BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
A nonprofit pro-housing group is threatening to sue Menlo Park for not moving forward with a proposed 40-story complex at the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.
The city found the proposed project at 80 Willow Road was not eligible for the Builder’s Remedy, but San Francisco-based YIMBY Law says the city is imposing new requirements that didn’t previously apply to the property.
YIMBY Law sent a letter to the city on Dec. 5 saying it will not hesitate to file a suit if the city doesn’t move forward with the project. City Attorney Nina Doherty sent a response to the firm to say the city was willing to discuss the letter, YIMBY Law attorney Jack Farrell said.
The city found the project inconsistent with its development standards, such as the height, environmental impacts and affordable housing requirements. The developer has reduced the amount of affordable housing, which will change how the project will be reviewed, according to the city’s evaluation.
Russian businessman Vitaly Yusufov wants to develop the 7-acre Sunset property at 80 Willow Road, building 665 units of housing and towers as high as 458 feet. While such a proposal would normally violate city building codes, the city didn’t turn in its housing plan to the state on time. As a result, certain projects are allowed under the Builder’s Remedy provision of state law if they include a portion of subsidized housing.
The project also cannot rely on state law AB 2011, an affordable housing law, to fast-track the process, and it must undergo a full review under the California Environmental Quality Act, the city said.
“I just have a problem with governments in California or anywhere trying to proceed without following the law,” Farrell said.
YIMBY Law says on its website that it currently is suing six cities across the state to force compliance with the state’s housing laws. The group says it uses the lawsuits to “end the housing shortage and achieve affordable, sustainable, and equitable housing for all.”
You can always count on the deep-pocketed YIMBY folks to back all development regardless of how pathetically few affordable housing units are provided abd how much it screws up communities.
On the one hand they push their “no one wants / needs cars” fairy tales while dumping tens of thousands of NEW commuters onto narrow roads for a HUGE development with a hotel, shopping center, offices, a school…
Shame on them for selling us all out and destroying our communities with their lies about how monstrous Builder’s Remedy projects like this reduce housing prices.
Thanks again to Menlo for fighting the YIMBYs over plans for this monstrosity.
“affordable” housing and “rent control” is how we ended up on this hole.
The way to have 30 year old units that are affordable, is to have built enough houses 30 years ago.
The solution is to build a lot more units, no matter what the “affordability,” because there are plenty of old units overcharging right now that will become affordable if there are more high end units on the market.
(Someone will probably answer “trickle down doesn’t work,” which I agree with 100%. This is not “trickle down economics.”)
Menlo Park is getting these outrageous projects because council members failed to submit a complaint housing plan on time to the state. They knew the deadline but ignored it, allowing their developer donors to submit tall and massive projects. They never expected a 40-story building, but now it’s going to happen. Residents are sleeping through this. They won’t wake up until the construction cranes show up. Menlo Park, you got played!
Jon Watte and Observer are right on the mark about this. I’m no fan of this huge project, but Menlo Park should have known better than tacking on more requirements. The city deserves what it’s about to get for thinking it was above the rules.
Looks awesome