Oct. 23, 2023 - Planning Commission public hearing

The Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on this item in a teleconference meeting (virtual and in Menlo Park City Council Chambers located at 751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, California) on October 23, 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. The Zoom link will be available with publication of the Planning Commission agenda, on the city website, not less than 72 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.

Visit the city website for the Planning Commission agenda, public hearing and staff report information.

Public Hearing item

General Plan Amendments, Zoning Ordinance Amendments, El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan 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, Zoning Ordinance (Title 16 of the Menlo Park Municipal Code (“Municipal Code”), zoning map, and El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan 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 (AHO) to further promote affordable housing development.
  To implement Housing Element Program H4.D, amend Chapter 16.98 (Affordable Housing Overlay (“AHO”)) of the Municipal Code 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 (State Density Bonus Law) of the Municipal Code 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 and Sand Hill Road, 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, and C-2 parcels (except for Site #11, 325 Sharon Park Drive) to C-MU; 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), 16.43 (O, Office District) and 16.52 (Parking District) to allow a residential density of up to 30 dwelling units per acre and associated development standards;

• Increase residential densities in the R-3 (Apartment) zoning district around downtown and on large R-3 sites.
  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 building 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; and reduce parking space per unit requirements; and amend the zoning map to rezone Site #38, 320 Sheridan Drive, to R-3;

• 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; 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 Sections 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.