Millbrae councilmembers approved a $4.32 million plan to enhance the Mills Estate Park with a play area, dog park, lawn and seating after the City Council asked previously that the design be made less costly and incorporate more natural elements.
A previous design for the park would have cost the city $5.9 million total, more than the $4.5 million Capital Improvement Project budget and development fees budgeted. Mills Estate Park, sometimes referred to as Sebastian Park, is at Lake Street and Sebastian Drive.
At an October 2025 City Council meeting, councilmembers expressed concern around that price tag and neighbors voiced worries that the park features would create a noise burden and not appropriately reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding area.
To stay under that limit and address community concern, design consultant Verde Design reduced seating around the open lawn, removed elements of the play area and eliminated a $303,000 fitness court, though it could be built pending a future grant.
“We’re trying to keep the park a neighborhood park,” Verde Design consultant Derek McKee said. “I think the things we’re taking out are not going to be missed. We still have plenty of seating, we still have plenty of picnic tables, the playground is going to be great.”
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The fitness court will also be included as a design alternative if construction firms could fit it in under budget, though Mayor Reuben Holober suggested it may be better suited to a different location entirely.
The dog park, which may be separated into separate spaces for small and large dogs, will also stay the same, and a large lawn area and concrete path will remain a central space for the park.
“It seems like we've met a lot of those asks from the community, as well as working with the council to trim down on the costs,” Vice Mayor Stephen Rainaldi said.
Non-invasive, native plants will also be included in the redesign, which was a repeated community member request during the City Council meeting Feb. 10.
It’s estimated that construction could end on the new design as early as February 2028.
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