Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves amendment for Meta Classic campus after environmental and tree protections discussed
Summary
The Menlo Park City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the conditional construction permit for the Meta Classic campus that raises building heights for two structures and reinstates conditions while staff described bird-safe glazing and a 36‑month tree‑monitoring plan.
Menlo Park — The City Council voted to amend the conditional construction permit for the Meta Classic campus, approving changes that raise the maximum height for Buildings 12 and 14 and reinstate prior permit conditions after staff described bird-protection measures and a tree‑relocation plan.
Staff said the project’s facade standards require no more than 10% of the building glass to be unsafe for birds; an atrium area near the ground level will be the area of greatest exposure. Planner-level staff also described a replanting and monitoring program for a relocated tree, with monitoring scheduled for 36 months. "Se ha listado las condiciones de aprobación... habrá monitoreo a largo plazo de varios años, más de 3 años," a staff member said.
Leticia Ford, appearing on the line for the applicant, told the council construction is expected to begin in "la segunda mitad del próximo año." Residents and councilmembers noted community concern about a recent pause at Willow Village and the neighborhood impacts of large development projects.
Councilmember Smetada moved to amend the conditional use/conditional construction permit — the motion text put forward changes to increase the allowable heights for Buildings 12 and 14 from 48 feet to 62 feet, update prior address references and reinstate conditions previously removed in an earlier amendment. After a second, the measure passed on a roll-call vote: Councilmembers Taylor, Smith, Vice Mayor Wise and Mayor Nash voted yes; Councilmember COMS was recused from the item.
The vote concludes the council’s review for this amendment; staff said any remaining implementation steps (including final building permits and monitoring logistics for the tree) will be handled through the city's planning and building processes.
What’s next: staff will work with the applicant on final engineering and long‑term monitoring protocols. Construction timing remains subject to the applicant’s schedule and permit-processing milestones.
