Black Mountain property bought

Located on Alameda de las Pulgas between Madera Avenue and Melendy Drive, the three properties making up the site where a family-owned water company once stood were the subject of a 2015 bond measure that the City Council approved for placement on the 2015 ballot. Called Measure V, the effort sought to raise funds to buy the 11.3-acre Black Mountain property, 7.3-acre Rollieri property and 4.9-acre Vista Del Grande property to protect them from development and preserve them for open space and recreational use. Opponents of Measure V cited concerns about the lack of clarity around use of the funds and felt city officials overstated the need to save additional park space and the threat of developments in the area.

Proponents of the city’s purchase argued it would have spared the land from the future development of up to 100 homes. The final cost to purchase and improve the land would have been $86 million and cost the average homeowner $118 in annual property taxes. Measure V ultimately failed, garnering less than 40 percent of the vote when it needed two-thirds majority to pass.

Councilman Mark Olbert said he understands Dragonfly to be focused on residential housing projects in San Carlos and San Francisco and thought their efforts might help meet the demand for housing in the area. Olbert said the developer, which has at least six smaller-scale, ongoing or completed projects in San Carlos, struck him as a group that worked creatively with the communities where their projects are built.

“They recognize that they’re building something in an existing community and they want to honor the values of the existing community,” he said.

Olbert, who with his wife supported Measure V with a $10,000 contribution, said he was sorry that Measure V didn’t pass to address the city’s need for more park space, but acknowledged the complexities of using the term “open space,” which may mean something different for everyone.

Vice Mayor Matt Grocott, who opposed Measure V, said investing in the property without a specific focus for the open space would not have made sense.

“While we could use more park land, the pressure and what we’re hearing from the community in my opinion has more to do with field space as opposed to more park where you can go hiking and so forth,” he said.

Grocott noted the expense involved in creating playing fields for sports in spaces better-suited for trails that conform with a given plot’s geography. He said nearby parks, such as Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve and Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve in Redwood City, offer opportunities for residents to enjoy trails.

“The need that we have for park space has more to do with fields,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of parks for trails.”

Measure V opponents had argued the steep terrain of the properties would have made the construction of housing on the site difficult, and Grocott guesses any future development projects may face regulations relating to soil testing in addition to standard zoning regulations.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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