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The Menlo Park Planning Commission reviewed the final environmental impact report (EIR) for Meta’s Willow Village on Oct. 24, where residents spoke strongly in favor of the huge development.
The project will redevelop 59 acres with up to 1.2 million square feet offices and 1,730 homes. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has plans to build the ambitious mixed-use development with office and residential uses plus a hotel, retail and commercial space, a dog park and a publicly accessible park in the Belle Haven neighborhood. The main development would be built along Willow Road between Hamilton Avenue and Ivy Drive, according to the application.
Thirty-five residents made public comments at the meeting, with 24 speaking in support, including a representative of the Housing Leadership Council and a representative of state government relations for the Bay Area Council.
Many residents applauded the developer’s decision to work closely with the residents of Belle Haven. Colin Bookman, who lives less than half a mile from the proposed construction site, said that he was excited about the amenities Meta is offering to the community.
“The Willow Village team has really listened and worked with Belle Haven and East Palo Alto neighbors like myself,” Bookman said. “This is a great addition to the community. I look forward to Menlo Park doing what’s right for Belle Haven neighborhood residents, low-income Menlo Park residents, and East Palo Alto community by proving this project.”
Bookman named the over 300 affordable units, grocery store and dog park as reasons he strongly urged the commission to approve the project.
Some residents, however, had concerns about the findings in the EIR and the environmental impacts the project could pose to nearby residents. Victoria Robledo, a resident of Belle Haven, raised concerns about the construction’s close proximity to Belle Haven, adding that the neighborhood has the worst air quality in Menlo Park and the highest rate of asthma. She said she was grateful that the developers would provide air purifiers, but that the air quality needed to be taken into account.
“We’re trying to retain three communities left of color in this whole entire San Mateo County, so we should do what we can,” Robledo said. “Our community is imperative to survive and we’re doing what we can and we need your support.”
Robledo added that she was hopeful that the developers would make the shops and community inclusive to those living in the community when building.
Two members of the union Carpenters Local 217 spoke about the benefit of a project of this size to the local workforce. One member, Sean Reese, said that projects like Willow Village use an apprenticeship program and provide health care to the workers on site, a benefit to the community.
Michael Joe, a field representative for the union, said that he was given a chance, and it allowed him to build a career and family. He said that the Willow Village project will give others that chance by using local labor.
“This developer’s commitment to using a union signatory general contractor on this project comes as a guarantee someone from this community will be given the chance I was given,” Joe said. “They will be able to hold his or her head up high knowing that they will be treated fairly and be paid what they deserve for their hard work. The residents of Menlo Park need this opportunity.”
A couple of residents spoke about the effects on wildlife that the proposed Willow Village project could have. The project requires 90% of building glass to be bird-friendly, and could have effects on endangered species in the marshlands surrounding the construction area.
“The project has a responsibility to take all necessary actions to avoid any direct and indirect impacts on the marshes’ biological health, and the EIR should say so,” resident Rick Johnson said. “The EIR describes these areas as highly disturbed with very limited habitat function and dialogue. This statement dismisses the fact that the project’s impacts may degrade habitats of the species.”
Johnson said that light from the development could be deadly to nocturnal wildlife, and that the EIR should pay closer attention to the effects.
Eileen McLaughlin, a representative of the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, expressed concern about breeze blowing trash into wildlife habitat and the possibility of development to destroy the unknown freshwater source that creates the wetlands.
Vince Rocha, vice president of housing and community development for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, voiced the group’s support of the project.
“This is one of the most sustainable projects in the region using low-carbon building materials, and encouraging mobility options that reduce car emissions and car trips. The project is one of the most affordable in the region,” Rocha said. “This project also brings to my community because of the robust retail, park, open space and job amenities.”
A few residents criticized the limited amount of time given to read the finalized EIR before being expected to comment on it at a public meeting.
Resident Geoffrey Moore said he was reading through it all weekend without finishing it and encouraged the commission to continue the meeting to another day.
Larissa Kenyatta of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA) spoke in favor of the local economic benefits of the Willow Village development.
“SAMCEDA is pleased to hear that local businesses will be partly prioritized for retail and dining,” Kenyatta said. “The past two and a half years during the COVID pandemic have impacted our small mostly businesses … This benefit recognizes that they continue to need our support.”
Residents were generally grateful for the amount of outreach done by the developers of Willow Village.
“The developers have listened to the community and delivered in response to the input they’ve engaged for over four years and this input process,” said resident Josh Arias.
“Outreach has been extraordinary and the applicant has responded with portable housing, grocery store, bank, retail and parks open space. In summary, I think it should be viewed as standard in planning, delivering unprecedented community benefits and amenities to the neighborhood and to the city as a whole.”
The commission did not have a chance to finish its discussion of the project and continued the discussion to Nov. 3. Residents can submit comments to Planning Manager Kyle Perata until that time at ktperata@menlopark.org
With Meta going down the tube who’s going to pay for the construction and subsequent maintenance and management of Willow Village if Meta backs out?
Did the reporter stay to the end of the meeting? This article implies that only one person was critical of the project. A number of residents asked questions about the project, including concerns about the imbalance of jobs and housing. and about details in the documents related to the proposal. One even suggested waiting 6 months to consider the project until it was more clear what Meta’s plans are.
Mirroring Observer’s comments, I would like to know what the impact of Meta’s recent financial issues are on this project. I doubt Meta is going to suddenly disappear, but it would not shock me if they may have second thoughts about everything in this project. (Were Meta to shrink sometime in the future, I think it might be hard to find someone else interested in some of their other buildings – particularly MPK 20, the giant open office; Willow Village seems a bit more adaptable to other tenants.)
Meta should get a medal for upscaling Belle Haven.
Given Meta’s current financial state and the fact that they are shedding employees at a rapid rate I find it very hard to believe they need more office space. All the office space should be removed from the project and it should be 100% housing with a bank and grocery store and maybe some restaurants/coffee shop. I think the last think Menlo Park needs it to approve more office space, after all that is what created the housing imbalance in the first place. It is time to start offsetting all the Meta building that were already approved..
If they are moving forward with office space I would guess that they don’t plan to develop if toe Meta but to sell the land with the approved project to someone else. It is worth more if they already have approved permits.
Brian:
I agree. It is time to stop approving more office space. There is already an abundance of office space in the city that is sitting empty. Meta has much of their work force working remotely, why the push for more office space? So it can sit empty? So they can lease it to other companies? It doesn’t make any sense. There needs to be a moratorium on office space construction until housing catches up. And I don’t mean “affordable” housing, that is a myth in this area and is unachievable here due to land and construction costs.
1,730 units? 1,200,000 square feet of office space? Is this project really needed?
Why can’t the current buildings in the space be retrofitted for housing and stores? You might get less housing, but you could sure spare the local environment, and all of resources by not tearing out what is already there. I think the birds would prefer having a smaller developed area (and keeping the trees along Willow that are slated to be ripped out) to having huge buildings with “90% bird safe glass”
If the goal is to help Menlo Park and EPA residents, why not do three simple things that could be accomplished in probably one year of work
1. Close Willow Road to Dumbarton bridge traffic (you would have to do this anyway I think to do the building)
2. Put the stores, restaurants, and retail spaces in the existing buildings on the site
3. Put some housing in the other buildings. Or build up some housing on the existing buildings
I am an EPA resident who literally runs by this site every morning for exercise. Why is there such a need to tear this already empty site without first considering how to best use what is already there?
Just read an article that Meta terminated their long term lease in Mountain view and are “building “a best-in-class remote work experience”” . If that is the case then why are they considering moving forward with Willow Village that includes office space and some housing? Why not change the plans for 100% housing and retail (Bank, Grocery store, restaurants)? Meta stock has dropped from a high of nearly $400 a share to about $91 a share today, they have frozen hiring are reducing staff and migrating to a “remote work experience” and they are cancelling their leases for office space. Does it really make sense that they want to invest huge amounts of money developing Willow Village? Personally I don’t think so. It seems more like the project would be a good sell and more valuable if they have the permits to include in the sale. The Council should not approve Willow Village as it. If they really want to back more housing then allow only housing and work with the neighbors to approve something that they support. Approving more office space only makes the cities current problems worse
https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2022/11/03/meta-terminates-lease-at-san-antonio-center-in-mountain-view