November 28, 2023 - City Council public hearing

A public hearing has been scheduled before the City Council of the City of Menlo Park, California to review and consider, pursuant to MPCC Section16.86.025, of the Planning Commission’s actions on the following item:

General Plan Amendments, El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan amendments, Zoning Ordinance amendments, and Rezoning/City of Menlo Park Housing Element Update Project:

The City of Menlo Park is proposing to amend the General Plan Land Use Element, El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”), Title 16 of the Menlo Park Municipal Code (“Zoning Ordinance”), and zoning map in association with the implementation of the 2023-2031 6th Cycle Housing Element, adopted by the City Council on January 31, 2023. The proposed changes are intended to provide capacity to meet the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 2,946 dwelling units and are generally summarized below.

Click here to view an overview map of proposed zoning changes(PDF, 429KB)

General Plan Land Use Element and map

• Amendments for consistency with the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments described below, including changes in land use designation for applicable Housing Element inventory sites and modifications to existing designations to reflect increased densities and floor area ratios (FAR).

Zoning Ordinance and map

• Update the Affordable Housing Overlay to further promote affordable housing development. To implement Housing Element Program H4.D, amend Chapter 16.98 of the Zoning Ordinance (Affordable Housing Overlay (“AHO”)) to work in combination with state density bonus law to allow up to approximately 100 dwelling units per acre, or more, for 100 percent affordable housing developments, and add the AHO to all 6th Cycle inventory sites (except Site #38, 320 Sheridan Drive, the former Flood School site) and all R-3 (Apartment District) zoned properties around downtown; and amend Chapter 16.97 of the Municipal Code (State Density Bonus Law) to resolve any inconsistencies between the City’s ordinance and current and future state density bonus law regulations;

• Allow residential development opportunities in existing commercial/retail zoning districts. To implement Housing Element Program H4.I and allow mixed-use residential development opportunities primarily along Willow Road, Middlefield Road, Sharon Park Drive, Sand Hill Road, and a portion of the Office district off of Marsh Road and south of US-101, amend the Municipal Code to repeal Chapters 16.32 (C-1-A, Administrative and Professional District), 16.37 (C-2-S, Neighborhood Commercial District, Special), 16.39 (C-2-A, Neighborhood Shopping District, Restrictive), Chapter 16.40 (C-2-B, Neighborhood Mixed Use District, Restrictive) and 16.42 (C-4, General Commercial District) and replace with a C-MU (Commercial, Mixed Use) zoning district with a residential density of up to 30 dwelling units per acre and associated development standards; amend the zoning map to rezone C-1-A, C-2-S, C-2-A, C-2-B, C-4, C-2 parcels (except Site #11, 325 Sharon Park Drive, the Sharon Heights Shopping Center), and certain P parcels to C-MU; and amend Chapters 16.30 (C-1, Administrative and Professional District, Restrictive), 16.32 (C-1-A, Administrative and Professional District), 16.36 (C-1-C, Administrative, Professional and Research District, Restrictive), 16.38 (C-2, Neighborhood Shopping District), and 16.43 (O, Office District) to allow a residential density of up to 30 dwelling units per acre (or a higher density for Site #11, 325 Sharon Park Drive) and associated development standards [Note: Refer to Appendix 7-1, Table B of the Housing Element for the Site Inventory:  housing-element-updated-20231103(PDF, 26MB)];

• Increase residential densities in the R-3 (Apartment) zoning district around downtown and on large R-3 sites, and increase lot coverage in the R-3 and R-4 districts. To implement Housing Element Program H4.J, amend the R-3 zoning district development regulations to allow a residential density up to 30 dwelling units per acre for R-3 zoned properties around downtown and up to 20 dwelling units per acre for other R-3 sites with a lot area of 100,000 square feet or more; increase maximum lot coverage in the R-3, R-3-A (Garden Apartment Residential), R-3-C (Apartment-Office District), R-4 (High Density Residential), and R-4-S (High Density Residential, Special) zones to 55 percent; adjust maximum paving and minimum open space (landscaping) percentages accordingly; reduce parking space per unit requirements; and amend the zoning map to rezone Site #38, 320 Sheridan Drive, to R-3 [Note: Refer to Appendix 7-1, Table B of the Housing Element for the Site Inventory: housing-element-updated-20231103(PDF, 26MB)];

• Permit ministerial review for certain housing developments on inventory sites that were not developed during the previous Housing Element cycle. To implement Housing Element Program H4.Q, amend the Municipal Code so that parcels in the Housing Element site inventory identified as Reuse Sites allow for ministerial review for housing developments that propose at least 20 percent of units affordable to lower-income households, in accordance with California Government Code §65583.2(i);

• Create a residential overlay to encourage residential development on underused or redeveloping sites. To implement Housing Element Program H4.T, amend the Municipal Code to create a Residential Overlay for certain housing inventory sites that would allow residential development on properties with non-residential zoning or conditional development permits (CDPs) that would otherwise not permit new housing; and

• Allow family daycare homes with up to 14 children as a permitted use in residential zoning districts. To implement Housing Element Program H2.F, amend §§16.04.165 and 16.08.085 of the Municipal Code to allow large family daycare homes as a permitted use in a legal dwelling unit in any residential zoning district.

El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan

To implement Housing Element Program H4.L, amend the Specific Plan to:

• Remove references to a maximum of 680 residential units at full build-out;
• Increase the maximum base level density to at least 30 dwelling units per acre and the maximum bonus level density to up to 100 dwelling units per acre, with corresponding changes to FAR, height, and other development standards for the Specific Plan subdistricts, as applicable;
• Establish a minimum density of 20 dwelling units per acre for all subdistricts, as a requirement upon the addition of residential uses to a site;
• Remove the minimum parking requirements for residential uses on sites within one-half mile of transit as required by AB 2097; and
• Modify the use of the public parking plazas to allow the development of multifamily residential housing.

The proposed changes were evaluated in the Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) prepared for the Housing Element Update project (i.e., Housing Element and Safety Element updates, a new Environmental Justice Element, and associated changes). The City Council adopted Resolution No. 6808 and certified the SEIR on January 31, 2023. On February 1, 2023, a Notice of Determination (NOD) was filed. An addendum to the SEIR was prepared to reflect the City Council’s direction to study increased densities, primarily in the Specific Plan area, above those studied in the SEIR. The Addendum concludes that the proposed General Plan, Specific Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and zoning map amendments are covered by the previously-certified SEIR and no supplemental or subsequent EIR is required for the proposed amendments because none of the circumstances requiring a supplemental EIR or subsequent EIR exist (California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines §15162).

On October 23, 2023, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing to review and provide feedback on proposed amendments to the General Plan Land Use Element, El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and zoning map to implement the zoning-related programs in the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The public hearing was continued to November 6, 2023. On November 6, 2023, the Planning Commission resumed the public hearing and provided a recommendation to the City Council to approve the proposed changes by a vote of 4-0 (with Commissioners Barnes, Harris, and Riggs absent).

On November 28, 2023, the City Council will conduct a public hearing to review the Planning Commission’s October 23 and November 6 feedback and recommendation. The City Council is the final decision-making body on the proposed changes. Please refer to the Housing Element Update project webpage (menlopark.gov/HousingElement) for additional information and announcements, and to sign up for the project email list.

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that said City Council of the City of Menlo Park will hold this public hearing on these items in a hybrid meeting (virtually on Zoom and in the Menlo Park City Council Chambers located at 751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, California) on November 28, 2023, beginning at 6 p.m. or as near as possible thereafter, at which time and place interested persons may appear and be heard thereon. The Zoom link will be available with publication of the City Council agenda on the city website, menlopark.gov/agendas, not less than 24 hours in advance of the meeting. If you challenge this item in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Menlo Park at, or before, the public hearing. Written correspondence is typically considered a public record and may be attached to staff reports, which are posted on the city website.

Si usted necesita más información sobre este proyecto, por favor llame al 650-330-6702, y pregunte por un asistente que hable español.

Visit the City’s website at menlopark.gov/agendas for the City Council meeting agenda and links to the public meeting staff report.