Belmont residents gave mixed feedback on a neighborhood proposal during a recent Parks and Recreation Commission discussion, with the meeting also serving as a send-off for the department’s longtime leader.
The Oak Knoll project was borne out of the city’s 2024 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master plan — which had been in the works for several years — and identified sites where the “city as a whole was lacking some kind of destination … just to give folks in a certain neighborhood a place to walk to,” Parks and Recreation Director Brigitte Shearer said during the commission meeting April 1.
One of those sites was Oak Knoll Drive, which has a nontraditional cul-de-sac set-up.
“The center of the cul-de-sac has a circle that has grass with some trees in it, and so that seemed like an opportunity to explore whether there might be room for some kind of an improvement to make it a place that people who live nearby could walk to,” Shearer said during the meeting. “Because of its location and the challenges of being in a cul-de-sac, it certainly wouldn’t be anything that would be intended to, or you would expect somebody to travel to by car.”
Shearer added that feedback they received from a recent community showed that residents were split, with more residents living closer to the cul-de-sac opposed to the project.
During public comment, some said it would pose safety and emergency vehicle access concerns, as well as parking congestion.
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While no commissioners were vehemently opposed to the project, some showed ambivalence in response to resident and safety concerns, while others voiced their support.
“The whole idea behind putting this in the proposed plan was to try to improve things for parts of the community that didn’t have a destination,” Commissioner Avery Lyford said during the meeting. “I live in an area that’s very hilly, and there’s spots I would like to have a bench to sit down on, so again, this is for that community. It’s not intended to be a destination for other people.”
The project is in the very early stages, with Shearer adding that they likely would not move forward without neighborhood consent.
No design plans or studies are in the works.
In other business: The meeting also served as Shearer’s last Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, as she announced her retirement after leading the department for eight years. Kevin Kobayashi, who previously worked for the city of San Mateo, will take on the role starting April 27.
“It has been an honor and such a pleasure to work for the city of Belmont,” Shearer said. “The community is such an engaged and passionate community. That’s what makes this work fun.”
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