October 13, 2026 - City Council

The October 13, 2026 Menlo Park City Council meeting included procurement and infrastructure-related consent items, a study session on the downtown 600 block plaza, and a county transportation plan update. The Council unanimously approved the consent calendar, including a West Bay Sanitary District license agreement and an agreement for median and right-of-way landscaping services. On the West Bay agreement, the Council directed staff to pursue any needed changes to maintenance provisions while keeping the district responsible for the maintenance requirements in the proposed agreement. Council members also noted that about $46,000 for landscaping services currently comes from the downtown parking permit fund and asked staff to identify another funding source for next year. The Council discussed the city’s Flock ALPR system and the contract’s February expiration, but took no action on a renewal; a separate discussion is expected.

In the plaza study session, Council direction favored a 6–12 month pilot of a smaller community space with the eastbound travel lane reopened, followed by a return to Council to consider a longer-term configuration. Staff said implementation would involve adjusting the existing space and, after Council action, arranging contractor work for asphalt grinding and restriping; no contract was awarded. Staff reported approximately $61,000 spent on plaza furniture and about $250,000 remaining in the broader design and construction budget. A county transportation-plan presentation identified five draft Menlo Park priorities, including the Middle Avenue bike and pedestrian undercrossing, Willow Road bike lanes, and improvements on Middlefield, Sand Hill/Santa Cruz, and Marsh Road; the plan is intended to help guide future funding and grant support, but no project funding was approved at this meeting.