City of Menlo Park receives conditional approval of Housing Element
The City of Menlo Park has received conditional approval of its 2023-2031 Housing Element from the State of California. In a letter received Dec. 20, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) deemed the Housing Element to be in substantial compliance with state law upon re-adoption by the City Council and approval by HCD.
The City Council adopted the Housing Element Jan. 31 and most recently submitted a revised Housing Element for HCD review Nov. 3 to address requested changes. The Housing Element is a state-mandated part of the City’s General Plan and identifies how the city will accommodate its regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) of nearly 3,000 units at different levels of affordability and affirmatively further fair housing across the community.
On Jan.8, 2024, the Planning Commission is scheduled to make a recommendation to the City Council on a General Plan amendment to re-adopt the State-approved Housing Element.
Later in January 2024, the City Council will consider the recommendation and take action. For information on the January 2024 meetings and for more details about the City’s Housing Element Update project, visit menlopark.gov/housingelement.
Meanwhile, residents are asking what impact the approval will have on Builder’s Remedy projects that have been previously submitted. Here is what Council Member Jen Wolosin wrote in an email:
“Here is my understanding of the situation vis-à-vis state law, and in particular the Housing Accountability Act: A preliminary application relates back to the date it was submitted. It is the standards in place on that submission date that apply to the project going forward.
“For 80 Willow Road (the former Sunset Magazine site), the preliminary application was submitted before the Housing Element was certified, and it may be entitled to the standards in place as of that time.
“As I’ve mentioned, there are a lot of unknowns at this point and a lot of process that has yet to play out. I will continue to keep you posted.
“For now, it’s a very good thing that we have a (conditionally) approved Housing Element. I am grateful to our City Staff for getting this over the finish line.”
