Atherton is one of many Bay Area cities struggling to comply with state mandates for building housing. Menlo College, a small residential college located within Atherton, often struggles to hire or retain qualified faculty and staff due to the lack of nearby affordable housing. Building housing on Menlo’s campus would mitigate both of these challenges.
The current mandate facing Atherton, set by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), is to get state approval for a plan to build 348 additional housing units over the next eight years. The town’s first plan was rejected; the revised plan submitted in January includes additional accessory dwelling units (ADUs), rezoning single-family homes for future multifamily developments, and a 60-unit faculty and staff apartment building on the Menlo College campus. The state will be responding to that plan by the end of March.
Yet, even if the state accepts the plan, a major challenge remains: while Menlo College leadership has the land available and would welcome the opportunity to build staff and faculty housing on campus, the college doesn’t have the financial resources to build those apartments.
Building affordable housing on Menlo College’s campus would have a ripple effect throughout Silicon Valley. It would create jobs, stimulate economic growth, take cars off area roads and free up existing affordable housing units throughout the Valley that are now occupied by members of the Menlo College community.
The project would benefit Atherton, but it would also benefit Menlo College and its students. More available campus housing would allow the College to attract and retain talented faculty and staff who might otherwise be unable to afford to live in the area. It would improve Menlo College’s ability to support students in need, offering them access to the educational and career opportunities of Silicon Valley.
Menlo College has always been a small, largely residential college. But the Menlo College of today is probably not what most people assume, reflecting enrollment shifts over the last decade. Today, Menlo serves an extremely diverse student population: the 800+ students hail from 45 countries. Menlo College is a federally designated Minority Serving Institution two times over, as both a Hispanic-serving institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-serving institution, and a large proportion of our students receive Pell Grants. One-third of Menlo’s students are the first in their family to attend college.
The benefits to Atherton residents are also clear. Atherton residents enjoy graciously laid-out homes and an abundance of heritage trees, generating a rarely-found combination of tranquility and sense of privilege. Those who call Atherton home are by and large fiercely protective of the lifestyle that Atherton offers. Building these apartments on Menlo’s campus will help the town maintain that lifestyle while complying with the RHNA mandate.
In order for this project to become a reality, the college needs the financial support of the town or directly from Atherton residents. It would take just a small handful of wealthy homeowners in the area making tax-deductible contributions to Menlo College to cover the construction costs.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom called out Atherton for its resistance to building new multifamily homes and resisting state requirements to meet RHNA housing targets. I offer residents an alternative to continued resistance and protest: dig into your pockets, and let Menlo College build the apartments.
Melissa Michelson is the dean of Arts & Sciences at Menlo College
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