Maybe it time for the city to replace it's "top city staff" if their idea to create an auto mall starts at $51.1 million. Here's a much more practical solution.

Temporarily lease the former Cadillac and Anderson Chevrolet dealership space on El Camino Real in Menlo Park. It already has facilities for repair and maintenance. Relocate the Municipal Services Center to this space and to the space by the Palo Alto Airport.

Anything that can't be squeezed into these two spaces can be stored at the lot at the end of San Antonio Road. Build the new auto mall on the current Municipal Services Center and have the car dealers move in.

Then re-examine the real need for space for the Municipal Services Center and what a cost-effective solution would be.