Menlo Park, California Zoning Map

O-CH (Office Corporate Housing, 57.14 acres) is a hybrid district allowing office development combined with residential uses intended to house employees near major employment centers. This district reflects Menlo Park's response to housing demand generated by its large office employment base, and projects in O-CH can include multi-story mixed-use buildings with office on lower floors and housing above. The '(X)' conditional development overlay on related C and C1 districts signals additional discretionary review requirements.

The LS (40.72 acres) and LS-B (Life Sciences Bonus, 57.28 acres) districts establish Menlo Park's biotech and research campus environment in the area near major institutional employers. The Bonus suffix in LS-B typically allows additional floor area or height in exchange for specified public benefits or design requirements. These districts are primarily relevant to institutional developers, REITs focused on life sciences real estate, and campus developers rather than traditional residential or retail investors.

R2 (Low Density Apartment, 55.98 acres) is the primary explicitly multifamily zone, but it is compact relative to the city's single-family base. California's density bonus law applies to qualifying affordable projects citywide, and ADU law creates infill rights in both R1S and R1U zones. The city has faced significant state housing mandate pressure and has been required to adopt zoning changes to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which may create additional multifamily entitlement pathways beyond base R2 in coming years.

The FP district at 7,349.19 acres covers the Menlo Park baylands and tidal areas east of US-101 and is subject to both local flood plain regulations and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) jurisdiction. Development within this area is heavily constrained by fill limitations, tidal habitat protections, and sea level rise planning requirements. The area's scale on paper significantly overstates developable land - most FP acreage is wetland or open water and is not available for conventional development.

R1S and R1U neighborhoods have historically been protected by strict single-family zoning and neighborhood compatibility standards. However, California's housing laws - including SB-9 for urban lot splits and duplexes, and ADU regulations - have created ministerial approval paths for infill that bypass full discretionary review. Menlo Park's RHNA obligations are also pushing the city toward rezoning additional areas for multifamily, which may open entitlement paths in corridors that were previously single-family only.