BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The city of Palo Alto is teaming up with Menlo Park to fight a Russian billionaire’s proposal for towers reaching 39 stories in height at the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.
Palo Alto City Council voted unanimously tonight (Oct. 19) to authorize City Attorney Chris Jensen to file a brief with the court to support Menlo Park in a lawsuit.
Menlo Park City Council was sued by developer Oisin Heneghan of N17 Development after rejecting his application on Sept. 29.
Heneghan’s proposal calls for three towers at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park, including the tallest building between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The development would have 665 apartments, a hotel, office space and a preschool.
The property is owned by Russian billionaire Vitaly Yusufov, who is the son of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s energy minister.
Heneghan claims he has the right to build the development under state law, and he’s supported by a letter to Menlo Park from Californian Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The development is up against the San Francisquito Creek, which is the border between Menlo Park and Palo Alto
Palo Alto Councilman Pat Burt said he has three major concerns about the project: slowing down firefighters and ambulances, harming the creek, and adding traffic on Middlefield Road and University Avenue, which already get backed up during commute times.
Congressman Sam Liccardo asked the U.S. Department of Treasury on Sept. 24 to look into the funding sources behind the development.
“Public sources raise serious questions about Vitaly Yusufov’s ties to the Russian government and individuals linked to organized crime, warranting immediate review,” Liccardo said in a letter.
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