Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) for the 1005 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road project now available
On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the City of Menlo Park released the Notice of Availability (NOA) and Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed 1005 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road project, located at 995-1005 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road.
The release of the Draft EIR begins the 45-day comment period required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15105. The comment period is set to end on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
The proposed project includes a new five-story research and development building of 154,381 square feet, one four-story research and development building of 73,617 square feet, and a seven-story parking structure with 497 parking spaces. Each building would have an associated 200-square-foot chemical storage building. The project would be built in two phases starting with the 1005 O’Brien building and four stories of parking garage in Phase 1 and the 1320 Willow building and the remaining three stories of parking garage in Phase 2.
More details on the proposed project are available on the 1005 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road project page.
In accordance with CEQA, the certified program-level ConnectMenlo EIR served as the first-tier environmental analysis. Further, the Draft EIR was prepared in compliance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement between the City of East Palo Alto and the City of Menlo Park. The Draft EIR was prepared to address potential physical environmental effects of the proposed project in the following areas: population and housing, transportation, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, noise (operation – traffic noise, construction noise and vibration), hazards and hazardous materials, and tribal cultural resources. The Draft EIR identifies significant and unavoidable environmental impacts in the area of greenhouse gases due to the inclusion of natural gas infrastructure in the project.
The City is requesting comments on the Draft EIR with the comment period starting on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 and ending at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 18, 2026. Copies of the Draft EIR and NOA are available at City Hall, Main and Belle Haven Libraries, and on the City’s website at menopark.gov/1005-OBrien.
Written comments should be submitted by email to Senior Planner Chris Turner or by letter to Chris Turner, Community Development, 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Email correspondence is preferred.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Draft EIR and a study session on the project, on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. or as near as possible thereafter. During the meeting, staff will request comments on the Draft EIR from members of the public and the Planning Commission.
Following the close of the draft EIR public review period on May 18, 2026, staff will prepare a Final EIR that will include responses to all substantive comments received on the Draft EIR.
Please contact Senior Planner Chris Turner with any questions.
