Facebook unveils new vision for Willow Village project
Offices, stores, apartments and parks included
MENLO PARK >> Facebook unveiled fresh plans on Friday for a vast redevelopment in Menlo Park called Willow Village that would add a huge office complex, along with homes, retail, hotel rooms, open spaces and a town square, a project where the social media giant could employ more than 8,000 people.
“Willow Village will replace an outdated one-million-square-foot single-use industrial and warehouse complex with much-needed housing, grocery store, pharmacy, local shops, restaurants, offices, public parks and open space for all to enjoy,” according to the tech titan.
Menlo Park-based Facebook said it has teamed up with veteran developer Signature Development Group to create the complex, which would sprout a short distance from the company’s existing headquarters complex in Menlo Park. Plans for the expansion were initially announced in 2017.
“We are excited to share this update to Willow Village with the City of Menlo Park after much input from the city and community,” said John Tenanes, Facebook’s vice president of real estate.
The Willow Village development would feature 1.75 million square feet of offices; 125,000 to 200,000 square feet of retail, including a grocery store and restaurants; 1,500 apartment homes, including 225 affordable units; a town square; a hotel with 200 to 250 rooms; and parks and open spaces. The project will require approval from Menlo Park’s City Council.
“A full-service neighborhood grocery with local produce, a pharmacy, cafes and restaurants and space for other amenities” would be key components of Willow Village, Facebook said.
Willow Village is just one of multiple Facebook pushes for expansion in the Bay Area.
In 2018, Facebook struck a deal to lease 1 million square feet in Sunnyvale. That transaction, first reported by this news organization, marked the Bay Area’s largest single office rental deal of last year. The company, through multiple leasing deals, has rented another 1 million square feet in Fremont.
If you add in Facebook’s recently opened MPK 21 office building at its Menlo Park headquarters, the social network has committed to filling up at least 4.28 million square feet of office space in Silicon Valley and the East Bay — enough room for 21,000 Facebook employees.
The MPK 21 building — a gleaming Frank Gehry-designed structure laid out as a meandering mini-village with offices, restaurants, stores and open spaces dot-
ted with young redwood trees and rooftop gardens — totals 525,000 square feet and opened in September.
The aging buildings now on the Willow Village site would be bulldozed to clear the way for Facebook’s new complex.
“Our community-first approach to planning is a great match with Facebook’s values of collaboration, connection
and community,” said Mike Ghielmetti, Signature Development’s president.
One of the high-profile efforts now being undertaken by Signature Development is the Brooklyn Basin mixed-use neighborhood that aims to connect main sections of Oakland with that city’s long waterfront.
“Signature is the best partner to help us make the vision a reality and benefit the community and Facebook,” Tenanes said.
According to Facebook,
the company engaged local community members in its quest to craft the newest version of Willow Village. The site is on the east side of Willow Road between Ivy Drive and Bayfront Expressway, just south of the big Facebook campus that’s adjacent to Hacker Way.
The proposed grocery store and pharmacy will be located next to the existing Belle Haven neighborhood.
The company also said its new plans are aimed at a better integration of the office campus into the proposed
mixed-use neighborhoods in Willow Village.
At 1.75 million square feet of offices, potentially 8,750 Facebook employees would work at Willow Village. The site plan indicated several office buildings will be included in the project.
“We’ve made specific enhancements including a new Main Street and Town Square designed for walking, biking, retail, and social gathering,” Facebook stated.