Foster City considers rec center design

Mayor Jon Froomin advocated for a boardwalk at the site that will go down to the boat launch area near Central Lake to create more space for people going to and coming from the waterway. His comments echoed calls from a March 2 meeting between the Foster City Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Committee to emphasize the nearby water features in the design and make it easier for kayakers on the water to access the site.

“We’ve talked about activating the waterways,” Froomin said. “What we have now is good, but we can do better than that with the boardwalk coming down.”

Froomin also advocated for more parking to help increase visitors to the recreation center and asked to minimize the number of entrances or clearly define a main entrance. There are a large number of entrances at the current site.

Councilmember Sam Hindi called for exploring a second story for the recreation center because of the lack of real estate in Foster City and the project will likely be there for 75 years at least. He thought it would maximize building use and the views of the nearby waterway. He suggested looking at that option even if it was slightly over the budget, provided it was not prohibitively expensive. He suggested looking at creative ways to finance it.

“From my perspective, given the limited space in the Bay Area on the Peninsula and here in Foster City, I think it is extremely critical to give real consideration to a second story,” Hindi said.

A city staff presentation showed current options have the building site design along the lagoon, lots of parking access that reuses as much existing parking as possible and connects to the park. The architecture team is considering a hybrid of the best examples of several previous options, with the site potentially one or two stories. A large storm drain of around 54 inches in diameter runs through the site and serves Foster Square. It is viewed as a constraint that will be part of construction consideration.

Councilmember Stacey Jimenez was excited there were options for a food truck, senior accessibility and an emphasis on the surrounding areas.

“I really appreciate that you are not just focusing on the recreation center but the other structures and facilities around it, like the pickleball courts,” Jimenez said.

Public input has called for more designed areas for markets, fairs, waterfront terraces, garden terraces, food trucks and decorative lighting. The city is looking to rebuild the site to address structural issues around water leaks, the building age and its emergency shelter readiness. The City Council is currently proceeding with a $55 million build-to-budget option. However, the city has yet to declare a final cost. Construction will likely finish in 2026. A Foster City Recreation Task Force has been formed that provides input and feedback in a regular monthly meeting. The city is conducting online surveys and will hold a joint Planning Commission/Park and Recreation Committee meeting April 6.