Belmont approves Crystal Springs Uplands School: City Council OKs private school’s proposal for new campus

But the council ultimately decided to approve the project after CSUS offered a slew of incentives ranging from paying annual in-lieu of property tax fees as well as covering the installation cost of a traffic light near its 6.5-acre site off Davis Drive. CSUS representatives on Tuesday also announced the private institution would increase its contribution to local public schools.

“This project is an archetype for the type of project I like to see, I wish every project that came here looked like this,” said Vice Mayor Charles Stone.

Currently based in Hillsborough, CSUS will now proceed with redeveloping an aging business park into a middle school campus with 60,000 square feet of building space to accommodate up to 240 students and 43 staff. It will be constructed in two phases, starting first with an academic center, multi-purpose building, gymnasium, storage, sports courts and artificial turf field. An enclosed pool has been proposed for the second phase.

In response to earlier concerns, CSUS will give the city a one-time $1 million payment, $250,000 a year in-lieu of property taxes increased to inflation, have a robust as well as enforceable traffic demand management plan, install a traffic signal at South Road and Ralston Avenue and stagger its start times so as not to align with other local schools.

During the meeting, CSUS board member Wendy Buckley announced the school would increase its already promised contributions to the local nonprofit School Force. Instead of contributing $30,000 a year to the group that supports the public Belmont Redwood-Shores School District, it will offer $50,000 for the first four years, then a one-time $1 million payment the following year, Buckley said.

She also heeded the council’s suggestion to further help with traffic and agreed the school would contribute up to $60,000 for improvements to the Davis Drive and Ralston Avenue intersection.

“We are serious in our commitment to partnering with the city,” Buckley said.

Tuesday was at least the second time the City Council considered CSUS’ desire to expand in Belmont. In 2012, the council voted 3-2 against a similar proposal. However, after reworking its plans to address some of the community’s concerns — including a robust traffic demand management program requiring many students to either carpool or take public transportation or face expulsion — CSUS officials bought the site without entitlements and proceeded with a formal application.

Buckley and councilmembers noted alternatives for the site based on its commercial zoning would have allowed for the property to be reoccupied or redeveloped into a much denser use with office or tech workers likely contributing hundreds of extra vehicle trips per day.

“If we kept the current zoning you can have a range of office uses that range all the way up to a DMV,” said Councilman Doug Kim. “I think by rezoning we can find a land use that generates ... less traffic than almost any office use you can put up there.”

CSUS currently maintains a private sixth- through 12-grade school in Hillsborough and its new site will be nestled in the hills of Belmont near Water Dog Lake, residences and neighboring commercial buildings. It bought the Belmont property for $12 million in late 2013 and has since been refining its plans and received unanimous support from the Planning Commission earlier this month.

Unlike the commission meeting during which several public speakers raised concerns about traffic and tax revenue, members of the public only spoke in favor of allowing CSUS to move to their city during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Support came from a range of commenters from Belmont parents with children attending CSUS, to representatives of local building trade unions.

Both members of the public and the council agreed while traffic on Ralston is an issue, it’s an existing one that will require continued efforts by the city.

“No one wants things to get worse on Ralston,” Stone said. “We’re going to try to make that better and I think this project does that.”

Outside of the financial incentives and transportation improvements, as part of its agreement the city will have use of CSUS’ turf field on Saturdays year round and 15 days during the summer, as well as of the indoor pool for 20 days in the summer.

Councilman Warren Lieberman, the only current councilmember who also served during CSUS’ initial proposal several years ago, said he was pleased to again vote in favor.

The proposal “has generated substantial input. It did generate a lot of input four years ago and quite frankly the input and the feedback we received this time around was significantly different,” Lieberman said, noting an increase in public support.

“I have absolutely no doubt that over the years, Crystal Springs will demonstrate extraordinary support for the community.”

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