by and : almanacnews – excerpt (audio)
Current property owner has alleged Kremlin ties
The Menlo Park City Council is ready to fight the state to prevent a high-rise development on the former Sunset magazine campus, even if it means cutting local services to fund the effort, Mayor Betsy Nash announced on Sept. 29. Hours later, Councilmember Drew Combs dropped a bombshell in his newsletter: a “serious” buyer is interested in purchasing the property at 80 Willow Road from the Russian oligarch who reportedly owns it.
“The City Council believes it is important to get this right, even if there are financial consequences and service impacts for the city that may be triggered by our effort to vindicate our rights and protect the Menlo Park community,” said Nash at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The read-out from closed session is the first report of the council’s closed-door meetings with legal counsel since the state attorney general’s office threatened Menlo Park with fines for its handling of the controversial development application in a July 29 letter…
While there may be interest in buying the property, it would require the current ownership to want to sell. A Sept. 23 letter from Rep. Sam Liccardo that calls for Yusufov to face economic sanctions may be a contributing factor. Liccardo sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging him to investigate the financial backing of 80 Willow and pursue sanctions in hopes of stopping the 80 Willow Road project… (more)