This page describes the three Community Workshops associated with the El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan. For more information about the overall project, please see the main El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan page.
The Community Workshops represent the core of the Specific Plan process. The workshops were aimed at facilitating useful community and stakeholder input, refining previous findings, shaping specific alternatives, and helping disparate community elements and stakeholders arrive at points of common agreement. The Specific Plan workshops built on the four workshops conducted during the 2008 Vision Plan (Phase I) process.
All workshops took place at 700B Santa Cruz Avenue.
"Where the Plan Takes Shape"
Refined Plans and Programs
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Refined concepts and an emerging plan - based on input from the previous community meetings - were presented and discussed during the third and final community workshop. The results of this workshop will set the foundation for the draft version of the Specific Plan. Attendees were able to weigh in on proposed public improvements, including expanded public spaces, wider sidewalks on Santa Cruz Avenue, and enhanced crossings of El Camino Real. Attendees also considered a preferred direction for the use, size, and character of private development, with its associated traffic and fiscal implications and potential public benefits.
Full-size copies of the discussion boards were posted in public locations (inside main Library, in windows at Kepler's Books) for several months after the workshop, helping to continue to educate community members.
"Where Critical Decisions Will Be Made"
Framework and Preliminary Plans and Programs
Thursday, June 18, 2009
This workshop included a detailed review of alternative plan elements (for example: land use mixes, vehicular/pedestrian/bicycle circulation details, and parking options), shown in advanced graphical formats such as 3D models and photomontages. The workshop was intended to help decide on key strategies and features to be incorporated in the preferred alternative plan, to be reviewed in detail at the third Community Workshop.
"Turning a Vision into a Plan"
Existing Conditions and Vision Refinement
Thursday, April 16, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
At this workshop, the community looked beyond the goals to understand existing opportunities and constraints and the inherent trade-offs (e.g. traffic/parking and pedestrian space) when considering a vibrant downtown appropriate for Menlo Park. This workshop was critical for the formulation of alternatives for new buildings, uses and public amenities, to be considered at the second workshop.
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