The recent meetings involving stakeholders of the El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan drew mixed reactions and many challenges from residents. In this planning and consultation stage both sides are struggling for balance and credibility. It’s a good thing these intensive consultative meetings are community-based – it serves as a rich source of inputs and factors to consider. These results can help build the foundation of a flourishing plan for the downtown Menlo area. If done correctly, no one will complain of being left out since everyone was involved from the very beginning.
However, we cannot expect universal acceptance of the plan. Take for example the doubts and fears of residents expressed in preserveMPdowntown.org. They are looking at the consequences of high-density development, zeroing in on factors such as the loss of open space parking by the installation of multi-storied parking garages, congestion, and “over-development.” These factors, they say, will replace the “character of the downtown” with a big city feel, not to mention potentially slow down local businesses.
Perhaps this is an assumption, as development does not necessarily mean dampening the ambience or economy of a town. Enhancing the town’s potentials and highlighting its best features may be the best way to preserve its atmosphere while upgrading its facilities. Having community workshops at the heart of planning helps in shaping a customized plan which can accommodate various concerns of those involved. Instead of a careless, profit-centered development plan, El Camino Real and Menlo Park will enjoy a kind of development that would invite profit for the town and ultimately benefit its residents.
The emerging plan also stands up to the community’s worries. Congestion woes may be answered by the expanded public spaces and even wider sidewalks envisioned for the area. The loss of open space may not necessarily be a result of elevated parking lots; this may even facilitate the preservation of open spaces which may now be utilized for other functions instead of mere parking. The concept of “over-development” is hardest to qualify. In a span of 30 years, a town will surely move towards development. Planning for the town’s future development right now actually prevents unwanted or unexpected changes which the community may someday resent.
While fears of aggressive big businesses defeating small town enterprises have surfaced, we should also consider the fact that more business attracts investments, which would in turn stir the economy. This would create a draft carrying small and medium businesses into a more visible arena. If anything, this may result in a complementary boosting of small and large, local and non-local, and old and new enterprises.
Now that the third community workshop is finished, we must wait for the refining of the plan. It is an exciting thing to wait for its unfolding, and along with it, the future of Menlo Park and El Camino Real. Development goes hand in hand with envisioning the future, and at this stage there is certainly no need for worries as the workshops continue to accept comments and seek alternatives. After all, the challenge is creating a point of agreement between the community and the stakeholders.
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