SRI site with a mix of uses consisting primarily of residential and office/R&D uses, with small retail and restaurant components. In addition to the Proposed Project, the City is evaluating a Project Variant submitted by the applicant.

Primary development program elements of the Proposed Project include:

• Approximately 450 residential dwelling units (19 townhomes and 431 apartments), including a mix of affordable and market rate rental housing;
• An approximately one-acre portion of land, to be dedicated to an affordable housing developer for the future construction of a 100% affordable housing and/or special needs project of up to 100 dwelling units; 
• Retaining three existing buildings for SRI's continued operation in Menlo Park;
• Demolition of nearly 1.1 million square feet of outdated research space within 35 buildings to be replaced with five sustainable office/R&D/life science buildings, and a new amenity building for workers;
• Three new parking structures for the non-residential uses;
• Approximately 25 acres of landscaped, publicly-accessible open space; and
• A recreation area and one-story community building.

The Project Variant, which the applicant indicates they are pursuing, includes the elements of the Proposed Project described above with the following modifications:

• An additional parcel located at 201 Ravenswood Avenue to create a continuous project frontage along Ravenswood Avenue;
• An increase of  up to 250 residential units, for a total of 800 units (46 townhomes and 600 apartments, including a mix of affordable and market rate rental housing), inclusive of up to 154 apartments in the 100% affordable housing and/or special needs component;
• The inclusion of community space within the 100% affordable building instead of in a separate community building;
• An approximately 2- to 3-million-gallon emergency water reservoir that would be buried below grade in the northeast area of the Project Variant site, in addition to a small pump station, an emergency well, and related improvements at and below grade, to be built and operated by the city of Menlo Park;
• A recreational open space area above the emergency underground water reservoir; and
• A reduction in the underground parking footprint within the site and increase in height and square footage of two of the three parking garages.

It is anticipated that the following city actions (e.g., agreements, permits, analyses and reviews) would be required for the proposed project:

• Certification of an environmental impact report (EIR)
• General plan amendment
• Zoning ordinance amendment
• Rezoning
• Vesting tentative map/subdivision
• Conditional development permit
• Below market rate housing agreement
• Development agreement
• Heritage tree removal permits
• Architectural control (for future review of detailed building/site designs)

The project site is zoned “C-1(X)” (Administrative and Professional District, Restrictive) and governed by a Conditional Development Permit (CDP) approved in 1975, and subsequently amended in 1978, 1997, and 2004. 

Current status

On June 20, 2024, the City released the Notice of Availability (NOA)(PDF, 879KB) for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR)(PDF, 16MB) for the project. The Draft EIR is available below under “Environmental Review”. The release of the Draft EIR begins the 45-day comment period, which will end at 5:30 pm on Monday August 5, 2024. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the draft EIR and study session on the proposed project on July 22, 2024.

On June 20, 2024, the City also released the Fiscal Impact Analysis (FIA)(PDF, 669KB) for the project. The FIA is available under “Related Documents”.

Previously on December 2, 2022, the City released the Notice of Preparation(PDF, 2MB), beginning a 30-day comment period on the scope and content of the EIR for the proposed project. A Water Supply Assessment (WSA)(PDF, 2MB) has been prepared for the proposed project. On May 7, 2024, the City Council as the governing board of Menlo Park Municipal Water, approved the WSA. Approving the WSA allowed the City to incorporate the WSA into the draft EIR for the proposed project. This action does not obligate the City Council to approve the proposed project or project variant.

Location

333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025  View map

37.4575519,-122.176516

333 Ravenswood Ave. , Menlo Park, CA 94025

333 Ravenswood Ave. , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Parkline