Meta Platforms and Signature Development Group have moved forward with plans to turn a former tech campus into a 59-acre urban retail village in Menlo Park.
The Facebook parent, based in the city, and the Oakland-based developer have won Planning Commission approval for four architectural plans at 1350-1390 Willow Road, 925-1098 Hamilton Avenue and 1005-1275 Hamilton Court, SFYimby reported.
The so-called Willow Village will replace the Menlo Science and Technology campus, which includes 19 low-slung offices from the 1970s. The City Council gave a green light late last year.
Construction of what some call “Zucktown” is expected to take several phases and years to complete.
The joint venture known as Peninsula Innovation Partners envisions a 3.56 million-square-foot village of offices, homes, a hotel, grocery store, shops and restaurants just a 10-minute walk away from Meta’s Frank Gehry-designed global headquarters.
The project will include 1,730 homes, 1.6 million square feet of offices, a 193-room hotel and 168,000 square feet of restaurants and shops built around a 1.2-acre town square.
Of the homes, 312 will be set aside as affordable housing. Parking would serve nearly 8,300 cars.
Hart Howerton is master planner, with Ankrom Moisan Architects responsible for the residential design. Pickard Chilton is the office architect and Safdie Architects has designed a meeting and collaboration space.
The four architectural plans approved last month include the glass-domed meeting and collaboration space, the town square, the office campus and two apartment buildings.
The largest component is Parcel One, which includes 1.1 million square feet of offices in six buildings, 30,040 square feet of shops and restaurants and two parking garages for 3,300 cars.
Parcel Two will have a parking garage topped by two apartment buildings designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects. The six-story buildings will include a 46,800-square-foot grocery store on the ground floor, with parking for 630 cars and 550 bicycles.
The town square will include a pavilion with a kitchen, shops, seating and a shaded area with a curved wooden trellis.
— Dana Bartholomew
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