Jul 20, 2008

Developer launches political group

Bohannon says it is not a campaign tool

By Banks Albach / Daily News Staff Writer

Despite his timely creation of the a political group called Sustainable Menlo Park, developer and city resident David Bohannon said Friday that he will not use it as a campaign tool during this year's city council election.

Designed to take a stand on issues rather than endorse or fund candidates, Sustainable Menlo Park was designed to educate the voting public on economic development, transit-oriented and high-density housing and the problems resulting from expensive project delays.

The group - made up of business owners, residents and community leaders - also plans to weigh in on city business issues such as the El Camino Real Visioning Process and Bohannon's own plans for a development of hotel office and retail space totaling almost 1 million square feet in Menlo Park's industrial sector.

Bohannon said he hopes the end result will be more voices speaking out at city council meetings.

"As a resident and somebody who works in land use, I feel that there is an absence in public discourse," Bohannon said. "It just doesn't show up. So the council is left to make decisions without enough input from the public."

So far, only city council incumbents Andy Cohen and Kelly Fergusson have announced their intent to run this year, each seeking re-election after one term. Bohannon was adamant that he will not bring the new group into the election and "absolutely not" make any endorsements.

"It's coincidental," Bohannon said. "This has nothing to do with the election."

Cohen, who is currently serving as mayor and announced his intent to seek re-election several weeks ago, said he's discussed the group's objectives with Bohannon and "totally" approves of it. He added that he "believes Bohannon when he says he's not trying to influence the political process."

Bohannon's current project, which has been in the city's planning pipeline for more than a year, could come back to the council this fall once the draft environmental impact report is finished. The large-scale project, which would transform roughly 16 acres between Bayfront Expressway, Marsh Road and U.S. Highway 101, has already fueled staunch objections. Many opponents are regulars at city council meetings, some of whom were behind the effort to subdue the Derry Project, a mixed-use condominium plan in downtown Menlo Park near El Camino Real that is back on track on a smaller scale.

In its two weeks of existence, Sustainable Menlo Park has met a few times and plans to hold another meeting next month. So far, the group has drawn interest from planning commissioners, a Tyco executive and other figures from the real estate and development sectors, Bohannon said.

Local architect and supporter Sam Sinnott, who has attended the meetings, said he hopes the group can eventually pose a counter-balance to the ineffective leadership of the current council. As built out as the Peninsula is, cities must consider higher density housing in urban centers.

"It's my opinion that we don't have the leadership," Sinnott said. "I believe that the current council is running into problems with (its) no-growth tendencies."


E-mail Banks Albach at balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.