BY NORAH SHEPPARD-HUTCHINS
Daily Post Staff Writer
As pressure mounts on Menlo Park City Council to approve a Russian developer”s proposal for a skyscraper at the former Sunset Magazine headquarters, residents opposing the project have started a campaign to urge council to fight the proposal.
Menlo Forward, a group created to oppose the project proposed for 80 Willow Road, asked supporters to write to council and attend the Sept. 15 meeting. The group said they believe this is a final chance to speak up as the developer, Oisin Heneghan, has declared the city must approve his project by Oct. 27.
The property is owned by Russian businessman Vitaly Yusufov. Henegan works for Yusufov.
Heneghan said in his Aug. 3 letter to council that a warning from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office about the city’s handling of his proposal at 80 Willow Road means under a newly enacted state law, the city must approve the project.
“Argue back at the Attorney General. He ain’t the only lawyer in town. Reject the developer’s deadline. Who died and made him God?” resident Nina Wouk said in an email to council that was posted on the city’s email portal.
Resident Elizabeth Burr described the circumstances as a “David and Goliath situation” as the city must fight against the state of California and the developers at an Aug. 25 council meeting.
“I want to encourage you (council) to fight, to represent the citizens of Menlo Park who elected you. It is your job to take the appropriate, prudent and reasonable time to ensure that the city is protected from well-funded corporate interests,” Burr said.
The proposal
The proposed development includes 665 apartments, a hotel, office space and a preschool across three towers, with the tallest going up to 461 feet.
Resident Amy Boggs said council should not approve the project under pressure, as potential environmental effects should be determined before going forward. “The procedures for reviewing these large developments were established for a reason, but now the state’s put its thumb on the scale and the emboldened developer is bullying our city into approving this project without an EIR (Environmental Impact Report),” Boggs said.
Council is having a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the letters from Bonta and Heneghan behind closed doors.
Builder’s remedy
While the proposal for 80 Willow 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 cannot rely on the state law AB2011, an affordable housing law, to fast-track the process because the hotel does not count as housing, and it must undergo a full review under the California Environmental Quality Act, the city said in November.
Last summer, the National Park Service found that the former magazine headquarters is eligible for a historic listing, which could force a full CEQA review.
Other developments
The Sunset Magazine headquarters is one of three large developments planned for Menlo Park between Middlefield Road and Laurel Street.
Presidio Bay has proposed to build 670 homes, 713,000 square feet of office space, 43,000 square feet of retail space, a 15,000-square-foot childcare center, and three acres of open space at 345 Middlefield Road.
In 2025, council approved Lane Partners plan to redevelop the SRI campus at 333 Ravenswood Ave., initially proposing to build 646 homes and up to one million square feet of commercial space. In June, the developers submitted a modified proposal to build 1,082 homes.
The people of California are responsible for perpetrating this abomination by voting for Bonta and this out-of-control state legislature. Stop voting for this stuff. It’s the only way it’s going to go away.