A group of residents and businesses is raising money to oppose Menlo Park’s proposed affordable housing developments on downtown parking lots. The group, Save Downtown Menlo, launched a GoFundMe that has raised over $130,000 in less than a month.
“[Donations are] coming from visitors, people in Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley that use downtown Menlo as their main business and shopping hub,” said Kevin Cunningham, a downtown property owner and an organizer for the legal fund.
Save Downtown Menlo hopes to raise $300,000 to ensure it has “ample resources available for a long legal process.” Funds raised by Save Downtown Menlo will be used in an effort to block the city council’s housing proposal.
Save the cars! Park the unsheltered elsewhere! /s
I wouldn’t be surprised if they also complain alot about homeless people.
Their brains might be cars, but their hearts are parking lots.
Paying taxes for something doesn’t mean you own it. Even if it did, I doubt the businesses fighting housing today are the same ones that paid the taxes 45-70 years ago.
When our city pedestrianized its shopping districts, downtown businesses complained loudly, but subsequently thrived.
And yes, delivery vehicles, public transit, taxis, mobility vehicles and those with handicapped stickers still have access, so nobody’s the worse off.
I wonder how much Save Downtown Menlo is a front for the parking-lot operators.
Its probably not a front, many business owners just don’t realize the value of pedestrian traffic. They assume if their customers can’t park their cadilac escalade steps from the front door they won’t get any business at all.
Well Menlo Park is the city where a lot of streets don’t even have sidewalks, so I’m really not surprised.
Gross
