San Bruno City Council looks at pared-down downtown beautification

Over the years since the initiative was laid out, the city has made some of the changes, most notably the openings of Centennial Plaza and Posy Park, along with some minor upgrades to newsracks and garbage cans. 

Councilmembers raised continuing beautification efforts as a priority for the 2026-27 fiscal year, but balked at the price tags during a study session March 24, when staff said a design for the baseline improvements alone would cost around $4.3 million. 

Councilmember Marty Medina said he would be interested in an “a la carte” menu for enhancements like streetlights in dark areas, a video message board and upgrades to the paseo areas. 

“Can we get an a la carte menu, because this menu’s too expensive,” he said. “What is achievable, and what would get us the biggest bang for the buck?” 

It’s not surprising the price point for downtown improvements is so high, Medina said. Because the renovations are important to residents, it would be best for the city to slowly incorporate them where possible, potentially via the creation of an ad-hoc City Council committee. 

“The downtown has been identified, from the public, as one of the highest priorities for things to get fixed,” he said. “It almost shouldn't be shocking anymore about how expensive things are.” 

The city should look into partnering with community groups on some smaller-ticket items, like a marquee board or a community bulletin, Mayor Rico Medina said. Some art projects, like an upcoming mural, are already using this model. It’s important to consider creativity and design for other areas of the city besides downtown, Rico Medina added. 

“We want to be considering other areas in the community that have not seen artwork,” he said. 

Art-related improvements that already have funding sources should be a no-brainer for the downtown, Councilmember Tom Hamilton said, also expressing support for zoning changes that would allow for building improvements and cost the city no money to implement. 

Aside from the no-cost items, he also expressed support for a future “a la carte” menu that would provide the council with cost estimates for individual projects like street lighting and wayfinding signs that could direct visitors to the lower-cost parking lots. 

“There’s an alarming number of people who have no idea it’s cheaper to park in the lots, have no idea it’s free after six,” Hamilton said. “It’s frustrating, and we need to get that signage up, and that was always the plan when we did the parking program.”