Residents keen on keeping open space

The long-standing history of keeping Sugarloaf Mountain and the nearby Laurelwood Park "natural" is alive and kicking in San Mateo. More than 100 people showed up at the San Mateo Senior Center Saturday to get a first glimpse of what changes the city plans to make to the park. Although preliminary plans account for a 2,100 square-foot skate park, residents don't want to see much more than new bathrooms and a playground placed in the 235-acre park. In the free-form meeting, residents wrote down comments about saving deers, views and preventing development. The comments will be used to develop a master plan for the future of the 30-year-old park. The idea of developing a master plan for the park started with the need to replace the kiddy park. There are 22 play areas in the city and 16 have already been replaced. Since the park hasn't seen any renovations in over a decade, employees decided to expand the project, said San Mateo landscape architect Dennis Frank. Additional parking at the northwest side of the park and a bathroom are also top priorities, Frank said. The city originally allocated $610,000 for the project, but the extent of the renovations could be hampered by the economy. "We've actually had to put everything on hold until we find out more about what's going on with the budget," Frank said. So, the exact timeline of renovations is uncertain. Nestled in the hills on the west side of the city, the park sits with not much more than some footpaths, the outdated playground and a soppy field. The park was created in the 1970s after residents organized a grassroots campaign to save Sugarloaf Mountain from development by the Cargus Corporation. Of the total 305.5 acres, the project would have developed 40 percent into condos and office space. After months of debate at the City Council, a scaled down development was approved and the rest of the land remained open space. Shortly after, the city created Laurelwood Park in 1978. Since then the city has done very little to tamper with its natural attractions. The playground equipment was added in the late '70s and light posts were added in the late '80s, Frank said. In keeping with residents' long-standing environmental concerns, the city also hired biologists to help maintain the park's natural habitat. New plans would keep any landscaping and human access away from Laurel Creek, said Tod Hara of M.I.G., the design firm hired by the city. Depending on the design budget and comments from the public, plans might also include a flower park as a tribute to the history of the area. In the early 1900s the space was used as a flower farm and later was home to stables and horses. The city will use the comments to develop a preliminary master plan and will seek additional comments at future public information meetings. Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.