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Menlo Park council approves Main Street plan amendments to allow limited offices and small-scale recreation
Summary
The Menlo Park City Council approved amendments to the Main Street specific plan to allow limited office uses and small-scale commercial recreation in the downtown overlay, impose size limits on banks and require a public-benefit agreement for office bonuses. The vote was unanimous after extensive public support and council refinements.
The Menlo Park City Council approved a resolution to amend the Main Street specific plan, allowing a conditional, limited increase in office floor area and permitting small-scale commercial recreation in the Main Street overlay, the council said. The council also adopted size limits for banks and directed staff to report back on implementation.
Planning associate Matt Pruder told the council the amendments focus on parcel-level updates along Santa Cruz Avenue and near the Caltrain station to reduce long-term commercial vacancies. Pruder said the package contains three principal elements: modifications to several land-use categories in the Main Street overlay, a narrowly defined bonus allowing an extra two-thirds of nonresidential FAR for existing buildings when paired with a public-benefit agreement, and clarifications to several use definitions.
"These changes would permit modest office uses in the rear or on upper floors of existing buildings, but only with a use permit and a public-benefit agreement," Pruder said.
The applicant said the changes would help property owners justify investments in older downtown storefronts. The applicantrepresentative argued limited offices (small firms under 20 employees) and fitness or family-recreation uses would fill vacant storefronts and increase daytime foot traffic.
Members of the public and local business owners largely supported the amendments. Carly Holmes, a resident and small-business entrepreneur, told the council the rezoning is essential to opening a family activities center on Santa Cruz Avenue and said the market had already begun responding to the planning commissionvote. "Two of the four spaces I considered leased immediately after the commission recommended the amendment," Holmes said.
Other commenters urged caution about specific uses. Some speakers asked the council to limit bank footprints and to avoid permitting large office headquarters that could displace retail. Staff recommended a maximum total of 30,000 square feet for all banks in the overlay and 5,000 square feet per individual bank; the council adopted those limits in the final motion.
Council members also debated whether to reclassify therapeutic massage from a restricted category into a broader "personal services" category. Several members said they were uncomfortable allowing standalone massage-only businesses on Santa Cruz but supported a measured expansion for general spa and wellness services with appropriate licensing and code compliance.
Councilmember Coms moved to adopt the resolution as modified; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously by roll call. The adopted resolution allows the limited office bonus only where a use permit and public-benefit agreement are approved, sets the bank-size caps recommended by staff and retains mechanisms for the commission and staff to monitor implementation. The council also asked staff and the planning commission to conduct a follow-up study session and an annual informational review to report on outcomes and potential unintended consequences.
Because the council refined the proposal in open session, the changes will take effect following the council's adoption as provided in the resolution. The council directed staff to return with clarifying language and an annual informational report on implementation.
