Menlo Park officials are making up a list of improvements and public benefits Facebook could provide in exchange for the city lifting the employment cap of 3,600 people at the social networking company's new campus near the Dumbarton Bridge.
Facebook finished moving 2,000 employees into the former Sun Microsystems site in December. But talks are still under way over what the company will do to mitigate traffic congestion and other impacts that having 10,000 workers at the site might bring.
The company is already touting its aggressive traffic reduction program, which includes incentives for employees to use shuttles, public transit, ride sharing and bicycles to get to work. But at a special City Council session Tuesday, Menlo Park council members and the public suggested additional goodies the company might be induced to provide.
According to Menlo Park Associate Planner Rachel Grossman, these are some of the top items under discussion:
- An "in lieu" fee to offset lost sales tax. Unlike Sun, which generated revenue by selling equipment, which carries a sales tax, Facebook makes most of its money from selling advertising, a service that carries no sales tax.
- Support for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, such as striping of overpasses and completing gaps in the Bay Trail.
- Providing funding for the maintenance and operation of Flood Park, which was previously maintained by San Mateo County.
Council members said they also want Facebook to help keep low-income residents in Menlo Park and neighboring East Palo Alto from being displaced by its employees.