San Carlos halts North Crestview Park plans

“It’s such a shame and I really hate to disappoint the community,” Mayor Sara McDowell said. “I hate to go back on what we had planned.” 

The discovery of the Paniculate Tarplant at the center of the project site added just enough additional planning costs to make the City Council reconsider how much it is dedicating to a project that will take years to materialize. 

Other project priorities throughout the city were identified by the council, including the major downtown upgrade centered around the 700 block of Laurel Street, improvements to the Highway 101/Holly Street interchange, and an aquatic or community center. 

A focus on these major ticket items means the city would not likely get to developing North Crestview Park as designed for another decade or two, City Manager Jeff Maltbie said. 

Considering the length in time expected before the city can move forward with construction, it doesn’t make sense to move forward with an environmental review process at this time, the council decided. 

“No one likes that we’re here. We worked hard on this plan, it’s a good plan,” Councilmember John Dugan said. “I think we’d be wasting our money if we move forward now.” 

A new master plan for North Crestview Park was identified as a council goal in 2023, and a preferred updated design was chosen in June 2024. The goal was to redesign the 3-acre open space at the highest point in the city into an amenity filled park. Construction was estimated to cost $8 million to $10 million, with design costing $550,000 to $750,000.

However, when consultants visited the site in late 2024, a plant on the California Rare Plant Rank list was identified, presenting a hurdle to jump if the city were to move forward. The plant’s placement on the list meant the city would have to relocate the plant and conduct an environmental impact report. 

The City Council considered whether they should move forward now to get the ball rolling on this long awaited project, and relocate the plant sooner than later, but risk the environmental review becoming outdated by the time the city gets funding for construction. 

The council instead opted to not move ahead with the environmental review at this time, so the project is on indefinite pause. The money could be used elsewhere, it decided.

Staff noted, though, that the tarplant grows relatively fast, which could mean there is far more to relocate down the line as the plant continues to spread. 

Councilmember Adam Rak raised concerns about losing momentum on this project. 

“If we vote no on this, we’re voting to never do anything with that park,” Rak said. 

The City Council has debated for years what to do with the plot of land. A more passive park plan was approved by the council in 2017, but was ultimately scrapped by a more recent council who decided a new design for an active park was needed. 

Since it will take many years before construction can begin on the site, a future council may have design changes they might like to see as well, which could make any environmental review at this point in time redundant, Dugan said. 

Though the entire council expressed their frustration with putting off the project further, Councilmember Neil Layton affirmed that “what was good and will preserve” of the approved master plan can likely stand the test of time.