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Menlo Park moves ahead on 600‑block Santa Cruz public plaza, will test new site furnishings and replace picnic tables
Summary
After staff''s outreach review, the council directed a Phase 1 furniture purchase for the 600 block public plaza — prioritizing durable stationary picnic tables, heavier movable chairs for testing and a statement bench option — while staff will refine designs and pricing for later phases.
Menlo Park city staff told the council they will move quickly to order Phase 1 furniture for a public plaza on the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue, focusing first on replacing deteriorating picnic tables and installing durable seating to allow the plaza to function while a final design is refined.
"Overall, more than 260 participants shared their opinions and feedback," assistant senior manager Steven Stolte said, summarizing community outreach. He said outdoor seating ranked highest among design priorities, followed by traffic barriers, lighting, planters, shade canopies, accessibility improvements and bike parking.
Consultant Jeff Bradley of EM Group presented 11 product categories — fixed picnic tables, large benches, stand‑up tables, modular benches and a range of movable chairs — noting tradeoffs between the higher durability (and cost) of the DoMor family of steel products and much cheaper alternatives. "We can absolutely repurpose any furniture that does not work in Phase 1 to other city facilities like parks," Stolte added.
Public commenters and council members emphasized durability, visual continuity and accessibility. Marnie Foudy, chair of the Downtown Menlo Fund, urged public‑private partnerships; Ben Iraff, a cofounder of that fund and former planning commissioner, cautioned that the plaza must align with the downtown specific plan and raised traffic concerns about a westbound‑only configuration. Laura Millan recommended a shared‑street approach to keep traffic while creating pedestrian space.
Council feedback coalesced around several points: replace the aging picnic tables now, favor durable steel (with wood or polywood tops) that can be repurposed, test a mixed package in Phase 1 rather than fill the entire plaza immediately, and plan for a bench with a back as a possible statement piece for later phases. Stolte said the Phase 1 purchase would be executed under the city manager''s spending authority and would not preclude later refinements by a landscape architect.
On operational concerns, council members and staff discussed theft and maintenance of movable chairs, the need for shade and lighting, and the desire to avoid an overly faux‑play or parklike aesthetic in the downtown street environment. Stolte said staff will assemble a test mix and post furniture locations and models on the project website so residents can evaluate prototypes elsewhere in the city.
Next steps: staff will assemble a Phase 1 procurement package (durable stationary tables, some heavier movable chairs for testing, and candidate benches), add a landscape architect to refine final design and pricing, and return to council or post design developments online as the package is finalized.
