Menlo Park residents will decide whether future development of three downtown parking lots into affordable housing must receive voter approval after the City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to place a citizens’ initiative on the November 2026 ballot.
The decision follows more than a year of debate over a proposal to build 345 affordable units on 556 publicly owned parking spaces downtown.
Opponents of the housing plans gathered signatures from more than 10% of registered voters in Menlo Park, submitted to the council in October, triggering a requirement to either adopt the measure, call a special election, or place it on the next general ballot. The council chose the Nov. 3, 2026, election.
Critics argue that removing parking would hurt longtime businesses and deter patrons from visiting downtown, while housing advocates say the project is essential to meeting the region’s escalating needs.
A city-commissioned analysis of the initiative, conducted by M-Group at a cost of slightly more than $164,000, said the ballot measure would prohibit the city from disposing of, selling, leasing, trading, donating, or re-designating any portion of the downtown parking plazas without voter approval.
The initiative involves two layers of voter approval.
The first asks residents whether they want future authority over development on the downtown parking plazas. If that measure passes, the city would then be required to seek voter approval each time it wants to redevelop the lots.
The study also said the measure would limit housing opportunities on the sites, discourage mixed-use commercial projects “which could generate more revenue and have a positive fiscal impact,” and restrict long-term economic benefits from workforce housing.
Menlo Park previously set a Dec. 15 deadline for six developers to submit proposals, and that process will continue, Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte said in an email. It remains unclear, however, whether later stages of planning will pause until after voters weigh in.
Councilmember Jeff Schmidt said he supported placing the measure on the 2026 ballot to “fulfill the democratic process.”
“I’m strongly supporting putting this on the November ballot so that everybody can have a voice,” he said.
Councilmember Betsy Nash also pointed to higher turnout in general elections.
“And I also hope that many, many people will study the initiative, really take a look at all the pros and cons, and make decisions for the future,” she said.
Save Downtown Menlo, the group behind the initiative, says it is not opposed to building new housing but believes the downtown parking lots are the wrong location.
The group has promoted alternative sites, including the Bohannon Industrial Park and the SRI/Parkline Corporation Yard, which it argues could support development without displacing parking.
Affordable housing and transportation advocate Adina Levin countered that the measure would make it “much more difficult for the city to meet its housing requirements.”
“If we don’t meet those state obligations, the vulnerability that the city would have for builder’s remedy projects — that there’s a lot of opposition to,” she said.
Under California’s builder’s remedy rule, developers can bypass local zoning in cities without certified housing plans if at least 20% of the units are affordable. Noncompliant cities may also lose access to state and federal funding.
Menlo Park resident Karen Grove cited nearby Redwood City — which added mixed-use housing and structured parking downtown — as a successful model.
“Modern structured parking lit up numbers tell you exactly where the spot is,” she said. “That’s why I’m more likely to go to Redwood City when I want to go out to dinners.”
Alex Beltramo, an organizer of Save Downtown Menlo’s signature drive, reiterated that the issue is not whether to support affordable housing, but where it should go.
“The question before Menlo Park is not whether to support affordable housing. The question is whether the downtown parking plazas are the right place, and that’s a question that should be answered by the people of Menlo Park,” Beltramo said.
Save Downtown Menlo also disputes the idea that relocating housing sites would expose the city to builder’s remedy.
“In order to meet our state’s housing allocation, we just need to have the entitlements and permits in place by 2031,” the group states on its website. “The actual construction can come later.”
Menlo Park is currently in good standing with state housing laws. Neighboring Portola Valley, however, had its housing plan decertified last year after state officials said the town was stalling on new housing.
Menlo Park’s state-mandated housing plan calls for the approval of nearly 3,000 new homes by 2031, including more than 1,600 affordable units for moderate- and low-income households. In San Mateo County, individuals earning below $109,700 are considered low income.