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This page is an archive of the Vision Plan (Phase I) process. Please see the El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan page for information about the current (Phase II) process.

Vision Plan El Camino Real/Downtown Vision Plan [7.3 MB] - Unanimously accepted by the City Council on July 15, 2008. Illustrations - Larger-format versions of the artistic renderings contained in the Vision Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Tunnel [2.1 MB] Santa Cruz Avenue [2.2 MB] Station Area [2.0 MB] Parking Plaza [2.5 MB] Neighborhood Context [1.8 MB] Hotel and Conference Center [2.1 MB] The heart of the Vision Plan is the 12 goals, which serve as the foundation for the Specific Plan: Vision Plan Area Character: Maintain a village character unique to Menlo Park. East-West Connectivity: Provide greater east-west, town-wide connectivity. El Camino Real Circulation: Improve circulation and streetscape conditions on El Camino Real. Neighborhood Context: Ensure that El Camino Real development is sensitive to and compatible with adjacent neighborhoods. Vacant and Underutilized Parcels on El Camino Real: Revitalize underutilized parcels and buildings. Train Station Area: Activate the train station area. Santa Cruz Avenue Pedestrian Character: Protect and enhance pedestrian amenities on Santa Cruz Avenue. Downtown Vibrancy: Expand shopping, dining and neighborhood services to ensure a vibrant downtown. Housing: Provide residential opportunities in the Vision Plan Area. Open Space: Provide plaza and park spaces. Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation: Provide an integrated, safe and well-designed pedestrian and bicycle network. Parking: Develop parking strategies and facilities that meet the commercial and residential needs of the community.

Planning Commission and City Council Review

• City Council Meeting
  Tuesday, July 15 - 7:00 p.m.
  The City Council reviewed and accepted the final draft Vision Plan and approved the recommended Phase II scoping and consultant procurement process.
  • Staff Report (includes draft Vision Plan)
  • Presentation: Consultant
  • Presentation: Staff
  • Video


• City Council Study Meeting
  Tuesday, June 10 - 7:00 p.m.
  The City Council reviewed the revised Draft Vision Plan and discussed options for the next steps in the visioning process.  This meeting was a study session, and the Council did not take any formal action.  Public comment was welcomed and considered by the Council.
  • Presentation [7.1 MB]
  • Staff Report (includes Revised Draft Vision Plan)
  • Video


• Planning Commission Workshop
  Monday, May 19 - 7:00 p.m.
  The Planning Commission was presented with a draft of the vision plan.  The public reviewed these items in an interactive workshop format, and the Commission had the opportunity to ask questions and comment.
• Notice
• Presentation [5.3 MB]
• Staff Report (includes Draft Vision Plan)
• Video (please note: there were two power outages during the meeting, which temporarily halted the video)
• Graphic: Draft Conceptual Illustrative [3 MB]
• Graphic: Downtown Parking Structures
• Graphic: El Camino Real Sections
• Graphic: Santa Cruz Avenue Sections [2.8 MB]
• Handout: Draft Goals

Community Workshops

The Community Workshops represent the core of the visioning process, having created a forum for community members to work with each other to discuss the pros and cons of potential visions.

• Community Workshop #3
  Thursday, May 1 - 7:00 p.m. - ~9:00 p.m.
  Recreation Center Ballroom (701 Laurel Street)
  This workshop involved a visioning exercise for Downtown, similar to the one conducted for El Camino Real at the previous workshop.
  
• Agenda
• Flyer
• Presentation [15 MB]
• Map: Alternative 1 [4 MB]
• Map: Alternative 2 [4.3 MB]
• Map: Alternative 3 [5 MB]




• Community Workshop #2
  Thursday, April 3
  At this workshop, the community began to create a vision for the El Camino Real corridor.  Participants heard about all of the input that has been received to date.  Then, workshop participants broke into small groups to provide feedback on conceptual alternatives, combining and modifying ideas and adding new proposals to agree upon a vision.  The exercise concluded with a summary from each group.
  
• Agenda
• Flyer
• Presentation [14.9 MB]
• Handout: Stakeholder Interviews
• Handout: Walking Tours
• Handout: Workshop #1 Individual Exercise
• Handout: Workshop #1 Group Exercise
• Map: Alternative 1 [4 MB]
• Map: Alternative 2 [4.3 MB]
• Map: Alternative 3 [5 MB]




• Community Workshop #1
  Thursday, March 6
  This workshop provided an opportunity for the public to learn more about the Vision Plan process and to provide initial input. Opportunities and constraints in the Study Area were discussed, including results of the public walking tours and community surveys.
  • Agenda
  • Flyer
  • Presentation [3.8 MB]
  • Sites to Visit
  • Walking Tours Poster [4.0 MB]

Walking Tours

Two walking tours have been held in the project area, to allow participants to review the existing conditions, discuss challenges and opportunities, and interact with other community members in an informal setting. The tours stopped at key locations to collect input and opinions from participants. Participants also discussed the character of development, transportation issues, public space and other issues at each site.

Photographs and community input from the tours were presented at the first Community Workshop on March 6.  Community members who couldn't make the tours are still encouraged to print up the maps and do the tours individually.

• Downtown Walking Tour
  Saturday, February 23
• Map
• El Camino Real Walking Tour
  Saturday, February 9
• Map: North Section
  
• Map: South Section
  


• Walking Tours Summary Sheet
• Walking Tours Poster [4.0 MB]

Oversight and Outreach Committee

The El Camino Real/Downtown Visioning Process Oversight and Outreach Committee ("the Committee") was formed to undertake the following primary tasks:

1. Provide input to the consultant and staff regarding the management of the process; and
2. Reach out to other community members and help bring them into the broader visioning process.

Committee meetings were open to all community members, and public comment was welcomed and incorporated by the Committee into its own discussion.

• Oversight/Outreach Committee Meeting #1
  Tuesday, January 29, 6:00 p.m. - ~8:00 p.m.
  Menlo Park Library - Downstairs Meeting Room
• City Council Joint Meeting Agenda
• Committee Meeting Agenda
• Presentation
• Handout: Oversight and Outreach Committee Role
• Handout: February Promotional Flyer
• Handout: Schedule
• Handout: "Wheel" and Workshops
• Oversight/Outreach Committee Mobile Tour
  Wednesday, February 6 - 8:00 a.m. - ~12:00 p.m.
  
• Agenda


• Oversight/Outreach Committee Meeting #2
  Thursday, March 27 - 7:00 p.m. - ~9:00 p.m.
• Agenda
• Presentation
• Handout: Preliminary Survey Results
• Handout: Community Workshop #1 Comments
• Oversight/Outreach Committee Meeting #3
  Thursday, April 24 - 7:00 p.m. - ~9:00 p.m.
• Agenda
• Presentation [26.8 MB]
• Oversight/Outreach Committee Meeting #4
  Thursday, May 8 - 7:00 p.m. - ~9:00 p.m.
• Agenda
• Presentation
• Handout: Community Workshop #3 Summary


• Oversight/Outreach Committee Meeting #5
  Thursday, August 14 - 7:00 p.m. - ~9:00 p.m.
• Agenda
• Memorandum (includes draft RFP)

Committee Roster
Kristi Breisch	Parks and Recreation Commission	kristibreisch@sbcglobal.net
Vincent Bressler	At-Large	vincent@missionctrl.com
Ben Eiref	At-Large	beneiref@aya.yale.edu
Steve Elliott	Stanford University	steve.elliott@stanford.edu
Katie Ferrick	At-Large	katieferrick@comcast.net
John Fox	Bicycle Commission	jdfox@stanford.edu
J. Michael Gullard	At-Large	mikegullard@sbcglobal.net
Tom Hilligoss	El Camino Real/Downtown Area Resident	tom@hilligoss.com
Kerry Hoctor	Chamber of Commerce - Business Owner	stationerguy@aol.com
Clark Kepler	At-Large	clark@keplers.com
Daniel Kocher	Environmental Quality Commission	daniel.kocher@worldnet.att.net
Elizabeth Lasensky	Housing Commission	elasensky@yahoo.com
Reginald Rice	Transportation Commission	regalrice@comcast.net
Henry Riggs	Planning Commission	hlriggs@comcast.net
Lorie Sinnott	Chamber of Commerce - Property Owner	loriesinnott@aol.com
Todd M. Temple	El Camino Real/Downtown Area Resident	toddtemple@gmail.com
Jeff Warmoth	Development Community	jwarmoth@shpco.com
Elizabeth Weiss	El Camino Real/Downtown Area Resident	eweisskoehler@yahoo.com

Speaker Series

To help generate initial ideas and discussion, the City held an educational forum on general planning and transportation topics. The events took place at the City Council Chambers (701 Laurel Street) between 6:00 p.m. and approximately 7:15 p.m. (unless otherwise noted), and are available for online viewing on the City's Live and Archived Media page.  In addition, handouts and other meeting materials are available below.

Community members are also encouraged to take advantage of similar educational events, such as the Forum at Redwood City.

• Michael Dyett, FAICP, Dyett & Bhatia - "Previous Planning Projects in the El Camino Real/Downtown Areas, Visioning and Planning Projects in Other Cities, and Lessons for Menlo Park"
  Wednesday, October 24, 2007
  • Agenda
  • Chronology
  • Bibliography
  • Peer Communities Comparison [4.8 MB]
  • History of Planning and Opportunity Sites [2.6 MB]
  • Presentation [17.6 MB]
  • Video


• Dena Belzer, Strategic Economics - "Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the Peninsula Context"
  Wednesday, November 14, 2007
  
• Agenda
  
• Presentation [4.4 MB]
  
• Video
  


• Denise Conley, Conley Consulting Group - "The Economics of Mixed-Use Development"
  Wednesday, December 12, 2007
  
  • Agenda
    
  • Presentation
    
  • Video


• Frederic Knapp, Frederic Knapp Architect, Inc. - "Preservation and Prosperity in Downtown Environments"
  Wednesday, February 13, 2008
  • Agenda
  • Handout
  • Presentation
  • Video


• Jeffrey Tumlin, Nelson/Nygaard - "Parking and Transportation Demand Management Strategies for Cities Like Menlo Park"
  Wednesday, March 12, 2008
• Agenda
• Presentation [3.8 MB]
• Video


• Jeff Eichenfield, Eichenfield & Associates - "Twelve Ingredients for a Successful Downtown"
  Wednesday, April 9, 2008
  
• Agenda
• Audio [9.7 MB - WMA file]
• Handout: 12 Ingredients for a Successful Downtown Worksheet
• Presentation [6.1 MB]


• Jim Daisa, Kimley Horn - "Context-Sensitive Thoroughfare Solutions"
  Wednesday, May 14, 2008
  Please note: the online video service failed to capture the audio of the meeting.  Please review the presentation file below for an understanding of the content of this talk.
  
• Agenda
• Presentation [10.1 MB]

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