No longer on display. Expired on
December 31, 2023, 07:00 PM
The City of Menlo Park, as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, has prepared a focused Initial Study (IS) for the following application:
Development Agreement, Use Permit, Architectural Control, Lot Line Adjustment, Lot Merger, BMR Housing Agreement, and Environmental Review/O'Brien Drive Portfolio LLC/1300-1320 Willow Rd., 975-995 and 1001-1015 O'Brien Dr.:
Request for Development Agreement, Use Permit, Architectural Control, Lot Line Adjustment, Lot Merger, BMR Housing Agreement, and Environmental Review/O'Brien Drive Portfolio LLC/1300-1320 Willow Rd., 975-995 and 1001-1015 O'Brien Dr.: Request for architectural control, use permit, lot line adjustment, lot merger, Below Market Rate (BMR) housing agreement, and environmental review to demolish three existing, one-story commercial buildings on three parcels and construct one new five-story building for research and development (R&D) uses, one new four-story building for R&D uses, and one new seven-story parking structure on two parcels located in the Life Science, Bonus (LS-B) zoning district. The proposed project would be constructed in two phases, with the five-story R&D/office building and five levels of the parking structure to be developed in the first phase and the four-story R&D/office building and the remaining two levels of the parking structure in the second phase. The applicant is proposing a development agreement to extend the life of the entitlements in order to account for a potential delay between the two phases. The proposed total gross floor area of the project would be approximately 228,081 square feet of R&D space with a floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.24. The proposal includes a request for an increase in height and FAR under the bonus level development provisions in exchange for community amenities. The applicant is proposing payment of a community amenities in-lieu fee. The project includes a hazardous materials use permit request to allow two diesel generators, one for each proposed building, to operate the facilities in the event of a power outage or emergency. The project includes a request to modify the design standards related to major building modulations to allow the modulation on the south elevation of the 1005 O’Brien Drive building to extend to the second floor (approximately 34 feet) instead of extending to 45 feet, which is the required base height. The proposed project is requesting an exception from the City’s reach code to allow for the use of natural gas for space conditioning in the laboratory spaces of both buildings. The proposed project also includes a request to remove seven heritage trees. As a separate matter, an upgraded water line beneath O’Brien Drive is planned that will serve the project and other development in the vicinity, which was studied as part of the 1350 Adams Court project and included in the 1350 Adams Court certified EIR, and is anticipated to be installed to serve other properties whether or not this project is approved.
An Initial Study (IS) has been prepared and is included with the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the proposed project. The IS and NOP will be released on June 2, 2023, and will include a public review period from June 2, 2023 through July 5, 2023 to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and determine what level of additional environmental review would be appropriate. In accordance with Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, the project-level IS was prepared to disclose the relevant impacts and mitigation measures addressed in the certified program-level ConnectMenlo EIR and the Housing Element Update Subsequent EIR (SEIR) and discuss whether the project is within the parameters of the ConnectMenlo EIR and SEIR or if additional analysis would be necessary. The IS scopes out the following environmental topics from further review: aesthetics, agricultural and forestry resources, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, mineral resources, noise (operation – airport or air strip noise), public services, recreation, utilities and service systems, and wildfire. Based on the findings of the IS and consistent with the settlement agreement between the City of Menlo Park and the City of East Palo Alto, a focused Draft EIR will be prepared to address potential physical environmental effects of the proposed project in the following areas: transportation, population and housing, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise (operation – traffic noise, construction noise and vibration). The City is requesting comments on the scope and content to be included in the focused EIR. The project location does not contain a toxic site pursuant to Section 6596.2 of the Government Code.
The Initial Study (IS/NOP) will be available on the City’s website at menlopark.gov/1005OBrien, starting Friday, June 2, 2023. A hard copy will be available for review at the Main Library, 800 Alma Street, and the Belle Haven Branch Library, 413 Ivy Drive. Interested parties should inquire at the library information desk.
The 30-day comment period for the IS/NOP is being extended to account for the Independence Day holiday, and runs from Friday, June 2, 2023 through Wednesday, July 5, 2023. If you would like to submit written comments on the IS/NOP, you are encouraged to do so before 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Following the close of the public review period, the City will prepare a Draft EIR.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the IS/NOP and a study session on this item in a hybrid teleconference meeting (virtual and in Menlo Park City Council Chambers located at 751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, California) on Monday, June 26, 2023, beginning at 7 p.m. or as near as possible thereafter, at which time and place interested persons may appear and be heard thereon.
Written comments may be submitted to Associate Planner Chris Turner or mailed to
Chris Turner
Community Development
701 Laurel St.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Email correspondence is preferred.