On Nov. 3, the Planning Commission completed its review of the Willow Village master plan project and adopted a resolution recommending the City Council approve the proposed project with modifications to the community amenities (e.g., timing, operational requirements, and overall uses and funding), additional financial analysis on the senior BMR units, additional trip reduction from the project site, and clarification on minimum development requirements (e.g., dwelling units, retail square footage). 

The City Council will hold a public hearing via Zoom and in the City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel Street, on Tuesday Nov. 15, 2022, or as near as possible thereafter, at which time and place interested persons may appear and make oral public comments on the Final EIR and the proposed project. At the meeting, the City Council will review and determine whether to adopt resolutions and introduce ordinances for the following actions:

Adopt a resolution certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report, adopting the CEQA findings and statement of overriding considerations for significant environmental effects, and approving the mitigation monitoring and reporting program

Adopt a resolution amending the General Plan Circulation Map for project site access and circulation changes

Adopt resolutions approving the vesting tentative maps

Introduce, read the title, and waive further reading of an ordinance amending the City zoning map, rezoning the project site from R-MU-B and O-B to R-MU-B-X and O-B-X to include the “X” Conditional Development combining district overlay, and approving the conditional development permit to establish allowed uses, development regulations, and otherwise govern the development of the proposed project

Introduce, read the title, and waive further reading of an ordinance adopting the development agreement between the City and the project applicant for vested rights in exchange for community amenities and assurances on the timing and phasing of the proposed project

Adopt a resolution approving the below market rate housing agreements for the provision of 312 BMR units with a mix of affordable income limits, including 119 age restricted senior units

The proposed project would demolish approximately 1 million square feet of existing office and industrial buildings and redevelop the project site with:

Up to 1.6 million square feet of office and accessory uses (a maximum of up to 1.25 million square feet of offices with balance for accessory uses)

Up to 200,000 square feet of retail/commercial uses, including a grocery store, pharmacy, entertainment and restaurant uses

Up to 1,730 housing units, including 312 below market rate units (260 inclusionary units plus 52 units per the city’s commercial linkage requirement) of which 119 would be age-restricted senior housing units

Up to a 193 room hotel

Publicly accessible open space including an approximately 3.5-acre park, 1.5-acre town square, a dog park, 2-acre elevated linear park extending over Willow Road, and additional public open space

A potential publicly-accessible, below grade tunnel for Meta intercampus trams, bicyclists and pedestrians connecting the project with the West and East campuses

Previously, on Oct. 14, 2022, the City released the Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Willow Village master plan project.

The Final EIR includes a response to all substantive comments received on the Draft EIR and edits to the text of the Draft EIR. The Final EIR identifies significant and unavoidable impacts in the following topic areas: air quality and noise, with all other topic areas resulting in impacts that are less than significant or less than significant with mitigation.

This email is meant to notify you of the public hearing notice and notice of availability of the Final EIR for the proposed Willow Village master plan project as you or your agency may be interested in reviewing and commenting on the environmental review for the proposed project. This email is not intended to confer responsible agency status to you or your agency. 

If you would like to submit comments, you are encouraged to do so before 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. Written comments on the Final EIR may be submitted by email to Planning Manager Kyle Perata or by letter to:

Kyle Perata
Community Development
701 Laurel St.
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Email correspondence is preferred. 

Please contact Planning Manager Kyle Perata with any questions.