Menlo Park planning commission approves use permit for 636 Cambridge Ave, allowing two homes with ADUs

The Menlo Park Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Feb. 23 to approve a use permit allowing the demolition of a 1920s single‑family house at 636 Cambridge Avenue and the construction of two new two‑story single‑family residences, each paired with an attached accessory dwelling unit (ADU), creating up to four dwelling units.

The applicant, who identified himself as Tito, presented design revisions intended to protect a prominent redwood while acknowledging the project would require removal of three heritage trees and planting four replacement trees. “We are letting go three heritage trees, and in that place, we are putting four replacement trees,” the homeowner said, and identified one removed specimen as a Chinese pistache that sits mid‑lot and constrained the layout.

The commission’s approval adopted the staff resolution recommending the permit and a categorical exemption under CEQA Guidelines section 15303 for small‑scale new construction.…