Voter Survey Finds Strong Majority Support For Menlo Gateway Project In Community

MENLO PARK, CA, March 18, 2010 — According to a voter survey conducted by Godbe Research for the Bohannon Organization, a large majority of Menlo Park voters surveyed expressed strong support for the proposed Menlo Gateway project. Results were consistent with a similar survey conducted in 2009 but revealed growing intensity in respondents’ support of the project.

Four hundred voters identified as being likely to vote in the November 2010 election were surveyed by telephone in January. The survey found that 70 percent of respondents support the Menlo Gateway proposal, with 43 percent strongly supporting it, a 10-percent increase in strong support over 2009. Twenty-seven percent somewhat support the proposal. Only 15 percent oppose the proposal, a level unchanged from 2009. Primary reasons given for supporting the proposed project included anticipated revenue generation for the City of Menlo Park and local schools, replacing aging industrial buildings, and the creation of local jobs.

The survey was designed to gauge the relative importance of issues to voters, assess voters' support for different potential features of the Menlo Gateway proposal, test the influence of supporting and opposing arguments on voter support, and understand varying points of view. Respondents’ primary concerns in 2010 remained unchanged from their primary concerns in 2009, which included improving the local economy, increasing local job opportunities, and maintaining local roads.

"We have received significant anecdotal evidence of residents' overall support for the project but the voter survey quantified and validated our assessment," said David Bohannon, senior vice president, Bohannon Development Company. "The survey methodology even tested a number of opposing arguments to the project proposal, yet the level of support for Menlo Gateway still ranked higher and stronger than last year. We are gratified by voters’ level of interest and the familiarity they have with local issues."

Survey methodology was based on a sophisticated stratified voter cluster sample, which randomly selects respondents across demographic characteristics and by propensity to vote to help assure accurate representation of the Menlo Park community. Two focus groups were also conducted prior to the telephone survey component to identify any issues of community concern that were previously unknown or might have been missed. Godbe Research has conducted thousands of polls for local government clients during the past 20 years. Godbe Research is headquartered in San Mateo and has satellite offices in Newport Beach, California, and Bellevue, Washington.

Menlo Gateway is a proposed combined office, hotel, and fitness club project with approximately four acres of open space and plazas. The project will redevelop 16 acres of underutilized industrial land in Menlo Park, east of Highway 101, that currently generates no net revenue to the Menlo Park General Fund. The project aims for achieving LEED Gold and Silver certification and is slated for a City Council vote early in 2010.

About Bohannon Development Company
The Bohannon Development Company, based in San Mateo, has owned property and invested in the Peninsula since 1930. Launched by David D. Bohannon in 1928, the firm began its projects in residential real estate, later launching its commercial development activities with the Hillsdale Shopping Center in 1941. Since its founding, the Bohannons have worked hand-in-hand with elected leaders and community representatives to plan for Menlo Park’s successful future.

For additional information:
Corman Communications, LLC
Patrick Corman
650-326-9648
patrick@cormancom.com