Friday, January 25, 2013

Like - Facebook, and the money keeps rolling-in for Menlo Park


Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, Staff, 1/24/13.  "Menlo Park council OKs deal that lets Facebook press ahead with second campus."

Frank Gehry's plans for a new Facebook campus. (Courtesy Gehry Partners)
Frank Gehry's plans for a  new Facebook campus
"The Menlo Park City Council has unanimously approved a deal that allows Facebook to proceed with plans to build a second campus in the city near its headquarters. As a result, Facebook will distribute $1.5 million to the city over 10 years, kick in $100,000 for local improvements, restrict the number of vehicles entering and leaving the new campus and pay at least $194,000 a year in property taxes, City Manager Alex McIntyre told the council Tuesday night.

Facebook moved from Palo Alto to the former Sun Microsystems campus at the intersection of Bayfront Expressway and Willow Road in 2011. It now wants to develop a West Campus with buildings designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry on a 22-acre parcel on the other side of the Bayfront Expressway, where Tyco Electronics operated. "The generous list of items included in the development agreement will reinforce our commitment to being a responsible neighbor to Menlo Park and the surrounding community," John Tenanes, Facebook's global real estate director, told the council as he urged it to approve the negotiated deal."   Read article.

The first Menlo Park campus
Related - first campus Facebook set-up US Today, 5/30/12.  A Silicon Valley city where Facebook has opened its new headquarters voted Tuesday to support an environmental impact report and development agreement for a project that will allow the social media giant to employ thousands more people at the campus. ....  Facebook will pay the city an average of $850,000 a year over 10 years to cover the impact of the additional workers on city infrastructure. Facebook also will make a one-time payment of more than $1 million for capital improvements, establish a $500,000 community improvement fund and set up high school internship and job training programs."   Fix Pacifica somewhat related articles - Facebook/Mark Zukerberg.        

Posted by Kathy Meeh

36 comments:

Tom Clifford said...

I would love to see a high-tech Company like Facebook set up a campus in Pacifica.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see any company set up a location in Pacifica. Any company at all.

Kathy Meeh said...

"I would love to see a high-tech Company ... in Pacifica." Tom Clifford, 6:57 pm.

Not sure where in Pacifica a tech company would locate, but me too. Then, maybe the city could afford to remove dead deer from private properties (reference here).

Other than that, look at the city revenue potential, plus the jobs. But can you already hear the "we can do nothing" and "traffic" comments?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I can hear them already. That's fine, it's their right to weigh in on everything and lobby aggressively, but when will we get a council that has the guts, the political will to do what needs to be done for this city of nearly 40,000? We've done our part...voted for change. Fingers crossed.

Anonymous said...

Where? The quarry? Peninsula and South Bay cities have better sites with less headaches. Our precious quarry probably has zero appeal. Maybe houses one day but that will take a you know what.

Steve Sinai said...

I would like to see Genentech move its bio-weapons lab here.

Anonymous said...

I hear there's big money in toxic waste disposal.

Anonymous said...

Steve Sinai said...
I would like to see Genentech move its bio-weapons lab here.

January 25, 2013 at 10:12 PM

What Bio-Weapons lab?
Fill me in.

Anonymous said...

All the high tech and bio tech are in the areas (SSF and Silicon Valley) cause the city and county leaders had the vision to give them tax breaks to locate there. They are near the talent pool for hiring, easy to get too on the freeways close to the airports.

What does Pacifica have to offer to a company to relocate here? Nothing.

Anonymous said...

Just pay your taxes and shut up.

Tom Clifford said...

Just because the City of Pacifica has not had a plan for recruiting business in the past does not mean we can't put one in place now. The City Council is having a Study session today [9:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.] at the police station to set goals for the coming year, if you want them to make this a priority tell them so.

Anonymous said...

Things in Pacifica never change. It will always be a dusty broken and bankrupt city.

Never living up to the potential

Anonymous said...

Please leave if it's so bad, Nancy Negative.

Anonymous said...

Left along time ago Hanna Hopeless.

Anonymous said...

Then why on earth are you still commenting here, Ricky Regretful?

Anonymous said...

This town was doomed, or saved--if you prefer, by decisions made decades ago. What little remains of our potential is highly exaggerated, but an incredible political platform. Incredible.
A politician's dream.

Anonymous said...

Nuclear waste facility in the quarry? That'll fix all those frogs and snakes, or maybe not. I mean why should Nevada get all the good stuff. Big money in it. And lots of guys with guns guarding it...for all of us who just love our guns.

Anonymous said...

We need to correct the 823 post. It should read "Just pay MORE taxes and shut up." Our tax and spend council majority has never had any other plan. They're just waiting for the right moment to come out.

Anonymous said...

The nobees would like the quarry stay a place to walk dogs and let them poop. That brings in zero money for the city, to pay for basic services. But what do the nobees care, they wrecked the town 25 plus years ago.

Anonymous said...

Any news re the assisted-living facility on Oddstad that was approved last summer? Going ahead, no money, what? That was such good news when it was approved. Hoping it hasn't been lost.

Anonymous said...

Pete, did what his friends the nobees wanted him to do. Postpone this as long as possible.

With the lending climate being tight and unless the owners bring in a well known national senior residential builder and operator I would think this would be tough to fund.

Anonymous said...

Hasn't lending opened up some since last summer? Seems so elsewhere. And, Senior housing is booming. What is the real problem with this project? When was it ever viable? Sounds like the bank's approval is a whole lot more important than the wanky Pacifica city council. Duh.

Anonymous said...

Seems like the city could play a much more active role in this..if they had a clue and were genuinely for growth once the campaigning ends.

ian butler said...

I heard there were conflicts between parties involved that are holding things up. But I can't confirm that to be true.

Anonymous said...

You're not playing correctly, Ian. Blame the city for the project not being built.

Anonymous said...

Ian, you also said

Good project but the wrong location

Anonymous said...

Residental lending not my thing but I it is still full documentation to get a loan. Super good credit and prove your income.

The commerical lending market is still tough. Lenders can cherry pick projects.

The problem is no one has the experience building one of these projects.

Anonymous said...

Not this time. No dinero. Not then and not now.

Anonymous said...

"I heard a rumor but cannot confirm it . . . but that won't stop me from saying it in public"

Dejarnatt slow rolling the process has nothing to do with the delays. of course not. Had nothing to do with almost bankrupting the Houmans. Had nothing to do with Peebles kipping town. It is always the developer/lenders fault because city council obstructing and frustrating the process - running up the exorbitant costs for developers - is not how we do things in Pacifica.

Anonymous said...

hahahaha Skyfield USA was fast tracked by Vreeland. no project. "it was the economy" Nancy Hall's biodiesel project was fast tracked by city council. No project "it was the economy".

don't ever blame the enviros for fast tracking bad projects, or stonewalling good projects. I heard a rumor that all this was true.

Anonymous said...

skyfield=no money, no track record, no knowledge, no expertise.

we can build it better, bigger, cheaper, faster.

cause thats how we roll

Anonymous said...

The sky field post

the guy who posted that has to be the ceo of awesome.

Anonymous said...

Agenda 21 will prevent any development around here. Pacifica, Ca has adopted all Agenda 21 plans. Get used to it.

Anonymous said...

skyfield was a great scam. this is how we live.

Anonymous said...

Between the chronic anti-development attitude and the string of small-time developers with no money and no game, Pacifica can't win. Typical small town crap that will keep happening.
The big guys with the real ability to change the landscape and the town, like Trammell Crow and Peebles, have no economic reason to return to Pacifica. Going to be that way for a long time.

Anonymous said...

It's still the enviros game.