San Carlos’ Harrington Park redesign approved

“I feel like we owe it to the community,” Councilmember Adam Rak said at the council’s meeting June 9. “I feel like we need to get something started.”

On June 9, councilmembers approved moving forward with updating Harrington Park, which is designated in the guiding documents as Phase 1A. The proposal focuses on the 7,250-square-foot park located near the center of the 700 block of Laurel Street. 

The redesign of the area will include new trees and landscaping, new paving layout and design, new public seating and a new “multipurpose building” with public restrooms and a room for storage and utilities. A curb zone next to the alley, closest toward El Camino Real, will also include a new staging area. There will be a new concrete building with two restrooms, and a drinking fountain, bottle filling station and additional hand wash stations outside. A 10-foot-tall shade structure will be raised over the building. 

A new pavilion and water feature was once considered alongside the Harrington Park proposal, but is now being held off until the rest of the 700 block of Laurel Street will be developed, the council decided.

This phase will cost approximately $3.6 million in total, and is estimated to take nine months once a contractor is selected, Planning Manager Lisa Porras said. Staff anticipated returning to City Council in October with the proposed contractor, according to a staff report.

Councilmembers discussed at length whether they should delay the tackled Harrington Park at the same time as the rest of the 700 block — which would mean not starting any development until likely 2027 — or bifurcating the project, as ultimately approved. 

“This street has been closed for five years, are we talking about not doing anything for two more years? I struggle with that,” Rak said. “I lean towards we should probably get something started.”

Councilmembers Neil Layton and John Dugan noted that construction is generally disliked by the public, so tackling the downtown development in fragmented pieces may raise frustration. Now that Phase 1A does not include a new pavilion or fountain, Dugan added that it is less of a reward for the community who may not see the long-term vision. 

The City Council moved forward with the Harrington Park development and approved the design with three approvals, one no from Layton, and an abstention from Dugan who said he “can never vote against our downtown.” 

The final design for the rest of the 700 block of Laurel — including the pavilion and water feature — was not agreed upon and will be returned to council at a later date. 

The water feature prompted a lengthy discussion over how much money should be dedicated. Staff’s proposal budgets around $750,000 for the fountain, but Mayor Sara McDowell shared her discomfort with this high of a number. 

McDowell shared that she’s heard concerns from residents over the necessity of a water fountain, considering the tightening economic landscape and water use in a drought-prone area. 

“I think that’s a lot of money and I’m not sure that price tag is palatable to the community,” McDowell said. 

As the City Council moves forward with a small piece of the major development, the Planning Commission gave its input on the overarching guiding document that is intended to be used for all downtown developments moving forward. 

On June 16, the San Carlos Planning Commission held a study session on the Downtown Specific Plan, which is a long-term 20-year “living document” that will guide the 67.5-acre area’s future development. 

The Planning Commission agreed with staff’s recommendation to rezone the SamTrans site located at 1250 San Carlos Ave., to allow for a higher density and taller maximum building heights than currently zoned. The updated zoning would allow for 120 residential units per acre, and increase the maximum height to 75 feet. 

“If there is a perfect place downtown to put such a tall building, I think that’s probably it,” Commissioner Janet Castaneda said. 

The plan also included increasing the height of ground floor uses, requiring stepbacks on the higher stories of buildings along San Carlos Avenue and Laurel Street, and increased awnings to cover the entire outdoor dining areas on sidewalks. 

With the city’s anticipated growth, and hefty housing development requirements by the state, San Carlos’ parking is a strategic topic to serve the influx of new residents while working toward the city’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing traffic congestion, and making the city more walkable. 

“One of the nice things about our community is that we have all the amenities that you’d want, and you don’t have to circle for 15 minutes to find a parking space to get to them,” Planning Commission Chair Kristen Clements said. 

The City Council has expressed it is not interested in establishing paid parking, Porras said to the Planning Commission. 

Other strategies to promote parking turnover and the use of alternative modes of transportation were discussed at length, including working with businesses to use their parking during off-hours for the public. A Citywide Transportation Management Association will also be established, which will ultimately oversee these parking agreement partnerships. 

The Downtown Specific Plan will be studied by the City Council at its meeting June 23, and will likely be up for adoption this fall. The Downtown Streetscape Master Plan, which was adopted in April, is a separate document guiding street flow in the study area that will be used in tandem with the Specific Plan.