Sequoia Union High School District officials have not been shy about voicing their concern that student enrollment could increase at Menlo-Atherton High School if a proposed Facebook development that includes 1,500 units of housing comes to Menlo Park.

Now, the school district wants to pass a resolution that would set forth district principles on the need for mitigation of impacts on the schools from several pending large-scale private developments, both commercial and residential, within the district's boundaries.

The resolution commits the district to working with cities and developers to lessen the impact of these developments and “ensure the preservation of future high-quality education.” The school board will vote on it at a meeting tonight (Nov. 14).

“The district shall pursue all available measures to ensure that the impacts of the projects on the district, including both increased operational expenses and expanded facilities requirements, are fully mitigated by measures, including those taken by the projects’ developers, determined in cooperation with the approving agencies and other local agencies,” the resolution states. This means the district will make clear that it will use all available tools and have all necessary conversations to advocate for its parent and student community, said district spokesperson Rolando Bonilla.

The resolution doesn't single out Facebook, and Bonilla noted that there are a "number of projects currently in the pipeline." This is the district’s opportunity to make clear that the needs of students and parents are always at the forefront, he said.

But Facebook's planned "Willow Village" development is by far the largest proposed project within the district's boundaries. The company plans to build 3.45 million square feet of office, retail and residential space on a 59-acre site in Menlo Park bounded roughly by Mid-Peninsula High School to the west, Willow Road to the north, the Dumbarton rail corridor to the east, and the UPS Center and Pacific Biosciences office (on O'Brien Drive and Adams Court) to the south.

The Menlo Park Planning Commission held a study session on the project in February. The City Council held a study session on the project in March. City staff is waiting for the company to resubmit its application before moving to its next phase of review, according to Kyle Perata, the city's acting principal planner.

Facebook hopes to submit the changes soon, and when it does, it is committed to continued community outreach, wrote Facebook spokesperson Anthony Harrison in an email. This way, the company can continue to gather feedback and develop its plan taking into account community ideas and direction, he wrote.

“We appreciate the district’s interest in the proposed new projects and their potential interaction with students and parents,” Harrison wrote. “For our proposed project at Willow, we have taken most of the year listening to community comments and making positive changes in response.”

In March, the district sent a letter to the tech company, saying Superintendent Mary Streshly wanted to talk to company officials about how to mitigate the problems its proposed development could create for the district.

She didn’t say she opposes the project, however. She noted in the letter that "we can all agree that the region is in critical need of housing.”

Streshly has since met with representatives from Facebook and other companies about future developments that are planned within district boundaries.

Facebook confirmed it has met with district officials several times in the last few months. The company told the district that it would be in touch once it submits its project to the city, Harrison wrote.

According to a state formula, the new housing could mean an estimated 300 new high school students in the district, all of whom would be zoned to attend Menlo-Atherton, Streshly told The Almanac in March.

Increased student enrollment from the projects will require the construction of more district facilities, according to the resolution. There are 2,452 students enrolled at M-A this school year, as of September.

The district charges developers impact fees to cover the added capital costs that are generated by a project. As of 2016, the rates were $3.48 per square foot for residential construction and $0.56 per square foot for commercial and industrial construction. And it receives a certain percentage of property taxes for annual operating costs. Fees from the Facebook project would generate for the district about $5.52 million in impact fees.

There's a gap between what those impact fees would cover and what the school district says it needs, Streshly told The Almanac. She expects it may cost $60 million to build the school facilities needed for 300 more students.

Streshly is recommending that the board approve the resolution, which was first presented on Oct. 24. The board meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Birch Conference Room in the Sanford Building at 480 James Ave. in Redwood City.

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