A coalition of Atherton residents has created its own housing element proposal for the town, just weeks after the City Council submitted its plan for 348 housing units to the state. The council will discuss the coalition's plan at a Wednesday, Feb. 15, meeting.

In an 11-page letter from the Atherton Housing Coalition asks the council to remove from the housing element 23 Oakwood Blvd., near the home of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, which the owner wants to develop into townhouses. It also recommends changes to the council-approved element such as adding land owned by the town and by Menlo Park Fire Protection District to the plan.

The Jan. 30 letter is unsigned, and was written before the council adopted its draft plan on Jan. 31, but City Manager George Rodericks identified residents Jeff Morris and Rod Shepherd as members of the coalition.

The town must plan for the development of 348 new housing units, per its 2023-31 Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). The council scrambled to approve a plan by the Jan. 31 deadline, fearing fees, lawsuits and the threat of the state taking over development in town.

The group had asked that its alternate plan would be discussed at the City Council meeting on Jan. 31, but it was not on the agenda for that meeting.

"Atherton Housing Coalition's proposal for the Housing Element complies with HCD (state Department of Housing and Community Development) requirements and incorporates ideas that have a higher likelihood of coming to fruition than what is in the current draft of the Housing Element," the letter states. "We recognize that this is a difficult time for everyone and gratefully appreciate your efforts on behalf of the town to ensure the character of the community is maintained, while we plan to satisfy our RHNA allocation."

The group is proposing:

• to include six housing units in the area where the Gilmore House sits now in Holbrook-Palmer Park. AHC proposes that six of those units be set aside as affordable, and claims that doing so will not void the terms of Olive Holbrook Palmer's will that deeded the entire park property to the town for recreational purposes only.

• to include four housing units in the area where the Town Center Corporation Yard sits now in the Town Center. The coalition proposes that two of those units be set aside as affordable.

• to rezone 28 Almendral Ave., owned by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, to the PFS (public facilities school) and include four workforce housing units.

The coalition opposed any multifamily zoning along El Camino Real and Valparaiso Avenue, which were ultimately both removed from the town's draft housing element. It also is against developing multifamily housing "near" school campuses in town, as it believes adequate multifamily faculty and student housing can be located on campus.

The proposal accepts the town's inclusion of backyard accessory dwelling units (ADUs), vacant lots and urban lot splits (through Senate Bill 9).

The coalition proposed that the town petition the state for legislation to provide an extension of the timeline for obtaining a certified housing element.

The Atherton Housing Coalition wants Atherton to commit to create an affordable housing fund, which will receive the proceeds from the new inclusionary fees imposed on builders. The fund should also be available for charitable donations to increase the size and scope of the affordable housing effort, the group said.

Read the full coalition letter here.