Getting to Zero in Menlo Park

The City of Menlo Park is implementing a zero carbon framework by 2025 through an updated General Plan and zoning requirements. Key measures include requiring 100 percent renewable energy for all energy uses (including natural gas) in new developments, mandating LEED certifications, and implementing transportation demand management to reduce vehicle miles traveled. The city is also addressing sea level rise by specifying minimum elevations for new buildings and promoting affordable housing to mitigate displacement in the Belle Haven community.

• Menlo Park has established a goal to become climate neutral by 2025, supported by the nonprofit Menlo Spark and the Rocky Mountain Institute. This follows a 2013 commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 27 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.
• The city's updated zoning requires new developments to use 100 percent renewable energy for all energy needs, including natural gas, making it the first known area to extend such requirements to natural gas uses. Developers can comply by purchasing renewable energy from local utilities, installing on-site renewables, or buying renewable energy credits.
• New building standards include mandatory LEED Silver certification for structures between 10,000 and 100,000 square feet and LEED Gold for those over 100,000 square feet. Additionally, new buildings must install at least 30 percent of the maximum feasible on-site renewables and enroll in the EPA’s Energy Star Building Portfolio Manager.
• To reduce car dependency and traffic, the city requires transportation demand management (TDM) plans for developments over 10,000 square feet, aiming to reduce car trips by 20 percent below standard rates. The General Plan also envisions 4,500 new multifamily housing units to address the jobs-housing imbalance.
• The city is integrating climate resilience and social equity into its planning by specifying minimum elevations for new buildings to protect against sea level rise and encouraging up to 20 percent below-market-rate housing to support displaced residents of Belle Haven.

APA

Bailey, D. (2017). Getting to Zero in Menlo Park. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/getting-zero-menlo-park/

Chicago

Bailey, Diane. Getting to Zero in Menlo Park. RMI, 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/getting-zero-menlo-park/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bailey |first1=Diane |title=Getting to Zero in Menlo Park |publisher=RMI |date=3 January 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/getting-zero-menlo-park/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bailey2017getting, author = {Bailey, Diane}, title = {{Getting to Zero in Menlo Park}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/getting-zero-menlo-park/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }