No on Measure P

Every several years, faced with a major development, residents launch a populist effort to try to wrest control from city government. Measure P is the latest, a counterproductive effort that wastes our civic dollars and fritters away our energy by pitting people against each other. Measure P is particularly bad since it puts us into the crosshairs of the state, which has mandates for building housing. Instead, we should be moving forward with important discussions about which of the three proposed developers/developments is best for downtown.
 
Like 2014’s Measure M and 2022’s Measure V, Measure P is billed as pro-democracy, by giving the power to residents to vote on what gets built. But what developer is going to engage with the city knowing that any decision can be canceled by a popular vote? Instead, developers will have the justification to move forward with builder’s remedy projects like 80 Willow Road. Menlo Park needs to collaborate with the state and get the best deal it can from developers, and our elected officials can’t do that if their hands are tied. The downtown parking lots are extremely logical places to build high-density housing, which is critical for reducing our dependency on cars. We hope residents will see this measure for what it is and shut it down as they did with Measure M and Measure V: Vote No on Measure P.