$8M for ice rink sways council to reconsider: San Mateo allows shopping center owner SPI Holdings to fast-track new proposal 

This week, the council agreed to let SPI resubmit since it significantly upped its proposed contribution from $3 million to the city and $1 million toward its Police Activities League, to now offering $8 million.

Rink enthusiasts once staunchly opposed to SPI’s requests, are now willing to consider the proposal should the funds be allocated toward creating a new rink. A recently formed nonprofit, along with leaders from local cities and the county are striving to build another facility, noting access to this unique recreation has been lacking since both San Mateo’s rink and the Belmont Iceland shutdown.

“I think we’ve had a number of folks … saying they would like to see ice in the community and that we have an opportunity with this offer to create a regional, neighborhood ice rink facility,” said Mayor Joe Goethals, according to a live video of the meeting.

Goethals and councilwomen Maureen Freschet and Diane Papan voted in favor of the waiver; councilmember Rick Bonilla, who reviewed the proposal as a former planning commissioner, recused himself; and Deputy Mayor David Lim voted against SPI’s request.

Lim said not providing the waiver “encourages applicants to make their highest best offer when they’re coming to us because they know if they get denied, they don’t get to swing for another year. … I don’t want applicants to get the idea they can come into this council chamber and lowball this council.”

While the 3-1-1 vote allows SPI to reapply, the council wasn’t ready to consider its new proposition. In an unexpected twist, SPI announced it’s interested in considering residential uses on the site one day. The council agreed to speed the proposal by not requiring SPI to go through a community meeting and Planning Commission study session for the ice rink and retail proposal; but not for any proposal regarding housing.

An impassioned group of ice skating supporters have fought to preserve the rink that’s been closed since 2013, but showed a willingness to loosen their grip if the city committed to helping fund efforts toward a new regional replacement rink.

“It is our opinion that should there be a payment from SPI, the full amount, $8 million proposed, should be allocated toward efforts to build the new rink. This is a difficult pill to swallow — that the community is being asked to give up on an existing rink that was promised to the community years ago,” said Jeremy Verba, organizer with the Save the Bridgepointe Ice Rink group.

Councilmembers emphasized Monday’s action did not inherently pave the way for approval of SPI’s request to amend the site’s master plan. Instead, SPI can resubmit an application, which will be heard during public meetings before the Planning Commission and City Council.

Although officials weren’t ready Monday to explicitly commit funding toward the creation of a new rink that may or may not be located in San Mateo, the Planning Commission may be asked to recommend how the council should spend money if it were to permit demolishment of the Bridgepointe facility.

While the council wasn’t unanimous in its vote, all voting members thanked the skating community for remaining diligent in their activism, and to SPI for staying engaged.

“This has been a real painful project for the whole community,” Freschet said. “Let’s try to move it to completion and let’s see if we can’t get something for everybody that makes sense.”