North Crestview Park concept gets OK in San Carlos

The concept design features a loop trail, native plantings, multiuse meadow space, a fitness zone, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. Other main features include a multiuse court, a veterans acknowledgment, Ohlone land acknowledgment, and consideration of an observation deck.

The multiuse court will contain lines for soccer games and basketball courts. It was initially proposed to include pickleball courts, however, after response from the sport’s community in the area, it was agreed another area would be more suitable.

“Having a full-size basketball court or having an opportunity to do a soccer game up there, just informal neighbors coming together, community coming together, that was kind of one of the determining factors in that conversation,” Parks and Recreation Director Amy Newby said.

The site will honor San Carlos’s history of training canine units during World War II, a priority for councilmembers. Renaming the park to pay tribute to this history and veterans was widely supported.

“Our neighboring communities all have pretty substantial veterans memorials, and I look forward to the day when we have a really good, solid place where we can have ceremonies and really recognize the contributions of our veterans in our community,” Mayor John Dugan said.

A passive use plan for this plot of land was approved by the council in 2017, with minimal amenities besides a more established path. Residents who raised concerns at Monday’s council meeting said they were more in support of the passive proposal.

San Carlos resident Arlene Bitmansour, whose house is right next to the park, said the decision to turn the natural space into a “concrete parking lot or playground” will displace many animals who use the land to get to the nearby watershed.

“In an era when we have urban development and human expansion at an all time high, it is crucial to remember the valuable role that natural habitats play in maintaining ecological balance and supporting the wildlife,” Bitmansour said during public comment.

For the site proposal in 2017, a plan was developed by a consultant for $100,000. Current council believed the plan was not adequate for the current needs of the city and ultimately signed another contract with current developer consultants for $225,000.

Bitmansour said spending so much money when plans were already once approved is “maddening.”

Councilmember Ron Collins said the new council was “not really enamored” with the 2017 plans and noted that the city’s parks are impacted, suggesting a need for more active developments.

“I really expected more people tonight from the community that want a more active park,” Collins said. “Think there’s a great part of that community that wants that and part of me thinks a lot of them are home taking care of their kids and that’s why they’re not here today.”

The new concept plan was approved unanimously, and staff will now go ahead with the environmental review process that will be included in the official proposal, estimated to be presented to City Council in the fall. Final adoption of the plan is expected by the end of the year or early 2025.

No funding is allocated toward design of the park until fiscal year 2025-26, delaying when the beginning of official design would begin. Funding is expected to be established in 2026-27 and then it would take about two years after that. The estimated cost is nearly $7.5 million.

The proposal comes ahead of a larger master plan process regarding parks in the city. It is during this process that council will further study an appropriate name for the park, as well as its native land acknowledgment.

The overarching parks master plan will be developed in the next 14-16 months, Newby said.