The city will issue a request for proposals to build subsidized housing on up to three downtown parking lots.

Three parking lots in downtown Menlo Park, California, will be developed into affordable housing, according to an article from the Palo Alto Daily Post.
The article notes that the plan is only a “vague outline” to develop between one and three of the lots, but details remain unclear. Officials in the Silicon Valley community plan to issue a Request for Qualifications to solicit proposals. “The council opted not to declare the parking lots as surplus land, which would have made it easier for the city to hand off one of the parking lots to a developer.”
Opponents of the plan say reducing parking will further harm the already struggling commercial area (though any existing decline points to causes other than a lack of parking). “The developers’ proposals are expected to come back to council to review in the spring, said city Principal Planner Tom Smith.”
FULL STORY: Menlo Park moves forward with plan to put housing on parking lots

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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