80 Willow Rd.

The City continues to process the development proposal at 80 Willow Road, referred to as “Willow Park” in the application. The application was reviewed for consistency with development standards. On Jan. 13, the City found the application to be inconsistent for multiple items by planning, housing, building, sustainability, engineering, transportation, and the city arborist. The next step in this project is to initiate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. On Jan. 24, 2025, the City released a Request for Proposal (RFP)(PDF, 2MB) for CEQA consultant services to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). City staff have developed a frequently asked questions section for this project – see the drop down menu below.

Below is a summary of the proposal. The development data for this application is in the process of being verified.

Building 1: 336,065 sf office and 11,700 sf retail; 301 ft. tall
Building 2: 231 residential units and 130 hotel rooms (190,534 sf hotel); 461 ft. tall
Building 3: 434 residential units and 17,540 sf retail; 397 ft. tall
Building 4: 2,670 sf Montessori private preschool; 22 ft. tall
Total residential: 665 units (99.5 dwelling units per acre density) and 959,644 sf (approximately 3.30 floor area ratio)
Total non-residential: 336,065 sf office, 29,240 sf retail, 190,534 sf hotel, 2,670 sf Montessori private preschool = 558,509 sf (approximately 1.92 floor area ratio)

What are the next steps?

On Feb. 28, the City received a total of six proposals from environmental consultant firms in response to the City’s Jan. 24 Request for Proposal for Environmental Impact Report Preparation. Staff is in the process of reviewing the proposals and comparing them for various factors including, but not limited to, qualifications, cost, timing, and experience. See additional information about the CEQA process under the “Frequently asked questions” drop down menu below (attention to “What is the environmental review (CEQA) process?”).

Are the project plans available for review?

Click here to view site plan and massing diagrams(PDF, 1MB)

Pursuant to State law, the City is limited in its availability to publicly post architectural drawings without architect permission. Members of the public may view the application materials, including architectural drawings, in person at City Hall. Appointments are encouraged to view the materials in person. Appointments with the Planning Division can be made online at menlopark.gov/appointment.

To receive updates about the project, please subscribe below.

Timeline

Select events in the project history are listed below, beginning with the most recent event.

On Jan. 24, 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP)(PDF, 2MB) for CEQA consultant services. See additional information about the CEQA process under the “Frequently asked questions” drop down menu below (attention to “What is the environmental review (CEQA) process?”).
On Jan. 13, 2025, the City deemed the application inconsistent with multiple development standards. See additional information under the “Frequently asked questions” drop down menu below (attention to “What does a consistency review mean?”).
On Nov. 14, 2024, the City deemed the application complete. See additional information under the “Frequently asked questions” drop down menu below (attention to “What does a complete application mean?”).
On Oct. 16, 2024, the Applicant resubmitted the formal development application.
On Oct. 11, 2024, the City deemed the application incomplete due to required items missing from the application.
On Sept. 12, 2024, the Applicant resubmitted the formal development application.
On June 22, 2024, the City deemed the application incomplete due to required items missing from the application.
On May 24, 2024, the Applicant submitted the formal development application.
On Dec. 7, 2023, the Applicant submitted a preliminary application.

Frequently asked questions

What does a complete application mean?

The City deemed the application complete on November 14, 2024 as all required items have been submitted per established City and Senate Bill 330 (SB 330 or Housing Crisis Act of 2019) guidelines. SB 330 allows a preliminary application process and streamlined review for eligible housing development projects.

The determination of application completeness begins the next phase of consistency review.

What does a consistency review mean?

The City reviewed the project for consistency with applicable development standards. The Housing Accountability Act requires the City to identify a housing development project’s inconsistency with objective development standards. A determination of inconsistency does not amount to a denial of the project.

On Jan. 13, 2025, the City found the application to be inconsistent with multiple City development standards.

What is the environmental review (CEQA) process?

The project is subject to review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

As a first step, the CEQA consultant prepares an Initial Study (IS) that serves as a preliminary analysis to determine the relative environmental impacts associated with a proposed project. It is designed as a measuring mechanism to determine if a project could have a significant adverse effect on the environment.

If the IS results show that mitigation would not be possible or feasible for any of the topics, or would still result in a significant environmental impact, preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is required. If mitigation is possible or feasible, a mitigated negative declaration may be prepared. If the IS results show no potential for environmental impacts, a negative declaration may be prepared.

Consultant Selection – Request for Proposals (RFP)

The City is beginning the environmental review process, which starts with issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to potential CEQA consultants to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The RFP was released on Jan. 24, 2025 and responses are due Feb. 28, 2025. The RFP was distributed to the City’s short list of qualified CEQA consultants through PlanetBid, an online procurement platform. Once a qualified consultant is selected, City Council approval of a professional services contract would follow, and the CEQA work would thereafter begin.

Environmental review typically covers a wide range of topic areas, such as:

Aesthetics
Agriculture and Forestry Resources
Air Quality
Biological Resources
Cultural Resources
Geology and Soils
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Hazards and Hazardous Materials
Hydrology and Water Quality
Land Use and Planning
Mineral Resources
Noise and Vibration
Population, Housing, and Employment
Public Services and Recreation
Transportation and Traffic
Tribal Cultural Resources
Utilities and Service Systems

Public Participation and Timeline

Public participation is an essential part of the CEQA process. The City will issue and publicize notices to announce various milestones in the CEQA process such as:

Consultant Selection – The City Council agenda will be published 72 hours in advance of the meeting. This agenda item will be only for the consultant selection and not about the proposed project.
If it is determined that an EIR must be prepared:
- Notice of Preparation and EIR Scoping Session – This notice confirms the preparation of an EIR and announces a public scoping session. An EIR scoping session provides an opportunity early in the environmental review process for the Planning Commission and the public to comment on specific topics that they believe should be addressed in the environmental analysis.
- Notice of Availability of Draft EIR – This notice announces the availability of the Draft EIR document and begins a public review and comment period.
- Notice of Release of Final FEIR – This notice announces the availability of the Final EIR document, which may contain additional information about potential environmental impacts and responds to substantive comments received during the public comment period.
- Public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council will be held to evaluate/certify the environmental review documents along with review for the project application itself. Please check back and subscribe to the project email list for updates.

Does the property have a special historical status?

The City will determine any special status during the initial study portion of the environmental review process. The City has received notice(PDF, 10MB) that the State Historical Resources Commission will be holding a meeting to consider a nomination to place the property on the National Register of Historic Places. The date for this meeting is May 9, 2025.

What is “Builder’s Remedy”?

California Government Code § 65589.5(d)(5) of the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), provides that a local agency shall not disapprove a housing development project for very low-, low-, or moderate-income households, or an emergency shelter, or condition approval in a manner that renders the housing development project infeasible, based on the project’s inconsistency with zoning and General Plan standards, if the local agency had not timely adopted a “substantially compliant” housing element.

Visit the Builder’s Remedy webpage to learn more.

Contact us

Calvin Chan
Senior Planner
Email

650-330-6763

Location

80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025 View map

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