November 2025 Newsletter

City Deems Latest 80 Willow Application Inconsistent

On November 7, 2025, the city staff completed a review of the most recent application for the 80 Willow Road development project. The application was determined to be inconsistent with the city’s development standards by multiple departments, including Housing, Building, and Engineering. This is not a denial of the project.

The most recent application for the project didn’t represent much of a change from the initial application, which was submitted under the state’s Builder’s Remedy provision. One change of note is that the developer actually reduced the number of affordable housing units.

For background, the project, which is situated along the San Francisquito Creek, consists of more than 1.5 million square feet across four primary buildings, with the tallest proposed at 450 feet. The site is currently occupied by the historically-significant former Sunset Magazine headquarters building which would be demolished to make way for the mixed-use project. 

Environmental Impact Report

Also of key importance is the developer's seeming refusal, so far at least, to provide funds to start the environmental impact report (EIR). The city selected a consultant for the EIR earlier this year. The developer is required to fund the study. This refusal could indicate a thinking on their part that an EIR is not required. Learn more about the project at this city webpage.

Council Requests Ballot Measure Study In 4 -1 Decision

At its meeting on November 4, 2025, the city council voted 4–1 to commission a study of a ballot initiative restricting the council’s ability to repurpose the downtown parking lots. The city council will be presented with the report’s findings at its meeting on December 2, 2025. At that time, the council will then have to decide whether to submit the matter to voters, adopt the ordinance via council action, or take some other course of action.

I voted against the motion to commission the report. I favored the option of submitting the issue to voters without commissioning the report, which will cost roughly $165,000. I’m skeptical that the report will resolve some of the primary facts in contention surrounding this issue. Additionally, I thought the funds required for the study could be better used to help pay for a special election related to the initiative, which will cost $330,000.

Special Election vs. November 2026 Election

While I remain open to waiting until November 2026 to hold the election for the ballot measure, I tend to favor holding a special election. A special election would take place early in 2026. While a special election is costly, a year-long delay will be costly in its own way in that it delays resolution of this issue.

Willows Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvements

There are a few recent and upcoming infrastructure developments that I wanted to highlight:

• New Protected Left Turns - The traffic signals at Willow Road/Gilbert Avenue and Willow Road/Coleman Avenue intersections have been upgraded to allow for protected left turns. More specifically, the intersections will include protected/permissive left turns which means that left turns will be allowed during a protected phase with a green arrow and a permissive phase when turning traffic has to yield.

• New Paving at Willow Road/Bay Road - This part of Willow Road is actually not a part of the city’s right-of-way but rather Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) right-of-way. This is why this section of the street wasn’t repaved with the other part of Willow Road a few years ago. In recent weeks, Caltrans’ project to repave and re-stripe their section of the road was completed.

• Willow Oaks Park Field Gate - Accessibility between the playground and the field has been hampered because currently there’s only one pedestrian gate to the field and it is located next to the Silicon Valley International School campus. To address this issue, the city will be installing a new pedestrian gate to the field. The gate will be located right across from the dog park. This new gate will make it easier to access the field from other parts of the park.

• New Welcome Signs - In the months ahead, the city will be installing new ‘Welcome to The Willows’ signs at a few key neighborhood entry points.

New Downtown Revitalization Effort

The Downtown Menlo Fund has been formally launched by a group of residents in an effort to provide organized private-sector support to the revitalization of the downtown. I’ve very much valued my recent discussions with these residents, which include Marnie Foody, Paul Charette, Laura Melahn and Ben Eiref, who I served with for a number of years on the planning commission. I salute their efforts to improve the area, and I believe that public-private partnership will be key to truly unlocking the full potential of our downtown.

Resident focuses AI Chatbots on MP City Council

Menlo Park resident Lyndon Wong has kicked off a project to understand Menlo City council matters through the lens of generative artificial intelligence chatbots. He has complied the results of these efforts on this website. There’s also a dashboard that attempts to provide a ranking of city council members across several issues including housing development, fiscal responsibilities and economic developments. Disclaimer: This effort is not endorsed by me or the city. I’m sharing as an example of one resident’s effort to use AI technologies to better understand city council developments.

Upcoming Events and Community Office Hours

• Light Up the Season - This year’s Shop Local! Light Up the Season event will take place December 5, 2025 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. An annual tradition at Fremont Park that kicks off holiday season with activities, youth performances, hot cocoa and, of course, the tree lightning.

• Photos with Santa – Another winter holiday season event, Photos with Santa, will be hosted at the Belle Haven Community Campus on December 13, 2025. The event includes breakfast, holiday crafts and the opportunity to take a photo with Santa. Reservations are required.

• Springline’s 4th Holiday Celebration - Springline will be hosting its annual holiday celebration on December 6, 2025. The event will include a snow playground, live music, crafts, a vendor marketplace and photos with Santa.

• Community Office Hours - The remaining community office hour sessions of 2025 will take place on November 22, November 29 and December 6. Community office hours are held at Neighborhood Pizza Guy/Cafe Zoë on Saturdays from 9:00am to 10:00am.