Commonwealth Building 3

The Sobrato Organization proposes to construct a new 249,500 square-foot, four-story office building and a new approximately 404,000 square-foot four-story, five-level parking structure with 1,340 parking spaces, located at 162-164 Jefferson Dr. The site contains two existing four-story office buildings, each approximately 129,960 square feet in size, to remain on the project site. The total existing and proposed office development on the parcel would be approximately 509,420 square feet.

The proposed project includes a publicly accessible park along Jefferson Drive. The applicant is requesting modifications to the City’s bird friendly design standards and the use and storage of hazardous materials (diesel fuel) for an emergency backup generator. To comply with the City’s below market rate requirements for commercial projects, the applicant has proposed to pay the below market rate commercial linkage in-lieu fee.

As part of the ConnectMenlo General Plan and Zoning Ordinance update, the site was rezoned to O-B (Office, Bonus). The proposal includes a request for an increase in height and floor area ratio under the bonus level development allowance in exchange for community amenities. Staff has determined the community amenity value for the project and the appraisal is available under “Related Document”. The applicant is also requesting to enter into a development agreement with the City to allow more flexibility in use of the project’s community amenities contribution and extend the life of the entitlements. On March 28, 2023, the City Council appointed a subcommittee to help negotiations of the development agreement terms.

City actions required on proposed project

City staff is evaluating the revised project proposal. It is anticipated that the following land use entitlements would be applicable to the proposed project:

• Environmental review
• Conditional development permit amendment
• Architectural control
• Below market rate housing agreement
• Development agreement

Current status

A draft environmental impact report(PDF, 47MB) has been released along with a notice of availability for the proposed project. The City will accept comments on the draft environmental impact report before 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the item on Monday, July 11, 2022, at 7 p.m. Staff is currently in the process of negotiating the terms of the development agreement and preparing a response to comments document otherwise known as the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).

Location

162-164 Jefferson Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025  View map

37.48085626418546, -122.17204849785927

162-164 Jefferson Dr. , Menlo Park, CA 94025

162-164 Jefferson Dr. , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Commonwealth Building 3