MENLO PARK | 80 Willow Road | 431 FT + 367 FT + 271 FT | ? + 32 + 15 FLOORS

[38 Geary]

An exciting new project coming to Silicon Valley!

The specs for 80 Willow Rd:
- 4 buildings
- 431 ft condo + 130-key hotel
- 32 floors, 367 ft
- 15 floors, 271 ft office building (324,000 sq ft)
- School
- 665 units (10 studios, 339 1BR, 316 2BR)
- 133 of the units will be affordable
- Retail space
- 4.9 acres of public open space
- Parking for 1,461 cars and 370 bicycles

The site:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/bX5sMdGN4oCKRjo86

Exclusive: Renderings Revealed For Willow Park Residential Tower, Menlo Park



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON MAY 31, 2024

New renderings have been revealed alongside the formal application for 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park. The proposal aims to replace the former Sunset Magazine headquarters with Willow Park, a dense mixed-use neighborhood with hundreds of homes, office space, hotel rooms, retail, a Montessori school, and public parks on a creekside property close to downtown Palo Alto. If built, the project would become the tallest in San Mateo County.

...

Solomon Cordwell Buenz is responsible for the design, and Creo is the landscape architect. The project’s masterplan aims to create a vibrant community with active use throughout the day and evening. Ground-floor programming emphasizes space for residents and neighbors to visit for entertainment or social gatherings. SCB architect Phoebe Leung described the design approach as sculptural with bold visual elements, such as the large podium terraces, cornice, and a curved biophilic wall that will overlook the public street.

...

The 6.7-acre site is located at the corner of Willow Road and Middlefield Road, across from a small market. Future residents will be just six minutes from the Stanford-adjacent Palo Alto Caltrain station or seven minutes from the Menlo Park station by bicycle. The property is just a few blocks away from the SRI International Headquarters campus, a 63-acre campus where Lane Partners has filed plans to replace surface parking with 450 rental units, expanded offices, and landscaped open space.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/05/exclusive-re...w-park-residential-tower-menlo-park.html

[38 Geary]

And the renderings:



















https://sfyimby.com/2024/05/exclusive-re...w-park-residential-tower-menlo-park.html

[Busy Bee]

Nice

[JManc]

I wonder if Palo Alto residents, literally right next door to this are having a shit fit.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by JManc

I wonder if Palo Alto residents, literally right next door to this are having a shit fit.

Yea I imagine the resistance to this will be huge but if it does manage to get built that'd be awesome.

[DarknessIgnite]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Yea I imagine the resistance to this will be huge but if it does manage to get built that'd be awesome.

Considering how the people who live there are by far the biggest NIMBY'S on the planet, they are gonna try to sue this into oblivion. I hope they lose

[chris08876]

This looks great. Hopefully the NIMBYs don't derail this.

On a side note, for a second I thought this was for Menlo Park NJ. Was about to begin the process of having a mini stroke due to the excitement but quickly stopped once I realized it was in the Bay Area.

There's a lot of potential for the Bay Area. Developments like this are great... just hope the locals don't fudge it up.

[gillynova]

One can dream...

[Urbannizer]

Pro-development group threatens to sue city for not moving Sunset towers along faster

A nonprofit pro-housing group is threatening to sue Menlo Park for not moving forward with a proposed 40-story complex at the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.

The city found the proposed project at 80 Willow Road was not eligible for the Builder’s Remedy, but San Francisco-based YIMBY Law says the city is imposing new requirements that didn’t previously apply to the property.

YIMBY Law sent a letter to the city on Dec. 5 saying it will not hesitate to file a suit if the city doesn’t move forward with the project. City Attorney Nina Doherty sent a response to the firm to say the city was willing to discuss the letter, YIMBY Law attorney Jack Farrell said.

The city found the project inconsistent with its development standards, such as the height, environmental impacts and affordable housing requirements. The developer has reduced the amount of affordable housing, which will change how the project will be reviewed, according to the city’s evaluation.